BlueREY packed up their gear and headed off to the Ow-My-Knee Tournament held in Scotia, NY on August 8-9, 2009. Eight high school players were joined by their coach, Adam Nogaj, three veteran BlueREY alumni, and three other college students in an effort to not get bageled, to win some games, and to have fun. The weather proved to be perfect, not too hot for the players, not too chilly for the parents, and sunny, not rainy. The fields were super, well-drained and well-turfed, with no sink holes, no obstructions, and more or less regulation size – essentially not anything like they were used to in Rochester. After scoring some points, but losing their first two games, BlueREY went on to win their next two games against Spice (14-11) and I.T.H.A.C.A. (13-11) and cruised into the Championship bracket at the end of the first day of play.

A tired, but very enthusiastic, BlueREY team took on Castelo’s Restaurant for dinner that night and really did themselves (and the attending parents and their coach) proud. After a good night’s sleep at the EconoLodge, BlueREY arose early, pumped and ready to take on more teams. Alas, they didn’t win another game, but they still had a very successful tournament, competing against teams far more experienced, doing well, and gaining a lot of experience in the process. They went from a bunch of players who had never played together to a coordinated team playing vert and ho stack, zone D, and with both effective hucks and short offense in just one weekend! After one final out-of-pool-play game against Buffalo’s Lake Effect, a very weary BlueREY team headed for home, never bageled, winning a few games, and having had a fun weekend.

Congratulations to BlueREY for an incredible performance!