Recent History and Roster Turnover
Hands down, Fury is the most decorated, most dominant Ultimate dynasty out there. No other team, Open, Mixed, Women’s or masters even come close to the accolades Fury has brought home to the Bay Area over the past five years. Let’s count them; but take your hand off the mouse first because you’ll need a bunch of fingers. Five consecutive USA Ultimate club championships (2006-2010), one World Ultimate championship won as team USA in Vancouver 2008, and one Club Ultimate Championship captured in 2010 in Prague. That’s 8 pieces of heavy gold.
Photo by Scobel Wiggins
Strategy and Leadership
These are performance a team cannot top and a player can only dream to be a part of. Still, Captain Lakshmi Narayan keeps her team focused stating “[Fury] makes a concerted effort to stay in the moment and always look forward. 2010 is over, and we have to start building from the ground up again for 2011.”
Fury makes it a point to come out and compete, at every tournament, every game, every practice and every drill. Narayan even goes as far to say say Fury’s biggest rivals are themselves, placing the competitive effort needed to win big games on all 26 rostered players each practice weekend.
Among the countless athletes and Ultimate stars that Fury has added to its roster over the past few years, spectators can’t look past Matty Tsang, Fury’s coach and a great ultimate mind. “He really does have the full toolbox of skills that a great coach should possess” says Narayan, “Incomparable strategic insight, the ability to connect with players individually, a clear vision of the team-building process, and unlimited passion for the game and love for his teammates.”
To find the best women’s ultimate in the world one doesn’t need to look past the Northwest. Fury gets plenty of great reps against the best teams in the world at every tournament they go to.
Fury has already gone undefeated in two tournaments this season, easily taking wins in Eugene’s Summer Solstice as well as Colorado Cup. Their only losses on the season have come from UNO (japan) and Riot, who beat Fury once in the finals of ECC and once this past weekend at the Labor Day Championship finals. Both Riot games went to cap.
Photo by Scobel Wiggins
With regional rivals Riot playing well and a Traffic coming off a Canadian national championship run (losing to the Capitols in the final) is Fury concerned?
Hell no. This is a team that has shown time and time again that preseason results don’t matter and is concerned only with the present. Remember when they came back from an 8 point deficit against Riot in the 2008 championships. If you don’t, I bet Riot does. Fury’s roster is learning and is ready to bring it 100% come Sarasota.
Fury is family. Together we are stronger and more resilient than alone. We don’t always get along, but at the end of the day we all love each other and push each other in ways that make us better. – Lakshmi Nayara
2011 Outlook
It’s hard not to see Fury in the Finals of the USA Ultimate club championship again and hard as well to see them not representing team USA in the upcoming World Ultimate and Guts Championship held in Japan 2012.
Here’s to you ladies. Light ’em up.
Follow Fury
Catch all of Fury’s action this season. www.furyultimate.com. Twitter. Facebook.
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