Berry Bucks to play eight games in a three-day Florida tournament
Ward Sutlive, Campus Carrier sports editor
Nicole Tognarina, Campus Carrier asst. sports editor
They begin on the field. A player steps forward and grabs the disc. He gets into the proper position, tightening his grip. Seconds later, he releases it with a single throw, and the disc spins in the air in the hopes that another player will be able to catch it.
The members of the Ultimate Frisbee team, known officially as the Berry Bucks, have been running practices like this three times a week since last semester, all in preparation for their first tournament of the season: the “Florida Warm-up.” The team will be playing in Orlando, Fla. and will compete in eight games over the course of three days.
The Tournament will begin on Friday and end on Sunday. According to Elijah Hoshide, a junior and the captain of the Ultimate Frisbee team, this is a big deal for the Bucks.
At the moment, the Bucks only knows five of their eight opponents. They will be playing against the University of Michigan, Florida State University, Washington University, Virginia Tech and Cornell University, among others.
According to John Drury, a senior on the team, this will be a difficult round of games. The Bucks are not expecting to win and instead plans to use this tournament as a way to enhance their skills.
“The whole goal of this tournament is to just teach stuff and get people who don’t really play to play more,” Drury said.
The Bucks have been preparing for this tournament in a few different ways. They have been using their two hours of practice three times a week to its fullest extent. One of their training methods has been watching recordings of previous games and discussing the areas where they can improve. They have also been holding seven-on-seven matches to prepare for the more intense games.
Junior Hoshide believes one of his greatest strengths is his ability to make decisions on
the fly.
Another strategy that the Bucks have implemented is their boot camp day, a five-hour practice. According to Drury, it is very rigorous. The first hour is spent reviewing player footage, and then another hour is dedicated to doing sprints. The remaining hours are spent doing several high intensity drills. The boot camp did an excellent job at raising everyone’s spirits and getting them ready for the game.
“That boot camp really got everyone super excited,” Drury said.
The Ultimate Frisbee team has several strengths. According to Jackson Knox, a junior Ultimate Frisbee player, one of the team’s key strengths is its solid leadership. Hoshide has done well in the role of captain, working with the older players on the Bucks to help educate and train the new members that joined this year. He has also proven to be good at helping his team pull through during difficult games. Knox takes great pride in the Bucks.
The Ultimate Frisbee team is different from other sports teams in that it is classified as a club, not a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sport. While it does get funding, it’s far less than what official teams get. This results in the players needing to get creative in certain areas. One of the ways that the team improvises is by making their own uniforms, which allows them to choose a singular theme for their outfits. This season, the uniforms are Red Bull themed.
The players also lack professional coaches. They have rectified this issue by enlisting the help of Berry alumni who used to be a part of the team. Their two informal coaches at the moment are Mike Johnson (24C) and Ivan Khoo (25C). According to Drury, the two are important assets to the Bucks.
The Ultimate Frisbee team was founded in 2017 by a small group of students.
While originally intended to be a recreational club, it later evolved into a more competitive team.
“They come out and show us how to do certain things that we can’t usually see,” Drury said. “We have tunnel vision, so they give us that insight and help us with drills.”
Recently, however, the Ultimate Frisbee team has received more funding because they have gone to the national championship seven years in a row. They also raise money in fundraisers to help support the club. The father of a freshman Ultimate Frisbee player has even created and sold his own Berry Bucks team merch, giving the money from the profits to the team. This has been very helpful for the players.
“We get a lot of support from the school, and sometimes it’s not always enough, [but] that’s okay,” Hoshide said. “We’ve been blessed to receive funding from them.”
Hoshide was elected captain last year by his team. He’s very grateful for the opportunity but is also aware of all of the responsibilities that come with that role. He wants to improve the Bucks and make them excel no matter what game they play. Two of his main goals for this season are to figure out the best attributes of each player and establish strong offensive and defensive plays for the team.
“It’s a blessing, and I kind of knew it would come, [but] I’m really just trying to be a servant to my team,” Hoshide said.
The entire Bucks roster is eagerly awaiting their first game. They know that they might lose, but they also believe that they can improve and grow. Some players, such as Knox, only hope that others can come to love Ultimate Frisbee as much as he and his teammates do.
“Look into Ultimate Frisbee,” Knox said. “It’s more interesting than what you think.”