The YCC That Wasn’t

“I don’t know what offense they’re running, it’s very unconventional. Keep playing, we’ll try to figure it out,” one of my captains on the sideline heard the other coach saying to his players. 

Last year in June, Oakland Sparks was competing at a warm up tournament in Utah against our local rival Bay Area Aftershock, an Under 17 powerhouse ranked 3rd in the nation. We ended up winning that game 8-6. Our opponents couldn’t believe it.

Sparks was the undisputed underdog: a new program started from scratch less than 24 months prior. To boot, we were a very young Under 17 team, with an average age of just-turned-15-year-olds. We’d also lost several players, including a captain, in the tryout process because they were attracted by the more established Bay Area program. But for the first time in our short club history we took a big win and became a contender. How did we do it?

Our team is made up of regular kids, not necessarily the bigger boys or the strongest athletes. But they are smart players and developed creativity. At the core of our coaching philosophy are Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) and Physical Literacy. We also train differently, using an ecological dynamics approach: performance and skills acquisition through game situations, as opposed to a conventional drill-based model. And we also play an innovative style of Ultimate. You may have heard about dribbling and Hex/Flex, a high tempo, flow-based offense combined with a smart, interchangeable team defense. Together these tools helped our young players accelerate their learning and adaptability for a highly situational team sport.

That win against Aftershock was a turning point for our team. A defining moment that changed Sparks and the players who lived that game. I could tell by their faces how surprised they were when they realized they had won the game. A new sense of pride invaded them. Their trust expanded. By both challenging and supporting the players holistically our program was moving in the right direction and fast.  

August arrived quickly and we were playing in the massive sports complex at the USA Ultimate Youth Club Championships (YCC), in Blaine, Minnesota. After a solid tournament and a crazy chain of events, Oakland Sparks and Bay Area Aftershock were facing off again for the last game: the 9th place final, this time on the national stage. 

 Down 1-4 early on and 5-8 at half, we managed to generate a comeback. The game took a sharp turn and emotions spiked. 

Parents on the sideline and following from home were on the edge of their seats. Here's an excerpt from the group text:

“Soft cap. Game to 14. Aftershock up 12-9.”

“Aftershock wins”

“Not over. Sorry - I was mistaken”

“Ok holding my breath now”

“12-11 Aftershock. Hard cap”

“Gooooooooo Sparks! YOU GOT THIS!”

“So was the 12-11 Aftershock the final score?”

“Still playing”

“OMG”

“12-12. Universe”

“Yahooo!!!”

“Which team received the pull for universe point?”

“Universe point now”

“Oakland pulls universe point now”

“Man defense”

We pulled and generated a turn but couldn’t convert it. We made another D but a foul was called and then they scored. 

“So proud. I’m literally in tears over here. Thank you for the play by play! So proud of them!”

“Heartbreaking, but super proud of the multiple comebacks. What heart!”

Before the event I had made a bold call to suggest that USAU seed us #10, especially since our first year at YCC we ended up second to last out of 19. But now, my players proved me right.

Even losing that final game was good for us. The comeback gave us confidence in our mental toughness and got us hungry for a future revenge. Most importantly it stopped the bleeding of players we were developing leaving for our local competitor. Now there were two equal teams in town. Everything during the season worked as I had hoped. In our second year of existence we made a splash and joined the top 10 of the nation.

Our third year had a clear goal: win nationals in 2020. 

After that accomplishment we took a short break to recharge and were back to work in September. Our third year had a clear goal: win nationals in 2020. A few months later, in January, we were playing for the first time in a regular season college tournament in San Luis Obispo, California with over 20 teams attending. Matching up against physically superior college players was very intimidating. But we had a good system and were able to run them for their money. We won one game, then had a great game with Arizona State A team (5th place) and lost by two with UC Irvine (10th place). Our newly introduced ‘hex’ style of playing based on understanding the game and quality decision-making worked, even with just a handful of practices and against stronger athletes.  

With this experience under our belts, the team was catching the fire and gearing up for YCC. All the ingredients for success were aligning: a group of coaches in sync, supportive parents, monthly practices, video analysis of games, mental training, a 22-week physical regimen designed specifically for us. "It’s amazing to see the progress made by the players and how the practices have evolved to keep nurturing the team," a parent wrote to me. 

Unlike most teams (or any team?) Oakland Ultimate doesn't hold wholesale tryouts for YCC each year. Sparks players had committed for a 3-year cycle in 2017, undergoing a transformational experience from Ultimate newbies to seasoned players. Most of them started in OAK's U15 developmental team when they were 12 or 13 years old and now, after so much dedication and hard work, they were getting to prime time. 

But COVID-19 got there first. We tried our best to adjust. We moved our sessions online, kept the motivation high, and increased opportunity for remote social interactions throughout the spring until USAU finally canceled YCC 2020. It was over. Our players will all graduate from the U17 Division before next year. “La generacion de oro” that grew and played together year after year, dreaming of winning nationals, would never be able to prove itself against the dynasty of Seattle, the super athletic Utah and Oregon teams, all-arounds Atlanta, North Carolina, and Devyl, and the up-and-coming DC and Minnesota. For our players and coaches, the feeling of loss is real. 

For me the loss is particularly poignant. The process was so long and complex, all for a three-day competition that now will never happen. I gathered and recruited these players one by one. Some of them caught my eye when they were just elementary students messing around at summer camps and local leagues. In the OAK program these players flourished and became young men, developing deep friendships and living their passion for the game. Not getting to see them on the field in their final year is painful.

However what we created exceeds the payoff of competing for, or even winning, a national title; it's something far more special. One parent expressed movingly what the team means for them: “My wife and I have given some consideration to moving away from the Bay Area. There are many reasons why leaving might be very beneficial for our family. There are, however, two overarchingly important reasons we cannot leave the Oakland area: the redwoods and OAK Sparks.”

YCC or not, nothing can erase the memories, relationships and growth. Those will last forever and hopefully the tribe will be back for a new adventure. Together.