Newly Formed Frisbee Team Boosts Members, Moral, Success
Last August. five ktds sat down in Taco Bell wtth some goals mind: to turn a hobby into a passion. to change a hobby into passion, to change the status quo. to start an Ultimate Frisbee :am Sweet Justice. the first Ulttmate Frisbee team at Westside, •rmed this summer. but was not the first. Senior Billy Rafael has een involved in Westside Frisbee before "There's been an ultimate club for as long as I've been at /estside,M Rafael said. "Last year we attempted to start a team :~lied Warmachine, but it was not taken seriously." Last year's team only played one game, losing to Central High chool. Although many people came out to play after juniors began r'l official club, the team was unorganized and competitions were :::arce. Senior Sean Rock, now a captain of Sweet Justice, explains -:>w personal experience led him and the new team to oportunities "I wanted to get better so I JOined the Omaha club team, Rigor lortis.M Rock satd. "After playmg with the club team in a few •urnaments, myself and a few other guys realized that we have a •t of potential and could really have somethtng." In the beginning of the school year. Rock and Rafael, along with entors Nick Moellenbeck, Ross Wells and juntor Cretghton Gerber tet and agreed to start a new frisbee team. ·we wanted five captains so that we could have an odd number 1r voting on official team business: Rafael said. The captains agreed they needed to make changes from last ear in order to be successful "We changed the name to show that we were making a fresh :art, a serious start, and it's turned out really well," Wells said. On Saturday, Oct. 10, Sweet Justice competed in their first 1urnament, Children of the Corn, at The University of Nebraska at incoln (UNL). It snowed a few Inches overnight before the college lUrnament. Sweet Justice was seeded last out of 14 teams. The redicted outcome for success wasn't great. "We were the only high school team in a pool of colleges," .afael said. The UNL team, Cornfed, hosted the event. Through the cold, now and mud, all teams showed up to throw discs and compete. "It was probably ~ne of my favorite tournaments I have ever een to," Rock said. ·we were expected to lose all of our games.~ The team placed 11~~> in the tournament, winning two of their six ames against Benedictine College and Drake. "I personally think it was an awesome experience," Rafael said. t let some of the newer players find out what it was actually like to lay in competttive games. and it gave everyone a chance to put to se what we had been teaching and practicing." With winter fast approaching, what is next for the neon-orange lad team? The captains expect to play as long as possible. "Ultimate can be played in the snow and cold, as the tournament hows, but at some point I imagine it will be too uncomfortable to
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Senior Alec Brewer sll<les to complete a catch aga.nst Drake Un•vers•ty Sweet Jushce. Westside's Ultimate team, finished 2-4 at the~r first tournament. plaYing aiJ't college teams
practice outside,· Rafael said However. the wtnter will not completely halt the team. The captains plan to run drills in gyms and will look into using indoor soccer facilities for practices. ··we will be implementing some form of conditioning to stay in shape because as soon as the snow melts, tournaments start back up, and we need to be back out there." Rafael said. The team is serious about continuing to play and compete in tournaments. In addition to another Lincoln tourn~ment in the spring, Rock hopes to make it to three other tournaments. "We are going to McPherson, KS for the Flatland Freezer in late November," Rock said. "We are also going to high school nationals in Seattle, then to high school club nationals in Minnesota next May and August." The captains of Sweet Justice want to make the team tmprove as they continue to play and prepare. If interested in playing for the team. it's not a matter of stmply signing up like last year. "You can't just start showing up to practice anonymously and expect to play 1n tournaments." Rafael said. "Start coming to club on Fridays, display a dedication to the sport and prove that you have the skill, or that you are willing to work hard to obtain 1t." A brief h1story of the Frisbee team, along with details about the recent tournament can be found of the team's webpage: www sweetjusticeulttmate.com.
Story by Alexa Koch Spread by Hailee Noss Pictures by Billy Rafael and Sara Ausdemore
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