Open Division | Women’s Division | Mixed Division | Masters Division

Once again, the field is wide open in the Mixed division. There are eleven teams here that didn't make the show last year, including the number one seed, Seattle Shazam. But the biggest difference is not who's here, but who isn't: last year's finalists, Hang Time and Donner Party. Rumor has it that Hang Time split up so the men could play Open, and Donner decided to retire on top after winning Worlds. Both teams were dominant last season. With those two gone, it's truly anyone's championship.

Without a lot of interregional play, it's difficult to predict how the teams stack against each other. Much will depend on the wind conditions at Sarasota. Nevertheless, the Northwest and MidAtlantic teams have a lot of experience at this level, and all probably expect to make semis.

The one seed at Northwest Regionals and thus at the Championships is Shazam. Two years ago the team made semis, but last year they played poorly at Regionals and missed the big show. Shazam lost some good women over the past two years to Riot, but has gained Jimmy Chu (#15), a great thrower in the wind who scored many goals at Regionals, and Aaron Bell (#33), a fast defensive playmaker. Steve Finn (#7) provides leadership and is a part of most of Shazam's big plays. For the women, Tanya Erickson (#17) is a solid handler that takes care of the disc, and Christa Ward (#4) is a tall, fast receiver that also makes great defensive plays. Shazam will play fast and hard man defense and will take chances downfield. They can beat themselves though, giving it away through turnovers and sometimes playing without confidence.

San Francisco's Red Fish Blue Fish can have the opposite problem, losing focus when they have a big lead. The two seed out of the Northwest is very different from the other Northwest teams; older, more experienced, smarter, less athletic. They are probably the best team in the wind at the Championships, relying on the long game and a stingy zone defense to build a lead. This year they've added even more experience in Jane Ross (#15) and Asako Yamamoto (#52). Look for Chris Archer (#11) to put it long and Greg Wolff (#2) to force turns with his mark. Though RFBF can win by having no turnovers, they're susceptible to fast, defensive teams that run a lot. They would rather huck it than work it up the field, and an athletic opponent can force them out of that comfort zone.

Nevertheless, RFBF owns San Francisco's Brass Monkey (5-1), and Brass Monkey in turn owns Shazam (3-0). Brass Monkey is the hard-running kind of team that should match up well with RFBF. New this year, Brass Monkey relies on a strong core of elite-level players, including Patrick Hard (#64), Nate Miller (#12), and Kerry Soo Von Esch (#16). Those three are formerly of Ring, E. Pig/BRU, and Fury, respectively; BM has also picked up players from Valhalla, Donner Party, and Jam. Brass Monkey lives for defense, with numerous players making big layout Ds and handblocks. However, they are weak against the huck, which is how RFBF manages to dominate them. With a surprising early loss at Regionals, Brass Monkey comes in as the three seed from the Northwest, just like Donner Party last year - and we know how that one came out.

Brass Monkey's counterpart on the East coast is B+; in fact, these two teams know each other well and have played together in the past. B+ is also a strong defensive team led by elite-level players, including Caner Cooperrider (#81), Jason Grove (#18), and Jody Avirgan (#8). This year they lost some women to BNOGO and Viva!, but replaced them with players of similar caliber. More worrisome is the loss of Ryan Smith, a tall receiver with great pulls. B+ tops off at 6'2'' now - less of a concern without Hang Time, but still a disadvantage. After spending the last couple of years as a pickup team, B+ practiced more and is more cohesive this year on offense. Their women are very good but may not be used as much as they could be.

The number two out of the MidAtlantic is Annapolis All-Stars; similar to the Flicks of Fury team last year, they are the mirror of RFBF. They have good throwers in the wind, good zone and switching man defense, and are more experienced and less athletic than B+. Look for Anouk Savineau (#75), formally of Godiva, to catch long bombs from her husband, Alex "Boat" Tiersky (#3). Other big players include Emily Paterson (#77), a speedy cutter; Ben Snyder (#88), a fast deep with huge ups; and new pickups Stu Dalheim (#17) and Lars Taylor (#11). AAS hasn't played out of region much this year, but if Sarasota is windy as usual, they will upset some teams.

On the next tier are teams that expect to make quarters; any of these could make semis, but probably don't come into the tournament with the same confidence as the top five. This group includes Baton Rouge Holes and Poles, Fort Collins Drive Through Liquor, Denver Bad Larry, Boston 6 Trained Monkeys, and Iowa Chad Larson Experience.

