2011 Preview – Colorado Cockfight

[stextbox id=”alert” color=”050505″ bcolor=”6cc3f8″ bgcolor=”ffffff” big=”true” image=”null”]School Name: University of Colorado
Team Name: Cockfight
Captains: Zach Zebarth, Wil St. Charles
Coach: Ted Phillips
Year Founded: Early 2000’s
Jersey Colors: Yellow and Black
Website: mamabird.com
Score Reporter [/stextbox]

Tell us a little about yourself.  How did you get involved with Ultimate at your school?

Zach Zebarth: I started playing Ultimate at Lakewood High School with Jimmy Mickle and Hidde Snieder during my senior year. We all ended up going to CU together and I learned from them about tryouts for Mamabird. I went to tryouts and didn’t make Bird, but I stuck around and played for the B-team and have been playing on Cockfight for the last two years.

What is Ultimate at your school all about?

Zach: On Cockfight, Ultimate is about having fun playing the sport, but we also take the sport seriously and try hard to be competitive with A-teams around the country despite being a B-team.

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

Zach: Last year, we tied for 9th in the Southwest region, which was definitely a huge accomplishment for our team. The highlight had to be Trouble in Vegas last year, when we went 4-0 before the tournament got canceled, which technically made us the winners of the tournament because we had the best record of any team who went. Sectionals was also a huge highlight. We played our football rival CSU’s Ultimate team twice during Sectionals and beat them both times, knocking them out of Regionals on their own campus (until another team dropped out and they got let back in).

Zach: I’d have to say CSU because of the two games at Sectionals last year. Both games were hard fought wins for us and it was definitely a huge boost beating a rival school like that.

Tell us about your coaches and captains.  What do they bring to your team?

Zach: Our coach is a former Mamabird player and he definitely brings a lot to our team because of his experience in big game situations like the finals at nationals. He played for Bird only a couple of years ago and its really cool to be able to go back through old highlight videos and see our coach outrunning everybody on the field. The captains are also a good addition to the team because both of them have the ability to really fire up the team and make some big plays for us.

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

Zach: I don’t know that there is any one person like that on our team, but we definitely have a lot of good players and a really balanced team all around and we’re looking to draw some attention again this year.

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

Zach: Our best thrower on the team is easy, Alex “Spappy” Sapunov. He has a rocket arm and great breaks and he’ll make the big plays when we need it. Chris “Boobs” Bubernak can make some big plays on the receiving end because he’s so fast and so can Mikey Hill who has some big ups. On defense, we have a number of players who will make the big play when its needed, but I’ve seen some really big bids and great d’s from David “Elmo” Fridland.

It’s easy to see when someone throws a huge huck or gets a layout D.  Who’s a player you have to watch more carefully to see how valuable that person is to your team?

Zach: The player who fits that description on Cockfight would be our captain Wil St. Charles. That’s not to say he won’t get a big D in the clutch, but he is a very solid all around player. He makes good cuts, good throws, and can run the offense effectively.

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

Zach: We just get out and practice as much as we can. We’ll talk over the offense or defense we’re planning on running, break it down visually for the rookies, and then run some drills or a scrimmage to work on that aspect of the game.

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

Zach: As a B-team, our offenses and defenses have to be compatible with our A-team so there isn’t a huge learning curve for someone who gets moved up to Bird. So, on defense we follow our A-teams example and play hard man-on defense and on offense we’ll run any of a couple different systems to mix it up.

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

Zach: Our goals for this year are to make it further than we did last year in the region and to surprise some A-teams.

What has your team been doing this fall to prepare for the spring season?

Zach: The fall was mainly devoted to dividing up our A and B-teams but we did attend Missouri just as our B-team and we’ve been practicing a lot. The fall was for learning, and now the spring is going to be for improving and making a strong bid in our region.

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

Zach: This weekend we’re attending Big D in Little D, which was a blast last year when we took UNT, the team that won the tournament, to universe in our first game of the weekend. We’re also planning on going to Vegas, which is so much fun just because of the location and the huge ultimate community that comes out for it. Then we’re planning on adding another tournament or too like Fool’s Fest in Kansas or the UOA B-team Nationals in North Carolina.

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

Zach: Everyone has their own way of getting fired up, whether its listening to music or visualizing the game ahead. As a team, we’ll usually just have a short speech and a team cheer and then go out and put it all on the line.

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

Zach: Forever – Chris Brown

Bear, ninja or cowboy?

Zach: Bear.

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

Zach: Colorado Mamabird