2011 Preview – Florida State University SLUT

Candace Yeh: Well, I never played a sport seriously before my Masters degree, as I spent my time studying music. I now spend the majority of my time studying the sport of ultimate. I got interested in playing Ultimate when I did my undergraduate at McGill University in Montreal, QC. The ladies there were wonderful people, who not only introduced me to the sport, but also taught me the spirit and elite athleticism needed in ultimate. I discovered I was not in any way, shape or form to keep up with their highly skilled team, but I knew that this was something I wanted to be involved in at Florida State. Over the summer, I played in a NJ summer league, where our captain, Isaac Saul (Pitt), helped lead our team to MCCUDL League Championships, where the team helped me learn all the basics of Ultimate. Now, I am proud to be involved with Ultimate at FSU, as President and Captain of the Seminiole Ladies Ultimate Team.

What is Ultimate at FSU all about?

Candace: FSUltimate is all about playing with spirit and making ultimate open to everyone in the community. We’ve nearly doubled our membership for our college teams (creating a C team for men’s, and a B team for our ladies). Tallahassee, in general, has seen a huge surge in women participants: Fall 2008, 13 women; Fall 2009: 37 women, and Fall 2010: 61 women. Together, the Tallahassee League, the men’s team (DUF), and the Seminole Ladies are making great strides in sharing our love for the sport with our school, and building up ultimate programs in Tallahassee.

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

Candace: Last year, we attended Regionals for the first time, in only our second year of existence at FSU! I think the biggest highlight was playing at Sectionals, and realizing that we had the potential to attend Regionals, especially for such a young team.

Who is your favorite team to play against?

Candace: We love playing UCF – Sirens! Tina Hierholzer (President of UCF Women’s Ultimate) and I have been communicating frequently about how we can work to build Florida women’s ultimate programs. Our teams enjoy playing and helping each other out on and off the fields. Our games are always intense, and very spirited – an excellent combination for Ultimate!

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

Candace: Matt Childs, UVA Alum, is the coach for the Seminole Ladies this year. He helps us with strategy and conditioning, and creating an excellent team attitude. More importantly, he reminds us that there’s no dancing on the fields, that bodies should be flying, and that if we see someone streaking, we should chase them. Special thanks to Steven Hicks, Jill Scarborough and Ona Strikas for helping coach the team as well, and always having answers to our questions.

Candace: We’re a relatively young team, so we don’t have a lot of experience, but we have plenty of athleticism. Sarah Clark (otherwise known as “Lady Baller”) gets my nomination. She is super quick, makes spectacular layouts and is an inspirational player. Don’t let her tell you otherwise, because she’s very humble.

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

Candace: Our biggest throwers are Megan Reeves and Allison Penn. Both have dangerously wicked throws and will surely catch you by surprise. Receivers Kirsten Clauser and Jenna Mroczek can always be found with the disc in the endzone. And don’t be caught off-guard if all our rookie players (especially Tiffany Clarkson and Kelsey Brooker) layout D your team.

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 she is to your team?

Candace: Carissa Dorson and Jacki Jerrems: both are silent, but deadly – they are very well-rounded players that will always get open for you no matter what. Jacki is also the Vice-President of the team, and is absolutely essential to the inner-workings of our program.

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

Candace: This year has been especially important for new players. With at least 20 ladies completely new to the sport, we have put a huge emphasis on retainment in our program. Mostly this means working on skills slowly, and making sure everyone is adjusting to the intensity of ultimate.

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

Candace: In general, we like to run a horizontal stack, but are still very efficient at running a vertical stack. Also, we are studying our playbook, so expect to see plays titled: Take off your pants, and SLUT-stack.

Candace: We would like to place in the top portion of our region this year.

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

Candace: Our fall season focused on the basics, like any other ultimate program: bringing new players up to speed, getting into ultimate shape, and learning to love the sport.

Candace: This year, we’re planning on attending Tally Classic VI, Mardi Gras, Southerns and Terminus. We’re most looking forward to Terminus, since we’ve never played over 90% of the teams interested in attending.

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

Candace: Every Thursday before each tournament, we do a super-carb-load potluck/team dinner to get our bodies ready for the weekend.

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