Sports

by Gabriel Zucker

A silence fell over the field, all eyes looking up as the frisbee flew. Then, as one, every player let out a wail of pain, watching as it flew out of bounds, bouncing off the hard track and finally coming to a rest. One of the Buds dropped to the floor, groaning as they all did ten push-ups.

Scott Estepa, a member of the team, explained this was important to get down the basics of the game.

“It encourages us not to throw it out of bounds and make sure our throws are accurate,” Estepa said. “Also, a good workout.”

The Buds are the Cal Poly Humboldt men’s Ultimate Frisbee team. They are listed as a competitive sports team in the USA Ultimate College Series in the Southwest Region. They are the winner of three national tournaments and are focused on making it through sectionals this year.

They practice Monday 6-8 p.m., Wednesday 8-10 p.m., and Saturday 12-2:30 p.m. On top of this, they hold a scrimmage every Sunday against alumni that come out to teach and play against current Buds.

Each practice includes rigorous conditioning, learning, practicing different strategies, and finally a scrimmage against each other.

Even though the schedule is rigorous, the Buds come out every practice, ready to not only work out but to join in the camaraderie. The Buds as a group are very close and welcoming to everyone.

“It was the community,” Estepa said. “All the Buds are really tight and really nice people. Everybody is welcoming to everyone. The first time everyone was so chill and so happy. We had a great time at practice, practice wasn’t serious.”

On top of practicing together, the Buds take advantage of the frisbee golf course in the community forest.

“We have Buds disc golf outing where we get a ton of people and break up into teams of two and wreak havoc on the course,” said Collin Silva, safety officer for the Buds team.

All of this practice and conditioning is not only for meeting new people, and the Buds regularly partake in tournaments. They play the likes of Oregon State and Reno for the opportunity to reach the top in their division.

Galen Trexler, a Bud from 20102015, is one of the coaches for the team. He told me that he was more there to pass down his knowledge than to coach, as most of the coaching is done by older students. Trexler and other alumni give back to the Buds by giving their time to help coach, teach, and play with the newer generation of Buds, passing down their wisdom for a chance to feel young again.

Towards the end of practice, after a bud dropped an easy catch, Trexler made the Buds run a lap.

“We lose, we all lose,” Trexler yelled. “We win, we all win.”

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On April 9, Humboldt Men’s Lacrosse Team competed against UCSC Banana Slugs in their final game of a winless season. The Humboldt Hogs fought against significant gusts of wind at the Redwood Bowl under a cloudless sky.

Freshman Gino Grier expressed an insurmountable passion for the sport itself.

“This sport is beautiful,” Grier said. “There’s barely enough time to think! It’s like driving too fast, really. If you think, you’re behind someone… It’s gotta be animalistic in a way. You see everyone out here? They’re happy not because we lost, but they’re happy with a loss. That’s my team right there, and I’m proud as hell of that!”

As a long-stick midfielder, Grier loves lacrosse because it keeps him balanced. The Hogs have played the whole year with the minimum number of players necessary to compete. Seth Velasco, the senior team captain, gave it his all on the field on Saturday.

“This is my last game. I would’ve liked... a win, but I mean, I just enjoy playing lacrosse,” Velasco said. “Ever since I started playing it in high school, I enjoyed it. It was my favorite game to play. I enjoy being a part of this team. We only had three guys starting this season off, so recruiting a bunch of guys getting them to join the sport. It was fun. I wouldn’t want to play with another team.”

During halftime, the Humboldt Hogs take mustard shots for muscle cramps. Currently, there’s no scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of using mustard to help treat or prevent muscle cramps. Needless to say, the Hogs are hungry to rebuild after two seasons lost to COVID-19. Before the season opener, the team hadn’t had a home game in 753 days due to the pandemic.

Photo by Morgan Hancock | The Hogs rally between quarters in the Saturday game on March 26.

Zack Gamble is Humboldt’s other senior team captain. Gamble expressed how his team overcame a lot of adversity this season.

“Seth, Riley, and I worked really hard to bring the team back from nothing,” Gamble said. “And we’ve got a solid squad of guys here now. And these guys just have no quit in them. I mean it’s just been an honor playing on this team. Despite having no subs [and] no help— half of the time, we don’t really have enough guys at practice. We were able to put a season together and really show people what Humboldt Lacrosse is about.”

Humboldt Men’s Lacrosse is all about heart and soul. The team has a new coach under a new school name and they are preparing for their 40th anniversary. The Hogs have shown that the sport was about putting up a good fight when the odds were stacked against them.

Senior defenseman Riley Switzler expressed the need for his squad to work like clockwork.

“I would like to see everyone come together as a team more,” Switzler said. “I’d like to see more team camaraderie. Everybody being friends with each other and being there for each other on and off the field… We could put up more of a fight against these bigger schools.”

Cal Poly Humboldt Dance Program Presents: