Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown Ultimate Uncovered

One of the more active and unique teams on the Hilltop, the players of Georgetown Ultimate consider it more than a sport. A tight-knit group within the Georgetown community, the Ultimate team not only provides its players with exercise and intense physical activity but also fosters healthy competition and camaraderie. Indeed, Frisbee has swept the nation and is now a growing sport on many university campuses. As the game grows more and more popular on Copley Lawn and beyond, Georgetown Ultimate women’s captains Jacque Stolos (COL ’13) and Sue Marie Breden (COL ’14) and men’s captains Matt Kerrigan (SFS ’13) and Charlie Patten (COL ’13) are looking forward to another year of throwing discs and playing hard.
What does Ultimate mean to you?
STOLOS: I don’t want to say it means everything at Georgetown [to me], but it means mostly everything. It’s my community, it’s my friends, and it’s where I go when I need something. It’s a lot more than a sport for me.
PATTEN: I’ve always played sports, so it fills that spot. Academics are important, but any free time I have is usually Frisbee related.
How would you describe Georgetown Ultimate?
STOLOS: We always have to walk the line between a sport and social club. It’s like a resource to get involved on campus but also a great way to compete, stay in shape and play a sport I love.
PATTEN: We are one of the most competitive club sports on campus, and probably one of the largest. It’s popular and constantly growing. It’s a diverse group where a lot of people come out and find something in common. It’s definitely a committed and motivated group of people, [and it’s] almost a part-time job for some.
What is your favorite memory from your experience?
STOLOS: Last year, the women’s team, the Huckin’ Foyas, won [the] Roll Call [tournament]. It was one of our first first-place finishes ­— we were seeded 15th and worked our way up.
PATTEN: Scoring four consecutive points to upset the No. 3 seed, UNC-Wilmington — a team we had never beaten until then — and advancing to the semi-finals of Regionals. It was like our whole season built up to that moment.
What makes Ultimate different from other club teams?
KERRIGAN: Ultimate is different [from] most other club teams in that you need no experience to become an excellent Ultimate player. It’s a great combination of skills sets, hand-eye coordination, speed, quickness and strength that people pick up in other sports and then apply to Ultimate.
Beyond the competition, what is Ultimate about?
KERRIGAN: The Georgetown Ultimate team is about as close knit a community as I have come to know at Georgetown. It’s amazing to watch the growth of the team from the beginning of the year down to the final tournament of the season.
What is your leadership style?
PATTEN: Matt is [the more] vocal leader. I enjoy the logic and X’s and O’s — the strategy. I send a lot of the emails, make the Google Docs [and do] a lot … behind the scenes. I’m more of a quiet leader, but I try to lead by example.
STOLOS: I’m like a hardass, you know? I like to make girls do twenty pushups when they look at me wrong, suicides — the whole nine yards. Just making sure everyone really respects my authority.
KERRIGAN: I like to think of myself as a pretty fiery leader. I certainly play with passion. I am sure my teammates have plenty of thoughts to add about the effectiveness of it, though.
Ever dreamed about Ultimate?
STOLOS: Yes. Last year, when I first started handling — a position with more responsibility [because] you have the disc more — I used to have a lot of nightmares. One time, I had a dream the disc was in the hands of a freshman, and I couldn’t get open. The stall count was up to eight, and I woke up as I was falling off my bed.
PATTEN: I have a younger brother who does a lot of stupid things and frustrates me a lot. I have had a lot of dreams [in which] he is on my team … making dumb mistakes and then [trying] to argue with me like he knows what he’s talking about. Then, I wake up still annoyed the next day.

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