Tough first day

So today we played our first two games of the week. Before I talk baout them it's worth noting a few things:

• Moving to a hotel was an amazing call - fresh linen, huge breakfast, comfort
• The gelato shop near our hotel is making a lot of money from us
• The pitches are heavy mud baths but we at least we are able to play!
• The setting is incredible with beautiful mountains as a backdrop
• The dinner we got at the fields was large and tasty
• No rain today - whoop!  

Waterlogged field site

 

We arrived a little early to the fields to help cheer on LMS vs the German team from Munich, Woodchicas. It started out tight with the Dublin girls using a zone to great effect. Unfortunately the game drifted away from them and despite some hard fighting they lost 15-9. They play US team and no.3 seeds Fury tomorrow. Exciting match up! 

Sinead catching against Woodchicas (Germany)

Game 1 vs Clapham: Lost 15-4
We play these guys a lot and yet still it seems like sometimes we play to their reputation. We didn't convert the many breaks we got and we really played inside ourselves. When we did open up we over threw and miscued and given the blocks we generated in testing conditions it was a frustrating scoreline, even if the result was never in doubt.

 Ranelagh & Clapham (UK)

]Game 2 vs KFUM Orebro: Lost 14-12
If the first game was frustrating, this game was gutting.We started well and traded until midway through the first half. We made a few mistakes and they capitalised, taking half by 1, 8-7. We came back and the D line went on a run and got us in front, a lead we held until 12-11. Both teams were pretty evenly matched and both teams were tired too, heavy legs playing on boggy turf. We made two errors and suddenly the game was up 14-12. What was encouraging was the fight, the team ethic and the grittiness of our display. It bodes well going into the rest of the week.

Ranelagh & KFUM Orebro

After the games we sat around and got some food and did the DotD vote (more on that later in the week). There's a much more positive buzz to the venue and to the players now that we've all had the chance to play. Sure the fields aren't perfect but it's still 7 v 7 and throwing and catching. The weather was class today so here's hoping it stays

The endzone of the Clapham game was a little heavy in places...

Despite the two losses the team is positive, especially after the gritty and powerful display in the second game. We've got Mephisto tomorrow and a win for us could send us up to power pools if the goal difference is enough. They'll be under pressure to win too so we hope it'll be a decent match up. If nothing else it'll be fun to meet another team and play against some North Americans for a change...

Welcome: Spike

Spike is the latest addition to the Ranelagh team. He is a native Irish cactus, born and bred in Italy but with Irish roots and an affinity for our culture, language and traditions. His surname is O'Shea and his middle name is Padraig. Today was his first day with the team and as you can see from the photos below he had an absolutely smashing time of it. He also stopped the rain from falling in Lecco by drinking it all, so we owe him a fair bit. He'll be knocking around for the week so keep in touch.

 Spike getting used to his new surroundings. Beats the supermarket.

 Getting right into the thick of local culture. No pints o' black around here.

 Hitting on mots is one of Spikes favourite things. There is no stopping him. 

 Getting assaulted by a crustacean as Kinger & Rosie lol away. Disgraceful.

 Celebrating with Birthday Boy Ben. Hero.

 Overseeing the D*ck of the Day nominations and voting. Or checking out the waitress...

A well-earned gelato to round off a great day. Gwan Spike.

Things are looking up...

So today wasn't so bad after all. Early on, the cabin fever set in and took hold but after countless hours of shopping, mafia, spades, hack sack and even some rainy throwing the rain stopped. And then the day did a complete turn for the better with strong sunshine the order of the afternoon.

Different view from the hotel this afternoon!

 

In our hotel there are a few different teams, Scandal from Washington DC - the no.1 seeds in the Women's Division, Catchup - a Mixed Division team from Graz, Austria, ROBOT - the UK Women's Masters team (with lots of familiar faces including Warrior/Woz!) and two Wellington teams - the Wildcats (Open) and Artemis (Women's). We got wind of the Wildcats boys playing Ragnarok at a local field and went down to see if there was room for a throw and jog.

Eliott Trotter of Skyd Magazine & Ultimate Globetrotter pulls for Ragnarok  vs Wildcats

 

By the time we got there the sun was out and the field looked perfect - an astro football pitch, completely unaffected by the rain. We got lots of throwing in and a jog and then sat and watched the game. Ragnarok looked good, very good in fact. Bolstered by their 4 Doublewide pick ups and the globetrotting Eliott Trotter, the Danish team look like they are here to do business. Wildcats started slowly but came back into the game as it went on. Both teams will be hard to beat.

