 Midwest Warmup and Midwest Throwdown have grown by leaps and bounds over the past couple of years. Midwest Warmup was founded as Elite Eights in Fall 2007 by Michelle and Texas Women's Ultimate as a way of trying to grow ultimate in the South and Midwest. The small eight team round-robin was held in Kansas City with the help of Tom Atchity (ex-Kansas, current Prairie Fire). The decision was made to host the tournament 11 hours away from home in order to locate the tournament more centrally for the majority of teams in the South, Central, and Great Lakes Regions. Demand for the tournament was low, but an idea was born. In Spring 2008, Michelle and Melee created Midwest Throwdown, formerly known as Texas Throwdown, hosted in conjunction with Mike Houston (ex-Mizzou). The tournament was renamed when former Texas A&M captain (and Michelle's current roommate) Alexa Tang mistakenly thought the tournament was going to be held in Texas and submitted a bid for her team, only to realize weeks later, that the tournament was actually going to be held in Missouri. 13 teams braved the snow and completed the tournament on turf backup fields that served as Plan C when the main field site and backup fields got snowed out. Midwest Warmup went on hiatus in 2008 when Michelle spent the summer and fall in California, but upon her moving back to Austin, plans for Midwest Throwdown went into motion. With Melee's schedule already crowded for the spring, the Washington University women took on the tournament as a fundraiser and this time the tournament expanded to 19 teams, with sponsors such as Chipotle, Papa John's, and Ultivillage jumping on board. This year, Warmup hosted a field of 32 teams (400% growth in two years' time!) and Throwdown will feature 32 teams, including an 8-team Roundup Division which will be part-skills clinic and part tournament. Guest coaches from teams like Seattle Riot, Texas Showdown, Boston Brute Squad, San Francisco Fury, and Bay Area Zeitgeist will be mentoring young developing teams and giving them skills and drills to take back to practice. Michelle is teaming up with two of her college rivals and friends Anna Nazarov and Holly Greunke to run these tournaments. It is their hope that the Roundup Division will be replicated at other tournaments across the country as a way to grow and develop women's ultimate. Women's College Centex (hosted by University of Texas Melee) Women's College Centex has been the most competitive tournament of the spring season over the past few seasons and the women's division is entering its seventh year of existence. Last year, Texas Women's Ultimate teamed up with Michelle and the Ultimate Players League of Austin (UPLA) to run the tournament, expanding the field to 32 of North America's best teams, including eventual the College Champion UCSB Burning Skirts. Centex featured sponsors such as Clif Bar and Vitamin Water, and coverage of the weekend was provided by The Huddle and Ultivillage. Players were also treated to tournament player packs, a Friday Night Social, and the famed Saturday Night BBQ and Danceoff. As evidenced by all of the Testimonials, Women's College Centex was the highlight of many teams' seasons. The Texas program's commitment to running a high-quality event was evidenced in the real-time score reporting, seamless communication with teams, and attention to every last detail. The planning process for Centex 2010 has already begun, and Melee, Michelle, and UPLA will be teaming up once again to put on a show in Austin. The Texas women have been generous in their sharing of resources and contacts, helping to facilitate the development of Midwest Warmup, Midwest Throwdown, as well as Philly Classic. |