Author: Soo Jin Kim
Although the men’s and women’s ultimate frisbee teams recently attended sectionals, both squads are already looking forward to next semester.
The men’s ultimate team attended sectionals in Long Beach the weekend of April 10-11. They played against UCLA, USD, UCSD and Cal Tech, among others.
“It was exhausting,” Zak Stoltz (senior) said.
Coming away with only one win, the team was disappointed with the weekend’s results.
This can be attributed to the fact that the men’s team is currently dominated by first time players, which makes the team under-experienced. However, Stoltz was confident concerning the team’s future.
“We looked really good during some of the points, and if the team can play to that level all the time next year, Oxy ultimate is going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Stoltz said.
Women’s ultimate attended sectionals, their last and largest tournament of the year, on April 17-18 at Claremont. Teams came from all over Southern California.
The weekend was challenging for The Women’s Air Corps (WAC), the women’s ultimate team, as a few of the participating teams were ranked among the best in the nation.
“I expect the competition in general to be pretty strong,” Alexandra Wheeler (first-year) said before sectionals. “I also think that our team has improved greatly as the season has progressed, so I anticipate that we will have a strong showing at the tournament.”
The women’s team played against schools such as USC, Cal Poly and UC San Diego.
Both the men’s and women’s ultimate teams described this year as a period of growth. This year, the women’s team has seen a boost in numbers, going from just nine players to around 20 consistently showing up for practices and games.
“I feel like the team really grew this year in both size and talent, and so it would be great if we could take that momentum into next year and the future in general,” Wheeler said. “It would be great if, in the year to come, we could make it to the regionals or the nationals.”
Even though the ultimate community is competitive, the teams don’t bear grudges against each other. “What happens on the field never translates off the field and it is all very relaxed,” Ruppel said.
According to the Ultimate Players Association (UPA), Ultimate is governed by the “spirit of the game” where sportsmanship is key. There are no referees so participating players must be aware of all the rules and call out their own fouls.
“This basically means that it is everyone’s responsibility on the field to have good spirit and be honest,” Nicole Copti (junior) said. “This is something that our coaches and I have strongly stressed on our team.”
Both teams have dedicated members who are all intensely interested in the sport. Various members expressed their love for the sport and their desire to continue playing it after college.
Captain of the men’s team Jonny Rodgers (junior) stated that he plans to continue to play ultimate until his legs give way from underneath him.
Members from the women’s team also reaffirmed their commitment to the sport. “I really enjoy ultimate and it has become a big part of my life,” Copti said.
Approaching the end of the season, spirits are still high, and team members feel more than just a sense of camaraderie.
“I love playing frisbee here because the team is a great support system, practically a family,” Caitlin Ruppel (first-year) said. Another team member, Marla Potterveld (sophomore) also felt that the team was very cohesive. “Everyone is always extremely supportive,” she said.
This season was a year of building and progress intended for both the men’s and women’s teams to gain experience. They remain positive about the future of ultimate at Oxy.
“Next year, we plan to really come into our own as a team,” said Rodgers. “We really plan to build a name for ourselves in the SoCal ultimate community.”
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