Ultimate Frisbee Club prepares for 16th annual tourney

Henry Whitney, a biology major, goes for a long pass during a drill Monday. Photo credit: John Domogma

The Chico State Ultimate Frisbee Club is preparing to host its 16th annual tournament taking place Oct. 18 and 19 in Chico. This tournament is run and put together by the men and women’s ultimate team.

The team does many things to make sure the tournament runs smoothly, like organizing the tournament brackets and setting up the fields, which are on the Chico State campus.

Payton Laurie, team captain, shows a great throw during practice Monday. Photo credit: John Domogma

“Everyone on the team pitches in to make this event a good and organized one,” said Ryan Watson, the head coach and a Chico State alumnus.

Every year, this friendly tournament helps pay for the entire season of future fees and expenses.

“This fundraiser pays for every other tournament the team participates in for the rest of the year,” Watson said.

The Chico State team tries to make visitors save as much money as possible, so most of the visiting team members sleep at Chico State student’s houses or apartments. Players usually know each other from previous tournaments, but if they are newcomers, they contact the tournament director and find a place that is available.

Sean O’Connell, the Humboldt State men’s team captain, said he has been coming to this tournament for four years and looks forward to the fifth.

“It’s one of the most inviting tournaments I have ever been to,” O’Connell said. “They know how to treat us right. I have never been disappointed when I came to Chico.”

No points are gained out of wins or losses in fall tournaments. Spring is when every game counts and a strict policy is held on the Chico ultimate team players to not go out at night.

Payton Laurie, team captain, launches the flying disk during practice Monday behind Acker Gym. Photo credit: John Domogma

The Humboldt State team does not get the luxury to play a variety of teams because of where it’s located, O’Connell said. This tournament opens up play to many different teams.

Chico is very centralized, which makes it easier for so many different teams to compete, like Stanford University, University of Oregon, University of Nevada, Reno and Westmont College.

This year 20 men’s team and 12 women’s teams will be competing. Six more universities have signed up since the five-year mark of the event.

Samuel Wolfson can be reached at [email protected] or @theorionsports on Twitter.