Bella Donna

COURTNEY KIESOW FOR CALLAHAN 2008!

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:10:00 +0000

Read about her on R.S.D!

Decorah, IA: The Bella Donna Story

noreply@blogger.com (aardbei) — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:42:00 +0000

Saturday morning, the men started at 8:00am, reportedly playing while snow fell. Both the open and women's divisions were to share eight fields for the weekend, due to the water that pooled in areas throughout the field. Winning the flip, the women were scheduled to begin at noon, playing again at 2:00 and 6:00pm. This gave us time to enjoy the amazing breakfast at Bluff's Inn - so many cereal choices! With everyone strewn across the beds, we watched cable and eased into the day. It's difficult to relax for too long the morning of a tournament, and before long, excitement took over. Soon everyone layered up and headed to the fields. Once there, we watched the men play Iowa State and huddled together for warmth. Ultimate in strong wind is just ugly. Generally, the downwind team hucks it away and the upwind team slowly moves the disc behind the cup. Every now and then something exciting happens, but all in all, it's just painful.

By the time Bella started warming up, the temperature had risen to something in the 40s but the wind held strong. I heard later that gusts had been up to 30mph - a near gale force on the Beaufort scale.

Due to the limited field space, the women’s format had changed to double-elimination brackets. UW-Milwaukee was set to be Wisconsin's first opponent of the day. They had only brought 8 players, and despite having #10 who handled well in the wind, they continued to turn the disc in Bella's redzone. They put up one point when the Madison women tried to use man defense during the first half. After that, the pressure from the zone combined with Bella's confidence in the wind led to a final score of 15-1, Wisconsin.

Regionals, April 26-27, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (aardbei) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:20:00 +0000

2008 REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!!

More information coming. In the meantime, you can read about the finals on RSD and check out how the brackets played out on the UPA score reporter.

A full write-up of the day can be found at IC Ultimate.

Bella Alum! Get yourselves to Boulder! I will see you there.

Sectionals, April 19, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (aardbei) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:48:00 +0000

Early morning. Reconsidering my decision to drive – way too tired. Finding myself far too warm in cold gear, jeans, thermal, and borrowed Bella jersey. The forecast all week long had been cold, wet, and miserable, and I planned to be that way for at least part of the day. I had a moment of panic thinking about the cleats I had left behind until I remembered that I wouldn’t actually be playing (they really need to extend that “eligibility” thing). The bucolic Wisconsin countryside slipped by as we made the forty-five minute drive down to Whitewater, Wisconsin for Lake Superior women’s sectionals.

We arrived before just about everybody and found field #7 on which Bella would be spending the day. Trash bags were spread across the dewy ground so everyone except McKain could cleat up without soaking their pants. Bella cars arrived in quick succession and soon the field was full of throwing pairs dressed in intimidating black shorts and jerseys. Despite Kari’s need to “stand out” in gray shorts, morning drills looked unified and smooth. As Lawrence arrived, Bella (having arrived so ridiculously early) took a break to go the bathroom, eat some fruit, and make fun of each other. The mood was relaxed and easy as the sun broke through the clouds. Team huddle, team cheer, team tunnel for the starting seven. 9:00am: Kate Arnold’s cow bell rang out. The games were about to begin.

Bella Donna vs. Lawrence

Georgia Bosscher began the game with a huge pull through the still air, sending Lawrence deep into their endzone as Bella tore down the field on fresh legs. Courtney Kiesow’s mark proved to be too much pressure, and Lawrence threw it away. Loopy backhand from Elizabeth Vu to Georgia for the score. Georgia’s next pull took off out of bounds, but she redeemed herself with a run through D on an early swing pass. Bella transitioned into offense without a pause, and Courtney found Laura Bitterman for the score. The points continued to rack up with deep, wide open cuts. At one point, Courtney chose not to huck to a wide open Frances Tsukano despite encouragement from the sideline and practiced the short game more instead. A few passes later, Jenny Koll recognized that Frances was still completely open deep and sent it high and outside for the score. In the next 3 points before half, Emily Orner came up with a sweet run-through D and Frances bailed out an errant swing pass with a huge lay out catch. At 6-0, Bella was in full control. The point to take half was textbook; the stat sheet comments concurred: “FLOW – sick. Vu to Bit to Leah.” After their seven point run, Bella huddled up just as focused and intense as they had been at the beginning of the day – determined to avoid complacency.

Coming out on O, once again Bella’s flow was unstoppable. They worked it down the length of the field to Eyleen Chou who toed the line for a would-be score; a pick called the disc back. The next throw was placed too far for the cutter, directly to the Lawrence defender. This was the first point of the game to drag, although huge unsuccessful offensive and defensive bids kept it exciting. Bitterman ended the point with a pass to Jackie Mich who played a game of flutterguts with herself before stopping rotation for the score. After that point, the women from Madison decided to finish the game as quickly as possible with sick hucks (McKain to Court & Georgia to Fran), another D from Emily Orner, and decisive flow. The last in a string of great continuation cuts, Elise Mann put the disc to Laura Bitterman who pulled it down for the 13-0 finish.

Bella ended the game with only 4 unforced turns which speaks to the hard work they’ve put in getting to know each other and their offensive patterns. Their team defense generated throw-aways in this game, but they knew they’d have to be more aggressive on under cuts if they wanted to continue getting breaks for the rest of the day.

Bella Donna vs. UW-Milwaukee

After a short break to strip off layers and eat a few more pink bagels (what flavor was that?), the team once again came together like the Planeteers – uniting their powers to save the world… or at least beat Milwaukee. Another team tunnel pumped the energy of twenty into the veins of seven, and Bella took the field. Milwaukee turn off the pull, Eyleen to Emelie McKain, score. Despite the slight cross-field breeze, it seemed this game would be just like the last – clean and efficient. That, however, proved to be NOT the case. The next point included a floaty huck-away, swirly cuts, and a sweet D by Kristen Brenner (although the conservation of greatness rule forced her to drop the next pass). In the end, dreads prevailed as Georgia popped a short backhand to an open Brenner. An equally frustrated Milwaukee came out hard on the next point. Their cutters burned the Bella defenders down the line, and they quickly worked the disc to the red zone. Fortunately for Madison, they were unable to finish. A drop-fest ensued on both teams. During the marathon point, Erin Moran made a huge bid for a poor pass but was unable to save the turnover. Finally, Carrie Eaton decided everything had gone on long enough, made a huge catch D, and threw to Elizabeth Vu for the score. The same line stayed out, and as I was marking the stat sheet apparently Milwaukee turned the disc and Vu found Courtney in the endzone. Points continued to vary in length and efficiency. Defense became increasingly intense and at times completely shut down Milwaukee’s offense. Eyleen dominated one point with strong, committed cuts and a huge huck to Bitterman who skied her defender for the score.

Halftime came and went. Madison’s defense continued to get breaks and monopolize on them. Maria Mahowald and Emily Orner got up and over their defenders to stick throws that were headed out of bounds. Kari Rongstad intimidated handlers with her active mark, forcing throw-aways and even chalking up a stall. Bella showcased their depth with scores and assists coming from almost every member of the team. Milwaukee could not recover their fire from the early points of the game, choosing instead to rely on desperation hucks. Despite a few last minute surprises (e.g. Speaker’s blade-dump) Madison closed out the game 13-0.

Bella huddled up to rehash the game and learn something from their 18 unforced errors. After renewing their resolve to value the disc and run harder, they grabbed more bagels and fruit before heading off to spend their bye watching the Hodag Alumni game. Although the game was exciting and well-fought, the most entertainment came from Emelie McKain climbing on Georgia in a ridiculous Cirque de Soleil-type event called body traversing. Drew Mahowald videotaped the feat; I’m going to work on getting it posted. I don’t care what Georgia says.

Bella Donna vs. Marquette

Back on field 7, the Madison women ran through some drills before circling up to focus on the task at hand. Gusts of wind flew intermittently across the field; the sun blazed in the sky. Bella rolled through the first point and then the second with Jenny Koll sprinting deep for a full field huck from Georgia. The third point of the game was also smooth and efficient . . . for Marquette. Flowing out of a vertical stack, they simply worked the disc down to the endzone and found open hands. Indignant, the Bella seven stayed on to redeem themselves. After quick work down the field, Sarah Offutt had her choice of three open cuts in the endzone, choosing Carrie to pull in the score. The freshmen padded their stats with Kristen assisting Erin to bring the game to 4-1. Marquette gave up on Courtney’s next big huck, leaving Jenny Gaynor to run half the field by herself for the score. Bella D continued to manufacture breaks as Bitterman used her ridiculous speed to run through a Marquette swing pass, giving Madison the opportunity for a beautiful O2 score. Poised to take half, Georgia momentarily forgot how short 95 yards is and sent the disc into a ditch behind Marquette’s endzone. The slight pause in the game seemed to put Bella back on their heels. Also, I think the disc landed in something sticky in the ditch: Marquette caught everything (Frances-esque). They continued their disc-grabbing ways all the way into the endzone. 6-2. Again, the seven who had been scored on demanded the right to salvage their reputation and sprinted back to the line. Bella eventually took half, but the easy feel of the morning was beginning to dissipate.

