Men and women frisbee teams proving strong early on

By JENNA DAVENPORT

Emma Snead, a junior from Arlington, Va. and seasoned Ultimate Frisbee player, took some time out of her busy schedule to talk to me about how she was introduced to the sport and how she ended up at UMW. Emma is a psychology major who has been playing ultimate for six years. With a great group of teammates, and a great start to the season after winning all of their games at the University of Richmond last weekend, the women’s ultimate team is definitely one to look out for.

Q: Why did you choose UMW?

A: UMW was actually one of my last choices, but I am very glad I decided to come. I wanted to stay in state so that I could be close to home and I also did not want a school too large that would overwhelm me.

Q: Why Frisbee? Do you play any other sports?

A: Frisbee was the only sport offered at my middle and high school. So it was weird if you didn’t play. I wanted to try a new sport when I got to college, but some girls from my high school who went to Mary Washington convinced me to keep playing so I hesitantly did. I’m so glad I decided to stick with Frisbee because the majority of my best friends here at Mary Wash are on the team.

Q: How is the team doing so far? What do you all need to create success this season?

A: The team is doing great. We lost a ton of players who graduated in the spring so we were worried about not having enough players, but it hasn’t been a problem. They are all so committed and always have a positive attitude. For Frisbee, creating success is all about repetition. With our rookies, the new players, we have been practicing our throws every practice because the more they do them, obviously the better they get. The same goes with scrimmaging. We scrimmage every practice so they can strengthen their skills and it’s drilled in their minds how to actually play the game. It’s hard to learn, but once you get going, you’ll have a blast.

Q: What are your goals moving forward in the season for this semester and the next?

A: I would say our goals for this semester and the next are to make the game feel more natural and have it flow easily. Frisbee is a nonstop sport and it works well when the disc is in constant motion down the field. Communication on and off is also something we strive for. Drama is inevitable in clubs so open communication will hopefully prevent any problems on the team.

Q: What is your favorite part of playing Frisbee?

A: My favorite part changes every year. It started out freshman year as being the friends I made and more of the social side on the weekends. Now it’s being a teacher for the new players. I don’t know everything about Frisbee, but I know enough to teach the basics and answer any questions. Starting out a new sport as weird as Frisbee can be hard sometimes and I enjoy reassuring the rookies that it gets easier and overall helping them succeed with the sport.

Q: What are you most looking forward to this semester?

A: We have one more tournament this semester in November at George Mason and I am lookingforward to us kicking butt. We are already doing so well and winning our last tournament, at the University of Richmond, definitely boosted our confidence so I know we will kill it.

The men’s ultimate frisbee team was victorious this past weekend, as they traveled to the University of Virginia to compete in the annual Cavalier Cup Tournament. This tournament featured six teams; including the University of Virginia’s A-Squad and B-Squad, James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Navy and UMW. On Saturday, it was round-robin format, where UMW went 2-2, as they defeated the likes of VCU and UVA’s B-squad. They received their losses from JMU and UVA’s A-Squad. On Sunday, they began the day by beating Navy by a very large margin of 11-4, which was the final game of pool play. In tournament play, UMW had a tremendous upset over host team, UVA’s A-Squad.

They went on to the finals to compete against VCU, who upset JMU in the semifinals. Trailing for most of the game, UMW came from a four-point deficit for a one-point victory and the championship.

There were eight players on the UMW squad who had noteworthy performances, including Zachary Norrbom, Harper James, Robert Blake, Joseph Richards, Robbie Pratt, Cameron Bierkan, Tony Clark and Edan Lyons, who had the game winning score in the championship game. The men’s Frisbee team will be back in action on Nov. 5 and 6 in which they will be competing at George Mason in the Patriot games.