Happy birthday Ben!

 

Back to the hotel for some more lounging and then we went for a joint dinner with LMS. It was fun to have 40 of us in one restaurant eating pasta, pizzas and having the craic. some gelato on the way home rounded of a good day.

Gelato! Nomnomnomnom...

Tomorrow the competition starts for real - the pitches are meant to be waterlogged (the EFDF tweeted that they've used helicopters to dry them!) and the games have been shortened (80mins, 2 less timeouts per team, shorter half-time etc) but it remains us playing against two teams on the biggest stage we can play on. The squads relaxed and looking forward to actually getting on with it at this stage. It's been a little surreal and very odd. Here's hoping the rest of the week runs smoothly. For now, it's game time!

Monday Schedule:
11am: LMS vs Woodchicas
1pm: Ranelagh vs Clapham (UK)
5pm: Ranlagh vs KFUM Orebro (Sweden)

A day of rain...

Today is going to be a strange day. We've nothing to do and all day to do it. Obviously getting a run and throw in would be ideal but as you'll see from the below photos, it isn't really an option. Not only is the weather ridiculous but most teams are looking to find the same spare patch of green on google mpas to do the same thing. Rumours abound of teams meeting up to scrimmage against each other but I've no idea where they'd manage to do it...

Lightning just struck about 5km away. So probably best we aren't out and throwing!

Anyways, this was a post to show some photos of the weather, here you go:

All games for tomorrow CANCELLED

Yup, you read that correctly.

Every game in every division of the first full day's play for tomorrow is cancelled. A combination of bad pitches and the expected thunderstorms as far as I can tell. Pretty big anti-climax. Just when the nerves, the excitement and the reality of competing on the world stage were becoming very tangible we get this news. We'd a team meeting planned, we'd bags packed for the first big day and we'd started focusing on the start of the tournament.

Apparently the Sunday schedule has been bumped to Tuesday and Monday's games will go ahead as planned for now. I guess after that we'll have a game day with an extra game or two in it, not the worst thing in the world and definitely beats anything getting cancelled. 

Hopefully this is just a precautionary measure to rescue the fields for the back end of the week. Hopefully some sun will arrive and cook the pitches back to playability. Hopefully we'll get to play sooner rather than later!

What an odd end to the day...

Lecco at last!

So after all the build up, the rumours, the excitement, the worry, the hard work and some travel arrangements that pretty much worked out I found myself in Lecco. It looks like a pretty place, with typical Italian architecture and a laid back style of life only found in Italy. The mountains surrounding the town look stunning and with the lake near by it's easy to see how you could spend a week here and not play Ultimate!

 I arrived by train and with no sign of the people I was meant to meet ended up going looking for a lift at the Captain's Meeting. I found myself listening in on the WFDF explaining the role of the brand new Game Advisors. Apparently a club from each of the nations present will play a game with the GAs supervising (not sure if thats the word!). I for one like the idea and would welcome some sort of official to help us referee our sport better. There have been too many times I've suffered at the hands of players bending the rules...

From there we went to the stadium, having witnessed a short and seemingly hastily scrambled together parade, and watched the Opening Ceremony and the very first game of the tournament. It was a fun spectacle - a big crowd, a perfect stadium, lots of colour and noise, some bursts of sunshine and two teams who looked relatively evenly matched once the early game nerves settled. Most importantly to me I got to see lots of old friends and catch up with them. And, the feeling of why we are here sank in a little further. Seeing famous players from across the world with their teams, and jerseys from as far and wide as New Zealand and South Africa, got me excited. We've a big week ahead as a team and I've a good feeling that we can do something special.

We play at 11am local time tomorrow against a strong Canadian team in Mephisto. I'm feeling pumped and can't wait to get a taste of the action. Come on Ranelagh!

Made it!

Well step 1 is complete. I have successfully got on a plane and made it to Italy - to Bergamo to be exact. A night in this hostel and then a train down to Lecco for the first day. Lightning storms and heavy, muggy weather is what is happening now - hopefully it won't last. It effected a lot of games at the World Juniors event 10 days ago...

Tomorrow there will be an Opening Ceremony, a parade through the town and then the first game of the week. It's a Mixed Division game between Shiok from Singapore and Crocalli, a local Italian team who finished second at the European Championships last summer. It's always good to see some Ultimate before the long week begins and the sense of occasion is fun. Looking forward to it!