Last weekend, Geneseo’s club ultimate frisbee team traveled to their first organized tournament of the year, Head of the Pig, on Clarkson University’s campus in Potsdam, N.Y. Although the club is normally split between the men’s team Snail and the women’s team Escargot, the team competed as a single co-ed entity for this tournament. Women’s and men’s team captains collaborated to create a fun but competitive atmosphere for the rest of the roster during play.
Ultimate is a sport played on a field similar to a football field; the normal field of play is capped on either end by end zones. Seven players from each team take their positions on the front line of their respective end zones, and one team “pulls” the disc to the other, much like the kickoff in a football game.
The pull initiates a point, and play is constant until one team scores a goal by catching the disc in the end zone. Turnovers are a result of an incomplete pass or taking longer than ten seconds, also known as stalls, to throw the disc.
The game is self-officiated by players, and thus fouls are discussed by the affected players. The outcome of these discussions can result in a turnover, an increase or decrease of the stall count or whether a goal counts.
The combined Escargot and Snail team showed up during pool play on Sept. 14, defeating SUNY Albany, Clarkson and SUNY Potsdam.
Weather on the first day of competition was a massive hinderance for all the teams in attendance. Heavy winds play a huge role in throws’ effectiveness, causing the light discs to tumble out of the air for all but the most skilled players. The wind in Potsdam was a consistent 15 mph on the tournament’s first day, resulting in low scoring games.
The second day of play saw Geneseo fall to SUNY Potsdam’s alumni team, in a shootout that went to the final horn. Due to significantly better conditions than the first day of the tournament, both teams were able to run their offensive schemes without trouble. Senior captains Camille Montalbano and Connor Evans ran through the defense seemingly at will, catching several goals in the losing effort.
Montalbano expressed the tournament’s uniqueness but emphasized that the team still came to win. “Although Head of the Pig isn’t as competitive as our spring tournaments, we were able to start our season strong facing some experienced teams,” she said. “Playing fun, competitive co-ed ultimate this weekend has made me excited to see how Snail and Escargot will develop in upcoming tournaments.”
Playing separately from now until the end of the spring season, both teams that makeup Geneseo Ultimate will continue to build on their foundations at the end of this month, on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29 during their next tournament in Buffalo, N.Y.