Watch Erwin go dropless, show about 500 different body rolls and throw in a double spinning barrel just for fun in this footage from the Fredericksburg field house. They qualified 2nd in their pool to the finals, where they finished 3rd:
2014 Virginia States
2014 VA States
Fredericksburg, VA
April 12-13, 2014
Final
1. Arthur Coddington/Jake Gauthier/Matt Gauthier
2. Roger Meier/Daniel O’Neill
3. Erwin Velasquez/Jens Velasquez
4. Toddy Brodeur/Steve Scannell
5. Rob Fried/Rodney Sanchez/Jonathan Willett
6. Jay Moldenhauer/Dan Yarnell
7. Tom Lasher/Charles Richard
8. Tim Mackey/Donnie Wallace/Scott Zimmerman (SCR)
Semi A
1. Rob Fried/Rodney Sanchez/Jonathan Willett (26 votes) [video]
2. Roger Meier/Daniel O’Neill (35) [video]
3. Toddy Brodeur/Steve Scannell (54) [video]
4. Tim Mackey/Donnie Wallace/Scott Zimmerman (89)
5. Tom Cole/Jack Cooksey/Jim Herrick (108)
6. Harvey Brandt/Lori Daniels/Gerry Geare (113)
7. Bob Cooksey/Randy Lahm/Dave Steger (121)
8. Paul Mondesire/Lou Sumrall (142)
9. Stephanie Chan/Mark Horn/Sam Kaye (163)
Semi B
1. Arthur Coddington/Jake Gauthier/Matt Gauthier (26 votes) [video]
2. Erwin Velasquez/Jens Velasquez (45) [video]
3. Jay Moldenhauer/Dan Yarnell (73)
4. Tom Lasher/Charles Richard (93)
5. Conrad Damon/Dave Hesselberth (140)
6. Rob McLeod/Hunter Wootten (161)
7. J. Kraut/Bryan Steffen/Ronnie Turner (167)
8. Jon Freedman/Jack Herrick/Spencer Herrick (168)
9. Tobias Cole/Jeff Shelton/Evan Wallberg (198)
2013 VA States Freestyle Finals
The 37th annual version of the Virginia States Overall Frisbee Championships have come and gone and those who attended experienced another wonderful weekend of Frisbee fun and fellowship. Saturday and Sunday were absolutely picture perfect with temps hovering around 70 once the day warmed up, with a clear, blue sky and warm sun bringing out lots of smiling faces. Event staff did a stellar job per usual, with Tournament Director Eric Olsen leading the way. And, of course, Laszlo’s Wienie World provided everyone with their brand of wholesome goodness at the canteen. It’s never too early to mark your calendars for VA States. Always a great experience.
Conditions for the Final Round of Freestyle were quite nice. There was a light, steady wind, which provided ample opportunity for folks to bring their game to the field and shred. As is the case at VA States, a nice crowd gathered round the playing arena. Family and friends there to see the day’s activities, overall players now resting with favorite beverage in hand, some bringing chairs and couches out from the canteen, lined the field to cheer on the jamming.
Bethany and I were up fourth, and I did not see the first three teams compete. Starting off the round were Tom Lasher and Jay Moldenhauer, followed by Lori Daniels and Bruce Page, then 3rd up was Jonathan Willet and Doug Simon. Bethany and I followed. We didn’t quite create the electricity from the previous night, tho, presented our routine well and held seed. Playing 5th, holding seed and taking 4th Place were Joey Hudoklin and Daniel O’Neill. These 2 again used a lot of the field, mixing up the spin levels, angles, catches and style. A few too many drops kept them from challenging for the podium. Joey pulled off a casual ’round the world brushing run, with nary a need for angle adjustment during the whole trip. It’s so great to see the Oracle playing at such a high level, bringing out the Wisdom of the Jam for all of us to enjoy.
