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Day 5 Update: 2018 US Open – DDC, Self Caught Flight, & Freestyle

The 5th day of competition at the 2018 US Open Overall was a full one since we were forced to move Self Caught Flight to Friday after being rained out on Thursday. Self Caught Flight is my favourite event and I was just worried we wouldn’t get it in so I’m happy they had room in the schedule.

We started the day off with the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds of DDC (Double Disc Court). The format they are using here is called Escape and is all about finding one individual winner rather than a winning team. This means that there are pools based on how you’re ranked, and within each pool, everyone plays with each other and at the end of each round, each player is re-ranked based on the wins/losses and point differential in that pool. I am actually really liking the format since you end up getting to play with a lot of different people, learning different styles, and pushing yourself as a player in a different way than if you were on a team, playing with the same person the entire tournament. I went into DDC ranked 17th and although I was ranked 17th going into the final round, I opted to sit out to rest my legs for Self Caught Flight so I ended up taking the 21st ranking. I know I’m better than 21st, but due to the weather and the tight schedule, being fresh for Self Caught Flight was more important than holding my ranking in DDC.

After an extended lunch break (due to more rain), we got into Self Caught Flight. The plan was to do both rounds of MTA followed by both rounds of TRC, which we normally don’t do, but I actually like it better than how it’s normally done (MTA, TRC, MTA, TRC).

There wasn’t much wind for either round of MTA but I was able to get a few decent times of 9.75 first round and 9.97 second round. MTA is tougher to get separation when there’s no wind since it’s pretty much up and back, although if you can get a Fastback to hit the line right, it can work quite well. I only brought my Condors as I trust them and know that no matter the conditions, I can consistently get an MTA of 9-10.

For TRC, my plan was to not go too big but also not play it too safe. I wanted to obviously get a big number and push for the record (the O35 record is 85.85 metres) but with the light winds again, I knew that would be tough.

In the first round, I ended up getting a really good one (turned out to be my best) on the first throw at 71 metres and also had a 65 metre a few throws later.

In the second round, I wasn’t as focused and only ended up getting a 58 metre. Again the wind wasn’t there and so I didn’t push too much. I’m hoping for finals today we’ll have a better wind so I can push the MTA and TRC numbers up higher where I know I can go.

The final event of the day was Freestyle and, similar to DDC, it’s all about determining an individual winner. The format was called Turbo Shred and was actually a ton of fun. The plan was to have 4 pools and to run it similar to MTA in that each play would get a turn, do their best combination of moves and be judged based on their single best combo. Each player would get 4 chances to hit a combo. I actually think that this is a great format for growing the sport and getting new players into the sport, and for people new to freestyle as a spectator.

I was in a pool with Tom, Rick W, Mark, and Mike P. It was a ton of fun and I tried doing some delays (both centre and rim), brushes, body rolls, and trick catches. I don’t have a lot of moves, but I can do a few things based on the time I have spent practicing and showing kids in schools some tricks. I ended up finishing 3rd both rounds which I’m happy with and will be going for the 9-13 ranking today in the finals.

There was a livestream up on FrisbeeGuru.com so if you want to watch the action, check it out here.

Overall, I’m happy with how the day went, and especially stoked that I’m in the finals of my favourite event, Self Caught Flight.

The format for Saturday, the final day, will be Self Caught Flight finals, Accuracy finals, Escape finals, Speed Flow finals, Freestyle finals, and then the banquet. I’m looking forward to a big final day!