Ultimate Frisbee Looks To Make Nationals From Tangled Northeast

To be the best you have to beat the best. But due to the regulations of the Ultimate Players Association (UPA) governing board and regional circumstances, the Ultimate Frisbee National tournament to be held in Spokane, Wash. may not be host to the nation’s most competitive teams—Harvard included.

Each year the national tournament offers bids to 16 teams who compete for the national title. The New England region alone is home to three of the nation’s top 16 teams—Harvard, Brown and Tufts—but due to guidelines set by the UPA only one of these teams will be given the opportunity to step into the tournament fray in May.

“It’s a shame from the perspective of the national scene because our team, Brown and Tufts all deserve to be at Nationals,” said Harvard’s co-captain Will O’Brien.

Ultimate Frisbee competition is divided into eight geographical regions, each of which can potentially be awarded three national bids. The top finisher in each of the eight regional tournaments receives an automatic bid and a top-eight seeding at Nationals. Four out of the eight regions are granted a “strength” bid, determined by averaging the teams’ performances from the previous year. The final opportunity to qualify for nationals comes from a size bid, granted to the four largest regions. The size of each region is determined by the submission, before a set deadline, of each team’s roster.

So the rules that gave New England three bids to last year’s tournament, including one to Harvard, are the same rules that will limit the availability of bids for New England this year.

With Brown in the quarterfinals, Harvard ninth and Tufts finishing last in last year’s tournament—held in Boston—the New England region was not eligible for a strength bid this year. And since only 18 of the region’s 35 teams completing their paperwork by the UPA-specified deadline, the New England region was not eligible for a size bid this year.

Only one opportunity to qualify within the New England region remains—the team that wins at the regional tournament will be New England’s sole representative at Nationals.

While the UPA regulations have reduced the Harvard Ultimate team’s chances, they have not had the same effect on its hopes and confidence.

“Having just one bid has it’s silver lining,” O’Brien said. “We get to beat everybody and be the only team to go to Nationals.”

With last year’s third place finish at regionals, Harvard’s team, The Red Line, will need to improve some if it wants to fight its way to the top.

But if its past efforts are at all indicative of the future, The Red Line has as much of a shot at the regional title as anyone.

Resilience was the team’s most valuable trait at the regional competition last year. After losing in pool play on the first day, the team was forced to take a road less traveled through the consolation round. Under the pressure of having to beat every opponent, the team came together to muster up the wins necessary for a third place finish and trip to Nationals.

“It was a defining moment,” co-captain Adam Ross said. “It was the second time that Harvard’s ever qualified for Nationals.”

This year’s single elimination regional format will no longer allow Harvard to make an unlikely comeback.

“It brings a singularity of purpose to know that there is no back door, no second chance, just one goal,” senior Andrew Fleming said. “Whichever team steps up at regionals will get what they deserve and I plan on being a part of that team.”

For Love of The Disc

Despite a season of uncertain bids and changes in tournament formats, the daily mechanics of The Red Line have remained constant. The team participates in a club season in the fall and trains during the winter to prepare for the main collegiate spring season. Three times a week the team works on its man-to-man and zone defenses, improves its arsenal of forehead and backhand throws and runs long distances and stadiums to increase its endurance. This intensity is required as a player might run from eight to 10 miles during a day of tournament play. But endurance alone is not sufficient for a successful ultimate team.

“Athleticism, quickness, having the ability to make good cuts and fakes, having good hands and making good throws are all key to the game,” Ross said.

To compete at the highest level possible, the team travels to tournaments in San Diego, North Carolina and Georgia. It gets to face nationally ranked teams in Stanford, Duke, UC-San Diego, Colorado and Oregon. But these trips naturally come at a cost—a cost that is not covered by funding from the University, save $1,000.

To cover the team’s annual budget of $18,000-20,000 the players themselves must take on “side duties” which include directing fundraising campaigns to find alumni sponsors, selling discs and t-shirts and even pulling money from their own pockets. At least one of the barriers that The Red Line has encountered has been removed, as this is the first year that the team has been granted regular access to a field. On the other hand, practices are run without a coach to look to for guidance.

Given the false stereotypes of being an unathletic sport and the year-round responsibilities that each player must take on, members of The Red Line have made a business of overcoming obstacles. Qualifying for nationals would be one more triumph to add to the team’s history.

The first step is tomorrow’s Sectional Tournament hosted by Tufts. The results will prove whether or not the team’s experience, commitment and self-sufficiency can give them an edge in the race to capture the New England region’s single bid. A successful weekend would ensure Harvard a higher seed at the regional tournament, which will be held on May 4 at Dartmouth, and set them on an easier path to qualify for Nationals.