Out on O after the half, Courtney immediately put up a huge backhand into defense but recovered the turn with a D of her own. Old-school “Papa Ley” was called in the endzone, and McKain hit Maria just like they’d practiced back in Madison. On the next point, the sideline erupted as the disc tipped off Maria’s finger and she threw her body after it for a huge layout catch. Bella edged closer to game point, and Emelie McKain racked up Ds, adding a stall to the list. The team continued to work their textbook offense and brilliant swing movement; turns seemed to result more from hesitation than from poor decision making. With the count 11-2 and the wind picking up, Bella came down in a zone. After a few passes, Marquette succumbed to the pressure, off which Vu sent a huge inside-out flick to Georgia in the corner of the endzone. Even with their backs against the wall, Marquette continued to fight. They turned the disc early by passing into Georgia’s defense, but were given a second chance after a throw-away. This time they capitalized on Bella’s mistake, taking the disc down the length of the field for their third point of the game. A new Madison seven received the pull, punching it in quickly to finish 13-3, Madison.

Bella Donna vs. UW-Eau Claire

An Eau Claire parent videotaped the game and made some montages:

Thanks for the Wisconsin clips!

The same Eau Claire parent took almost 1,000 pictures of the game, so you can get a flip-book effect if your computer is fast enough. I'll post the most exciting ones here, but feel free to check them out.

I had hoped to finish all the sectionals write-ups before regionals, but it just didn’t happen. I had stalled a bit, hoping that Carleton would completely underestimate SOL in Decorah, giving the temporary-tattooed women the edge they needed to take the second bid to nationals. Robyn Fennig said of her team,

"That's how our season went. Being the unknown team from god knows where. ("Eau where??") I liked coming in, under the radar, being extremely underrated, and finding our way in the backdoor "one away from natties" game. I'm pretty confident that we made some of the best teams in the nation work their asses off to beat us. We don't roll over and die the way the other teams they face do. We put up a damn good fight, and keep fighting until that last hard cap horn blows and the point is done."

I didn't take as many notes this game because I was running up and down the sidelines, so the pictures and video will have to give you all the specifics.

Someone is probably going deep.

Jenny Gaynor and Frances Tsukano making Bella look good.

Elizabeth Vu with a swing to Emelie McKain - love the form

Georgia Bosscher winding up - torque!

Courtney Kiesow doing what she does - making ridiculous catches look easy.

Score! So many open options in the endzone!

Emelie McKain: Central Region Freshman of the Year (official title pending...)

The laws of physics do not apply to Georgia Bosscher.

Robyn Fennig with a huge catch D on a misplaced dump pass.

The game was exciting with points trading back and forth. In the middle of the game, Eau Claire tied it up at 5s and then went on a three point run to take half. 5-8, Eau Claire. Wisconsin was not happy. After half, Bella came out firing. With sidelines as the most dominant 8th player yet, the women in black stormed back with a huge five point run and took the lead 10-8. Eau Claire, tenacious as always, put in the next two just before the soft cap. Tied at 10s, game to 12. At this point the Eau Claire men had filled the sidelines; the air was filled with the sound of voices and tense with the sense of imminency. Although SOL is a phenomenal team, there is a reason that Bella has consistently been in the top 10 all year: they have what it takes to finish when it matters. They prepared for moments like this and at this point in the day, were barely tired. After all, they had spent countless weeknights running sprints at the shell and weekend after weekend traveling to top tier tournaments. Focus, legs & hands.... all they needed to win.

And they did it. Bitterman to Frances, then Georgia to Courtney. 12-10, Wisconsin. The best ending to a sectionals tournament that I have ever seen. Next step, Decorah...

