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from Josh Champ
With FDK Zagreb players disinfecting their scrapes, picking artificial-turf clumps out of their underwear and kicking back over a hladno pivo, it’s about time to spread the word about the tournament in Koper, Funny Time. I invite more comments, perspectives, points of view on the blog J Also post photos if you have them.
Big respect to the organizers who did a fantastic job. The food was delicious, nutritious and plentiful, water was always available, there was a nice respite on Saturday to explore Koper, and the fields stood in perfect condition.
Mali Dim Roster: Zdravka, Veu, Josip, Chep, Dario, Josh, Prez Vjeran, Tovar, Hays, Goran
And now introducing…new to the lineup…Duje ‘Bomba’ Prkut, the Hit from Split, the Dalmatian Sensation
This was a regional tournament with six teams. We played 3 games on Saturday and 3 on Sunday and came away undefeated as tournament winners, with a total point differential of 68-18.
Our mantra was simple. Do your best. The opponent is immaterial. Approach each point with dignity, self-respect and respect for opponents and the game, regardless of the circumstance. We have lost enough games over the years that as a program we know the value of respect. This weekend we also saw the benefit of a strong base of fitness; speed endurance, explosiveness, core strength.
This tournament was a good reminder that winning is more fun than losing. However, winning is not ambitious enough a goal. The real aim is doing our best as individuals and as a Z-unit. There can be shallow victories and honorable losses – regardless of the result it’s all about filling out our potential.
Game 1: Vertigo. Win: 10-3
A well-coached team with a burgeoning generation of Slovenian studs, Vertigo was also joined by some young foreigners, including Ben ‘Doormouse’ Doremus whom we knew well from playing together at Paga. Ben’s mom also made a surprise appearance on the sideline. Vertigo’s work ethic and focus are a credit to the program as a whole. Our deep cuts early in the game created easier in-cuts later on, and our switchy defense kept the opponents off-guard, slightly off-balance.
On the defensive end, we further aimed to prevent their deep shots early in the game, thereby limiting their options and stunting their confidence. We took a good stab at this but didn’t finish the job, and they snuck away with a few direct strike goals. Our entire roster played in this game, and certain players began to set the tone.
Chep played with a newfound and impressive consistency. Goran showed glimmers of defensive stops that would prove useful later in the day. Veu showed the distinct value of the continuation/punishing cut after a dump and swing.
Game 2: Frizmi. Win: 13-4
Lacking big-gamers Kišta and Statik, Frizmi nevertheless created an immense opportunity for their outstanding women, who set the standard for their regional proteges. This being an open (men’s) tournament, Frizmi’s women (Teja, Majchh, Zagrebčanka Banana, Barbara, and new game-time stud Urša) did what good players commonly do – match up with players bigger, faster and stronger. Best way to learn.
Many switches and defensive help calls, both for long and short cuts, made the difference for us early on. Our team is moving beyond simple man-to-man defense and into more interesting and sophisticated approaches. Frizmi lacked the throws and catches to press through our clammy defense, and they committed their characteristic and costly turnovers in their own defensive third, creating simple, glorious cone-cuts for us. That being said, we never quite found our rhythm in this game, despite the score, as each point was contested and we knew that despite the commanding physical matchups to our benefit, Frizmi generated some turnovers.
A highlight from this game was a well-timed block from Zdravka, who is playing stifling defense. Vjeran asserted himself with some deep looks, while I embarrassed myself with some deep shots. We began breaking the mark effectively, led by the donkey-kicker himself, Alex ‘el Tovar’ Crevar.
Game 3: 45 Giri. Win: 13-2
One highlight of this game was Duje’s first score of his life. Bomba! First of many.
This game is characterized by focus and hard work from FDK Zagreb, from the pregame Yoga (thanks to Iva’s Dinner Club instruction) until the final score. The disparity in work ethic, teamwork and commitment to excellence between these two teams could not be more apparent. With Chris streaking through the open and break side lanes on defense and Alex breaking the mark at will, it became remarkably easy to break not only the Italian marks but also their will. We chose strategic matchups and one-by-one exhausted their cutters with pressure D, getting a bid on at least half of the throws. This led to some phantom d’s, and some legit blocks.
Turning to the offensive side, there’s no question who to discuss. Dario, in the midst of working his way into the status of bona fide regional all-star, absolutely tooled their entire defense. For the first half of the game, it was hard to see why they didn’t doubleteam him when he was cutting. And then they did. Eventually they rearranged their defense so as to stop Dario, but all they did was make him more determined, and create even more open space for our fill cutters to shoot the gaps. There was a stretch of cca 7 points in which Dario scored 5 and threw 2. And then, working as a team, we used our other threats and options one-by-one, spreading the wealth on that nice big field.
The other offensive achievements of this game, by none other than Josip ‘Ninja’ himself, should not be overlooked. Josip is stepping into his role as a calm, mature fill cutter. Stepping and throwing his way into throwing completions, Josip wore out their defenders as a matter of course.
This 45 Giri team had two standout players from my point of view, those being Ricci and Gigi. We knew we would face either these guys or Vertigo again in the finals, so we paid attention to these matchups and gaining an edge. Ricci played with a calm and composure that is unusual in a younger player. Gigi ran his heart out and never gave up. On the other hand, 45 seemed to have a hard time reigning in another couple of players, and I think we learned a lot from this situation. First, we saw a player abusing the rules to his own advantage, and just plain not knowing the rules. This served as an object lesson to know the rules. Yet, we (by which I mean I) can practice less vindictive ways to teach the rules to opposing players in heated situations.
