Sports games are always more fun when the crowd is involved. The louder the cheering, the more engaged the athletes, and the result is a much more enthusiastic atmosphere. One team at Colby in particular takes participation and zeal to another level, with team spirit determining part of their score. The Colby College women’s club frisbee team was able to demonstrate the chants, cheers, and costumes that they have been working on all year this past weekend at the Lobster Pot tournament in southern Portland.
Lobster Pot was a two-day event taking place on Oct. 17 and 18, with about 80 collegiate teams from all over the Northeast and beyond across six divisions. Julia Godfrey `29 attended both days of competition, fighting alongside the Center for Disc Control in three games each day. “We played Wellesley, Syracuse, Bentley, Tufts, [and] Bates. It’s a lot of fun,” Godfrey said.
Despite occurring an hour away from campus, the group received a lot of support from different people, including many businesses. “There’s a very big frisbee fan base that some people are part of. There were a lot of freebies, and there was even the energy drink Ghost, and they actually sponsored a field as well.”
This sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship is also present between the two competing teams. Frisbee is a “self-ref” sport, which might cause concerns of dishonesty among players, but Godfrey has not found it to be a pressing concern. “99 times out of 100, the other team and your teammates will always agree with [whatever] you say. No one lies,” Godfrey said.
To foster an even deeper relationship among players, at the end of the game, the group, including team co-captain Ellie Klein `29, hands out prizes to members of the other teams. “We do spirit circles where we choose someone [who] was especially spirited or had really good plays, and kind of shout them out and give them a little prize,” Klein said. “I’ve seen a lot of things being given out as spirit prizes. We gave out temporary tattoos and sunglasses.”
The team went 3–3, moving up in their seed, outdoing their performance in the event last year. Godfrey appreciates just how much one’s abilities in the sport, as well as their knowledge, can grow in such a short amount of time. “I didn’t know [frisbee] was a sport until last year,” Godfrey said. “I do really enjoy playing the sport, but the reason I actually really love it is for the people. Our team is so fun, and it’s full of so many different, cool, awesome people.”
Women’s frisbee practices three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They have a very relaxed environment, encouraging people to show up when they can, but not worry about it if they are busy. The group does hope to get more members involved, especially for their upcoming Hat Tournament on Nov. 7 at Colby. There is no information yet on whether or not hats are required.
Despite the fact that frisbee may be a bit different from other teams on campus, the group still works hard and is looking forward not only to competitions, but to forming stronger connections with one another as the year progresses. “I think there’s a different type of relationship because these aren’t people you’re seeing every day, but people you want to see every day. I always want to see the Frisbeasts, which is what we call ourselves, [out and about],” Godfrey said.
~ Isabella Boggs `29
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