Ultimate Frisbee -- The College Edition

Ultimate frisbee (known also to high school kids as frisbee football) did not lead to my eventual demise. If anything, it gave me a certain sense of discipline. I would put everything behind, I rarely missed a tournament or practice. It's strange to say the least, because I wasn't an athletic person during my high school years. I had heard about the sport during one of my outdoor education classes in high school (outdoor ed was different from phys ed) and even played a game. Of course, this didn't prepare me for the real thing.

I was new to the campus, and one of my newfound friends played ultimate with the team for the first few games...and since one of the guys across the hall played as well, I decided to go out and give it a try. Now, for those who have never played, just because the sport revolves around a frisbee, leisure time object if anything, it's not a walk in the park. I couldn't throw a forehand those first few weeks, which kept me running as a long (I could at least jump).

That first year was tough, but I did learn to throw a forehand, as well as go to a lot of tournaments, and see how the game was really played. It was also the first time I went to Florida, as is customary for the team to do during Spring Break. We only took eight people, and the eighth had to leave during the middle of vaction... I think that this was a great influence on my current need for substitutes. We didn't get any PE credit that year either, although I think the rugby team was... which also explains my current hate of pain.

My sophomore year, I saw a lot of freshmen come to play frisbee, and these frosh would turn into Swarthmore's 'Dream Team' from my point of view. Should anyone reading this decide to go and play disc at Swat, ask about Dave Lewis, Dave Sacker, Ali, Ben Rutter, Robin, and Mike Morton. They've all graduated by now, but I don't think that they were forgotten just yet. Back then, they were still scrubs, and we didn't win many more games than we did my freshman year... but we took more people to Florida

The next two years, I played on and off the team, due to my lousy grades and academic probation. The freshman crop was good that year, with people actually knowing how to play joining the team and making it that much better. That guy who lived across the hall from me freshman year was now a co-captain, although he gave it up to give himself some study time. We went to Regionals in North Carolina one of those years, and the trips to Florida got huge. Swarthmore had a women's team for the first time. We actually had PE credit.

This past academic year, I didn't play with the team at all except for practices. I'd had my two attempts to sort myself out after academic probation, and all of my friends had graduated. I didn't really know the freshmen. But the Swarming Earthworms actually won a tournament (or came pretty close, I'm sure), kicked butt at the College Sectionals, and did those who came before them proud. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay in shape with a summer league near my house, and I might even play club league in the fall, if I find the time. I'd have to say Swarthmore was good for something after all.

How are the Earthworms this season? Click here to find out.
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