5:15 AM on a Saturday morning. No one is around on Thayer St…. except for more than a dozen bleary eyed, fleece bedecked girls sitting in Dunkin Donuts. A strange scene, you might think, but one that's been played out every year - Disco Inferno is going to Purple Valley! Held at Williams College in the middle of fall, it is undeniably one of the most beautiful and enjoyable tournaments that Disco attends: the drive up as the sun rises over the crimson treetops, the lush fields nestled between purple valleys, the brisk air under a breathtaking star-studded sky. This year's Purple Valley tournament did not disappoint in the scenic aspect.
Not to say that organization was lacking. However, after the slight fiasco at Coffee Cup the weekend before with the car show and field relocation, we were beginning to think we were jinxed when we were told that our games that day were at an as yet undisclosed location. After being informed that pools had been remade and that ours was now moved to fields at an elementary school 10 minutes away, we piled back into our cars and made our way there. The scenery there was just as good, to our relief, and so all was well. The first game was a solid win over UPenn(13-2). The second game was against dependable rival Princess Layout (Dartmouth), who was decked out in costume once again, this time in superhero garb. Coming out fast and sure, Layout took the lead at half by a few points. Not to be dismissed, Disco rallied back after halftime with chilly O after intense D-blocks by Shirley Wu ('04) and Blake Spitz ('04), who also had a spectacular, full extension, picture-perfect layout grab that was unfortunately slightly out the back of the endzone. Even so, it was definitely more than enough to get the whole team fired up! Disco Inferno punched in several points after that, and it was uncertain who would take home the win - until the hard cap came on and Layout clinched it 7-9. Disco quickly regrouped to win their last game of the day against Boston University 11-1.
Sunday rose bright and sunny, and Disco geared up for a predictably tough quarterfinal game against formidable MIT, the eventual tournament champions. Points were exchanged evenly for much of the game, with Meera Shah ('02), Pauline Lauterbach ('02), and Maureen Delaney ('02) handling solidly and putting up long throws; Jess Guffey ('02) and fall captain Rachel Weston ('03) staying fast and steady throughout, and promising Cate Brown ('05) and Rebecca Simon ('05) giving a preview of their talents. In the end, though, MIT's versatile long game and transition offense proved too much for the still experimenting Disco, and took the game 9-13. After a bye, Disco rematched against Dartmouth, this time emerging victorious 9-4. The last game of the tournament was a win against Yale's Ramona (10-3), depleted and exhausted after their own game with MIT. This win placed Disco in 3rd place for the tournament.
For a team that was still feeling out their player dynamic and experimenting with their offense, it was a strong showing, with the only real loss against a team that went on to take 1st place. More importantly, Purple Valley gave Disco Inferno a genuine sense of the opportunities and possibilities to be had in implementing a completely new and different offense. With so much talent and potential exhibited, and so much learned, everyone went home even more excited about the remainder of the fall and the upcoming spring season.

- Shirley Wu '04