Women's Ultimate Holds Key Role in 'Disc' Culture on Campus

Author: Jen Bloomer

An important part of the Middlebury College ultimate frisbee team has gone relatively unheralded of late — the women. After losing the game that would have sent it to Nationals last year by 2 points to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Lady Pranksters have continued to work hard towards the goal of Nationals again this year. The season began after a successful week in the South for Spring Break where the women went 11-4, winning a weeklong tournament in Savannah, Ga., and coming in second to Williams at College Southerns. They still found time for beach parties galore where they discovered hidden talents such as senior co-captain Jenny Levin's amazing flexibility in the limbo and senior Kelly Jewell's unflappable catching abilities in the water, both with and without her suit.

After Spring Break the team took part in a skills clinic given by the Boston area women's club team, Lady Godiva. Godiva has won eight National Club Championships (more championships than any other team, men's or women's) and is composed of some of the best women's ultimate players in the world, including Middlebury's own Assistant Political Science Professor Judy Layzer. Needless to say, the clinic was incredibly helpful and an inspirational experience.

Ready to employ these new techniques in their next tournament, the Lady Pranksters headed to Yale Cup, one of the biggest and most competitive tournaments of the season. The Middlebury women were up against tough competition as they battled against Brown University, Bucknell University, University of Delaware and Columbia University. The first three of those four opponents on Saturday were Nationals attendants last year, and ranked in the country's Top 25.

Despite going one and three on the first day, taking their single victory over Columbia, the Pranksters only improved by facing such challenging competition. The Lady Pranksters seemed to get out all their quirks on the dance floor that night as they succeeded in winning the tournament party. Sophomore Kate Kellogg stated: "Things that are fun — winning the party." Senior co-captain Morley McBride agreed, "Yeah."

After a long, fun night, the Midd lebury women surprised rivals Dartmouth and Williams by coming out strong on Sunday and defeating both teams to become winners of their pool. The whole team played marvelously, proving that the Pranksters were a force to be reckoned with. The increasing desire to play ultimate at Middlebury has allowed the Pranksters to field both an A and B team this season. While the A team played at Yale cup, the B made their debut at a Williams tournament, giving many players their first taste of the competitive game, along with a reputation for unrivaled flare.

This past Sunday, both Lady Prankster teams headed to Dartmouth for College Sectionals, which would determine their seating for Regionals in two weeks. The windy, cold weather proved challenging for all the teams and injuries abounded. Al Barker '04 suffered severe knee damage, Tauna Saunders '02 took four stitches to the chin and Devon Sigman '02 was taken out with a sprained ankle. Despite these casualties, Jewel demonstrated her skills in the end zone catching nearly all of the scores in the game against UVM to lead the Pranksters to a 13-2 win.

Dartmouth came out strong in their next game, determined to redeem themselves after their loss at Yale Cup, but the Pranksters persevered and squeezed out the win. The fifth game of the day against Williams was tough as the Lady Pranksters were contained by a tight zone defense in high winds. Senior Eleanor "Swillanor" Tutwiler was seen on the sidelines shaking her head in disbelief, mumbling "Swill, swill, swill..." Although Williams took the win this time 13-7, the two teams will meet again at Regionals in two weeks as the rivalry continues. The Lady Pranksters have high hopes for the season, they are psyched to play their game, wherever it may take them.