Last year the finals were at 2:30p which left a lot of time early in the day to think about the upcoming game against Chain Lightning. We had tried to tune out by watching a movie and lounging around, but the excitement kept burning through, even if it wasn’t explicitly mentioned. This year we had less idle time because of the earlier start, but nobody avoided talking about the finals, and things clearly felt looser, closer to a normal morning at Nationals. Instead of arriving early like last year for an almost hour and a half warm-up we would only start jogging 50 minutes before game-time, five minutes extra than we had warmed up for the rest of this tournament to allow for team introductions. Leading up to the first pull, Ironside sounded very energized, while we conveyed a calmer demeanor, which is exactly what we wanted.
Game 8 – Bracket play, finals – 11:45a vs Ironside (Boston, MA)
We’ll leave it to the Open division reporter, Jonathan Neely, to narrate the full game, but here are some choice details: Ironside broke our O-line three times, but our D-line converted at a high rate, looking almost as efficient as the O-line after the turn. As for the game-winning upwind hammer, Eric Halverson says he wasn’t thinking goal when he threw it, but simply saw Tyler Grant wide open and let it fly. Grant, with plenty of time, checked the goal line and carefully leapt for the catch to get his feet across.
Deserving Bart Watson won the Peter Farricker Spirit Award to keep it in-house after Robbie Cahill won last year. Ironside earned the team spirit award that we had been honored with in 2009. Congratulations to both well-deserved spirit award winners.
It was a truly great season, for which we owe many many thanks: To everyone that has proudly worn the Revolver jersey, helping to build the team into what it is today, especially the founders Nick Handler, Chris McManus, and Marc Weinberger, and Chuck Kindred for spiritual coordination. To the 2010 captains, Mike Payne, Alex “ Dutchy” Ghesquiere, Robbie Cahill, and Bart Watson, for all their endeavors in planning, executing, and leading. To Patagonia and George Plomarity, for keeping us clothed, comfortable, and stylish. To all our friends, family, and fans across the world for their years of support and motivation.
We all look forward to 2011.