Tuesday, May 8, 2007
The men’s ultimate frisbee team, known as the Horrorzontals, will take an experienced team to nationals in Columbus, Ohio, during Memorial Day weekend. This is their third appearance at nationals in the last five years.
The Horrorzontals placed second to Texas at the regional qualifying tournament in Austin, Texas. The 16 teams that qualified will be divided into four pools, where it will play each team in its group. The top three teams from each pool will advance to a single elimination tournament on Saturday and Sunday.
Formed in 1979, the Horrorzontals have recently become a team to fear.
“It started as a bunch of guys that used to do mushrooms together that decided they wanted to play frisbee,” said Joe Nickels, Elgin, Ill., senior and one of three team captains. “Since then it’s developed into a team that’s competitive on the national level. We’ve been able to extend it into a more serious athletic endeavor while still sticking to the reason that we’re here, which is to have a good time.”
The team hired a coach for the first time three years ago, which Nickels said made a huge difference. Until them, the team relied on captains to double as players and coaches.
Shawn Dubbs, coach of Horrorzontals, also helped the team manage the loss of its two best players to graduation.
“It’s hard to gauge the flow of the team when you’re on the field,” he said. “He can provide that third-person perspective to make tactical decisions and call what sets we’ll run.”
Dan Brauch, Lenexa junior and co-captain, said, “Last year everything in our offense ran through two superstar players. This year we’re running flawlessly; everyone is involved so every cut has to be right.”
Another key element to team’s consistent success is the tutelage of former players. Andrew Wimer, Leawood senior and co-captain, said many former players stayed in touch with the team.
“When I was a freshman I was looking up to the older guys that were running it and I picked up their habits,” he said. “When my class leaves, the younger guys that we’ve been grooming will take over.”
Nationals will be the team’s seventh tournament this year. Wimer said most tournaments consisted of competition Saturday and Sunday with the host team throwing a party on Saturday night for the teams to socialize. At nationals, the competition is intensified.
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Another key element to team’s consistent success is the tutelage of former players.
“It’s a whole different atmosphere from anything you see the rest of the year,” Wimer said. “This is when teams pull out their A-game.”
This year, the Horrorzontals have already played Texas and Colorado, two of the favorites to win the national championship. They lost to Texas at regionals but defeated Colorado at another tournament.
Seeds for the tournament haven’t been released, but the three captains agreed they’d like to a chance to upset Colorado again.
“I’m ready to take it to them,” Nickels said.
If the Horrorzontals win their pool, they’ll receive a bye in the first round of the tournament, placing them directly in the quarterfinals. A second or third place finish in their pool would still advance them, but they would have to win one additional game to get to the quarterfinals.
Kansan staff writer Kyle Carter can be contacted at kcarter@kansan.com.
— Edited by Sharla Shivers
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