On the weekend of October 15, the South High Ultimate Frisbee team participated in the seventeenth annual “Hold Back the Snow” Ultimate Frisbee tournament in Winnipeg, Canada. The national tournament was hosted by a Canadian school called St John’s Raven Court.
This year, seventeen teams participated in the tournament. The South team consisted of fifteen players, fourteen of whom attend South and one who goes to Armstrong. Most teams were from Minnesota or Canada and those from Minnesota were some of the best, according to senior captain John McCauley. In addition to South, Minnesota was represented by teams from Hopkins High School and Como Park High School.
The host team, St. John’s Raven Court, won the tournament. “The competition was good,” said senior Aly Fassett-Carman, another captain. South came in fourth place for the second year in a row. In order to make the eight-hour car trip and return home at a decent hour, they were forced to forfeit a game that, with a win, would’ve given them the third-place trophy.
A fourth-place finish was nothing to be disappointed about for the members of the frisbee team. “It was really pretty good,” said McCauley, “In the fall, it’s mostly about learning.” Ultimate frisbee is technically a spring sport but some members are playing in a fall adult league. Games are played on Sundays throughout the fall and allow players to practice before the school season starts.
Even though it’s early in the year, the trip seemed to be a good experience for the players. Sophomore Mary Thomas summed it up saying, “It was really fun!” This attitude seems to carry on throughout the whole season. “[Ultimate Frisbee] is competitive, but very positive,” said sophomore Emily Kampa, “Even after an intense game, you can still laugh and be friends with the other team.”
Ultimate frisbee is a unique game played with a co-ed team. In a co-ed Frisbee game, eight players play on the field at a time, normally four girls and four boys. There are no referees but instead, players call their own fouls. This is called “Spirit of the Game”, or SOTG.
In addition to being competitive on the field, the team also competes for their funding. The frisbee team is a club team and isn’t funded by South. The Southwest athletic department funds their Frisbee team, though. “We’ve talked to the school and there is just not enough funds,” said sophomore Abby Fields, “If Archery is funded, why not Frisbee?”
Junior John Manthei, a third captain, commented, “This year we were solid, but next year will be our year.” With the school season still ahead of them, the frisbee team has a lot to look forward to.