Update

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:21:00 +0000

Since winning Mardi Gras, we took third at Vegas, first at Texas Throwdown, and ninth at Stanford Invite (with 15 people). A Stanford writeup will be coming soon, but to hold you over, here's a quick highlight reel from Vegas, and one from Throwdown. More to come soon!

Mardi Gras Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:13:00 +0000

Courtesy of Emelie McKain's editing prowess and Anne Bosscher's video taping skills, we have our first highlight reel. Yeah, baby.

Mardi Gras Win

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:47:00 +0000

Our first tournament of the official college season went extremely well. After traveling through blizzards and ice storms and taking anywhere from 15 to 24 hours to drive down to Baton Rouge, it was a relief Saturday morning waking up to sunshine and mild temperatures. Bella Donna came out strong, with a desire to play born from -25° windchills. The girls won all of Saturday's games by at least 10 points, ignoring the standing water that covered our field. After a first round bye on Sunday and a move to fields that didn't have six inches of mud, we were ready for anything. Quarterfinals against Vanderbilt went smoothly 13-1, leading to semis against an Arkansas reunion team. The girls came out strong, but lagged after half, only managing to finish the game 10-8.

A team pep talk before finals (against a conglomerate Eau Claire/Milwaukee team) decided that no matter what happened we would all be involved and excited, pumped to keep the team going. This manifested itself in the girls cheering whether we got the point or not, rushing the field when we did get the point, sidelines getting D's every point, and ultimately a 13-5 win. Ending our first tournament so strongly bodes well for the rest of the season and we cannot wait for Trouble in Vegas this weekend.

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 07:32:00 +0000

New Bella!

Jerseys

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:34:00 +0000

Spring 2008

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:32:00 +0000

For girls new to UW-Madison this spring or simply anyone looking for a new sport, email ambosscher@gmail.com to get information about the Madison women's B team.

New Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:38:00 +0000

Daylight savings happens this weekend, which means we will no longer be able to have outdoor practices. We now move indoor starting this Tuesday, November 6th. We'll meet inside the Shell on the track at 9:45 pm for a warmup before going into the McClain center from 10-12:15.

We'll have practices indoors twice a week (Tues, Thurs) for two weeks and then once a week on Tuesday nights (starting November 20) for the rest of the winter and spring. See you there!

Sunday's Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:28:00 +0000

The mandatory meeting on Sunday will take place in 1221 Humanities at 7:00pm. Hopefully it will only take an hour or so. Please come, even if you haven't made it to practices or tournaments! Thanks!

Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:33:00 +0000

We're going to have a meeting late next week about some administrative stuff, our fall tournament schedule, and the possibility of making two teams sooner than expected. We want input from everyone, so it is mandatory that you be there. We're sending out a poll to vote for the best days and times. Please vote for all times/days you can possibly come. Even if you have not been able to come to tournaments or practices, we highly recommend that you come to this meeting.

Also, we'll be having our first day of conditioning next Thursday night so free up your evening. Details to come. Have a great weekend and we'll see you Monday!

-Georgia and Courtney

Second Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:20:00 +0000

So here comes our next tournament, Glory Days! On the frigid tundra of the Naperville Polo Grounds. Even though we're split into two teams for this tournament, be sure to maintain a team-type atmosphere. This includes cheering the other team on if yours finishes a game early, so plan on that! If you have time before the big day read up on some of the rules of ultimate-the link is posted on the right side of this page. It's definitely helpful to be familiar with some of the technicalities. Good luck everyone and I can't wait to see you all playing your hearts out!
Love,
Georgia

Hucktoberfest Champs!

noreply@blogger.com (Courtney) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 05:36:00 +0000

Our first tournament win was a great one! Way to start off the season 7-0!

Looooove, your captains

Get PUMPED!

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:14:00 +0000

First tournament THIS WEEKEND! Get really excited! Check out our schedule for who we play and when. Our first game isn't until 10:30, but we'll plan on getting to the fields around 9:15.

Be prepared for the tournament! You've gotten emails on what to bring, but know your own body and bring anything extra you might need like a shade umbrella, braces or wraps, athletic tape, icy-hot, etc. etc. you know the drill. The weather should be beautiful, sunny and 75° both days (sunscreen!) so we shouldn't have to worry too much about rain gear.

