Ultimate Alpenglow shines in inaugural season

their abilities showcased in the form of professionallevel stadium games that are broadcast for the world to see.” e league was formed in 2020.

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Nearly 1,000 fans came out to support the Colorado Alpenglow—a semi-professional team of women and non-binary ultimate frisbee players—on their season home opener at the Pinnacle Athletic Complex.

During the April 8 competition in ornton, the Alps rewarded fans, snagging their rst victory of the season in a 19-16 win over the Utah Wild.

e support hasn’t waned since.

Formed in October 2022, the Alpenglow is one of eight teams in the Western Ultimate League (WUL), born from the belief that “women and non-binary athletes deserve to be seen and is season was the WUL’s rst due to delays caused by the pandemic. e season didn’t last long, consisting of only eight regular season matchups before a championship tournament weekend in Seattle on June 3. e Alps went 3-5 on the season, which wasn’t enough to qualify them for postseason play.

Still, co-founder and player Jess Larson said the rst season was a success.

“I think anyone involved [in the Alpenglow] would have liked to achieve our competitive goals,” Larson said. “But I think in that [ rst] home game, it was just everything kind of coming together. Rewinding up to six months ago to stepping out onto the eld and seeing the community come out and show support, it was a little overwhelming honestly.” ey had an idea of what the attendance numbers were going to be. But to see the crowd for the rst time— with little girls’ painted faces and big cutouts of the players’ heads in the stands— Larson said it surpassed the team’s expectations.

Larson has been playing ultimate frisbee competitively for over a decade, with a tenacious focus on expanding opportunities for girls and women in the sport.

Now to see many young girls and others interested in the sport, perhaps that wouldn’t have without the representation the WUL puts on display, it’s been rewarding.

“It was one heck of a ride for an inaugural season,” added Betsy Basch, cofounder and player. “ ere was so much learning, growth, support, and stress. Wanting to put out a great product that people will like and support is a huge responsibility that we take really seriously. We want to help build something that will continue to be integrated with our community for years to come.”

A focus on the youth in the community was one of the foundational pillars of creating the Alpenglow, even in the beginning talks, Larson said. e team wanted to be a beacon of visibility for young people to look up to.

“If girls come to games or watch a streamed game, just knowing that this could be them when they grow up and providing more visibility. Just getting more frisbee out there and have it be a concrete thing that a kid can look up to,” Larson said.

“Although we don’t have ultimate-speci c research yet, sports research in general gives us a lot of clues that when kids and youth see powerful athletes that they know or can see in their community playing professionally, they can see that it’s an option for them too,” Basch added. “Seeing women and non-binary athletes means that youth across the gender spectrum can see there’s a professional sport that doesn’t just accept who they are, but celebrates who they are, is visionary.”

Phil Lohre is one of ve managers of the team. He said he was eager to get involved because he’s seen rst-hand how di cult it can be for girls and women to see the same level of coverage and opportunity as male athletes.

“I have played for decades. But my daughter plays in a pro league out of Washington D.C., so I’ve seen how di cult it’s been for women athletes and women teams to get the same kind of spotlight that men do,” Lohre said. “When I heard that friends were putting together the team, I really wanted to be involved.”

Colorado has one of the best ultimate club scenes in the country, he added, perennially qualifying for the national championships. Both the men’s and women’s clubs won the national championship last year, which was the rst men’s championship since 2014, and the rst Colorado women’s championship ever.

Lohre said he knew the community would come out in big numbers for the Alps, but was surprised at how supportive it would be o the bat.

“We hope it lasts and grows forever,” he said. “ e response from the community has just been fabulous with the turnout at games…we’re a community-based team. A number of investors for the team have come