Ultimate Frisbee Rookies Rise to the Occasion

Image courtesy of Nun Betta.

By Elliana Arnold

The season began with a swish and a flick and a lot of new faces. The Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team, a club sport that’s been running at Catholic University for the last 15 years now, began their fall season with two action-packed tournaments—Fusion in Martinsville, VA, and Flickadelphia in Philadelphia, PA—and their lineups are seeing a smattering of new players.

Frisbee is a club sport that draws all kinds of new players at the collegiate level, including both those who have extensive experience in other sports and those who are just interested in joining a team sport to stay active. CUA’s team hosts a gaggle of athletes who previously competed in volleyball, soccer, track and field, cross country, field hockey, basketball, and swim; this competitive mix of players contributes to the variety in the skill and talent brought each year to the team.

Catholic’s team, also lovingly known as Nun Betta and led by their dedicated coach, Steve “Scuba” Kreider, has had a unique journey as a club sport because the vast majority of new players who join the team have never played competitively before, if they have touched a disc at all. 

“The rookie culture is super distinct to other sports, partially because almost everyone is new to the sport and everyone starts off on equal playing fields,” Gabriella “Chad” Urso, a sophomore history major, commented.

“The rookie experience is something like no other,” Nina Consiglio, a senior accounting major who serves as one of the captains of the team, explained. “Picking up a new sport in your late teens and early 20s is not something easy to do, but this year we got 10-15 rookies who decided to take that up. I think this says a couple of things. The people who decided to join are go-getters. They are people who love being a part of a team and want a fun way to stay active. Second—they have to be at least a little crazy—and that fits right into our community. We are crazy, goofy, and fun people who most if not all decided to start a new sport in college.”

This distinctive rookie culture leads the club to pay special attention to the personal development of each player. 

“I think frisbee in general is just a really inviting and welcoming sport,” Miranda “Pip” Kernaghan, a junior psychology major, added. “Most, if not all, people who have joined the team have never played before, so we all have an understanding of the confusion and frustration that many face when first starting out. It better equips us to help them learn to foster a love for the sport that can help them grow not just as a player, but as a person.”

With each new year comes new challenges and new chances to rise to the occasion; the particular hurdle the Women’s Ultimate team will have to face is the departure of many players to their respective study abroad programs in the spring, leaving the fate of competition to the newer players, but if the fall tournaments have been any indication so far, the team is being left in talented hands.

Photo courtesy of Juliette Barth.

The first day of Flickadelphia saw a roster marked with high rookie numbers, all of whom put up strong performances. 

“I have loved getting to watch our rookies learn what works and fall in love with ultimate, like I did just a year ago. I always get so happy when they score their first point or make an amazing D,” Chad commented.

The returners certainly brought the heat, with Chad making 7 goals and 1 assist, Jimmy making 2 goals and 7 assists, captain Consiglio with 3 goals and 5 assists, captain Elliana “Hook” Arnold with 3 goals and 3 assists, and Pip with a goal on the second day upon her arrival; however, the rookies definitely shone brightly out on the field all weekend.

Sarah “Mav” Andreano, a rookie junior business major, scored the first CUA point for the entire tournament weekend and then proceeded to score a total of 3 goals and 2 assists. This was followed by Lillian Murphy, a freshman history major, swooping in with a great assist in the fifth and final game of day one. 

At the end of the weekend, Carolina “Geo” Lievano, a freshman marketing major, earned a special cone award from the captains for being one of the most improved players in that tournament. Victoria “Hobby” Recker earned the other cone award for her hard work and positive attitude on the field.

“Being a rookie on the team has been so much fun, everyone is super supportive, and it’s been a blast learning a new sport,”Hobby commented. “I really loved playing this last weekend, even though we had mostly rookies playing, it was still so much fun to learn more about the game and to challenge myself.” 

“This season I am looking forward to playing in more tournaments and also bonding more with all the girls on the team!” Geo added.

Additionally, Kate Bogut, a freshman accounting major who picked up the sport quickly and has become one of the best cutters on the team, earned the cone award at the previous Fusion Tournament, adding to the strength of Nun Betta’s strong rookie culture, especially this year. 

Mav shared, “I have played many sports in my day, but never one as welcoming as Ultimate Frisbee. It’s a great community where all are welcome, whether you’re a beginner or not, you will grow as a person and a player!”