Holes and Poles is the three seed of the tournament and number one out of the South region. This team made semis last year but has had a disappointing season so far. Their region is noticeably weaker without Hang Time. HnP picked up some great players from the women's team Buttercup, including Leigh Gorman (#0), Harper Ray (#21), and Mary McDowell (#73). But they've lost the two keys mentioned in this space last year: Brian Harriford and Shan Cammack. The absence of Harriford is huge; his name is closely associated with HnP and conventional wisdom is their success stems from his spectacular playmaking. It's an open question how well Holes and Poles will do this year. Based on past experience, they could make it to finals, but based on this year's play, they could miss out on quarters.

Last year, Drive Through Liquor lost to HnP in the quarters, after upsetting some teams on the way to day three. This year they come in as the one seed out of the Southwest and with some experience playing the teams at the Championships. They run a horizontal stack offense that often results in a Brian Rupert (#82) huck to Mickey Thompson (#7). The O is quick moving, with lots of little passes to keep the defense off balance; the team has good endurance and takes care of the disc. However, DTL is weak in the wind, which could be a major factor at the Championships; horizontal O is traditionally stymied by blustery conditions.

Bad Larry, DTL's regional rival, has also played out of region quite a bit and gained good experience. The team has lost some men from last year; most significant is the loss of Phil Quatrochi, a captain with strong leadership. Replacing him at the top is James Beeby (#4), a super athlete, fast defender, and great thrower. Other important players include Mike Shiel (#2), who brings great hucks and quick cuts, and Julie Dintaman (#13), a speedy receiver. BL will run both horizontal and stack offense, and they use a three-woman cup in zone defense. They are strong in the wind, but the rap on BL is their inconsistency and low endurance. They rely on a small core to make big plays, which could hurt them with the high level of competition at the Championships.

6 Trained Monkeys is the big mystery team of the tournament. They romped through the Northeast region, typically a weak area for Mixed teams. But sources say they're the real thing, a team of ringers that make big plays on offense. Seth Mann (#12) is a fast, athletic player that has amazing ups out of nowhere and solid throws. Also look for Salsa to huck it to Jay Clyne (#37), a big receiver. For the women, Betty Smith (#22) is a fleet-footed thrower who takes care of the disc. Since the team doesn't practice, their O is unstructured and relies on their ringers to make it happen. The women are weak other than Smith.

Chad Larson Experience is another potential darkhorse team. This year they've added some experience in Sarah Savage (#19) and some athleticism and ups in Austin Gangel (#23). Savage and Rachel Dersheid (#9) will run a dominator when the offense gets stale. Gangel provides sky domination and Dave Karsten (#2) has the throws to hit him. CLX relies on aggressive layout D to win games for them; they are willing to take chances on offense, expecting to create turnovers on the other side of the disc. Like 6 Trained Monkeys, CLX doesn't practice, and this can translate to weakness in their offense, especially versus zone. CLX is looking to win some respect for the their region, as the number one out of Central. They've been impressive so far this season.

Of the final six teams, two are considered comparatively weak, two are fairly unknown and two are expected to finish in the bottom four. Denver Duff has the same roster as a year ago, when they lost the bid to the Championships in a close game to go. Duff formed from the remnants of High Plains Drifters, and also has some old Johnny Bravo players. They are not short on experience, and have the capability to play with the best. Chemistry sometimes gets in the way, especially if they are down early or lose a close game. In the past they've been weak in the wind, mainly because they won't play field position. Minneapolis Hot Action made Nationals two years ago with many of the same players. Ross Cram (#19) is a solid handler and Matt Gardner (#12) has big D. However, the team is relatively short and doesn't have a good huck game. This will be a big disadvantage against some of the long looking teams at the tournament.

There's not much information on Universe, the Carleton alum team, or Georgia Soul Patrol. Both have only played within their respective regions (Central and South). For Carleton, Bekah Sexton (#8) is known as a good defender, with stealth poaches and monster handblocks. Soul Patrol has only two scores reported against Championship participants: two losses, by a good margin, to Holes and Poles.

Lastly, sources in the Northeast region claim that the bottom two seeds will lose a lot of games. Puppet Regime had a one point win over Uncivil Union to earn the 15th seed, but got blown out by 6 Trained Monkeys and hasn't played out of region. Uncivil Union was similarly crushed by 6 Trained Monkeys at Regionals.