The Puget Sound men’s ultimate Frisbee team is gearing up for their spring season. The team is made up of veteran and rookie players alike. By the looks of it, it is highly probable that they will have a very successful year.
The team did very well in their first game against the alumni ultimate Frisbee team. Even though they lost 16 – 19, they gave the alumni a run for their money.
“Our offensive movement was what we wanted it to be. We definitely played better defense than the alumni. We got a couple of turn-overs. However, their wit over-ran our athleticism,” senior team captain Cèad Nardie-Warner said.
The team learned a lot from the game. “As a new player it was nice to see how plays flow together,” freshman Oscar Atkinson said.
Last year the team tied for third at the Division III Nationals.
“Our goal this year is to be as competitive as possible with University of Washington and Whitman and finish as high as we can in DIII regionals. Hopefully we’ll get invited to DIII nationals,” Nardie-Warner said.
They have a good shot at achieving this goal because they have a deep team. The good stock of gifted underclassmen in addition to the well-seasoned upperclassmen makes a fine prospect for the season.
“We’ve built a program that will be a top team for a long time,” Coach Lerman said. “We have a lot of longevity coming in,” Nardie-Warner said.
There are two players in particular that are big contributors to the team’s success. Kevin Chambers and captain Nardie-Warner have been playing ultimate all four years of college and are easily some of the best players in the region. The other two seniors on the team, president Christian Brink and Spencer Wu, play a big part in team leadership as well.
It definitely helps that the team has an experienced coach. He has really built up the program since he started coaching and looks forward to many more successful years with the team.
“When I started coaching in 2007 we were very small. We were measuring ourselves against PLU and would’ve rather beat PLU than made regionals. Last year was our first year to beat PLU. Now we are setting our goals higher, like beating Whitman and University of Washington,” Coach Adam Lerman said. “It wouldn’t be as great without having the alums getting a good coach. I feel like I’m learning something new every time, mainly thanks to Adam,” Nardie-Warner said.
One of the main reasons the Frisbee team is so successful is because they are passionate about the game and thoroughly enjoy playing it.
“Coming in as a freshman, being on the team is a great way to meet a great group of people and have fun. I get to go outside of the group I would normally hang out with. It is a really open and relaxed environment,” Atkinson said.
“We always keep it fun and silly,” sophomore Spencer Sheridan said with a grin.
The men’s ultimate Frisbee team has great expectations for this year, so make sure not to miss their events. Game schedules can be found on the club calendar at www.upsultimate.com. Come out and support the team.