Most of us grew up tossing a Frisbee around on a warm summer days. We didn’t really know what we were doing, so we just flung the disc around and hoped it didn’t get too scraped up on the pavement or slide down the gutter drains.
But for 21 girls on the University campus, Frisbee isn’t just some casual activity, it is a competitive sport. By the end of last year’s national tournament, the women’s ultimate team had earned the ranking of No. 3 in the country.
The team, which is called Fugue, finished third in the regional bracket last season, setting it up for a difficult road to the finals.
“We really wanted to win nationals last year and we expected to,” said former player and current assistant coach Clare Gordon.
After finishing 3-1 in pool play of last year’s Ultimate Players Association (UPA) National Championship Tournament, the team was set up against the University of Michigan. Oregon rolled on to round two after a 15-7 victory over the team dubbed “Flywheel.”
The second round would be a bigger challenge for Fugue, as its opponent, the University of Ottawa, had come out of pool play 4-0 and were a popular pick to go all the way. Oregon was resilient, though, and pulled off a three-point win, 15-12, sending them to the national semifinals.
Riding a wave of enthusiasm, Fugue thought it could take home the title, but they ran up against the eventual champs, the Burning Skirts of UC Santa Barbara and fell 15-11.
“We played really well, but the road was just too hard,” Gordon said.
Nearly 9 months after being knocked out of the national tournament, Fugue seem to be geared up for another deep run.
After a 17-1 fall preseason, with the only loss coming against the University of British Columbia in the final of the Sundodger tournament in Seattle, the team is fresh off a tournament win at the Bellingham Invite in Washington, grabbing a win over powerhouse Washington.
Fugue is now preparing itself for a President’s Day Invitational Tournament in San Diego, Calif., in less than two weeks.
“Realistically, we can win the tournament — we are a deeper team this year than last, with every player being very capable,” Gordon said. “We will go up against major contenders, too.”
UC Santa Barbara, Washington and Stanford, currently ranked No. 1, 4 and 5, respectively, will be a part of the bracket, which means for No. 3 Oregon, the weekend of games will be a great measuring stick for what will come at nationals in May, which will be held in Madison, Wis.
Following the San Diego tournament, the ladies from Oregon will participate in games sanctioned by the UPA, which includes another tournament or two before sectionals and
regionals roll around.
“We expect to win nationals this year — we set the bar high,” Gordon said.
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