Connecticut College’s fall disc tournament happened on Halloween this year, and it hosted games for men’s and women’s teams from all over the Northeast on Tempel Green. Conn’s two teams were both ready to play, and they each found success throughout the day.
On the men’s side of the tournament, Conn College swept the competition out of New London! By beating Hartford, Southern Connecticut, Holy Cross and Olin, the men’s team put on a show and won their own tournament. Captain Jonah Guerin ’11 remarked, “It was a great weekend for us…our team is young, which is a good thing.”
The team had also been to tournaments at Yale and New York this year, and they closed out the fall season on a high note. As it turns out, both of Conn’s ultimate teams have benefitted from the addition of several talented new players who are making positive impacts thus far.
The women’s tournament brought teams from four other schools to campus: Tufts, Skidmore, Mount Holyoke and Smith. These teams all competed fiercely, and no one went home without a loss. The Conn women won one match (against Mount Holyoke), and according to captain Anna Membrino ‘11, “It was a great win for our young team.”
With fourteen new members this year, the team certainly is young, but it seems that they have what it takes to make the spring season even more successful.
Membrino joined the team during her freshman year, and she enjoys, among other things, “the emphasis ultimate puts on player-mediated play.”
No refs? No problem! Ultimate is all about the idea of “The Spirit of the Game.” According to the Ultimate Players Association’s website, “Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player.” Conn’s players know all about honor codes, and they have had no problem embracing this ideal.
With the Halloween tournament behind them, the disc teams now head into the winter hiatus looking forward to Spring Break 2010. They will both be practicing for what promises to be an epic trip to Savannah, Georgia, for the annual High Tide tournament in March. The teams will both compete against colleges from across America; Conn players wouldn’t want to spend their break any other way.
Until March rolls around, the men’s and women’s teams will bide their time and practice their formations and plays. They’ve got some encouraging wins under their belts at this point, and they are anxiously awaiting more opportunities to build upon these successes.
Photo by Karam Sethi.
