Images from Deep Freeze 2001
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Deep Freeze 2001

Tournament Wrap Up

 

TEAMS

  1. 1. Green Eggs and Ham (Chattanooga, TN)
  2. 2. Brutal Grassburn (Nashville, TN)
  3. 3. Manual Ultimate (Louisville, KY)
  4. 4. Gruel (AKA: Paideia) (Atlanta, GA
  5. 5. Monkeys on Bicycles (Norcross, GA)
  6. 6. Woodward Academy (Atlanta, GA)

We decided on a round-robin format so that all teams had a shot at one another.  This gave each team 5 games before finals, all in 1 day!  The games were very intense, and everyone played their hearts out with exceptional spirit and an obvious love for this wonderful sport. 

SPIRIT

The sportsmanship these teams exhibited was exceptional!   Perhaps the most impressive effort was by Monkeys on Bicycles, who brought only 7 players because the rest of their teammates chose a school function over the tournament.  These guys played until their energy was depleted, then played some more!  At times it appeared they had nothing left,  but they always maintained composure and held their heads high throughout the day.  As amazing as these guys were, the Spirit Award was to go to another incredible team.  

  

The recipient of the Spirit Award was to be decided upon by the players themselves.  The vote was close: all teams were within 1 or 2 votes of each another.  Except one.  One team received more votes than any other for playing with exceptional Spirit.  Congratulations to Manual Ultimate!  Not only did they spend the most time in an automobile traveling to the games, they also played at a level of spirit that their tournament-mates respected, admired, and appreciated most.

The Spirit Award should return next year and get Manual Ultimate into Deep Freeze 2002 in lieu of the entry fee.  The award will go home with a new Spirit Master next year – or, perhaps Manual will blow us all way with their Spirit 2 years in a row!

 FINALS

It was Brutal Grassburn pitted against Gruel.  Grassburn showed the effects that 5 games of Ultimate can have on a team with few subs, while the 17 member Gruel squad appeared fresh and exuberant.  Gruel quickly took the lead, which, considering the amazing heart of Brutal, was surprising.   The tournament director was forced to cap the finals game due to loss of daylight.  Otherwise, Brutal Grassburn would most likely have offered onlookers the most exciting comeback this tournament has ever seen!   

The trophy went home with Gruel, the great blue dynamo from The Paideia School in Atlanta, Ga.

Kudos to both teams for playing the game the way it should be played and for giving the crowd more layouts than we could count!

Thanks so much to each and every player and coach that made the trip to Deep Freeze!  It was truly a great experience, and that's because we all worked together to make it so.