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written by Drew Lenox
Although it is considered a club sport, members of the Firedog Ultimate Frisbee team said they think of themselves as more than a club.
"I consider Frisbee a sport," senior Dan Albert said. "The training I've done for it is more than I ever did in any other sports. We are out training to win. We want to have fun, but we play the game to win."
Senior Evan Reas said when he first got involved he thought it would be fun and did not realize how intense the game was.
"Little did I know how serious college Ultimate [Frisbee] really was and how demanding it could be, but it truly becomes an addiction and a great part of your life," he said.
Albert said in practice they work hard by working on Frisbee skills, conditioning and running the stadium stairs at Selby Field. He said they practice on the field by the tennis courts but they aren't always the only team there.
"It's tough because the school has cut down on some of the field space," Albert said. "Sometimes we have to share the field with men's and women's rugby."
Sophomore Willy Yoder said the Firedogs don't have a coach but captains Albert and Reas run practice and know the game well.
"Very few teams have coaches, but some do and even the ones that do aren't allowed to have their coaches to have an impact on the game," Yoder said. "They're really only allowed to give advice and help run practice."
Reas said there are 25 players on the Firedogs' roster and any one of them can help coach others and make them better.
"Every player has a role of contributing to the team both on and off the field and coaching others is a large part of that," he said.
Albert said he joined the Firedogs because he wanted to be part of a sport and compete but did not want the full commitment of playing a varsity sport.
"I didn't want to have to go to practice everyday," Albert said. "I know with the Firedogs, if I have something else I need to do, like a major paper, it can take precedence and my teammates would understand."
So far this fall, the Firedogs have played in three tournaments against teams such as Ohio Northern, Bowling Green, Ohio State and Michigan. They won their first tournament but Yoder said the fall season is not as important as the spring season.
"The fall is more of a preparation season," he said. "There is no real championship or winner at the end. It's a chance to teach the freshmen how to play and get a grasp of your competition for the year. The real important season is the spring season."
Reas said this spring he expects the team to do well and possibly qualify for the newly created Division III Nationals. Reas said Ultimate Frisbee might just be a club sport now but he thinks it will expand in the near future.
"The popularity of Ultimate is increasing incredibly fast," he said. "I would not be surprised if it becomes a varsity sport all over the United States within the next 20 years."