Although it is only officially recognized as a club sport in the Spring, the men's ultimate frisbee team has not let that stop it from not only playing through the fall, but has remained one of the premier teams in New England. In the two major tournaments last month, the Elephant Men wreaked havoc on the likes of Harvard, Yale, Williams, and Middlebury in an attempt to defend their ranking of 15th in the nation.
Most recently, the team competed in Williams' college Purple Valley Championship on Oct. 21, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to powerhouse Cornell. The weekend before, the team looked even stronger, as it emerged on top in the New England College Championship out of a field of 36 teams.
"The team looks really strong so far, and we are hoping to make a bid for Nationals," junior John Willner said. "There is also some promise in the freshman class."
As spring is the season for the more intense competition, including Nationals, the fall is primarily used as a tune-up period and as a time to incorporate freshmen into the program. Without an official coach during this period, the team is led by its captains - juniors Mike Zalisk and Mike Bright, and seniors Dan Forseter and David Rosenberg.
The team practices twice a week for three hours on Fletcher Field and works on a variety of skills. "We get more intense as the year goes on, but for now we are getting new freshmen to learn the game," Forseter said. The beginning of practices are more skills-oriented; learning to throw and cut, then how to play the positions. Then we scrimmage at the end of practice."
Also making sporadic appearances at tournaments is regular season coach Jeff Brown, a 1990 Tufts graduate. Aside from teaching, Brown also competes on a club frisbee team called DOG (Death or Glory) which recently won the national championship.
"He's fantastic, he gives us a lot of focus. He makes us work hard," Willner said.
Brown's experience helped lead the team to a second place finish at Regionals last season and eventually a 15th place finish at Nationals. Losing only to Brown in the New England region, the E-men earned themselves a spot in the national tournament in Boise, Id. in late May. Brown, which eventually emerged as the top team in the nation, will be one of Tufts' most bitter rivals this season as well.
Already losing to the Bears once this season, the team will have a chance to avenge the loss this weekend at the Hukahunka Burning Pumpkin Tournament at Brown this weekend. The event may be a bit more laid back than the cutthroat competition experienced in Idaho last spring though.
"The best teams in the area will be there, but it will be fun," Forseter said. "People might even be playing in costumes for Halloween."
Despite this fact, the team will go into the event with intensity and lofty goals. "Our goal is to win," Forseter said. "We've had a decent team in past years around this time, but after having success last season, and the people coming back this year, every tournament we get to we expect to win."
"We can definitely give [Brown] a run this year," Willner said. "They lost two of their best players, who were also two of the best players in the country."
One detriment to competing in the fall, though, is the complete lack of funding from the school, meaning that every single cost must come out of the players' pockets.
"When we go to any tournament in the Northeast, we pack into our own cars and drive there," Forseter said "Each tournament costs about $200 dollars to enter, plus the hotel, food, and gas all comes out of our own pockets."
During the spring season, the team will receive almost $2,000 dollars from the school, which is almost twice what they received last year but still far short of what the team could use. Forseter estimated that he spent between $1,000 and $2,000 out of his own pocket last spring.
"All the club sports have been fighting to get money," Forseter said. "It's a good start, but it still falls way short."
With such a high time and financial commitment, there must be something which keeps the 40 or so members of the team enthusiastic year round.
"The team is very much like a family," Forseter said. "Almost every weekend we are travelling together. We have road trips together every weekend in the spring. A lot of us are friends on and off the field."
After such a strong season last year, the E-men will have an incredible amount of pressure on them to continue dominating schools in the region.
"I think our goal is to get back to Nationals and do even better," Forseter said. "There are more teams and better teams in our region, it will be hard to stay at the top. We have a good chance to get back, but we have to put it together and do it."
Ultimate frisbee is becoming an increasingly popular club sport in colleges nationally, and as it does the level of competition increases. Governed by the UPA (Ultimate Players Association) in Boulder, Co., the sport includes schools of all sizes across the country but plans to remain at a club sport level.
"At this point there are tons of teams there," Willner said. There is always a certain sentiment to not be a varsity sport, though; we would rather not be under the will of NCAA."