Anyway, the games this weekend are meant to introduce you to a tournament atmosphere and get us used to playing with each other against other teams. I know we've played together quite a bit in scrimmages, but be prepared for things to get a little more difficult against people who are playing different offenses. Please ask questions constantly until you feel you understand completely. Those of you who have been playing ultimate for a while, make a big effort to not confuse things on the field, and be talking constantly.

More importantly than anything, though, is getting to know each other. Any team that wants to play well together does so much better when they're friends. So have fun! Ask people stupid questions, like, "if you had to be immersed in a vat of any kind of food, what would it be?" (and my answer would definitely be cottage cheese, thanks for asking). The point is: have fun, have fun, have fun, get addicted to ultimate, gain 27+ new friends, and come back satisfyingly exhausted with a Hucktoberfest winner's mug.

I can't wait girls! See you on the field (unless you're in my mom-mobile, in which case, you're all doomed to an hour of camp songs and word games).

Love, Georgia

Driver's Authorization Update

noreply@blogger.com (Courtney) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 04:56:00 +0000

Okay, so you no longer have to complete a learn@UW course to get authorized. Simply fill out the form (link in the last post) and give it to me!

ALSO, waivers (link in previous post) are due to me by Friday if you're going this weekend! You cannot go if you don't hand it in.

Thanks!
-Courtney

It's Business Time

noreply@blogger.com (Courtney) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 02:33:00 +0000

Official business:

1. Fall dues (for fall tournaments, cars, hotels, etc.)
-$35
- please pay by October 15th
-checks payable to UW Madison Women's Ultimate

2. Driver's authorization forms
-if you got a weird email about it, don't trash it
-you will be signed up for a learn@UW course which you need to complete
-once you have completed the quiz, print out the results and attach them to a driver's authorization form and give these things to me

3. Hucktoberfest
-it's next weekend
-if you're not on the email list by Monday, you need to let me know if you're coming
-if you're on the email list, vote on the poll that will come out soon (you'll get an email)

Let me know if you have questions!
-Courtney

Email List and Fall Tournaments

noreply@blogger.com (Courtney) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:29:00 +0000

If you'd like to join the email list to recieve practice updates and other really sweet team emails, go to groups.yahoo.com, sign up, and request to join the "uwmadisonwomensultimate" group. If you already asked me to add you, but are not yet a member, please request again (my bad).

The tournaments that we'll be attending this fall are:

Hucktoberfest
Sept 29/30
Whitewater, WI

Glory Days
Oct 13/14
Naperville, IL

Clear your schedules!

We may attend one more tournament in late November or early December. We'll keep you posted.

See you Wednesday!

First Practice

noreply@blogger.com (bosscher) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:38:00 +0000

Our first official practice was a HUGE success!! Thank you so much to everyone who came out today, it was so awesome to see you there. I seriously haven't been this excited since I discovered Greenbush Bakery back in my childhood (freshmen: go to Greenbush, experience a new world).

For those of you who couldn't make it out today, we went over basic concepts of the game such as throwing (backhand and forehand), defensive marks, a basic stack, and some simple rules of the game. We then split into teams and scrimmaged for a while, where it was apparent that you girls are REALLY fast learners and all have a ton of potential!

Our first tournament is the last weekend in september, the 29th and 30th in Whitewater, WI, called Hucktoberfest. This will be an introductory tournament where EVERYONE is welcome. It's not too competitive and a lot of fun without being too far away (about 45 minutes from Madison). Last year Bella Donna won, so let's do it again!

So, invite your friends, bring your roommates, tell them how much fun Ultimate is. We love to have new people out all the time, no matter the skill level.

And finally: let's have fun this weekend. Saturday night come out to 1532 Adams St. and party with us, even if you couldn't make it to practice. Can't wait to see you all there!

Thanks again girls, and if not Saturday, see you Monday at 4:30 at UBay fields!

-Georgia

Fall Practices

noreply@blogger.com (Courtney) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:01:00 +0000

Practices for Bella Donna, the UW-Madison women's ultimate team, will begin Wednesday September 12th (because of the field cancellation on 9/10).

Practice will run from 4:30pm-6:30pm every Monday and Wednesday at UBay fields.

What you need to bring:
-Cleats (if you have them)
-Water
-Dark and white shirts
-A signed activities waiver

If you have any questions, email Courtney (kiesow@wisc.edu) or Georgia (gbosscher@wisc.edu)

Can't wait to see you there!

WELCOME!

noreply@blogger.com (Robin) — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 16:49:00 +0000