Students look to start ultimate Frisbee team.
- Rebecca Davis
- May 6, 2019
- 2 min read
With the warming temperature, the weather has been perfect for one group of sophomores to continue their long running love of Frisbee.
Starting in middle school, around sixth or seventh grade, Aidan Goerdt, Ryan Harris, Carter Wolf, Maker Cervantes, Spencer Thiele, and Ethan Shepard played catch or pick-up games of ultimate Frisbee during lunch, with the addition of occasional others. They were mostly all already good friends from being on the robotics team together, but these frequent Frisbee games have really strengthened their friendship.
Goerdt said, “Middle school was where we really developed our Frisbee skill and our love for it. There were some pretty good games and some pretty epic moments.”
During the summer of eighth grade they started to make a more regular habit of playing in their free time, and during the summer after eighth grade they went to Paul Norton Elementary to play.
Goerdt said, “It was really hot and sweaty but a lot of fun. We realized we loved the sport and really committed to the craft.”
Moving forward, 2018-2019 has been a big year for consistency in their playing and practice. It has been a bit more difficult to play because they don’t have a set time for recess, but they occasionally go to Paul Norton and more often find themselves in the south field when the weather permits.
Wolf said, “We play pretty often, maybe three times a week. In the summer we play almost every day, and sometimes we’ll switch it up and play Frisbee golf just to get away from the grind.”
Currently they play about four to five times a week, but after track ends they intend to be there every day until the summer. Additionally they want to play as often as possible in the summer when everyone can get together.
The group members have made huge strides in their skill level, and now work on not only the basics, but also on adding some flair to their throws.
Wolf said, “Last summer we started picking up trick throws and now we can do a lot more throws and get more accuracy. As you get better it becomes easier because you can complete your throw instead of just chasing a disk.”
The group is constantly looking for others to join, with a goal of starting an ultimate Frisbee team at the school. Other schools in central Iowa, Ankeny, for example, have teams and the group would love the chance to have some out-of-school competition.
Gross said, “Don't be intimidated, it's easy to catch on and the more you do it the easier it becomes. The difference between a great player and a bad one is lot less drastic than you would think.”
Ethan Shepard throwing the Frisbee to Aidan Goerdt.