Jersey Design Contest - Winner Selected!

Machine is excited to announce the winner of our jersey design contest is Richard Taylor. Richard's "Owl" design jersey was the inspiration for the reversible jerseys Machine will be using to start the season. 

Richard is a designer/ ultimate player from the UK, and you can see some of his other great design work (including ultimate jerseys) at: 

Twitter - @openbracketulti 
Facebook - openbracketultimate

Richard has helped Machine convert this design to an appropriate version for mesh reversibles, which the team will be sporting at the Elite-Select Challenge in Columbus, OH the weekend of July 12th. Machine will also be using Patagonia jerseys later this season featuring the traditional red on red tower design, and a white jersey design that is still TBD (an additional jersey design contest winner could be announced at a later date). 

Machine would once again like to thank everyone who participated in the contest, as we truly appreciate all of the incredible designs. With all of the great options, it was a very difficult process in determining a winner. Thanks again!

Support Women's Ultimate

Until the end of June, Machine will be having a sale on discs with all proceeds being donated to the All-Star Ultimate Tour. Get an awesome disc and support women's ultimate!

Chicago Machine 2015 Roster

Coach:

Andy Neilsen

Confirmed Players:

Adrian King 

AJ Nelson 

Andrew Sheehan 

Ben Spielman 

Bob Liu 

Brett Kolinek 

Craig Poeppelman 

Cullen Geppert** 

Dan Williams 

George Hughes [returning]

Gregory Slover 

Jack Shey 

Jonathan Helton 

Kevin Kelly** 

Michael Schwenk [returning] 

Neal Phelps 

Nick Zeman 

Noah Backer

Ron Kubalanza**

Stephan Mance 

Tim Fergus 

Travis Carpenter 

Von Alanguilan

Walden Nelson**

Practice Players:

Eric Johnson

Rory Gallagher [returning] 

Yiding Hou

** = Captain

Italics denotes new addition

Note: Additional roster spots have been offered, but not confirmed as of publishing.

Roster Photos/ Bios: www.chicago-machine.com/roster

Machine Finalizes 2015 Leadership

Chicago Machine has finalized its leadership for the 2015 with the additions of Ron Kubalanza and Andy Neilsen. Kubalanza and Neilsen will join captains Walden Nelson, Kevin Kelly, and Cullen Geppert to complete the leadership circle.

Kubalanza returns after captaining Machine last season with Walden Nelson, Kevin Kelly, and Craig Poeppelman. Poeppelman will be returning to the team, but not in a leadership capacity due to time constraints. Replacing him will be first year captain Cullen Geppert. Geppert, an alumni of the University of Wisconsin Hodags, has been with Machine for 5 seasons and is expected to bring intensity and edge to the leadership. 

Andy Neilsen will be returning to the team as a coach in 2015, after taking a season off in 2014. Prior to that, Neilsen served as a captain for Machine from 2010 - 2013, a period in which Machine's on-field success and internal culture experienced dramatic growth and development.

These 5 will serve as the core leadership for the 2015 season, but many other players will fill leadership roles for the team after the roster is announced in early June. Machine's financial treasurer in 2015 will be third year player Greg Slover. Returning as the team's fitness, strength, and conditioning coordinator is Goose Helton. The team will also feature a social media and web coordinator, jersey logistics coordinator, USAU roster coordinator, travel logistics coordinator, and more. 

Japan's Bunka Shutter Buzz Bullets to Attend the Bro-Flight Finale

Machine and Madison Club are excited to announce that the final team confirmed to attend the Bro-Flight Finale is the Buzz Bullets of Japan. The veteran team with an extensive history of international competition will be making their first trip to Chicago/ Madison, providing spectators a look at their quick paced offensive game. 

The Buzz Bullets, who are unable to attend the US Open this year, were looking for another opportunity to play against top US competition. Due to the restrictions in place for international teams interested in competing in USAU Triple Crown Tour events, the Bro-Flight Finale served as the perfect opportunity. 

Outside of the tournament itself, a local individual scrimmage between the Buzz Bullet's and Machine may be coordinated for the week leading into the Bro-Flight Finale. If so, any relevant information will be passed on to interested spectators. 

Full details on the Bro-Flight Finale can be found here: Bro Flight Finale Tournament Page

Machine Jersey Design Contest

Machine is looking for help in designing our 2015 uniforms. If you submit a design, you could win a free jersey! Full details here: http://www.chicago-machine.com/jersey-contest 

Chicago Men's Club Tryout Tournament - Full Details

Thank you for filling out the Chicago men's club tryout registration form, below are the full details for this weekend's open tryout. (Please read the bullet point below in red to confirm you have been added to a tryout team roster).

-All subsequent Machine tryouts will be by invite only-

• What: Chicago Men's Combine - Tryout Hat Tournament

• Where: Washington Park: 5531 S. Martin Luther King Dr. Chicago, 60637 
  • We will be meeting at the southwest corner of the fields used for cricket and baseball. There will be a shade tent for registration. 

• When: Sunday, May 3rd, 2014 from 10:00 AM - 3:15 PM
  • Please arrive at 9:15am to allow time to complete registration and warm-up your throws.
    • Registration will involve checking in at a table to confirm your attendance, paying the tryout fee, confirming your team assignment, and taking a picture so that the team captains can put names and faces together after the tryout.
  • Machine takes practice timeliness very seriously. We will be starting promptly at 10:00 AM, please do not be late.

