Ultimate Frisbee is one of Fieldston’s most popular sports. However, this year, an evident strain has been placed upon both ECFS’s fun loving and energetic team, and the athletic department.
The players on Fieldston’s ultimate team bring spirit to this sport, ensuring that no game has a dull moment. Frisbee’s lack of referees also makes this one of the most honest and ethical games, teaching the team not only to be supportive of one another, but also to have integrity, something our school prides itself on. “Both teams are always really supportive and kind and just generally full of good people,” Senior Noah Gewirtz said. “It’s an intense game, but a fun atmosphere,” Gewirtz continues. Last season provided a lot of learning experiences and an awesome record of only 2 losses. Despite the graduation of some key players, they are ready to take on this coming season in stride. Last year, they came in third place in the State Championships, but are now hungry for more, ready to improve and enlist some new players. The team is a family, fun, relaxed and “low-key” Gewirtz said. “The team will be down after a loss, but winning and losing isn’t all what the team is about.”
Ultimate has always loved to play in the USA Ultimate State Championships, enjoying the buzzing energy and competition around them. Unfortunately, this season, a rule is being enforced that prevents the team from competing.
The USA Ultimate State Championships are an unsanctioned event, meaning club teams play one another, as opposed to sanctioned events, where only varsity teams play. Because the state championships allow club teams to play in their games, and since varsity teams can only play sanctioned events, varsity teams are unable to play here.
Additionally, club and varsity teams are not allowed to play against one another. NYSAIS, New York State Association of Independent Schools, hosts a sanctioned event for 194 independent schools to compete against one another, vying for State Champion. This year, NYSAIS announced that all teams that classify themselves as a varsity sport, are not allowed to play at unsanctioned events. For the first time, NYSAIS classified ultimate frisbee as one of their varsity sports, thus creating the problem: the only way for Fieldston’s team to play in the USA Ultimate event, is for them to go club.
“The school will support the team in deciding whether or not they want to be a varsity or a club team,” Gus Ornstein, head of the athletic department, said. Ornstein made it clear to the players that he wants what is best for the team and he supports the ultimate frisbee culture.
The biggest question now is whether the team decides to go club or stay varsity. One of the players’ biggest concerns about staying varsity is that if they were to go to NYSAIS, the Sheagles would have no one to play because no other schools have female teams. “I’m not going to be the one who is going to tell them they can’t play,” Mr. Drybala, head of the ultimate frisbee team, said. He explained that staying a varsity team would deny the girls’ team learning and fun experiences. “There are great lessons that can be learned through sports that should be accessible to everyone,” Drybala said.
Many members of the team are concerned that NYSAIS would decimate the culture of frisbee. The team has been growing and developing, becoming its own unique community, and by continuing on as a varsity sport, it would cause a recess in the team’s growth by basically eliminating both the girls’, and the B team.
This would be a direct hit to the team, especially since the girls’ team have won the state championships two years in a row. The team has made it very obvious that playing in the USA Ultimate State Championship is more important to them than going to NYSAIS. Although if they went club they wouldn’t be able to compete against typical Fieldston rivals, Poly Prep, Horace Mann and Riverdale, they would be staying true to their ethical values by saving the Sheagles and the B team.
As of now, the team, unanimously, wants to go club rather than stay varsity. Club is not seen as a notch down from the varsity team and will be treated equally by Fieldston’s faculty and the athletic department. The team is committed to taking club just as seriously as varsity. For the players, who are just there to win states, be the best they can be, and enjoy themselves, it doesn’t matter if they are a club or varsity team.
This coming Spring, the team hopes to change their label to a club sport and compete in their favorite events, such as the USA Ultimate State Championships. With the support of the athletic department, fellow students, and Drybala, they hope to continue their development as a team and are looking forward to the upcoming season.
