Student Club: Women's Ultimate Frisbee

Small but mighty, the Skidmore Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team won their first tournament in club history (March 25–26, Spring Awakening tournament, Vineland, N.J.), moving their overall national ranking from nonexistent to ninth in Division III, Women’s Division. Since then, the team’s rank has moved to sixth in the nation, after coming in second at sectionals (April 15–16), losing only to Wesleyan’s A team in the Finals, and fifth at regionals (April 29–30).

The team overcame some serious setbacks and injuries. Isabella Bennett ’17, the president of the team, fractured her spine and was unable to make it to this semester’s tournaments. Though she was saddened by this, Bennett’s positive energy fueled the team’s strong spirit and desire to win. She remarked, “I’m in awe at the power, strength and talent of this team and feel honored to be a part of such a glorious group of people.” Luckily, her spine is recovering well, allowing her to attend regionals (April 29–30, Oneonta, N.Y.), the final tournament of her college career.

Though playing with few numbers and in harsh, wintery conditions may be daunting to other teams, the Skidmore women’s team has grown accustomed to these challenges, practically thriving in them. At the Spring Awakening Tournament (March 25–26) Skidmore won every game, defeating SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Cortland, Temple University, Cornell’s B team and SUNY Binghamton. The Skidmore team was initially in disbelief. The other teams had coaches, clipboards, and double the players, while Skidmore came in with 10 players and a paper coffee cup and pen to keep score.

“My teammates are incredibly kind and accepting. During practices and games, we always seek to raise each other up. If someone makes a mistake on the field, we encourage them by saying they will be able to do it next time. We seek to support one another no matter what.”

At sectionals (April 15–16, Ewing, N.J.), the team continued their winning streak. Skidmore beat Vassar, University of Hartford, RPI, Wesleyan’s B team and the College of New Jersey, only losing to Wesleyan’s A team, allowing them to come in second place overall.
At regionals (April 29–30, Oneonta, N.Y.), Skidmore held its own against the region’s top teams, including RPI, Wesleyan, the College of New Jersey and SUNY Geneseo, ending in fifth place. Though they did not make it to nationals, they felt that this was their best season yet.

Four years ago, they hardly existed as a club. Three years ago, they did not have enough women players to attend tournaments. Over the last few years, through hard work and dedication to the sport, they improved drastically, becoming one of the top teams in the country, newly power ranked by UltiWorld.

Their recent success can be largely attributed to the two committed and invaluable team captains, Megan Macomber ’17 and Georgiana Ager ’17. Reflecting on the team’s hard-earned wins, Macomber ’17 said, “Over the past few years, my co-captain and I worked very hard to build this team up. We wanted our team to be a loving community and that fosters competitive skill. As a senior, I really think our team has become that. The women’s Frisbee team is filled with the kindest and most supportive people I know. We work extremely hard, practicing three times a week for two hours each practice. And we attend four to six tournaments a semester.”

Ager ’17 feels similarly to her co-captain saying, “I’m still in shock. Words cannot express how proud I am of our members’ diligence, ability and, most importantly, team spirit. We have grown so much as a team over the last few years. I could not have asked for better team members or a better co-captain, whose ability and spirit never cease to amaze me.”

When they are not competing against other schools, the team is cultivating its strong connection with alumni. An alumni tournament is hosted each semester, with approximately 30 former players returning to compete against the current ones, encouraging a strong sense of community within the team.

The team has also been contacted regarding sponsorship. This past fall, Five Ultimate (a flying disc maker) asked the team to be “funbassadors.” Essentially, this position is given to a Frisbee team that exhibits great spirit and camaraderie at tournaments, both within the team and with other teams. Though Skidmore’s team would have loved the label, they were unable to become funbassadors since it required that the team order their uniforms from Five Ultimate, and they were already committed to Breakmark (another flying disc company). The team has also been in contact with Pedialyte, a company that makes drinks to prevent dehydration and provide needed nutrients and electrolytes. The team is often seen drinking Pedialyte on the sidelines during tournaments and are big advocates for the drink. Seeing this on social media, Pedialyte is now sending the team a package of “goodies,” saying they’re “happy we can help the team.”  

To keep up with the Skidmore Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, follow them on Twitter and Instagram, or check out their scores on the USAU website.

 —Blair Warren ’17