Many students look forward to the involvement fair with the perks of free food, giveaways, and the chance to find their niche here at West Chester University if they haven’t already. Unfortunately, I do not share the same excitement as many of my fellow classmates.
I am a part of the West Chester Ultimate Frisbee team, and happy to say that this is what I spent my four years of college doing. I, however, do not enjoy the prejudgment and instant rejection that comes along with the sport many of us have fell in love with.
For me, being involved with this club team has made me who I am today and has taught me more than just tossing a disc around the field.
As you may or may not know, we are an actual, legit club team. We travel to tournaments throughout the fall and spring semesters, have practice twice a week, and, my favorite, bond as a team.
This year we have officially separated our club into two separate club teams, (men’s and women’s). We still, however, go to many of the same tournaments, practices, and parties together.
What I can promise you is that this sport is unlike any other. How many other sports are both competitive and challenging while also hilarious and silly? Not many.
My first tournament was not what I expected. I had never played a game of ultimate before, and I was one out of two freshman there. My expectations for the day was playing a couple games then heading home, but, boy, I was wrong.
We started off with a dance party- yes a dance party- before the game. I had no doubt that this club was not as serious and it would be just a fun thing to do with no competitive expectations. That was until we got on the field and started playing.
There was a whole different element to this club team that I was not ready for, including different “game vocab” that I was unfamiliar with, certain rules of the game, and the intensity.
This was the first year our women’s team started up. We lost horribly. But it is still to this day one of the best tournaments I have ever been too. When we were losing, unlike many sports, we kept our heads held high and supported one another on the sideline. When someone messed up during a long point, we cheered them on instead of yelling at what they did wrong. Halfway into the game, both teams got together and played a game called “ninja” which is full of silly ninja stances and laughter. This kept the game spirited and friendly. After the game was finally over, we faced a tough loss, but walked away looking forward to the next game.
West Chester University’s Ultimate Frisbee team has improved greatly since my freshman year. Our men’s team made it to regionals twice, and for the first time ever, our women’s team went too! Although this is my final year playing, I have no doubt that this club will do amazing things in the years to come. I believe that your college years should be spent meeting new people, seeing new perspectives, learning more about yourself, and, of course, having fun. That’s exactly what this club will offer you.
Feel free to come to practice and try it out! Joining a club sport can really shed a light of positivity on anyone’s overall college experience.
We practice on South Campus on Monday’s and Thursday’s 7 p.m to 10 p.m. If you have any questions you can contact wcultimate@gmail.com. You don’t want to miss out on this experience because, college wouldn’t have been nearly the same without it.
Courtney Potts is a fourth-year student majoring in professional studies with minors in journalism and studio art. She can be reached at CP763356@wcupa.edu.