After several tryout opportunities in May and June, and probably the most arduous final session of decision-making team leadership has ever had, the roster for Chain Lightning’s 2009 campaign has been set.

2009 roster page

The strong class of newcomers includes: Brandon Perales (FSU, Vicious Cycle), Nick Lance (Ga. Tech, El Diablo), Peter Dempsey (Georgia), Robert Runner (Virginia, Guillermo Y Compania), and Will Lokke (Wisconsin, SubZero).

Scrimmage line at a 95° afternoon tryout at Emory, held later in the day to avoid the real heat
(L to R: J. Wooten, Markette, Kirby, Kid, Poole, Runner, Nilan, Tiarsmith)

Countering the 5 additions are 5 losses (Bellair, Schrafft, Segal, Sieling, Smith) — and those are all players who’ve played roles in the last 3 Chain seasons, which have, not coincidentally, been the best in the team’s nearly 30 year history.

Big picture, the team enters the year with a great deal of potential, hoping to extend the season to the last day of competition. Essentially all of the vets who were giving retirement serious consideration (e.g., Barrett, Jay Hammond, Simpson, Tiarsmith) have opted to return for another run / lull. Now the real work begins.