2011 Preview- University of Georgia Hodawgs

[stextbox id=”alert” color=”050505″ bcolor=”6cc3f8″ bgcolor=”ffffff” big=”true” image=”null”]School Name: University of Georgia
Team Name: Hodawgs
Captains: Alicia Queen, Lindsay Foglia
Coach: Amble Johnson
Jersey Colors: Red, Black, and White
Websites: Facebook, Blog
2010 Record: 35-8
Score Reporter[/stextbox]

How did you get involved with the Hodawgs?
Alicia Queen: My friends played pick up and some tournaments in high school for fun, but I never played (too embarrassed to throw haha). Once I got to college my friends convinced me to go to the women’s team practice. I showed up said “y’all play with shoes? Huh.” Like LL I’ve been addicted ever since.

Lindsay Foglia: My best friend found out about fall league and told me about it. We both went out and the team was so accepting and helpful at teaching us. I decided to tryout for the A team and have been a sucker for the Hodawgs ever since. :)

What is Ultimate at your school all about?
Alicia: Well, UGA is the number one party school so… Kidding! We are definitely a really fun, happy team, but we love playing hard, competitive games too. The entire UGA program (both open and women’s) stresses the importance of team, hard work, and good times.

How did your team do last year?  What was the highlight of your season?
Alicia: I think overall, we performed well. We played some really good, competitive games but had some trouble pulling that together at regionals. My highlight was Mudbowl. It wasn’t a required team tournament, but Mudbowl+Hodawgs= a seriously good time.

Lindsay: Last year was a bit of a rebuilding year for us. We got 7th at regionals, but plan to put up a big fight for the bid to natties this season. I think our biggest highlight was winning Tally Classic last year.

Who is your favorite team to play against?  Tell us about a memorable game.
Alicia: Definitely FUEL (University of Florida Women). So many girls on that team are so nice, spirited, fun, and yet we continually have really intense, competitive games. Don’t get me wrong, playing with “Florida fan” sidelines is a nightmare (oh the stories I could tell) but I love those girls. I remember we played one sectionals finals game against them a few years ago in Gainesville, we played that weekend with 11 girls and played a pretty tight rotation during finals. I remember going up-line as the dump for the game-winning score, somewhere on the field someone had called a pick and I shouted “well it wasn’t on me!” and kinda spiked the disc on the ground (not the way guys do, don’t get the wrong idea) but I turned to the girl who was on me- who I love- and said “sorry I didn’t mean that in a mean way, I’m just so glad this weekend is over!” haha we were all so tired I think but it was really rewarding.

Lindsay: I have two. My favorites are Emory (Luna) and Florida (FUEL). They are both huge regional match-ups and are going to be our big contenders for the bid to nationals. Both are also highly skilled teams, but very spirited.

Tell us about your coach.
Alicia: Amble Johnson is our current coach (former UGA “Jojah” player). Amble is my first male coach since high school softball. Having him has been awesome. I love the knowledge and calm intensity he brings to the team. Plus, he is so easy to make fun of (his real name is John Johnson! You can’t make that up) and we love making him feel really awkward.

Are there players on your team who deserve consideration for Callahan, All-Region, or Freshman of the Year?
Alicia: Emily Lloyd and/or Julia Fuster definitely deserve consideration for all-region. They both love ultimate and embody the intensity, spirit, and skill I see in an all-region player. They’re so great to play with (and live with- the three of us live together!), they work so hard and their performance on the field shows it. Lane Siedor may come up as a nominee for Freshman of the Year (she played at Paidea High School as well as for the club women’s team Ozone), but we shouldn’t speak too soon :)

Lindsay: Lane Siedor for Freshman of the Year. She’s got some monster throws and is big in the air. She played at Paidea and for Ozone in the past.

What player is most likely to make a huge play as a thrower, receiver, or on D?
Alicia: (not sure if I should publicize this!?) We don’t have too many “big” throwers this year (compared to Red and Melissa Hovanes last year!) but I can put some stuff up here and there. LL (Lindsay Foglia) is an intense mid-field cutter and Emily Lloyd is pretty much one of the best receivers I’ve ever played with. She is always there and is deadly when deep. Additionally, we picked up a former FUEL player, Camille Beasley, and she’s already proving to be an amazing cutter (and handler too!)

