Live for the Disc
Junior John Mills “lays out” a pass.
April 11, 2016
It’s 37 degrees and there’s four inches of untouched snow on the fields. Sunlight streams through the trees, throwing deep blue shadows across the landscape. Birds sing faintly in the distance. A soft wind dances through the halfexposed grass.
Suddenly, a yellow disc hurtles through the air, with Junior Chris Ryan in hot pursuit. He is followed by other members of the Ultimate Frisbee club, running, laughing, and launching snowballs at each other.
Some might think that a team that practices in near freezing conditions is intense and serious, but the Ultimate club is anything but. Freshman Cam Barlow commented,“It’s a blast. I live for the disc, bro.”
The Ultimate Frisbee Club is in its second year of existence, meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:006:15. This year is the first year that they have set matches against other teams; they are facing Middleboro, Silver Lake, Duxbury, and Scituate, and holding a tournament at the end of the season.
Mr. Haflin explained that his inspiration to create the club came from some students who were playing on their own. Having played for two years himself, Haflin decided to start a more organized club to involve more people. “The turnout was incredible, I thought we’d have, maybe, a dozen people or so… but last year we had 82 people sign up, and so it kinda just exploded and we’ve had really good turnouts ever since then,” the founder recounted.
Haflin tried to keep the club laid back and accessible. He claims, “Anybody that wants to can join. You’re not prohibited from playing if you play a spring sport… It’s really just whenever you have time. Anybody can join, male, female, it doesn’t matter if you’re involved with any sport. And you don’t have to have any prior experience.”
Student Matt Gianni says he joined the club because “A lot of people I knew were doing it, and it looked like fun, so I was like, ‘what the heck’,” Gianni laughed. He added, “I’m very glad I joined Ultimate Frisbee club.” The Sophomore expressed mixed feelings, however, about whether he would play frisbee if it became a school recognized sport. All Gianni would say was, “I’m not sure, I don’t know.”
When asked about making Ultimate Frisbee a school sport, Haflin confirmed, “Yeah, I would like to see that. I think that that’s something that would probably be considered a few years down the line, and if the showing is still as prominent as it is now. Because I think that we have a lot of people now who really, really love ultimate… I also know that there are a number of people… that wanna take the game to the next level… So I do think that that is something that could happen down the road.”
For now, Ultimate Frisbee is only an intramural club, but for the first time, the team has a set season with matches. “I’m stoked,” laughed Haflin, on the prospect of these games. “Middleboro is very, very good, Silver Lake’s pretty good, Duxbury is good, and then we’re definitely gonna play Scituate as well, before the big jamboree at the end. I’m a little nervous, because I want to make sure that we’re ready for it… I think we’ll have a really good time and be able to compete.”
At their Tuesday practice, the team seemed extra excited about battling Middleboro and others this year. Maybe it was that excitement that prompted them to make diving catches into the snow and brave the freezing cold to play with their friends.
Even if the team is gearing up to face some real competition this year, coach Haflin says the sport will always have a certain silliness to it. He explains, “I think that the one thing to keep in mind with Ultimate Frisbee is that it’s as much a community sport as it is an athletic competition itself. Yes, it’s competitive, and yes, you can take it very, very seriously, but the most fun ultimate you’ll ever play is when you’re just around a bunch of people who are very comfortable being themselves.”
He concluded saying “If you’re a goofball, ultimate is the sport for you… It’s beautiful in that way because it brings people together. It’s as much a dance party as it is a sport, y’know.” He chuckled,
“The other day, it was as much a snowball fight as it is a sport, and that’s what makes it great. It’s an athletic competition, but it’s also just a place to go and socialize and be yourself.”
