The frisbee flew toward junior Luke Zahari. As he jumped for the disc, his right arm interlocked with another player’s, so Zahari flung out his left hand, diving for the flying disc. With arms preoccupied and nothing to take his fall, Zahari’s face smashed into the ground.
His sunglasses cracked under the pressure, leaving the then-freshman with a black eye and a red gash down the side of his face.
“I made a name for that,” Zahari said.
Though his first Ultimate Frisbee Club combine did not go quite as planned, Wes Wright ‘15 drafted Zahari for his team in the group’s league, writing in his notes, underlined: TOUGH.
The club kicked off its not-for-the-faint-of-heart third annual Ultimate Frisbee league Saturday on the quad following its Sept. 6 combine.
Students at the tryout showed their quickness, learned new throws, and the eight student coaches drafted teams of seven or eight players. The 51 total players will be members of these teams through the end-of-season tournament on Oct. 31.
“The league this year is looking really balanced,” club president senior Nathan Wilson said. “I don’t think there is one team that will totally sweep the court, and I don’t think there’s one team that won’t have a chance, which is really exciting because we want it to be the best opportunity to everyone involved.”
When selecting team members, captains looked at a variety of player traits.
Some focused on character.
“I personally like to build teams that I know. I like to build relationships,” Wilson said. “I really look for players that are there and passionately play and don’t necessarily get discouraged when they don’t do well.”
Others looked at physicality.
“I tried to compensate for my weaknesses, so I tried to get a bunch of taller players,” said club secretary senior Elisabeth Wynia , who is 5-feet-6-inches tall. “I’m shorter than the average guy and player in the league.”
Some, of course, focused on the player’s skills at handling the frisbee and receiving it.
“I’m a versatile player. I wanted to draft more handlers. I have more experience as a receiver,” said Zahari, who is the league’s commissioner. “I didn’t intend for it this way, but I ended up drafting five freshmen and a sophomore. I was a little nervous when I saw that happen. There’s not a whole lot of experience on my team.”
A single moment at the combine can allow players to get noticed, as in Zahari’s instance. His “tough” behavior, however, is only one of the numerous stories about injuries and challenges in ultimate.
“All the memories that are the strongest memories are, ‘Oh, I got injured,’” Wynia said.
One of the largest challenges is the season’s culmination in a double elimination tournament completed in a single day.
“It’s pretty strenuous,” Zahari said. “Teams will play four or five games to determine the champion.”
The winning team of the tournament, however, gets more than just bragging rights, according to Zahari. They also earn “kleos,” which is an ancient Greek word for glory.
Getting to the tournament, however, requires teamwork. Proving “frisbeeing” ability to teammates can be challenging, as Wynia, the only female captain and one of a few women on the roster, found.
During her freshman year, Wynia proved her talents as a frisbee player, prompting others to throw her the disc more often.
“I’m average among the guys, but for a girl, my talents and abilities stand out more because they’re not expecting it,” Wynia said.
Another aspect of the game that isn’t always predictable, especially in Michigan, is the weather. Through wind, sun, rain, and even snow, these athletes will continue to play their sport so long as it is safe and feasible.
The first games of the league Saturday featured chilly temperatures in the upper 50s and some wind.
“Weather transforms it; you have to work a lot more closely as a team,” Wilson said. “Often you’re not just fighting the opponent; you’re fighting the wind.”
During this year’s combine, a player suffered from “heat-related” distress, but the student immediately found sanctuary in air conditioning, Zahari said.
Last year’s tournament occurred with frost on the ground, leading to a wide range of uniform choices as some students braved shorts while others bundled into snowsuits.
Nonetheless, despite these challenges, the group fosters a community through the obstacles and encourages students, even if they did not participate in the combine, to join its pickup games and substitute into weekend league competitions on the quad.
“I got here, and I had zero talent,but the group is so friendly and welcoming, you go out there and have fun immediately,” junior coach Don McChesney said.
That community fosters an overall love for the sport.
“Ultimate has a special place in my heart,” Wilson said. “The kinesthetic activity is just a real work of beauty, almost a dance.”
