Brad Jones, a graduate student and coach of Mississippi State’s Ultimate club team, was among those observing the team’s final point in the Bama Open Sectionals tournament in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on April 5.Along with players from several schools, he was on the sidelines rooting for the underdog Mississippi State squad as it faced the favored Vanderbilt team.
Jones recalled seeing the final throw, which was launched from around midfield by Mississippi State’s Johnson Thomasson. Jones remembered the tremendous anticipation as the disc floated in the air on the way to its destination in the end zone where Mississippi State’s Kyle Boudreau and a Vanderbilt defender were located.
He said the best part came when the anticipation reached a climax and both men leaped into the air with gusto. Both leaped too soon, but it was Boudreau, seemingly jumping on an imaginary pogo stick, sprang himself back into the air and snatched the disc for the game-winning score.
A massive throng of players rushed toward Boudreau for good reason; his touchdown secured the Bulldogs a spot in their first regional tournament in their second full season as a recognized university club team.
They will now travel to Baton Rouge, La., to compete in the South Open Regional tournament on Saturday. The Bulldogs will enter the tournament as the 15th seed and will be up against the region’s second-seeded Texas Longhorns.
It will be a double-elimination tournament, which means the Bulldogs would still have a shot at playing more games if they fall to the higher-seeded Longhorns in their first game.
When the team practiced this week, senior team captain Arthur Corbitt said he placed heavy focus on team fundamentals. Fundamentals for an Ultimate team include making crisp, accurate throws, catching passes and making proper movements on the field to break free of defenders.
For those unfamiliar with the sport, it is generally played on a soccer or football field and the object of the game is to score points by passing the Frisbee to teammates until the team makes it to its end zone. Meanwhile, the defensive team makes attempts to thwart the offensive team’s efforts by swatting passes or intercepting them.
Corbitt said a fluid concept of the fundamentals will be key heading into this weekend’s tournament.
“We have been focusing on the small things,” Corbitt said. “We have been working on the fundamentals because these better teams will take advantage of any little thing you do wrong.”
The players have also placed priority on what has gotten them several wins in various tournaments over the course of their season: the long pass.
“Our style is a bit aggressive,” senior John Clemmer said. “We like to throw the Frisbee deep down the field in tournaments, and that is something that has worked for us.”
In addition to its aggressive style on the field, Clemmer said the team has benefited from having the experienced veteran Jones on the sideline in several tournaments.
Jones, 23, is referred to as “the old man on the team” and fills the role of coach for the squad since he is no longer eligible to play for a college team.
The Ultimate Players Association places a five-year eligibility limit, similar to the NCAA’s four-year eligibility rules, on all college players.
Jones used four of his years at LSU, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree, and played his final season for Mississippi State.
“I have probably been playing Ultimate Frisbee for eight to 10 years,” Jones said. “I probably know more about the actual game of ultimate Frisbee than anyone on the team. I go to the tournaments and watch the other teams to see their game plan and tell our guys what adjustments need to be made.”
Jones, Corbitt and Clemmer were some of the founding members of Mississippi State’s Ultimate club team.
They now want to see the team make even more history by making a deep run in the tournament and to use this experience in the regional tournament to springboard to even more success in the future.
“It is ridiculously unheard of for a second-year team to make the regional tournament,” Jones said.
“What I hope we take away from this weekend is to see how the elite teams play. I hope the other teams see us and say in the future ‘I really don’t want to play Mississippi State.’ I want them to see us on the schedule and say ‘This isn’t going to be easy.’