Crowd helps Golden’s ultimate disc team snap losing streak

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

With the Colorado Summit headed into a make-it-or-break-it game, fans showed up in force this weekend to ensure their team got the W.

e Summit — Golden’s new semi-professional ultimate disc team — left the Minnesota Wind Chill out in the cold June 24, beating the visiting team 25-15. is snapped a three-game losing streak for the Summit, which needed the win to stay No. 2 in the West Division and keep its playo hopes alive.

About 1,500 fans packed into Colorado School of Mines’ Marv Kay Stadium for the decisive regularseason game. Summit personnel said afterward it was probably the biggest and best crowd they’ve had so far this season.

“It was a really fun game; the crowd was incredible,” player Alex Atkins said. “It was a bounce-back game for us. We needed a big win, and we did well.” e Colorado Summit was one of three new teams in the American Ultimate Disc League last year. AUDL is the top league in the world, but is considered semi-professional because players aren’t paid enough to play full-time, so most have day jobs. e league, which is in its 12th season, is comprised of 24 teams across North America. Teams play seven-on-seven non-contact ultimate disc, also called ultimate Frisbee, for 12-minute quarters. e Colorado Summit played at the University of Denver last summer, where it averaged 1,000 fans per game across its six regular-season games. With their support, the team won the 2022 West Division Championship, with plans to build on that success this year. e team kicked o its 2023 season with ve consecutive wins, but lost the next three games by one point each. So, beating the Wind Chill June 24 became pivotal for the team’s postseason plans.

With FOX Sports broadcasting the game, the Summit scored rst and never looked back. e home team took a strong 6-3 lead in the rst quarter, and while the Wind Chill tried to ght back, the Summit’s 8-point third quarter widened the gap further.

Summit co-head coach Mike Lun said the crowd played a big role by energizing the players when they needed it most.

Jonathan Nethercutt, the Summit’s handler, described how amped up the players were, which he believed translated to on-the- eld success.

“Not our cleanest game by any means, but I think we got back to playing in an aggressive way,” Nethercutt continued. “ at’s something that suits our style and our personnel.”

An Empire-sized season finale

The Summit has three games left in the regular season, playing consecutive away games June 30-July 1 in Portland and Seattle. Then, July 14, it’ll be back in

Golden for its regular-season finale against the New York Empire — the reigning AUDL champion.

The Empire hasn’t lost a game since 2021, but the Summit hopes to change that.

Nethercutt and Atkins believed July 14 would be a thrilling game, and hoped to draw as many fans as possible to Marv Kay Stadium.

Overall, the two believed the Golden community has really embraced the team, as they’ve seen a lot of new faces at the games and after-parties.

Nethercutt, who recently moved from Golden to Boulder, appreciated seeing his Powder7 coworkers at this season’s home games. Given how the stadium is situated, he said fans can easily spend their afternoons walking along the creek or visiting downtown before heading to a game.

“I think it’s really cool (for the Summit) to be here,” Nethercutt continued. “It feels a little more ‘Colorado Summit’ to be in the foothills, rather than Denver.”

Atkins said it’s a privilege to play for all the Summit fans, whether it’s their first game or their 11th, commenting, “I just appreciate everyone coming out, and I hope it keeps growing.”