I had the privilege to get an inside scoop on the Ultimate Frisbee Club with leader Garrett Spears ’24 about the start-up of this club and its development through the last year. Also, I learned more about their upcoming season ahead and what they plan to do in order to win games. This is the second year this club has been in place and has seen a larger impact on the Jesuit community.
Interview with Garrett Spears ’24
When did you have this idea of creating an Ultimate Frisbee Club and why Jesuit needs a club like this?
Back in middle school, my friends and I would always play ultimate frisbee during recess. We wanted to initiate the Ultimate Frisbee Club during our freshman year, but we did not get the chance to do so. During this time, there were many COVID-19 restrictions around campus. However, sophomore year saw many restrictions lifted. So, we decided to start the frisbee club.
What is your practice schedule like?
Last year, we started with all community times daily. Now, we practice during community time on Thursday and Friday. In addition, the team would practice after school on Monday.
Do you have any goals for this team?
Our goal for the team is to win some games against Coppell, Highland Park, Richardson, and some home school teams. Overall, we have excellent competition in the Dallas area.
How many people participate and are on the roster?
We have 15-20 mostly juniors, and a couple of freshmen. Our game roster will have around 14 players most likely.
What’s your game schedule looking like for the rest of the semester?
Ideally, we direct message different schools ultimate frisbee teams’ Instagram and set up a scrimmage from there. We would like to have at least once a month, but it is difficult because not every school has an ultimate frisbee contact or account.
Do you wish the UIL would organize Ultimate Frisbee someday?
That would be ideal, and that would make a bigger commitment for our guys. There is a basis for forming a league and some people have started making leagues, but nothing consistent has happened yet.
Can you explain what ultimate frisbee is? If someone unfamiliar were to ask you what it is?
It’s a mixture of a lot of other team sports. it has hints of rugby, basketball, and football. The idea that separates it is that you can’t run with the frisbee so you can only advance through passing which gives it its own little twist.
How many people are on the field at once and do you guys have an overall strategy?
There are seven players on the field at once, so a good size for a team is 14 players which would give you two lineups. And yes, there are tons of complex and already-developed strategies that other teams use. However, we have begun looking into our own form of strategy that we are starting to call the “Jesuit Style.” I would go more into it but I don’t want our rivals to find this out.
How long do games generally last?
Games aren’t usually measured by time but instead by score. When the first team gets seven points that begins halftime and from then the first team to get 15 points wins. Games consistently last 1-2 hours depending on the skill different between the teams (our win against Highland Park lasted about 45 minutes).
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more Ultimate Frisbee news!
