Pranksters Got Georgia on Their Mind

Author: Andrew Zimmermann

The Middlebury Pranksters, better known as the College's Ultimate Frisbee team, are all business. Having come within one game of making the National Tournament last year and cracking the nation's top 16, the team is one that competes amongst the region's and nation's best. After a win last weekend and a 7-0 start, the team heads to Georgia and South Carolina for a Spring Break packed with tournaments and some 20-plus games.

The game, if unfamiliar to some, is actually quite simple. It is played on a football length field with 25-yard end zones instead of 10. The object is to catch the Frisbee within the opponent's end zone. However, no running with the disk is permitted. Defenders must stay further than one frisbee length away from attackers and contact does result in a foul. Middlebury has both a men's and a women's team come spring with each being well respected and recognized within the New England region.

On Saturday and Sunday the men's team started the season in fine style by winning a preseason tournament. After four smooth wins Saturday, the team cruised through the elimination rounds on Sunday and took the championship game against Carnegie Melon University. Pat Duffy '02 was a standout on the defensive side while his teammate John Oliver '04 hustled all weekend long.

Offensive Captain Alden Woodrow '02 knows the competition will get stiffer than that faced in the opening weekend. He said within the Prankster's division, Brown, Tufts, Harvard and Williams all pose strong challenges and tests the team will have to pass in order to make it to Nationals. "We've also built up a bit of a rivalry with UMass," Woodrow said. "We've been the ones to end their season the past couple years."

Helping Woodrow in a leadership role, Vinny Idone '01.5 captains the defense and is a vocal leader. The team lost some notable leadership and talent to graduation the last two semesters and hopes to fill that void this spring with promising first-years Brendan Condit and Colin Kikuchi. Also missing is prime time player Ben Dow '03, who remains exiled in Russia.

Despite notable loses, Woodrow is confident in this year's team. "We're looking strong," the captain said. "We are more of a well- rounded team this spring with a lot of contributors. We do however remain focused on having fun." That mentality is stressed even in the more intense games on the schedule. All non first-year members on the team are assured of playing time, which makes for camaraderie and a close-knit squad.

The Pranksters this spring will no doubt have fun along with playing an upbeat, athletic style of game. What the team lacks in technical skill it makes up for with hustle and a blue-collar work ethic like that of Idone and Woodrow. For the first time this winter the team started a training program two days a week and practice in Fletcher Field House. Both pliometrics and weightlifting was emphasized.

The annual Spring Break trip to Georgia is fast approaching and the team plans on playing in some three tournaments over the week-long break. The first weekend will find the Pranksters at Georgia Southern University. Midweek the team will participate a tournament taking place in Savannah, Ga. Present will be many top teams throughout the nation including Ohio State and Oregon. The team ends up its journey in South Carolina at Clemson University in its final preparation for the regular season tournaments that constitute the road to national tournament and the top 16 teams.