Courtesy of Maggie Elizabeth

Among Yale’s numerous club sports teams, many choose to dedicate their time to frisbee — specifically, ultimate frisbee.

For those looking to take their disc throwing to the next level, “Süperfly” and “Ramona,” Yale’s men’s and women’s teams, respectively, are the perfect place to start. While not as rigorous as Division I athletic teams, the club ultimate teams provide an ideal blend of community, competition and fun. For those new on campus, the frisbee community can shape their college experience. 

“Everyone [on the team] is all about supporting each other,” Christopher Gumina ’26, a rookie on Süperfly, said. “I’d never played ultimate frisbee before joining the team, a lot of other guys were the same way, and everyone is there for you, cheering you on.” 

In terms of logistics, Gumina noted that the team has practices three times a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Practices function as they would with any other sport including drills and scrimmages.

Jack Cloherty ’26, another player on the team, noted that practices vary in activity due to the wide range of skill levels. Some members of the team have been playing ultimate frisbee for years, whereas others have never thrown a disc before. 

While the team is currently in the off season, all of the members practice and compete together. Micah Derringer ’25, one of this year’s Süperfly captains described the fall season as entirely “developmental.” Any individual who wants to try frisbee is encouraged to join, and Derringer said the team tries to create a welcoming environment. 

“At the beginning of the year, we try to recruit as many people as possible … and we hold open practices,” Derringer said. 

However, given the size of the team, Süperfly will split into an “A” team and a “B” team in the spring. 

Despite the inevitable split into two, Cloherty agreed with Gumina’s sentiments regarding the Süperfly’s supportive atmosphere. 

“Both teams are going to be playing a fun game with great people … there’s no shame in being on the B team at all,” Cloherty said. 

This fall, the Süperfly team has competed in two competitions so far. These two off-season tournaments were not broken up into the A and B teams. According to Derringer, there are usually three to four tournaments during the fall season in order to help the team prepare. Once the spring “competitive” season arrives, the team will be split into two and games will ramp up as the team hopes to attend nationals. 

“While it’s not a NCAA varsity sport, we do take it pretty seriously,” Derringer told the News. 

A separate governing body exists for collegiate ultimate frisbee, USA Ultimate, that hosts sectionals, regionals and nationals. Over 800 teams and 18,000 athletes attend and compete in these events. 

On Oct. 9, the Süperfly team played in a tournament in Rhode Island. Still warming up for the season, the team was only able to clinch victory in one of their four games. However, the next weekend on Oct. 16 at the Spirit of the Game tournament, the team split into “X” and Y” teams, a model oriented around size purposes rather than skill. Süperfly swept the podium as team Y placed first while X earned second. 

This year, Süperfly’s leadership consists of three veteran players: Dash Stevanovich ’23, Eli Kennard ’24 and Derringer. Regarding his leadership position, Derringer shared with the News that as one of the captains, his responsibilities include organizing the team’s practices and tournaments which is a larger commitment than just playing on the team as a member. 

The team additionally has two full-time, volunteer coaches: Scott Graber LAW ’23 and Alex Grande. 

Gumina, Cloherty and Derringer all said that Süperfly provides a strong community for members while allowing them to play a sport competitively. 

“The frisbee team has provided a number of great mentors for me in my Yale experience so far,” Cloherty shared. 

For those wanting to join the Frisbee team, Derringer noted that some spots may be available to join in the spring.