Open South Regionals: Chain Lightning Preview

Atlanta's Chain Lightning poses after winning the Chesapeake Open. Photo by Kevin Leclaire. Courtesy of Rob Barrett.

On a rainy Thursday night in northern Washington four young men careened out of control in a rental car and flipped twice before finally coming to a stop. Those four men were Atlanta, Georgia’s Asa Wilson, Rob White, Paul Vandenberg and David Berendes, all members of Chain Lightning. Wilson, White, Vandenberg and Berendes all emerged from the vehicle unharmed and unwittingly stumbled into the perfect metaphor for their team’s history.

Club South Open Regionals Previews: El Diablo

El Diablo's Bryan Sansbury moves the disc up the field at Club Sectionals. Photo courtesy of facebook stalking. Taken by Michael Gastaldo's camera.

Every year in every sport where there is any semblance of a playoff system there is that team. You know the team, the Cinderella story, the team that, by anyone’s account, doesn’t belong in its surroundings. Last year in the UPA Open Club Series, that team was El Diablo. A team that, prior to the last two seasons had made very little noise in the Ultimate world, somehow, the team that is a blend of players from Georgia and South Carolina made Nationals and no one saw it coming.

This year, captain Mike Nash and the rest of the Diablo boys were ready to be more than just that team. They had their time in the sun as the Cinderella story and they were ready to become true contenders.

Club South Open Regionals: Doublewide Preview

Doublewide poses after a tournament this season. Photo courtesy of Max Cook.

It’s hard to imagine that a team that is the reigning two-time region champion would spend a season living in the shadow of another team in that same region. However, such has been life for Austin, Texas’ Doublewide this season. Atlanta, Georgia’s Chain Lightning has been lauded and heralded as a potential Finalist in Sarasota this season and it seems that Doublewide has fallen by the wayside, despite Doublewide’s title holding position.

Perhaps it’s because Chain performed admirably at the biggest tournament of the preseason, Seattle’s Emerald City Classic, despite some incredible team drama (of the car accident variety) and won arguably the second biggest tournament of the preseason, The Chesapeake Open. Perhaps it’s because Doublewide has seen three tournament finals thus far this season and not come away with a single victory. Whatever the reason, Doublewide captain Max Cook is not concerned with perception.