Taking 3rd place was the team of Todd Brodeur, Jake Gauthier and Jeff O’Brian. After winning Pool A the night before, these guys again brought some stellar play. Jeff hit his signature gitis brush to gitis catch. Jake went all long arms against the spin pulls, and ring master Toddy B. conducted the flow with solid moves and huge smiles.
Coming in 2nd place were Larry Imperiale, Randy Silvey and Bill Wright. Their routine has some unique and intricate moments, lots of content and exchanges of the frisbee, with little room to spare for error. This day they connected the dots better than the night before, however, it wasn’t quite enough to reach the top of the podium. Especially compelling for this observer is the double disc work they do, including a roll, delays, and brushes. Will be interesting to see how this routine looks come the World Championships at Santa Cruz in August.
Taking top honors this year was the team of Arthur Coddington, Matt Gauthier and James Wiseman. These guys combined their considerable talents into a nice combination of planned co-ops, spontaneous passing, solid individual play from Arthur and James, and some over the top jamming by Matt to propel them to the top place. Matt was definitely in the zone. On one move he started a tipping sequence, realized he was in the wheel house, and just kept it going. Tipping with both right and left hands, completing somewhere between 20 and 25 consecutive tips in total, then finishing with a double spinning laser catch. Just super. There were at least 3 other moves that were simply stellar. It was a joy to watch someone hit the zone and present so well during a finals round.
Thanks again to everyone who made this such a special weekend, from Tournament Staff, to Laszlo’s Staff, to all the Competitors, what a blast.
Virginia States Freestyle Finals Results:
8th Place: Lori Daniels/Bruce Page
7th Place: Jonathan Willet/Doug Simon
6th Place: Tom Lasher/Jay Moldenhauer
5th Place: Bethany Sanchez/Rodney Sanchez
4th Place: Joey Hudoklin/Daniel O’Neil
3rd Place: Toddy Brodeur/Jake Gauthier/Jeff O’Brian
2nd Place: Larry Imperiale/Randy Silvey/Bill Wright
1st Place: Arthur Coddington/Matt Gauthier/James Wiseman [video]
2013 VA States Saturday Night Pool Play – UPDATED
We had a wonderful night of jamming in the Fredericksburg Fieldhouse Saturday night. A total of 15 teams competed in two pools to see which 8 teams would advance to Sunday’s final round. There was a lot of stellar play across the board, with the overall folks leading the way in each pool. One of the fun aspects of VA States is watching the overall players, who excel at such a high level within all disciplines of frisbee play, take to the jam field to show the crowd their stuff. This was again the case on Saturday night at the Fieldhouse with Jack Cooksey, Tom Cole, Bob Cooksey, Randy Lahm, Glen Whitlock, Harvey Brandt and others showing off their jamming skills. And this after a full day of Golf, MTA and Distance. Very nice work, guys.
The action got started in the Fieldhouse sometime after 9 pm with Pool A. Some of the highlights included:
Jack Cooksey demonstrating that if he set his sights on jamming, he would be a force to be reckoned with. Glen Whitlock brought out that special Canadian brand of eccentricity, going all third world and padiddling too. If you weren’t watching the throw, then you missed why people where oohing and ahhing and applauding when Jens Velasquez and Rob McLeod played. Jens is still the master of variety when it comes to throwing the frisbee. Tim Mackey, Harvey Brandt and Alan Caplin set the stage for the final four groups with some nice individual moves.
Seeded 4th in Pool A and playing smooth and graceful were Lori Daniels and Bruce Page. Next we enjoyed the Upper West Side casual shred courtesy of Jonathan Willet and Doug E. Fresh. Seeded 2nd and playing fantastic this night were Jeff O’Brian, Jake Gauthier and Toddy Brodeur. These guys presented 5 minutes of great flow and shred, with lots of music breaks and high difficulty, moving from indies to spontaneous co-ops and back. The pool ended with a high concept routine from Larry Imperiale, Randy Silvey and Bill Wright. Playing to Elton John’s “Funeral for a Friend” these three guys laid out some impressive co-ops, innovative disc use and some fine moves. It didn’t quite click 100%, tho, that didn’t hinder them from bringing the crowd into the play and generating lots of excitement. Looking forward to what this routine becomes in the coming months heading into Worlds.
