Pool of 5 to start means plenty of ultimate (5 games!) to be had on day 1, with a good shot at winning a first-round bye for Sunday. Schweet.

A return to Dartmouth means a return to the awesome gym I love so much; I’m just tipping the iceberg with regards to fitness right now, with loads more to come, but this week is a litmus test for game skills and field sense more than fitness. Hopefully they haven’t depreciated too much.

Can’t offer much in the way of team/tourney previews–there’s we Ballometrics, playing minus at least a few able bodies but plus at least one new one; local squad of wily townies and willing young bucks Enough Monkeys, who may, in fact, have Too Many; last time I played against 7 Express was in the finals of Ow My Knee last year, and, well, you know how that went.

In short, I’m looking forward to a return to glory on good ol’ American soil! The tournament’s local to me in (hopefully) sunny Hanover, NH, which is great since I just started at DMS and need some time to settle before I travel.

Goals/foci for the weekend (been a long time for these, it’ll be a regular through the rest of the season):

• Step! On all throws
• Don’t fall in love with the throws–do it with the legs!*
• Back to basics on D; first, play hard dictating man-to-man. Then, look to help (phrased negatively: don’t get burned on poaches).
• Communicate with the new teammates and build some chemistry!

*twofold reasoning for this goal. One, I’m returning to cutter-dom again! Oh glorious day! Two, my throws (hucks) have regressed a fair bit. Likely still workable in flow to open cutters or against teams that read this and underestimate me, but it’s a far cry from me in top form.

Related posts:

1. Chesapeake (Mixed) Preview
2. White Mountain Review
3. NE Mixed Regionals (Part 2)