Lindsay: Alicia Queen is going to be the one teams should watch out for as a huge thrower. She’s got amazing hucks and some sick inside-outs. Emily Lloyd is crazy on D. She lays-out for any thing and everything.

Who’s a player you have to watch more carefully to see how valuable that person is to your team?
Alicia: Julia Fuster, Erin Racher, and Courtney Farrell are all perfect examples. Sometimes they certainly can be flashy (Julia especially on D), but for the most part they are very solid, reliable, and hugely valuable to the team.

Lindsay: Courtney Farrell – She is a very solid player that rarely turns it. She is also working into a handler role and becoming great at it!

How does your team bring new players to ultimate up to speed?
Alicia: We have “Fall League” in the fall which, like any other intramural sport, lets any and all women play, regardless of skill level. We do some throwing, drills, and lots of scrimmaging in order to ease people into the sport, since many women have never played before (I came out there without shoes!) In the Spring we do lots of conditioning, throwing, drills, and scrimmages to work on our game each week.

Without giving too much away, what does UGA like to do on offense and on defense?
Alicia: I prefer H-stack on offense (actually in reality I prefer when people run zone on me- I seriously love zone offense). We love the deep game, so we definitely have to bring the up-and-coming players up to speed on that! On defense we love shutting down the dump on man, and running really hard, intense zones too.

Lindsay: H-stack is a personal favorite of mine and will be a highly used offense this season.

Has your team set any goals for this season?
Alicia: This season the overall goal is “fun intensity”- work hard, do your best, and have fun doing it. Since this is my last (5^th) year (tragedy) my goal is to have fun and help my teammates and my team as best I can so that they can continue the Hodawgs legacy.

Lindsay: Every year a main goal is to have fun. Things can get stressful easily and frustrating in intense moments, but Hodawgs like to keep things fun and exciting (look for our Centex dance this coming season for proof). :) With that, winning is very fun. Who doesn’t want to make nationals? I know we really do. Teaching new players and developing current ones is also a big one.

What have the Hodawgs been doing this fall to prepare for the spring season?
Alicia: Like I mentioned we do Fall League until mid-November, when we do officially try-outs for the spring team. We do Tuesday practices as well to help teach new players the basics like throwing/catching, offenses, defenses, and how to work hard while having fun.

Lindsay: Fall league and practice. Right now we are just trying to teach the new girls what Hodawgs and Ultimate are all about.

What tournaments do you plan to attend in the spring?
Alicia: FWC, Queen City, Tally Classic again maybe? Mudbowl is always a good optional tournament, Centex (back again!) and the series. I love FWC (sadly the last warm tournament usually) and I’m looking forward to the fun and intense competition at Centex in Texas.

Lindsay: Florida Winter Classic, Queen City, (potentially Mardi Gras), Centex and Tally Classic. And of course the series and hopefully natties! I’m most looking forward to Centex- it always has good competition and a crazy fun dance-off!

What does your team do to get pumped up for a big game?
Alicia: We warm up, throw, dance sometimes- I’m usually listening to my ipod shuffle, loudly singing and dancing to annoy/entertain people. We always cheer which really gets us going.

Lindsay: CHEERS! I love our pre-game chants/ cheers such as Bow Wow, El Camino, and Can’t Stop.

What song would you pick for the soundtrack to your team’s 2011 highlight video?
Alicia: Missy Elliott “We Run This” or “Teach Me How to Dougie” Cali Sawg District.

Lindsay: Missy Elliott’s “We Run This” – enough said.

Bear, ninja or cowboy?
Alicia: Hmm, ninja, unless you mean the infamous “Cowboy” on the GA Tech Men’s Team….

Who’s going to win the 2011 USA Ultimate College Championships?
Oregon maybe? Let’s be realistic, the Hodawgs :)