2011 Preview – Salisbury University Buzz Ultimate

[stextbox id=”alert” color=”050505″ bcolor=”6cc3f8″ bgcolor=”ffffff” big=”true” image=”null”]School Name: Salisbury University
Team Name: Buzz
Captains: Josh Jamison, Scott Kirtland
Founded: 1996
Jersey Colors: White/Black and Blue/Yellow
2010 Record: 14-9
Score Reporter
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How did you get involved with Ultimate at Salisbury?

Scott Kirtland: During my younger years, I had always been involved with sports including soccer, baseball, tennis, golf, lacrosse.  During my senior year in high school, my brother (Ryan Kirtland, Captain of St. Mary’s College of Maryland his senior year), would come home during winter break and spring break.  He would always nag me to go out into the street and throw a disc with him.  At first, I was hesitant and wasn’t open to the idea of simply throwing a disc around for fun, as I didn’t know much about the game of ultimate itself.  I finally gave in, and started to throw with him every day, with him teaching me about the game, and taught me the technique on how to throw a backhand, flick, and eventually more advanced throws.  During my final semester in high school, I attended a few pick-up games during the week, and really started to enjoy and learn the game of ultimate.  At the same time, I had chosen to attend college at Salisbury University.  Luckily, my brother through playing club ultimate with medicine men, gave me the email of a guy by the name of Tim Morrill, captain of the team my freshman year.  I attended a few practices and started to figure out that this was the sport I was going to play during my years in college.  It’s safe to say that I was HOOKED from then on out. Tim has continued to be a huge influence on myself and my team as is always looking for ways to take the sport to the next level.

What is Ultimate at Salisbury all about?

Scott: Salisbury Buzz Ultimate is a composition of a great group of guys, who simply have that competitive fire in them to compete, train, and most importantly, have fun playing Ultimate.  Back when the club was founded, Salisbury Buzz attended nationals back to back years during 1997-1998 with some guys who currently play for elite club teams (Danny Clark/Ironside, Kevin Moldenhour/Captain of Truck Stop).  Overall, I enjoy every minute I get to spend with these group of men, and I feel like it is sort of like a brotherhood.

How did your team do last year?  What was the highlight of your season?

Scott: Last year, our team was the best it had been in a few years, in my opinion.  We had a solid, core group of guys who had been playing with each other for a few years.  We finally put in the time in the gym, conditioning our bodies to be warriors, and it showed in our results.  The highlight of the season was the game against Georgetown, in the game to get to the game to go to Regionals.  We fell to Georgetown in a very closely contested battle, 13-15.  Georgetown then went on to beat Maryland 15-13 to advance to Regionals.  I could not have been any prouder of how our team played at Sectionals, and will remember that season for a long time.  We ended up finishing T-5^th in the Colonial Open Section.

Who is your favorite team to play against?

Scott: Personally, my favorite team to play against is Towson.  During my freshman year, we beat Towson twice at Sectionals to advance to the game to go.  We lost to George Washington, but our games against Towson are always close, and since I know some of them personally, they are always a fun team to play against.  A memorable game that I was grateful to be a part of was our second game against Towson my freshman year at Sectionals.  We beat them 13-11, with Jay Kleman grabbing a sick Callahan for the win.  That win will stick with me for a while.

Tell us about being a captain.  What do you and your co-captain, Josh Jamison, bring to your team?

Scott: Josh, along with myself, played A-team our freshman year, and have been playing with each other ever since.  We lived together our junior year, and are great friends.  Having this friendship, along with our experience, brings a lot of knowledge to the younger guys.  This knowledge, along with our competitiveness as athletes, motivates and drives the rest of our team to perform at a high level.

Are there players on your team who deserve consideration for Callahan, All-Region, or Freshman of the Year?

Scott: There are 3 guys on our team, who I would consider putting on All-Region.  Josh Jamison is a cutter who any defender would have fits guarding.  His flat speed is something you can’t teach, and his layout D’s are some of the best I have ever seen.  Also, I would nominate myself.   I have a great understanding of the game, along with every throw in the book.  I am confident in saying that I can break any mark that is put on me.  I am our primary handler, and take pride in controlling our offense.  Lastly, Bryson Cramer is a name people need to start learning about.  Although he lacks some size relative to other players, he makes up for it with his shutdown defense.  Couple that with his recent ability to have precision throws, and I feel confident putting him up against another team’s best cutter.

What player is most likely to make a huge play as a thrower?  On D?

Scott: As a thrower, I consider myself the most dangerous to make a big huck.  There isn’t a throw that I don’t feel comfortable making, and having that confidence really makes a difference within our team.  As for defense, Josh Jamison, Bryson Cramer, and Ben Smith are huge playmakers for our team.

Who’s a player you have to watch more carefully to see how valuable that person is to your team?

Scott: There is a rising sophomore by the name of Vince Petrucci who I think can be a huge asset to our team in the spring.  He is tall (6’1), with good speed and great throws.  He has really thrived as a handler, and I expect him to be a very valuable member of our squad come spring.

How does your team bring new players to Ultimate up to speed?

Scott: During the fall season, we really stress to the new guys the basic fundamentals of ultimate.  We emphasize throwing backhands and forehands, the proper way.   Pivot out, and most importantly, get your fucking knee down to the ground.  Once we get them past this stage, we start teaching them basic strategies of offense, defense, etc..

What does your team like to do on offense and on defense?

Scott: On offense, our team likes to take advantage of our speed and size, by isolating our players in one-on-one matchups.  We also feel very comfortable in working the disc up the field with our handlers.  On defense, we like to play hard man, which produces layout D’s, and converting those D’s into points gives us a good advantage on other teams.

Has your team set any goals for this season? What are they?

Scott: We have a few goals as a team.  Our first goal is to work the hardest we possibly can, condition speaking.  We want to be in the best shape and run teams into the ground.  Our second goal is to make regionals, something our team hasn’t accomplished since I have been at Salisbury University.  This would mean a lot to our whole team, and would bring a sense of accomplishment to Buzz.

What tournaments do you plan to attend in the spring?  Which are you most looking forward to?

Scott: We are already lined up for 2 tournaments in the Spring.  We are returning to Wilmington, NC on March 12-13^th weekend to participate in Wilmington 8’s, an observed tournament.  We are competing against the likes of Penn State, Elon, American, Towson, Minnesota, Mary Washington, and another team yet to be named.  Also, we are attending our local tournament, Roll Call in Poolesville, MD.  I am most looking forward to playing in Wilmington 8’s, as there are officials making the calls.  This avoids bad spirited calls, and promotes the game of ultimate in its advancement.  This will give our team a gage of where we are, and things we need to improve upon moving forward.

What does your team do to get pumped up for a big game?

Scott: Before a game, we like to huddle up and speak about or plan for the game.  Finally, a nice loud Buzz Buzz Fucking Buzz normally does the trick and gets our whole team pumped up.

What song would you pick for the soundtrack to your team’s 2011 highlight video?

Scott: A song, which has sometimes been called the Buzz theme song, was shown to me by Adam Bryant.  “The Final Frontier”, by RjD2 is a song I would have for our highlight video.

Bear, ninja or cowboy?

Scott: Bear, simply for its ferocity.

Who’s going to win the 2011 USA Ultimate College Championships?

Scott: I follow College Ultimate very closely and I look for Pittsburgh to finally make an appearance in the final, against either Wisconsin or Carleton.  I look for Pittsburgh to take it in the final with a score of 15-12.