At many colleges and universities around the nation, the decision to make ultimate frisbee a club and not a varsity sport is a hot topic of debate and leaves many ultimate players’ feeling under appreciated. And although ultimate frisbee has many similarities to that of a collegiate varsity sport, at Skidmore, frisbee is considered just a club sport. This doesn’t stop players like Gina Pryciak ‘20 from playing frisbee at college and having a successful career in the sport.
After playing tennis her freshman year of high school and wanting to try something new, Pryciak was attracted to the welcoming community and emphasis of no prior experience that frisbee put forward. Starting her sophomore year of high school, Pryciak has always thought frisbee was more than just a sport. She grew up in a town that offered both girls’ and boys’ varsity and junior varsity programs, further pushing Pryciak into the sport.
Coming to college, Pryciak recalls that is was an adjustment to get used to people treating ultimate frisbee as a hobby rather than a sport. At her high school, people treated playing frisbee as they would playing soccer or basketball. But in college, Pryciak notes that a lot of her friends had never heard of frisbee before, and just imagined people throwing a disc around the park.
Despite this, Pryciak continued to play because she loves playing sports, being active, and being part of a team. She expressed how there is a “different vibe in college frisbee” and coming from a high school were it felt like everyone was competing with each other, Pryciak liked the change.
“My high school varsity team was incredibly intense and critical of any mistakes,” she says. “My college team, on the other hand, was very accepting of people coming in with all different skill levels, and with no coach, felt super team oriented and promoted getting to know each other and learning from each other.”
Yes, you read that right: the women’s team does not have a coach, which has been a topic of discussion for a while now, especially with the men’s team having a coach. Instead, the team relies on the captains (Pryciak and Clare McInerney ‘20) to organize practices and decide on drills. The Presidents of the club are largely in charge of organizing off-the-field matters such as getting the team signed up for tournaments, how they'll get there, etc.
And although not having a coach may seem challenging, Pryciak wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I think that for me personally, while coaches can be very helpful in terms of teaching and organizing, not having a coach makes it more of a group effort, where everyone can help each other out and learn from each other.” Similarly, a large part of having an executive board for a team consists of deciding on what will be best for the team and how certain changes will affect the team dynamic, which a coach, she explains, may be more disconnected from.
When asked how the season was going, Pryciak shares that the season has been a good one, and that the team spent time getting readjusted to cover any loss from recently graduated players. The adjustment period consists on technique work for the new players and reshaping team dynamic. The team has had three tournaments this semester, including a short one-day mixed tournament where men’s and women’s teams are combined.
Every year, the team attends Lobster Pot in Maine, which is one of the favorite tournaments for both Pryciak and the team. This year, the team won second place after defeating some of their classic opponents such as Smith, Wellesley, Brandeis, and Connecticut College. They lost in the finals to Colby, 11-15.
Some of Pryciak’s favorite tournaments have been from this season, making it a difficult decision to pick just one most exciting win. In their most recent tournament, the Northeast Classic, Pryciak and her team had a “very exciting win after a big comeback.” They were playing Syracuse, and had started out playing zone defense, which Syracuse quickly tore up with quick throws and smart cuts. Being down by four, Pryciak and her team decided to change their strategy.
“At halftime, we were tied, but once we regrouped and started playing person defense, we were able to come back, and scored almost all of the points in the second half.” They ended up winning, and everyone was very happy with how they collectively decided not to give up. “Knowing that we were capable of winning that game and ended up doing so, was very exciting.”
As for after graduation, Pryciak hopes to work in the Boston area, which is home to a big club frisbee scene. “The nice thing about frisbee,” Pryciak shares, “is that it’s very easy to find ways to play even after college.” Most prevalent are club teams that range from playing other local teams, to clubs that travel to other countries. Pryciak plans to join a more “casual” club team, and will definitely be on the lookout for pickup games in the area to participate in.
And although ultimate frisbee may not be recognized as a sport by everyone, Pryciak is nothing short of thankful for the sport and her team: “I think that to me, frisbee is definitely a community as well as a sport.”
(Photos provided by Gina Pryciak)