Ultimate Frisbee team looks for NIU recruits

By Lindsey Rodriguez

The Ultimate Frisbee team is actively looking for men and women Huskies to join, and hopes to start an all-girls team eventually.

The team competes against more than 42 teams at some tournaments, and from Feb. 2 to 3, it hosted its first indoor tournament. It was founded seven years ago.

The team faced competition from a variety of schools and teams, including Knox College, ISU, Wesleyan and Rock Valley.

“We are a very open team,” said Thomas Oates, senior electrical engineer major and the team’s public relations representative. “There are lots of players that range in skill level, but there are equal amounts of playing time so they can get better and show off what they can do.”

Oates is a five-year veteran of the team. During the tournament, NIU’s two teams took fourth and sixth place. The tournament champion was the team Antigen, comprised of club players from the Naperville area. Knox College took second in the tournament.

Ultimate Frisbee does not have to end at the college level, according to Joey Polarek, senior education major and a captain for one of NIU’s teams. He is currently the vice president of the team as well.

“Playing Ultimate at a college level, it’s really a ticket to keep going,” Polarek said. “Tryouts at a professional level is a future goal.”

Oates said that from about November to March, the team’s practices are held from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The rest of the year, the practices are held from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“Hopefully this is a building block for what we want to have,” said Jimmy Sykora, the team’s president and a junior mechanical engineering major. He is the tournament team captain, as well.

“For seven years this team has put in hard work, dedication and commitment,” Oates said. “It will continue to do so for future practices and tournaments.”

There will be another tournament held later on this year. The date has not been set yet.