This past weekend, the Gustavus Ultimate Frisbee team traveled to Maple Plain, Minnesota in order to play in the Northwoods Open Sectionals Tournament. The Gustavus team, called The High, needed to take at least sixth in the sections tournament in order to qualify for the regional tournament in May.
The Gustavus Ultimate team participated in two intense days of frisbee competition on Saturday and Sunday. They were faced with the challenge of playing the two best teams in the
section, Carleton and the U of M, back to back on Saturday afternoon. These games proved to be very difficult, and The High ended Saturdays play with a record of 1 win and 2 losses. The High returned to the fields on Sunday and played well, but ended up not placing among the top six teams in sectionals. The weather conditions, which included powerful winds and heavy rain, made the weekend tournament an extra challenge. Check out the complete Sectionals results here.
Ultimate is just one of the many club sports that students participate in at Gustavus. Club sports can serve as good alternatives to varsity athletics for many Gusties. Varsity athletics often demand that a student be able to balance their particular sport’s practice requirements and the academic rigor of a student’s classes. While this balancing could certainly be achieved by most Gustavus students, for some Gusties, the idea of participating in a varsity sport and keeping up with classes seems a little overwhelming. Club sports, like Ultimate Frisbee, require less of a time commitment but still keep team members active and competing against other schools.
As a proud member of the Gustavus Ultimate team, I value the opportunity to participate in a club sport. Weather permitting, the Gustavus High holds practice three days a week,
and team members are encouraged to exercise on their own during the off days. The practices and conditioning that are a part of frisbee keep me very active, but if I ever have a large amount of homework that requires me to skip practice, that is okay. Frisbee, like other club sports, is very flexible and understanding about ones schedule.
While The High wasn’t able to qualify for the regional tournament, the team is looking forward to hosting its own frisbee tournament on the Gustavus Campus at the end of April. The tournament, titled “Thrill on the Hill” should provide many exciting match ups as a variety of Ultimate teams make their way to St. Peter. Hopefully, The High will be able to finish their 2007 spring season by winning Thrill on the Hill.