LiveLogic Texas Shootout 2008 Recap
by Scott Berens and Johannah Sanchez-Adams, edited by Eric Brach and Sean McCall
May 6, 2008

The LiveLogic Texas Shootout celebrated its 4th year of competition this past weekend as one of the few cash prize tournaments in Ultimate Frisbee today. Hosted in Austin, Texas by Doublewide, the local open team, and receiving generous sponsorship from LiveLogic, VC Ultimate, and Clif Bar, the tournament featured a round-robin style format culminating in a winner-take-all purse. A chance to win the cash prize is a unique draw which always seems to bring elite teams from all across the nation, and this year’s edition was no different, featuring 2007 UPA finalist Johnny Bravo of Boulder, Colorado, 2007 UPA semi-finalist GOAT of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2007 UPA championship attendee Pike of New Jersey, 2007 UPA championship attendee Doublewide of Austin, Texas (playing as a two-team split squad), and in-state competitors Grit from Dallas.

With windy and cooler conditions Saturday morning, teams struggled with half-court offenses and difficult deep throws, making for numerous lead changes and exciting, high-stakes play. Only Johnny Bravo, the 2007 UPA silver-medalists, ran the day uncontested, winning every game they played with tight defense and tenacity. Taking the number two spot was GOAT from Toronto, Canada, who finished third in the 2007 UPA club championships. Though falling to the boys from Boulder, GOAT managed to give Johnny Bravo a run for their money, as the two teams matched up in an exciting showcase game in a local stadium that culminated on double-game point. Following the showcase competition, the day’s events wrapped up with two Austin area high school teams competing in front of their friends, fans and admiring parents.

Sunday morning saw the final round of pool play, with Pike fighting for a spot in the semifinals against one of Doublewide’s split teams, Grit taking on the boys from GOAT, and Doublewide’s other squad matched up against the heretofore undefeated Johnny Bravo. The conditions were perfect, with little to no wind, blue skies and plenty of Texas sunshine. Coming out a bit flat after a long night at Molotov Lounge, Bravo went down early to Doublewide and couldn't answer back. Doublewide's second team also took advantage of a sleepy Pike offense and was able to secure their spot into the semis. GOAT rolled Dallas easily, securing their spot and setting up two big-name matchups: Johnny Bravo vs. Doublewide-Y, and GOAT vs. Doublewide-X.

With the field now down to 4 teams, the hunt for the cash prize was on. Both Doublewide teams battled hard, but in the end, the consistency of Johnny Bravo's offense and the perseverance of the GOAT defense eliminated both Texas teams and setup a rematch of Saturday’s premier showcase game in the finals. With money on the line, Johnny Bravo came out firing and put up a 6-1 lead against a GOAT offense that just could not connect on their deep shots. With GOAT fighting to stay in the game and starting to succumb to the heat, Bravo's offense went on cruise control, taking the win and the $3,200 cash prize. Elated from the victory, Bravo's Josh Ackley quipped "I love Austin, and the LiveLogic Texas Shootout is one of the best-run events in the nation. We always look forward to the hospitality, good food and music – the Clif Bars were also great!" Johnny Bravo also won a VC Stormtech outerwear jacket from VC Ultimate that was claimed by Matty Lipscomb in a team-wide rosham. Thanks VC Ultimate!

The members of Doublewide would like to thank all of the teams for coming to town and playing. We look forward to playing host and know that you'll come to love Austin just as much as we do. We also want to thank our sponsors LiveLogic, VC Ultimate, and Clif Bar for their generous support, which helps make the LiveLogic Texas Shootout the great success it is. The 2008 LiveLogic Texas Shootout results are posted on the UPA Score Reporter for the Open Division.

The Women's Division of LiveLogic Texas Shootout celebrated its inaugural year with fierce competition from nationally ranked teams from around the country this past weekend. Organized by Showdown, a premier women's club team in Texas, the division was an immense success, jump-starting the competitive pre-season with high-level ultimate and featuring a $1,000 cash prize to the weekend's top team. Both pool play and bracket play offered exciting and hotly contested victories, while the windy and sunny weather encouraged the use of many different offensive and defensive strategies.

Hometown favorite Showdown proved to be a formidable foe on Saturday, utilizing a quick-moving offense and stifling zone defense in the windy conditions which culminated in three decisive wins against May-lee, Box, and Rare Air. Boston Two-Step finished round 3 with a 3-0 record as well, defeating both Box and May-Lee confidently and pushing through a tough victory over Rare Air 11-10. The two undefeated teams, Showdown and Boston Two-Step, then went head-to-head in the last round of the day. In an exciting pool play finale, Showdown battled to a 12-11 win on ultimate point to maintain a 4-0 record and gain the coveted first seed for Sunday's bracket play.

Newly revitalized from Austin's nightlife, the four teams advancing to semifinals arrived on Sunday ready for some rematches and a chance at the cash. Less windy than the day before, the teams were forced to adapt by using tighter defense and accurate throws in order to advance. Showdown maintained a calm offense over Box to win a spot in the finals, while in another close game Rare Air turned the tables on Boston Two-Step from the day before to win 13-11 in the cap. The finals were then set to be an epic match between a deep field of oxygen-privileged Colorado women and the all-star women of Texas. Up 5-1 in the first half, Showdown set the tone early on with their crisp throws and intimidating deep threats. Rare rallied to catch up, utilizing their hucks and on-point cutting to begin trading points late in the second half. Even with this effort, however, Rare wasn't able to overcome their initial deficit as Showdown kept playing hard defense and moving the disc on O. With the final count 15-8, Showdown is the first LiveLogic Texas Shootout Women's Division Champ! Showdown also won a VC waterproof field bag from VC Ultimate which will be used for team gear (and surely looked after by a rookie). Thanks VC Ultimate!

Showdown would like to thank Rare Air, Boston Two-Step, Box, and May-Lee for an exciting and competitive tournament, and for making it such a rousing success. We are looking forward to hosting this division next year and encouraging more top teams to make the trip to Austin for the chance to win an even bigger cash prize! The 2008 LiveLogic Texas Shootout results are posted on the UPA Score Reporter for the Women's Division.