The rapidly growing national interest in Ultimate Frisbee has undoubtedly enveloped the Conn campus this year. Both the women’s and men’s club teams have gotten off to a great start, highlighted by the women’s team doubling in size within the past two weeks.
“The freshmen this year are really enthusiastic and I can already tell that there is a huge level of commitment to the team,” said women’s co captain Anna Membrino ’11.
This is saying a lot considering the amount of time that each player dedicates to the team. With two-hour practices five days a week and many weekend tournaments, Club Ultimate is no joke. Men’s co captains Jonah Guerin ’11 and Max Weigert ’13 are setting the bar high for their team.
“Our goal for this year is to make regionals and play with some of the best teams in New England,” said Guerin. “I’m confident in our team because we have some promising young talent this year.”
The women’s team also has great new goals for their significantly larger team. “Since we have so many returning players because there were no seniors on the team last year, we really want to work on setting up a solid foundation for the team that will last for years,” explained co-captain Meg Dolben ’12. “We’re so excited about how fast the women’s team is growing.”
Along with all this new talent comes even more passion for the game. Freshman Conor McCormick-Cavanagh is trying out Ultimate for the first time and is already loving it.
“To be honest, I’ve started to think about frisbee every night before bed. I played other sports in high school, but it’s really exciting to be learning a new sport with a team that is so supportive,” said McCormick-Cavanaugh.
There is no denying the sense of closeness and friendship between players on both teams. “Our weekend tournaments give us a lot of time to bond with each other and become closer,” explained Membrino. “We even have team dinners sometimes at Winchester House.”
It seems that Ultimate has helped many players on both teams to find their niche within the Conn community. The week-long tournament in Georgia, in which both teams participate, is a fun way for players to get to know each other both on and off the field. Ray Hawkins ’13 summed up his experience simply: “Joining Ultimate was one of the best choices I’ve made at Conn.”
The men’s team, Dasein, has already had their first tournament this past weekend in Middletown, New York, where the newcomers had a chance to experience the game at the college level for the first time. The women’s team, Camel Throws, have their first tournament coming up. Both teams will be competing in a tournament on campus in late October. Dasein’s A team will be competing on October 23 and 24. Their B team will compete on October 30. The Camel Throws are competing in a women’s tournament on October 30.
Photo By: Hadley Brooks
