Last weekend, the men's ultimate frisbee team competed in its final fall tournament at Brown University.
But though the nationally recognized team has been practicing and competing since August, its year has not truly begun. Fall isn't the official season for the Jumbos, or the "E-Men," as they call themselves. The team plays in competitive, but unofficial tournaments throughout the fall, but official play does not begin until spring break.
"In the fall, we don't work as hard, because our coach isn't around," senior John Wilner said. In the spring, he said, coach Jeff Brown really "cracks down on us."
Winter training consists of two night practices for the E-Men, in addition to running, conditioning, and the occasional weekend practice. "We do a lot of running and conditioning because the sport is almost continuous running," Wilner said. "You play a few points and then have to sub out."
The men are divided into two squads each year: the "A" team and the "B" team. Senior captions Mike Bright and Mike Zalisk choose the "A" team, which is generally limited to 20 men, and all other prospective players are welcome to participate on the "B." team. Currently, the squad appears inexperienced, with over half its players in the sophomore class.
"It looks like we have a lot of potential, although we do have a lot of young guys," Wilner said. "We are really looking forward to gelling together over the winter and getting ready for the spring."
The Tufts ultimate frisbee dynasty began in 1972 by Jim Pistrang and Ed Summers and has experienced widespread success, including four national tournament appearances since 1980. The Jumbos compete in the Northeast Region, one of the most competitive in the country, against teams such as Harvard, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, and MIT.
The men's team has advanced to the national tournament the past two springs, and though it has finished at the bottom of the tournament teams, "it's a big deal just to be able to go and to make it out of the region," Wilner said. In 2000, the Jumbos finished 15th among 16 teams in the nation, including big-name schools such as Stanford, Rice, University of North Carolina, and University of Florida. Last spring, the team went 13-0 against New England teams en route to its first-ever regional title. The E-Men made it to the national tournament, but did not fare as well as the previous year, placing last.
For a team that has experienced national success, and is arguably one of Tufts' most competitive squads, the label of a "club team" seems to be a poor fit. But the E-
Men say the label is apt. "There's a very strong faction of people who believe that keeping the sport 'club' maintains the spirit of the sport," Wilner said. "If the sport were to go varsity, that spirit might be lost."
Another perk to the team's club status is that playing ultimate frisbee does not end at commencement, with a popular club circuit available for frisbee players after college.
This weekend, the team will host another unofficial tournament, in which only the "B" team will compete. The E-Men will continue their "full-time" commitment throughout the winter, while preparing for the official season in the spring. The squad expects to compete in Georgia and North Carolina for the inauguration of its season.
The Jumbos' ultimate goal this year is, as always, nationals. "With hard work, we could go further at nationals," Wilner said.
"We're still getting to know each other and working together, but I definitely think we have the potential," Wilner said.
