Volume CXXXII, Number 4 October 4, 2002 f

Ultimate Frisbee running wild
BRENDAN DICKINSON
STAFF WRITER

Playing upon a field recently strewn with glass shards, the men of Bowdoin's Ultimate Frisbee team, a.k.a. the Stoned Clown, took a step forward in their quest to qualify for nationals with an impressive showing at Sectionals in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Despite graduating five experienced seniors, including two-year captain John "Konen" Knapp '02, the team finished 4-1 on the day and came in third in their division, qualifying for Regionals - one step away from the big dance.

Before a disc could be thrown, the fields of the Fitchburg Municipal Airport needed to be removed of debris from the previous week's airshow. Broken bottles, nails, and various shards of glass littered the field before the clean-up process began.

Despite the numerous complaints from teams, the Ultimate Player's Association could only offer the assurances that Ambulances would be provided if they were needed.

With the field ready for action, the Clown faced MIT's B team and later Worchester Poly-Tech's B team. Neither team provided trouble for a talented Clown team that last year tied MIT A for third place in the Sectionals and defeated WPI's A team 13-1.

The two early games were a good warm-up for the Clown and allowed the younger players to log quality playing time. Highlights included sophomore Pat "Teddy" Mahoney's interception in MIT's end zone for a score (an incredibly rare occurrence called a Callahan). Not to be outdone, Andrew "Nutz" Fischer '05, motivated the Clown team with infectious energy both on the field and off.

Asked about Teddy's Callahan, Nutz simply replied, "That man loves the cock [Nutz's term for a Frisbee], and I think he wanted MIT to know that he is better than their entire team, and it motivated him to make that ridiculous play." The Clown ended up beating MIT B 15-3 and WPI B 15-1.

After a bye, the team played the second-seed Swell, a club team from Portland. It was a heated battle, in which Bowdoin jumped to an early 6-1 lead only to see Swell tie it back up at 7-7.

Bismark '04, a team captain, called a timeout to help regain Clown poise, Bowdoin came out strong and scored to take the half. Captain Alex "Throat" Rosati '03 said, "It was the most poised I've ever seen the Clown in my 4 years."

In the second-half, Bowdoin continued to play with fire, and was able to trade points to make it 13-10. Like any good team, the Clown dialed it up a notch to earn a 15-11 victory on a throw from Throat to Tim McIntire '04.
Bismark couldn't believe that Tim made the catch saying "I was all worried, 'cause Timmy never catches anything, but he caught it. He must have had some special stickem on his hands."

In the next game, Bowdoin fell to its Alumni team, Old Fat Clown, and then received a forfeit from a high school team to come in third overall.
The Sectional MVP for the Clown was clearly Captain Sam "Tupac" Terry '04, who played his best game as a Polar Bear, or Clown. Other veterans, Free "Workhorse 'Willy'" Church '05, Adam "Hieman" Ringel '04, Kurt "Cleatus" Jendrek '04, and John "Eiffel" Crowell turned in strong performances.

When asked to sum up the day, Nick "Shaft" Hiebert '03 could only say, "It was the new Hotness."

The Clown is looking forward to strong performances as the season progresses. Over Fall Break, they will compete at the Clambake, a two-day tournament held at Bowdoin that draws some of the best teams in the nation. And, of course, the fields will not be littered with glass.

The Clown will end the season with tournaments at Bates and another at home, which will allow the highly talented rookie pool to prove their mettle. The Clown's mixture of youth and experience will carry the team this fall and provide for a bright future.