Scobel Wiggins Photography

"To be a good team: do what good teams do."

Hearing these words from UCLA coach Alex Korb at the Centex captains and coaches clinic, I was slightly skeptical at how much they could help my team. More specifically, I thought, "Duh!"

But the more I put these words into the context of where I was — at the most competitive Women's Ultimate tournament in the country, in a room full of people dedicated to improving our sport at all levels — I began to realize that maybe it really was that simple. I was surrounded by some of the most knowledgeable and skilled people in Women's Ultimate, and needed to take full advantage of the opportunity to absorb as much information as I could and take it back with me to Penn State.

So I listened. I listened to coach-extraordinaire Lou Burruss talk about how to translate a vision for your team into success on the field through practice of fundamentals and drilling of game time situations. I listened to Callahan winner Cara Crouch explain how the majority of a captain's work should be done before ever stepping onto the field at a tournament. I listened to Alex talk about how success for your team should not be defined by winning. Successful teams set and work towards high, measurable goals — which often lead to winning — but they are not successful solely because they win.

Saturday and Sunday of Centex, I watched. What better place to observe "what good teams do" than at a tournament with 32 of the best teams in the country? Oregon always attacks the disc in the air. Wisconsin never holds onto the disc for more than three stall counts. These are things that we can do too.

When I got home, I read through my College Women's Ultimate Resources Manual and got even more ideas. What I was most surprised by was that this stuff really isn't rocket science. I have full confidence that even the most inexperienced college captain will have the tools to run a better practice after reading the practice planning chapter in the CWURM.

The bottom line is: teams don't need to reinvent the wheel to be successful in Women's Ultimate, they just need to do what good teams do. The key is finding ways to expose more teams to the resources they need to find out what exactly this means to them. It's exactly this goal that makes me so excited about the future of Centex, Midwest Throwdown, Philly Classic, and all the other tournaments around the country aimed at fostering high level competition, camaraderie, and the sharing of knowledge in Women's Ultimate.

Thank you to everyone who was involved in making these endeavors the successes that they were, and good luck to everyone who will get involved in the future!

Melissa May, current Penn State captain