Ultimate Frisbee teams are back at UW-Green Bay

UW-Green Bay is home to 15 Division I athletic teams, not including the growing organization of Ultimate Frisbee. The Ultimate Frisbee organization is comprised of 150 students, resulting in two teams. There is an A-team and B-team, both having a total of 16 students on each team. "Having a large student roster is quite gratifying," Coach Brian Niver said. "To have a talent pool of 150 people is great." The organization was once a popular group on campus, but lack of interest and graduating students brought on a few years of hibernation, but the organization is now back. On May 2, the two teams of 16 competed in a two-day tournament hosted by UW-Steven's Point. "I am optimistic because this team has athleticism and willpower to actually compete," Niver said before the tournament. The first day consisted of five games, all determining the placement of each team for day two, if they advanced. "We want to have a good time and get a feel for the environment," Leanna Hammes said before the tournament. According to organization officer Kory Krauss, the two teams were composed of students who showed enough interest in joining the team for the tournament. "We have never had to cut anybody," Krauss said. Even with 150 students in the organization, those who want to go to tournaments are usually able to, according to Krauss. Niver was a five year Ultimate Frisbee competitor at UW-Whitewater and has high hopes of growing the UWGB organization. He would like to expand the organization as a whole and establish the success of it. Niver comes from a program that was established for 10 years, five of which he played on the team. He would like to build the UWGB program up to the level of UWW to make it more competitive at the national level, as UWW was. The tournament at UWSP was the first for the organization in a couple years. A major factor for the team, according to Niver, is the weather they face. The team has been kept inside during the spring months and hadn't endured the types of conditions they faced at UWSP. Niver said space and weather are the two biggest factors when playing outside. Weather can really affect how people play outside, including conditions as wind and rain, according to Niver. People have to get a lot more spin and snap on their throws outside, versus when they are playing inside. According to Niver, space is another issue because most players are used to seeing walls in a gym and don't recognize the edge of the field when they are outside. Both of these factors may have played a huge role in how well the team performed at UWSP. However, the team had prepared for the tournament since March according to Krauss. They work on a variety of different things, whether the practice is inside or outside. "We start off practice with basic throwing, backhand and forehand and then we work our way into some drills, practice our zone defense and normally end the day with a scrimmage," Krauss said. The organization is always looking for more students to come out and join. They are looking to expand the organization with more officers and split the organization into students who only want to play the sport for fun, and others who would like to play on a competitive level. "We are looking to have a good time, have fun and keep building interest," Krauss said. According to Krauss, next year they will have officers designated for those who only want to come out and play pickup games and other officers who will focus mainly on the tournaments they will participate in throughout the year. "It's about having fun and if people like that, they will hear about it," Hammes said.