Jasmine “Jazz” Draper of Iowa State University’s Woman Scorned is a strong contender for this year’s Callahan. As her coach, I saw Jazz develop from a fierce competitor and athletic spark plug into a dynamic leader able to jump start the offense or defense. Her defensive abilities have been superior due to her raw athleticism since she began playing four years ago, but over the past year her greater field awareness and larger leadership role have turned her into a defensive force. She gets up, she gets down, and she anticipates disc movement to create an image of being everywhere on the field. She is the best defender in the Central Region, bar none (completely unbiased).
On offense, she WILL get that disc and, similar to the expansion of her defensive abilities, her disc skills and confidence in handling have increased over the last year to make her a more well-rounded player. Her field vision is excellent, and she can rip it down the field, but her strongest offensive asset for the team has been handling against a cup. (Unless it is her ability to get to nearly any disc thrown-your opinion may depend on if you are the thrower or receiver!)
Through the course of her college career, Jasmine has slowly been sucked farther into the game and the team. First it was giving up marching band, then wheedling to rearrange her work schedule. Next it was meeting with her advisers to find a way to make research, class, and Ultimate work. She is absolutely dedicated to the team and the sport.
She has also grown enormously as a leader. This is her 2nd year as captain and while she has always been well-liked and well-respected by teammates and opponents, her desire to make everyone happy and to reach compromise was almost a drawback in her first year as captain. This year she became more vocal and developed more resolve- she still listened to everyone, but was more prepared to take feedback and criticism from her decisions. Because of this, she has become one of the strongest captains Woman Scorned has seen.
Her solid sportsmanship foundation, typical of a quiet and kind person, has transformed into a vocal expression of deep Ultimate spirit over the last four years. I will admit that Jazz has better sportsmanship than myself, and there are few people that I would say that about. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue to say (or not say) the right thing, but Jazz never seems to think it in the first place. She play passionately, discusses coolly, and remains objective- key ingredients to maintaining spirit of the game. The foundation of sportsmanship in Ultimate lies in a solid understanding of the rules and respect for players and spectators of the sport. Jazz knows her stuff, asserts her opinion, AND listens to dissenting opinions with respect.
The pictures speak of her prowess, and I hope you’ll consider her in your voting.
-Coach Rachel Derscheid
Vote for Jasmine Draper at www.callahan-mvp.com
