The Valdosta State Ultimate Frisbee Club hosted a tournament last weekend with 12 other teams attending.
Officially labeled In the Heat of the Huck, the Blazer club team played exceptionally well, placing second and falling only to a talented Florida State team.
The tournament started with pool play on Saturday to determine seeding for the championship on Sunday. Teams then played in a single elimination bracket to crown a champion. However, if a team is eliminated, they could continue to play other eliminated teams.
“It’s a really great way for teams to get some practice in, while at the same time staying competitive as we gear up for sectionals,” Sean Willett, senior and longtime member, said.
The Sectional Tournament starts April 17 and is by far the biggest tournament of the year. Many top schools will be there, with no shortage of Division I schools.
“We always compete and usually rack up quite a few wins,” Ben Blashke, junior leader, said. “Every year we get better and gain more chemistry as a team and I would say we are a serious contender at most-if not all-of the tournaments we go to.”
You can catch the Frisbee team practicing almost daily on the front lawn of the VSU campus, usually around 5 p.m.
“I am especially excited about the chemistry we are building; we have a great mix of older leadership and young talent,” senior Franklin Robinson said.
The team is preparing to travel to Tallahassee this weekend for a tournament hosted by FSU. Over 40 teams will be present and VSU is scheduled to play Michigan State, the ninth ranked team in the country.
The club team also traveled to Clemson earlier this semester, and participated in numerous tournaments last semester.
“Being a smaller school doesn’t hurt us at all because we have the talent to compete with other larger schools’ top teams,” junior Wes Collins said. “While other teams carry two or three teams, we combine all our best players and it gives us great depth even coming in as substitutes.”