Author: Ryan Graff
The Occidental men’s Ultimate Frisbee team is making exceptional strides this season. The team, known as “Detox,” is serious about making a name for itself this spring. Detox is fresh off a third place finish at The President’s Day Qualifier in San Diego. During this Feb. 5-6 tournament, they played five games and finished with a 3-2 record, only losing against the teams that placed first and second.
Even though Occidental has had an ultimate frisbee team since the 1970s, no team has been as dedicated as this year’s squad. With 20 players this season as opposed to the usual 10, Detox is enjoying unprecedented depth on their roster and will look to build on their 4-11 record of 2010.
“We have a lot of really quality players this year. The number of players I feel comfortable putting into the starting line far surpasses that of any other year,” veteran captain Jonny Rodgers (senior) said.
Although Detox practices year-round, spring is their official season. During the spring, they typically play in around five tournaments. Their end-of-year goal is to make it to the College Championship Series, which is contingent on their results from these previous tournaments.
For this season, Detox welcomes back three captains — Rodgers, Wes McCabe (senior) and Shane Boland (senior) — and has also named the following three players as new captains: Noah Donnell-Kilmer (sophomore), Andrew Featherston (first-year) and Zach Bruno (sophomore).
Senior leadership will play a vital role this season as the team looks to bring a prosperous offense and tenacious defense to the field. Growth and competition will be the themes for Detox, and their goals have been set higher than ever before. Detox no longer views itself as a mere club team, but rather as a fierce competitor with a chance to make it to Division 3 Nationals.
“Frisbee is often laughed at as being a hippie, casual-play sport, but the athleticism that is required is the same that you see in other sports. It has been hard to make progress with the little support that club sports receive financially and in terms of field space,” McCabe said.
He also feels that the team is one of Occidental’s last priorities, but hopes that their success on the field will earn the sport both legitimacy and respect.
In addition to strong leaders and support, Detox will need younger players to step up and play important roles in order to attain their lofty goals. Hussein Somjee (first-year) has seen significant time as a “seventh man,” and will continue to assist Detox in its pursuit of victory.
“I’ve really enjoyed being part of Detox so far,” Somjee said. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and laying some serious defense.”
The next event for Detox will be the Stanford Open the weekend of Feb. 26-27. This tournament, popular for the number of teams in attendance and high intensity play, will be a stepping-stone for Detox. The winner of the Stanford Open will receive a spot at the Stanford Invite, which is one of the most competitive tournaments in the country.
As they persist in their pursuit of Division 3 Nationals, Detox will continue to train hard and legitimize itself as one of the best ultimate teams in southern California.
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