Ultimate Struggles in N.C.

It could have been a turning point in the season. The score was 7-6 in favor of Georgia Tech at halftime, and Oberlin was to receive the pull to begin the second half. The date was April 1, the sun was shining and the Oberlin Flying Horsecows' record stood at 1-2 on the day and 2-6 for spring break at East Carolina's Ultimax tournament in Greenville, NC.

Oberlin was in its toughest contest of the week. They had rallied from scores of 5-3 and 6-4 to the halftime margin. The 'Cows were determined to come out of the second half with the win and hold their third seed over the fourth-seeded Tech, who beat the 'Cows 15-14 at the Queen City Tune-Up.

Rather than coming out with fire, Oberlin came out as they had nearly all of spring break - flatter than a slashed tire. The 'Cows turned it over after receiving the pull, and Tech took advantage, putting the score across, and the next two after that, to go ahead 10-7. And that was pretty much it for OC. The 'Cows were able to bring their energy back up somewhat, scoring twice more and contesting nearly every Tech throw. But, they had dug themselves too deep a hole, falling 13-9. The loss pushed them out of the third seed and any chance at advancing in the tournament.

Adding insult to injury, Oberlin arrived at the fields the next day at 9 a.m., only to learn that they would not play until 12:30. That game proved yet another disappointment, as Oberlin earned an early trip home by losing to William and Mary 13-10. Again, Oberlin dug themselves an early hole, going down 6-2 before going into half down 7-6.

Saturday's earlier contests had also seen poor efforts from the 'Cows. They were walloped by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 13-4 and defending national champs North Carolina State 13-5. The tournament's lone win came against Wake Forest, who only had nine players. The 'Cows played surprisingly sloppily in building a 12-4 lead and were unable to put Wake away. The bad guys scored four straight scores before Oberlin could counter. Oberlin's final point ended the scoring at 13-8.

The 'Cows did play Ultimax with a smaller squad than usual, playing without senior co-captain Todd Daloz and several others. Several players were also lost to injury during the tournament. Nonetheless, the tourney was a disappointment by any standard.

Though they had gone 1-4 in their only previous tournament (Queen City), the Horsecows went into College Easterns, held the first weekend of spring break, with high hopes. Two of their Queen City losses had been by a point, and the 'Cows figured that almost two months of practice outside would temper their game and prepare them for the elite competition of Easterns. Initially, it appeared that Oberlin's hopes were well-placed.

Following a first-round bye, the 'Cows came out with a few early-morning kinks, though they showed signs of life in defeating fellow 1999 Nationals qualifiers Kansas 15-12. That was the easy game for the day, however. The day's second game was to be a challenge in every sense of the word, as Oberlin was to play tournament host and number-one seed University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

The UNCW game was the most frustrating, foul-filled, ill-spirited game that this reporter has ever been a part of. UNCW did cheat, yes, but their brand of psychological warfare - the constant fouls, telling the observer to "stay out of it," and of course their psychopathic coach, Mike Gerics (who boasts the distinction of being the only man ever kicked out of ultimate) - did put Oberlin off their game. The Seamen took an 8-5 lead into halftime, and eventually took the game 15-8. The Horsecows fought valiantly and played the best ultimate they could along the way.

The game took a greater toll than simply a mark in the loss column, however. Oberlin came out in the next round exhausted in mind, body and spirit. Facing a Yale squad that had lost much of their veteran core since the teams last played (an Oberlin win at Nationals last year), the Horsecows endured one of their worst losses in memory, falling hard to Superfly 15-4.

With little gas left in the tank, the 'Cows prepared to play East Carolina University in the day's last game. Again, they dug themselves a hole early and battled back before losing 15-9. As they would a week later, Oberlin dropped from third- to fourth-seed and out of the championship bracket for the second day's play.

On an alternate set of fields Sunday morning, the 'Cows were to square off against a small squad of huck-happy players from the University of Delaware. Like clockwork, the Horsecows dug themselves a hole, falling behind 6-1 before regrouping to go into half down 8-5. They were unable to retain whatever momentum they had gathered at the end of the first half, though, eventually falling 15-8.

Though perhaps not an unmitigated disaster, Spring break for the Flying Horsecows was certainly a severe disappointment. The 'Cows will not have to wait long to see if they have learned from their mistakes, as the season continues fast and furious this very weekend. Oberlin, along with the University of Toledo ultimate frisbee team, is hosting the second annual Great Lakes Open to be held in Toledo. Rivals Michigan, Iowa and Notre Dame will provide stiff competition in preparation for the College Series, which commences the week after next with Sectionals in Columbus. The 'Cows are going to find out very quickly just how good, or bad, they really are.

-Sophomore Jacob Kramer-Duffield is a member of the ultimate frisbee team.