The second major thing that we learned from this game is something intangible, to do with heart, commitment and discipline all wrapped into one package called spirit. The Italians literally had a player leave the field during a point, so dispirited by the performance of his teammates. While it is easy to imagine Croatian ultimate players feeling frustrated at times or losing handfuls of games etc., it is (and should be) quite impossible to imagine any Croatian ultimate player showing the lack of spirit and lack of commitment to discipline, integrity and respect for self and opponent, which a player on the opposition actually showed by exiting the field during a point.
We came away with a rewarding victory, and the knowledge that if we play our game and work with our legs early in a game, we would run away with any matchup at this particular tournament.
Game 4: Sex Panthers (Dublin) (Spirit winners). Win: 13-3
These guys and girls are fantastic. We played them early on Sunday morning after a nice birthday party on Saturday night, by the water for Teja, Damijan and Jasmina, to whom we presented Mali Dim autographed discs J
Athleticism from players like Kevin and then the cool handling ability (especially a high-release forehand propensity from Mark) show a lot of potential for these university athletes. Congratulations to their women especially for a good showing. I think our players are jealous of the fact that all of these Irish folks are college kids, playing for their school. This is a great thing.
Game 5: Disco Stu (Pickup team). Win: 8-3
This team had some 4 consistent players, and constituted an amassing of pickup players from other teams, a great tradition at the Koper tourney. Best of all, it gives players from competing teams to play together and make friends. We got off to an extremely slow and I daresay unfocused start here. We geared up to run the set plays, but seemed too gassed to get our bodies into position for the first 15 minutes (i.e., 1 point…ouch). However after a heated timeout we came back onto the field ready to play and walked away with a quiet and easy victory against what became a mainly Vertigo lineup.
Game 6: Finals: 45 Giri. Win: 11-3
There were two highlights of this game to me. First was a score from Josip to Chep on a cone cut. Two role-players doing their jobs. The second highlight was the ninth score, in which Dario scampered deep and elevated several stories over a player from 45; Dario landed just short of the endzone, and readily found a streaking Goran ready for the score. It was the finishing touch on a strong performance.
This last game, which was the finals, saw great distribution of playing time and nice ball movement. We started the game with a brilliant tactic which I will call ‘the Champ express.’ I had the disc on our defensive goal line, and I threw a cross-field hammer against the wind to Vjeran. By which I mean, not actually to Vjeran, but to an opposing player who didn’t need to move more than two meters to easily catch the disc. We were behind 0-1, the first time we had trailed in the tournament. The crowd murmured ‘upset’ and the sideline seemed a bit shaken. I clearly worked some magic to light a fire under Mali Dim, with that well-timed strategic hammer thrown directly to the other team. Then we won 11 out of the next 13 points and any doubts subsided.
But seriously, lacking the legs or will to match up 1-on-1, the Italians played a defensive zone for most of the game. A handling backfield of Alex, Vern and myself proved highly effective at wearing them out and gaining field position. We wore down the Italians like the nub of a FER student’s pencil. The Italian trap zone got broken like a China Shop radio and downfield players like Goran and Chep on the wings and Veu and Dario as primary targets got themselves open like … well never mind.
Mr. Zone Master Blaster Chris Hays distinguished himself by finding the gaps, delivering crisp, smart passes in the wind, and rotating out of the wing spot, filling in at the handler spot when necessary. Chris had a breakout weekend, playing his role well.
The Croatian team rallied together, brushing off the abusive calls and blatant disregard for the rules by the opponents. Players young and old showed undiminished focus and attack, including sweet fakes and breaking passes in the zone by Veu, and a couple layout blocks by your humble correspondent. The game was delayed at one point by Italian players leaving the field yet again, this time during a disputed call, but when they got seven players back on the field we kept playing, so not to worry! It was hard to see a situation in which a team that is losing would want to burn time off the clock, but I guess everyone needs a breather now and again.
In other news, Duje scored the second goal of his life. Bomba! It was the final goal of the match and the second of many. He also got a block in the endzone, which stands out as a next level play.
Post-game
Alex Crevar, who has played with Mali Dim since its runner-up finish at FAAB III in December, will be heading back to the states this week, to stay in the U.S. for a few months. Wrapping up this stint in Croatia with a fun and successful tournament couldn’t be more fitting. To me, this tournament epitomized what Alex has brought to the team so far – combination of fun, a competitive zeal, focus, and silly robesmanship. Alex honored Dario with a gift of his Mali Dim jersey, and Dario honored Alex with a gift of his first Croatian football team jersey and some kind words which I couldn’t hope to sum up here. This was literally a tearful farewell, but really just so long for now, to the OCN, the Tovar, the real deal showtime gametime man of the hour, el Tovar. Sometimes I feel like a motherless child… see you again soon brother.
Next time
Region, beware. What began in 2005 as a group of buddies meeting for beers at Mex Cantina has grown into a band of spirited miscreantism and driven young athleticism. Think of our lineup when we get Maja, Iva, Darija, Đurković, Mrak and some new recruits on the line. Strong hopes for a women’s team. And just look at the freshly minted athleticism of our scout squad, featuring Vid, Ozren, Jan, Bruno, Ruki and more. And looking forward to the recovery of coach Marko, a natural athlete and leader priming the pump for a dominant return.
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