The Cobras
The Cobras
Known to most of their opponents as "the fourth year team", the Cobras were the favorites before the tournament even began, but some late team switches, an awkwardly designed tournament that led to a lack of experience, and an overacheiving Blackbears team led to their untimely demise.
Their Story
The Cobras were the creation of Fourth Year, Brandon Clark. The team was being formed before the Annual Student Ultimate Tournament was even announced. Brandon scouted the campus for the most athletic ultimate players the term could offer. The final roster of 11 was created before the tournament sheet was even up, or so they thought. A day after the sign-up sheet was posted, and Third Year, Roy, was signed up as a member of the Cobras, he jumped ship. He opted out of Cobras for the "third year team", The Blackbears. The Cobras had a tough time accepting this fact, but Roy was not persuaded and left the team. A last minute replacement was made in the name of Ben Kline. The team was now full and they were ready for the tournament.
The Cobras first game was against The Average Steves, a team that was underestimated by the Cobras. The Steves played their hearts out, often times out-hustling the Cobras with their Run 'n Gun style of offense. The Cobras were able to exploit their talented girls, and made a score of fantastic defensive and offensive plays to keep the game close. However in the end, the Cobras proved to have more talent and won 11-6. They were scheduled to play another game immediatly following, but the Magical Awesome Team forfeited before the game could even begin and the Cobras were given a 2-0 record at the end of their pool play.
Many may see this as a gift for the Cobras, they were, basically, given a free pass to the bracket. But they knew better than to say anything like that. Having played only one game before single elimination play meant that they had very little experience as a team. This came back to bite them before the tournament would be over.
The second game the Cobras played was against the Blackbears in the semi-finals. A win meant that they would play the rival Jewish cobras in the finals. The Cobras had been looking forward to the match since the teams were posted and the campus was expecting a match-up between the two favorites. The Blackbears had other plans. The 'bears came into the match versus the Cobras with three games experience under their belt, they had learned to play as a team and it showed throught the game. Led by the essential players Ethan, Reid and Davis, and the ::cough::traitor::cough:: Roy, the Blackbears put on a show (oh yah, Joe was there too, and he was the captain). The first half of the game was a see-saw concession of points. The Blackbears exploited Roys leaping ability and height to score while the Cobras had their own strategy of passing to the girls (somethign other teams rarely did) to keep the game close. At the end of the first half of play the Blackbears were ahead 8-7. When the second half came the Cobras lack of experience began to show, they only scored once in the half and lost 11-8. The Cobras-Cobras match was never to be seen, and The Cobras would leave the field tired and sad.
The Team
Brandon: team captain and one of the best ultimate players on campus, Brandon led the team physically and emotionally. His mere presence on the sideline was known to energize the Cobras offense. The team would later tell him that he was too modest and didn't play himself near enough. Brandon had a habit of sitting himself to give other players some PT.
Taylor: one of the first players to make the team and a starter in each of the Cobra games. Taylor exhibited what the team wanted everyone to have, and that was the never give up attitude. He always sprinted and was known for fantastic cuts to get open.
Chris: Chris' long arms and legs made him a valuable assett on defense. His long reach made him difficult to throw around and when he broke out into a sprint he was one of the fastest players on the quad.
Brett: Brett was another early selection for the team. He was not the best Ultimate player by any standards, he admitted that he had no throw besides a strong backhand. He started in each of the Cobras games nonetheless, probably because of his outstanding catching ability and impecible hustle. Brett became known for his ability to outjump most players on the field and pull in almost any disc that came his way. These efforts were for naught.
Max: Max kept the team smiling at all times with his general goofball attitude and largely inappropriate wise-cracks. Max was pobably the best pure athlete at TiP, and played that way. He primarily played defense for the Cobras, but the team could always count on him for a touchdown pass or catch when they needed it most.
Emma: one of two Third Years on the "fourth year team" Emma was as valuable as any other player on the quad. Her ability to recognize coverage and make the right moves to get open or make the pass put her on a level above most girls. She scored as many, if not more, points than any other player on the Cobras due to opponents general inability to recognize her as a legitimate player.
Donald: the other third year on the team, he too embodied "cobra spirit". Donald could run faster than anyone who went up against him and was a physical menace to opponents. He was known for subtle pushes and arm hooks, referee Daag even threatened to remove "Ultimate privelages" from him for the rest of the term if he saw any more of it.
Katherine: the teams second girl, Kat and Emma had to be on the field at all times due to a lack of subs. However, you would never know that she had to play every point. Kat never tired and made many diving grabs during the tournament. It was a rare event if she dropped a pass.
Ben: Roy's last minute replacement, Ben proved to be everything the Cobras were looking for, and more. Ben went above and beyond all expectations the team had for him in game 1, and as a result was given a starting spot in game 2. Ben's skills, exhibited as a Cobra, led to his starting in the Student/Staff game as well.
Michael: The teams "pick-up" player, the Cobras were glad to have him. They stand by their belief that they got the best player out of the pick-up lot and, although they had initial doubts, both a touchdown catch an pass erased those doubts by the time that the first game was over.
Tim: Tim's skilled forehand and (often unexpected by other teams) jumping ability made him an important Cobra. He came off the bench most of the time, but when he was on the field Timmy was more than a good player. He was able to handle and catch, a rare combination.
Photos
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/florster/2814738620074742856NygUpu_ph.jpg http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/florster/2478823350074742856jRLrPF_ph.jpg