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Week 3 of the 2015 AUDL SOUTH 

Welcome to Atlanta! Our Game. Our City. Our team. 


It was a warm and windy evening in Grady Stadium as fans lined the entire parking lot in anticipation of the gate’s opening. Hustle gear was everywhere: Children throwing discs and sporting new hats, Dads wearing Hustle Polo’s, and Mom’s in personalized jerseys. It was an hour until the first pull, yet the environment was buzzing with excitement to make history. Atlanta’s first professional ultimate home game was finally happening.
 
And, as one could imagine, the fans were present and ready to get loud. Not only were they helping pump our team up with loud cheers at every play, but in true Atlanta ultimate fashion, heckling as well.
 
Although the wind was constantly gusting up to 15 mph and occasionally swirling and changing directions, our offense was not phased. Unfortunately for Jacksonville, the same cannot be said for them. Their first half offense quickly developed into a frustration based “huck it and play D” strategy, which due to our offensive efficiency, outright failed. Jacksonville would proceed to throw the disc 50 plus yards, we would use our athleticism to get the D over their big guys, then patiently work it back up wind for the score. Again, thanks to our awesome heckling fans, The Cannons seemed nervous. They were dropping easy throws, forcing unnecessary scoobers and hammers, and simply letting their jitters affect their on-field play.
 
The Hustle had multiple sets of bookends, with Robert Runner getting an easy run through D and immediate pass back to him for the score. Steven Hicks had an incredible handblock and streaked deep to receive a pinpoint huck. Jacksonville began to complain about the calls made by officials, so much so that they began to try to make their own calls, obviously to no avail. #sticktoclub
 
Our offensive chemistry remained a factor throughout the game, with Mark Poole, Dylan Tunnell, and Kyle Stapleton working superbly off of each other to move the disc. Blake Hannah was making waves on both sides of the disc, matching up with The Cannons big men and getting monstrous D’s and then work-horsing on his cuts to catch seemingly every other pass.
 
On defense, it was clear that we needed to stop their deep game. Countless clutch handblocks by Brian Moore, Steven Hicks, and some stalled marks by Robert Bradham helped out our big downfield defenders immensely. Knowing that everyone could rely on each other was huge, allowing each player to focus solely on their own role.
 
The stadium environment could not have been any more pleasant: Fans were ecstatic, the announcers were brilliant, and the video screen was dazzling. However, the one thing that sealed the deal for an impeccable home opener experience would be the concessions. The Pickle impressed as always, slinging out their famous Cajun chicken eggrolls and delicious Chicken and Green Chile quesadillas. Cameli’s Pizza was fresh and delicious as well, with everything being extremely reasonably priced compared to other professional sports venues. The prices, freshness, and variety of options made this a perfect spot for a family dinner while viewing the game!
 
Quotes of the day:
 
“Professional ultimate relies on runs much more than club. As a result, momentum is huge in that teams can easily rattle off three points in a row. This is one way in which our home field advantage and fans was key. Knowing they were there cheering us on during our point runs, or knowing they were there to motivate us to get the D back during the Cannons was huge for us”
-Blake Hannah
 
“The Atlanta Ultimate community’s integrity seems so much stronger than other cities. The fans, the players, the spririt…all of it. Obviously we are the home team, but there is just something special about coming back to Atlanta.”
-Ben Breault
 
 

We'll be back at Grady Sunday May 3rd to host the Nashville NightWatch.

The game will honor Women's Ultimate as we host the Atlanta Club Women's Kickoff at 10am 

Tickets are available for our pre-game youth clinic with Coach Knowles.

Looking forward to seeing a sea of PURPLE in the stands Sunday.

 
Copyright © 2015 Atlanta Hustle, All rights reserved.


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