Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team prepares for nationals
The Ultimate Players Association Collegiate Ultimate Championships will be held in Boulder this spring, and the CU men’s Ultimate Frisbee club team, Mamabird, is hoping for a spot in the national competition.
Only 16 teams make it to nationals each year, and senior Mac Taylor, the team captain, said Mamabird has had the longest streak of any men’s team for making it into nationals.
Colorado is ranked No. 18 nationally by the UPA.
To become one of the best teams in the nation is not easy. For some players, it means sacrificing other activities and personal time for the team.
Even with the sacrifice, players said they find many benefits to being a part of the team.
“You have to learn to balance everything with school, the team and social life,” said Evan Padget, a sophomore A-team player. “It can definitely take away from your social life, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing though. I think it’s a worthy sacrifice to make. We get to travel all around the nation and see other places.”
Saturday and Sunday, the team went to the Stanford Invite in California, where they lost in the first round.
“There are certain tournaments we go to every semester because there are high-caliber teams there that we want to compete against,” Taylor said.
Along with competing against top teams from around the nation, the Mamabird players also said they have a tough coach to help them on their quest to the national championship.
“Most people’s first impression of coach (Catt) Wilson is that he’s a real intense guy,” said Chris Wicus, a senior A-team player. “He’s a real reserved type of guy, and you never know exactly what he’s thinking until he’s unleashing his anger upon you. We all respect him, and part of that is through fear.”
Even with a tough coach and travel schedule, the Mamabird players encourage anyone who is interested in joining the team to come out and show what they’ve got.
“If someone’s interested they should just show up to practice,” Taylor said. “We have open practices pretty much the whole fall. We have a spot for everyone. We don’t cut players from the B-team, so everyone can play.”
Some of the players said Mamabird is more than just a club sports team to them.
“The guys on the team are my best friends,” Padget said. “I live with them, hang out with them and see them all the time. It’s like a brotherhood.”
While the team members offer a spot to anyone on the team, they said they will not offer up one thing as easily: the meaning of Mamabird.
“The name is a team secret,” Taylor said. “We tell rookies the meaning the year they go to nationals. Other than that we keep it to ourselves.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Philip Fisher at Philip.Fisher@Colorado.edu.