Pool B Thoughts:
Bethany and I were in this pool, and I didn’t see all the action, initially missing the first two teams of Jack Stanton, Conrad Damon and Dave Hesselbirth; and Paul Brenner, Chris Horn and Sam Kaye play. We were up third and played to “Lean on Me” by the Glee cast and the crowd really got behind us. Think we were dropless until about the 3:30 mark. After we played, I missed the teams of Dan Yarnell and Chuck Richard, and Jay Moldanauer and Tom Lasher. Up next to last was the Oracle, Joey Hudoklin, and Daniel O’Neill. These guys presented stellar NYC play, mixing up the spins, throws, catches and flow with ease. Finishing off the pool was the team of Arthur Coddington, Matt Gauthier and James Wiseman. Wow, these guys blistered the field with high diff casualness. Flowing well to their music, spontaneous co-oping, big individuals, really a fine routine.
Weather’s been fantastic on the weekend and everyone’s looking forward to another fun day of jamming in the sun. It goes without saying that Laszlo’s Wienie World yet again has set the standard with their generous welcoming of the Frisbee Tribe to Fredericksburg. What a gift they are to everyone.
Here are the results from the first round of play:
Pool A
8th Place: Jens Velasquez/Rob McLeod
7th Place: Jack Cooksey/Bob Cole
6th Place: Bob Cooksey/Glen Whitlock/Randy Lahm
5th Place: Tim Mackey/Harvey Brandt/Alan Caplin
4th Place: Lori Daniels/Bruce Page
3rd Place: Jonathan Willet/Doug E. Fresh
2nd Place: Larry Imperiale/Randy Silvey/Bill Wright
1st Place: Jeff O’Brian/Jake Gauthier/Toddy Brodeur
Pool B
7th Place: Jack Stanton/Conrad Damon/Dave Hesselbirth
6th Place: Paul Brenner/Chris Horn/Sam Kaye
5th Place: Chuck Richard/Dan Yarnell
4th Place: Tom Lasher/Jay Moldenauer
3rd Place: Bethany Sanchez/Rodney Sanchez
2nd Place: Joey Hudoklin/Daniel O’Neill
1st Place: Arthur Coddington/Matt Gauthier/James Wiseman
2013 Virginia States Frisbee Championships Next Week
Just one week till the annual Virginia States Overall Frisbee Championships in Fredericksburg. This year is shaping up to be another fun gathering of the tribe as folks from all over the country gather for a weekend of frisbee competition, commeraderie and the wonderful experience that is Laszlo’s Wienie World.
Stay tuned for more reports next weekend after competition gets under way.
2012 Virginia States
2012 VA States
Fredericksburg, VA
April 14-15, 2012
Final
1. Daniel O’Neill/Randy Silvey
2. Todd Brodeur/Larry Imperiale/Bill Wright
3. Arthur Coddington/Jake Gauthier
4. Rob Fried/Tom Lasher/Doug Simon
5. Jonathan Willett/Dan Yarnell
6. Rodney Sanchez/Ryan Young
7. Lori Daniels/Bethany Sanchez
8. Harvey Brandt/Scott Zimmerman
Semifinal A
1. Daniel O’Neill/Randy Silvey
2. Rob Fried/Tom Lasher/Doug Simon
3. Rodney Sanchez/Ryan Young
4. Harvey Brandt/Scott Zimmerman
5. Conrad Damon/Dave Hesselberth
6. Paul Brenner/Bob Cooksey/Hunter Wootten
Semifinal B
1. Todd Brodeur/Larry Imperiale/Bill Wright
2. Arthur Coddington/Jake Gauthier
3. Jonathan Willett/Dan Yarnell
4. Lori Daniels/Bethany Sanchez
5. Chris Horn/Don Wallace
6. Rob McLeod/Sam Kaye/Randy Lahm