Unfortunately I wasn’t successful in this process and therefore won’t be going to this event.
Still, I was able to learn a few things in the process and have made some observations:
Training:
At the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) we were given a talk about Strength and Conditioning training. The key point I took away from this is that training helps you get good at what you train at. If you train at running 10km, you will get good at that, but that may not help your Ultimate game unless that is what you do on the field. This has helped me re-evaluate how I train and I think there is a lot more work that could be done in Ultimate to find ways of training which make us better ant the things we do on a frisbee field. Maybe handlers and cutters should be doing completely different types of training?
Cool down at the AIS
There are some great players in Australia:
At the first training camp which included the prospective Dingoes as well, I got to play with some top quality players. It was great to finally be on the receiving end of a Matt Dowle hammer, rather than watching it sail over my head on D. I think Australia has a really good chance of taking it to the world – especially in the Open division.
Selection Process:
Waiting is the worst part. Especially when you are waiting for something NOT to happen. The way the process worked was that the team was finalised and then the selectors rang to inform those that didn’t make it. This meant everyone was waiting for their phone NOT to ring. I suggest a better process:
*Team is finalised
*Email sent to players outlining
- team has been finalised
- which selector will be providing feedback to which players.
- when selectors will be available to provide feedback (ie 9am – 9pm, 12-2 and 5-9 etc.) and their contact details
*If unsuccessful players have not contacted selectors by the next day then the selectors try and call them.
*After all unsuccessful players have been contacted the team is emailed out to everyone.
This process would put the power of when they find out back into the hands of the players, so at least you have some control over WHEN they find out if they made the team. The current process is unnecessarily painful for all players involved.
Goal Scoring:
Obviously I am biased because I didn’t make the team, but I am unsure of what value the selectors put in players who are primarily focused on scoring goals. I think there were several people in the Mixed squad who were legitimate goals scorers – they go out on the field to score goals, and when the chips are down they can get on the field to score a goal and will more than not deliver. Out of the final team that was picked I don’t see enough players who are legitimate goal scorers. Sometimes these people may be over looked because they can be seen to be just on the end of a good throw or be in the right place at the right time. But the ability to score goals is more than just good luck and it takes a specific type of player – hopefully some of these emerge for the Mundis.
Incumbency:
Of all the previous Aussie reps who made the original squad, only one did not make a team (sorry Boo Boo). It seems that if you had a spot on the team before, you have a very strong chance of making the team next time. Or the players that did make it last time who felt a bit unsure of whether they could make the team this time, withdrew rather than have to be cut. Experience is always going to be a valuable attribute in a selection process, but for only 1 incumbent to miss out is a very high percentage of incumbents making the teams.
Perseverance:
The biggest highlight of the selection process in my mind was Seb Barr making the Mundis. Seb missed out on making the Thunder team for Boston in 06, but kept training like the Thunder boys and kept trying to get better. All this paid off and he now has a spot on the Australian team, whereas a lot of the 06 Thunder players actually missed out. He is a true example of perseverance paying off. Well done Seb!
Expectations:
After the final Mixed selection camp I took a definite step about my expectations. Despite having done all I could to present myself as a valuable player worthy of selection, I decided that it would be easier to accept that I had NOT made the team and deal with that feeling then and their, rather than cling to a hope that I would make the team. I still felt that I could make the team, but I was fully prepared not to make it. This meant that I was either going to be proved right, not make the team, and be OK about it, or be proved wrong, make the team, and be ecstatic. I think this made it much easier to deal with the actuality of not being selected and is a useful lesson that I can use both on and off the frisbee field – accept the worst, and if your wrong – that’s great!
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