Flag of the Ultimate Frisbee Team. @MU_ULTIMATE_FRISBEE / INSTAGRAM
Sarah Rolka, Asst. Features Editor
As the fall semester picks up speed as the weeks pass, Manhattan University’s (MU) club sports pick up as well. The Ultimate Frisbee Team kicks off its marketing for the club with posters and other “fun” gimmicks at the club fair to get students interested and hopefully join.
After the first year when core members of the team graduated, involvement in the Ultimate Frisbee Team was down. However, since then, while the passion and involvement of the current members remain, reaching new members and keeping others involved has been a struggle.
Sean Ryan, a junior chemical engineer and one of the main organizers for the team, comments on the enrollment and involvement numbers.
“We’ve had previous problems with enrollment, so what we tried to do is, we try to ‘take it back,’” Ryan said. “Previously, we tried to make it a competitive team, where we go to tournaments and compete and go to sectionals and regionals, and this year, we’ve taken a step back and it’s very much for fun, low involvement.”
Mario Ballard, a senior mechanical engineer and one of the other main organizers on the team, adds to Ryan’s statement, emphasizing how much “fun” playing with the team has been over the years and mainly due to enrollment, they’ve had issues keeping the team afloat.
“The past years, we’ve both [Ballard and Ryan] been on the team, and it’s been a really important part of our life on campus,” Ballard said. “… Everyone that joins, even if it’s just for one practice, they have fun and we want to keep that alive. We don’t want it to die, because a lot of clubs end up dying … the second they don’t have enough enrollment, they die.”
Members of the Ultimate Frisbee Team recount that one of the main reasons why people are hesitant to join is the time that practice is held at. Club sports [men’s and women’s club soccer, men’s flag football, ultimate frisbee and more] share Gaelic Park from 9 to 11 p.m. every day; D1 sports at MU have the field from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. While the late nights make it harder for members to join and stay involved as the semester goes on, members of club sports make it work and hope for a better time slot and field space sometime in the future.
“… Especially considering how we [club sports] get kind of the short end of the deal with practice times, athletics at Manhattan kind of dominate any sort of practice time on the field,” Ballard said. “When it comes to D1 [athletics] versus club sports, it’s not even close… But we’ve worked around it. We’ve dealt with this the past few years and we just know how it goes.”
Paul Harrison, a senior electrical engineer and member of the team, agrees with Ballard’s statement with the situation and adds on, regarding possible commuters who might want to join but can’t due to timing.
“I think it’s just the way it is,” Harrison said. “I don’t want to say ‘Oh I’m outraged,’ but it’s an unfortunate situation because it’s not just us… Do we wish we all [club sports] had more [practice time] and we didn’t have to start so late? Think about that, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., that isolates how many commuters [could join since it’s very late]…”
Regardless of how late practice or meets might run, members who are both residents or commuters address how, for them, the club has allowed them to meet new people, move around or have time to have some fun with friends. Ryan comments on how being a chemical engineering major has limited who you meet but with the team, he has met others he might not normally.
“I think it’s a great way to meet people that aren’t necessarily in your major,” Ryan said. “… So for me being a chemical engineer, the clubs I’m in are all chemical engineering related or chemistry related. So, Frisbee’s allowed me to meet some people in other majors… and so that can kind of help you, maybe not even network, but just get to meet other people on campus you wouldn’t typically run into.”
If you have not noticed around campus yet, there are posters around campus that have the caption “You Can Be a Good Boy Too!” According to some around campus, they admit how funny they find the sentiment and it intrigues them. Harrison comments on this and with how the team is marketing it, hopes it gets more students to join to keep the team afloat.
“I think they’re doing a great job marketing it,” Harrison said. “I hope we get more people. I love to do it, it gets me moving… I feel like it motivates you more and keeps you more consistent. That’s my reason for keeping on going when I can because it’s healthy, [I’m] having a good time with my friends, get to throw a disc around…”
To keep up with Ultimate Frisbee and join practices or meetings, check out their Instagram @mu_ultimate_frisbee.