On May 5, the Lexington High School boys ultimate frisbee team qualified for national championships for the third time. During the Amherst Invitational tournament, the team engaged in intense competition with other groups from all over the East Coast and successfully secured a bid to the 2024 National Championships.
In the past, LHS has gone to nationals twice—once in 2018 and once in 2022—making this their third-ever national qualification. This year, Nationals will be held on June 7-8 in Rockford, Illinois.
The Lexington boys ultimate team was founded in 1999 by Larry David, a U.S. History teacher at LHS. The team typically meets five times a week to practice, and while the actual season is in the spring, they co-host more casual fall practices with the girls ultimate team. Then, a round of competitive tryouts takes place to determine the team.
“We had 60 people try out for 20 spots [this season],” Vivek Manchala, a senior and co-captain of the team, said.
Many people play ultimate, from those who are looking for a way to stay active during their off-season, to those who are appealed by the constant traveling.
“I started frisbee through the activities fair in the fall. I kind of just started it as a way to stay in shape in the offseason during track, but I found it really interesting,” Tobechi Amakor, a senior and co-captain, said.
Despite having players out due to injury and playing against high-ranked teams, the team remained undeterred.
“It’s a really hard tournament. We knew the competition was going to be really high, but I believed in our team,” Amakor said.
The boys ultimate team won the game that qualified them for Nationals through universe point, ultimate’s version of sudden death. Universe point occurs either because of a time cap or because the score is tied at one less than the game total, the predetermined number of goals required to win the game. The winner of the final point wins the game.
“It was really memorable. We scored the last point and it kind of just hits you [that you’re going to nationals],” Manchala said.
To fund their trip to Nationals, the boys ultimate team has started a GoFundMe page.
“Going to Nationals is obviously very expensive. We’re [flying] to Chicago, so we have to take an airplane there, pay for hotels, bus fees, and coaches. Since it is so expensive, we do have a GoFundMe that we would love to have people donate to. It’ll mean a lot to us,” Max Coe, a sophomore and co-captain, said.
At the end of the day, all the players are united by their shared passion for the sport, and highly encourage all interested LHS students to test out Ultimate Frisbee.
“Don’t be afraid to join even if you have little to no experience. Most of our best players come from random sports [and] have no experience with Frisbee. It’s okay to join up,” Manchala said.
