#9: Reflections on the Road to Perth
11/27/2017
Ben Sadok ’17, Brett Gramann ’18, and Tannor Johnson ’19 are representing Zoodisc on the US U-24 National Teams in Perth, Australia in January 2018. Our junior captain, Tannor Johnson, will be playing with the US U-24 Mixed Team in Perth, Australia in January 2018, and wrote about his experiences at their recent training camp.
I’ve been playing ultimate for the past seven years. I’ve played for over 10 teams, competed in over 15 states, and in the past four years the longest I’ve taken off from playing any type of ultimate is two weeks. Needless to say, ultimate is a big part of my life.
In a couple months me and Brett are going to Perth, Australia to play in the World U-24 Ultimate Championships. We submitted applications, tried out with players from all over the country, and were then both selected to play for the USA mixed team. This team’s experience includes a weekend training camp in November, a week long training camp in Perth the week before the tournament, and then the competition.
Going down to Atlanta in early November for training camp was nerve-wracking because not only is it a new team, but also we only get ~9 days together before competing for gold. Joining a new team so quickly can be rough, and a lot is needed from each player to make it work. These are the things I focused on going into the weekend.
New Team New Strategy
Landing in Atlanta on Friday, it was easy to be excited, and to want to show the team all that I could do as well as the specific ways that my past/current team’s run offense and defense. But with a new team it’s very important to be open to new strategies. We come from all across the country, we’ve played for countless teams, each with its own playing-style, and we’re all key players on those teams. Stepping onto the fields Saturday morning, I was focused on going in with an open mind, and being prepared to fit any role in which the coaches put me.
Make Sure to Learn
With a team of different players, all selected for different reasons, this was a time for growth. With any team, everyone has a different set of skills that makes them unique. No two players are the same. Throughout the day I continuously asked my teammates what they thought was better in different scenarios. A couple times I had trouble covering some of the other guys, and directly asked what I could do better. They responded with positive feedback and did not hold back. The next time out I was able to do a better job on them. Realizing that defense, and more specifically positioning on my person, was my weak point. I tried to focus on this and improve.
Playing with My Enemies
I am often asked if it’s weird to play with people that I usually mark up against or compete against. At first yes, it’s weird to have to introduce yourself and get to know them when the only image you have of them is wanting to crush them in a game. But (not so) slowly they become teammates just like on any other team. Jokes and laughs are shared and those enemies become friends. Playing against them later on will be weird, but the competitive intensity and drive will be there.
Self-Accountability
On Saturday afternoon, at the end of practice Tom approaches us with jerseys. They are extra jerseys that we didn’t originally order from our gracious sponsors at 5 Ultimate. For the first time as a team, we will have USA on our chest and our number on our back. These jerseys come with a lot of responsibility. Our interactions with the other teams and their families in Australia could be their first and only encounter with someone from the United States. This responsibility is as much about how we are off the field, as how we show up on the field. While other club players take their off-season to relax or hit the weight room, we’ll be training to be in tip-top shape in January.
Stay in the Moment
The crazy thing with the U24 team is we quickly become best friends, and then just as quickly we are back to living all across the country. Oftentimes, we’ll never even play on the same team again. Over the weekend we were encouraged by our coaches and each other to put our phones away and stay in the moment. For that weekend the only thing that mattered to all of us was the delegation and more specifically our team. This allowed me to get to know a lot more about my teammates, even those that I thought I already knew. Before I knew it, the moment was over and it was time to say goodbye to everyone, which just made me more excited for January to come.
If you would like to support Brett and me in our trip to Australia, please check out our fundraising pages!
Brett
Tannor
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