• Payment: We will be requiring each player pay $10 in order to recoup the costs of renting fields for tryouts
  • Please bring EXACTLY $10 with you to pay at registration

Itinerary

• 9:15am - 10:00am
  • Registration/ Throwing
• 10:00am - 10:15am
  • Introductions from Machine, Beachfront, Haymaker, Black Market, and Bounty Hunters
• 10:15am - 10:40am
  • Warm-ups led by Andrew Sheehan
• 10:40am - 11:40am
  • Round 1 Games
• 11:50am - 12:50pm
  • Round 2 Games
• 1:00pm - 2:00pm
  • Round 3 Games
• 2:10pm - 3:10pm
  • Round 4 Games
• 3:10pm - 3:15pm
  • Closing remarks

ScheduleField 1Field 2Field 3Field 4

Round 1 (10:40-11:40)1v23v45v67v8

Round 2 (11:50-12:50)1v83v25v47v6

Round 3 (1:00-2:00)1v63v85v27v4

Round 4 (2:10-3:10)1v43v65v87v2

Tryout Team Rosters

• There will be 8 teams. Each team will play 4 games. Even numbered teams will be in white, odd numbered teams will be in dark.

What to Bring

• Please bring a white and a dark jersey
• Please bring water and food (it will not be provided)
• Please bring anything else you would normally bring to a tournament
• Please bring a disc
• Plan for the weather

Note

• This tryout format is designed to be competitive and enjoyable. Play to the best of your capabilities, play hard, play within yourself, and play with respect for everyone else trying out.

-Machine Captains

If you know anyone who has not received this message and is interested in attending, please direct them to the Machine website where they can still fill out the registration form.

Chicago Men's Club Open Tryout Hat Tournament - Email

Gentleman,

Thank you for expressing your interest in the Chicago Men's Club Open Tryout Hat Tournament and/or trying out for Chicago Machine. You are receiving this message regardless of what attendance status you indicated on the tryout form. Leadership and representatives from each of Chicago's Open Club teams will be in attendance to evaluate players at the tryout hat tournament on May 3rd, where we hope to cultivate a competitive opportunity for Chicago Men's players to showcase their talents. (Machine, Haymaker, Beachfront Property, Black Market, and Bounty Hunters)

If you indicated you will be able to attend the tryout hat tournament, a more thorough email will be going out a few days prior with additional information on what to bring, what to expect, and team assignments. Until then, here are the important details:

What: Chicago Men's Open Hat Tryout Tournament - 2015
Where: Washington Park Chicago, IL 

When: Sunday, May 3, 2015 (10:00 AM - 4:00 PM)

Note: A tryout fee of $10 required of all attendees to help recoup the cost of renting fields

If you know of anyone interested in attending who has not previously registered, please instruct them to fill out the tryout interest form.

-All subsequent Machine tryouts will be by invite only (5/10, 6/6, 6/7)-

For those interested in being considered for Chicago Machine:

2015 Machine Tournament Schedule

• Elite-Select Challenge: Columbus, OH  (July 11-12)
• Pro-Elite Invite: Aurora, CO (August 1-2)
• Bro-Flight Finale: Madison, WI (August 22-23)
  • Or Pro-flight Finale: Blaine, MN (August 22-23)
• Regionals: TBD (September 12-13)
• Nationals: Frisco, TX (October 1-4)*
  • * = Must qualify through placement at Regionals

Practices: Machine practices on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and local players are expected to attend "pod" workouts 1-2 nights per week.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Thanks,

2015 Machine Captains

Machine and Madison Club to Host "Bro-Flight Finale" Tournament in Late August

Chicago Machine and Madison Club will be co-hosting a tournament in Madison, WI, the weekend of August 23rd/ 24th. 

The tournament will feature ten teams from six different regions. (Including: Machine, Madison Club, Sub Zero, Temper, High Five, Florida United, Streetgang, Boost Mobile, Garuda, and Patrol).

The idea for the event came from the scheduling uncertainty that Madison Club and Machine face this season, as it is unknown if our teams will attend the Pro Flight Finale until after the Elite/Select Challenge. This tournament was created to provide flexibility for other teams in the same position, by offering a centrally located fall back plan to the Pro Flight Finale. Our intent is to keep this a small tournament for high caliber teams. We will be enlisting a format that allows each team attending to play 6-7 competitive games against different opponents.

For the full details, please see the Bro-Flight Finale Event Page

Machine Tryout Registration

Interested in trying out for Chicago Machine in 2015, or interested in attending the Open Chicago Hat Tournament that will serve as the first open tryout for Machine?

For full tryout dates, and to register for our tryout email list, fill out the following form: 2015 Tryout Form

If you have any questions or issues, please contact our captains at: machinecaptains@gmail.com

Machine Announces Start to Leadership in 2015

Machine is excited to announce the first pieces of our leadership core for 2015 as captains: Kevin Kelly, Walden Nelson, and Cullen Geppert. We are awaiting confirmation on the status of other returning leaders for next season, but anticipate 1-2 more additions to our leadership circle before the 2015 campaign begins. Stay tuned!

Machine's 2015 Relationship with the Chicago Wildfire

. While Machine and Wildfire will likely not share joint leadership (identical coaches & captains) as was the case last year, we still expect to maintain the great relationship that both teams have fostered together over the past 3 years. Multiple Machine players will be playing for the 2015 Wildfire squad, as well as several Machine prospects. The Wildfire captain core will consist of 3 current Machine players, as well as two former players in a coaching capacity. We expect both teams to work towards developing and showcasing the best talent Chicago has to offer. For more information on the Wildfire, please checkout their site for more information: http://chicago-wildfire.com/