One round down...

The first round of tryouts was completed over the weekend. Those that remain (not including those on SZ last year) are mostly comprised of CUT, Hodags, and a few Minnesota guys. Unfortunately, there were no real small school surprises that emerged. I always enjoy seeing a random player come out of the woodwork and make a splash.

The quality of ultimate at tryouts has definitely risen over the early rounds of the past couple years (considering barely none of those attending had played together previously). The Central high school and college scenes seem, in general, to be on an upswing. I think that there are less superstars than previous years but the skill of the average player is higher. Granted, this is still the Central, and no one has the potential to knock off CUT or the Hodags quite yet.

I am curious if leading a struggling team can hinder your chances to make an elite club team (versus the same player with the same skill set attending a successful program). Obviously, big game experience is very helpful in development. Does being a big fish in a small pond make it harder to fit into a more supporting role, or does carrying a team cause players to become more reckless and less consistent?