Walking by the IM field on a daily basis, it isn’t uncommon to see a sizable group of guys and girls tossing around a frisbee. However, these individuals are not just out there to casually play catch; most are a part of Trinity’s emerging ultimate frisbee program.

On both the men and women’s side, there are over 50 students who have joined the ultimate teams, many of whom are underclassmen.

The men’s team, Turbulence, and the newly formed women’s side, Altitude, have both begun their fall seasons in preparation for national competition in the spring.

“I’m excited to have such a young team this year, commented senior captain Ricky Legg. “This year is all about building a strong foundation for our program.”

The men’s team recently competed in a tournament in Austin where they faced UT, Baylor, UTSA and other notable Texas teams.

“Even though we didn’t qualify for the final round, we still put up a solid fight against UT’s varsity squad, a team that is competitive on the national level,” Legg said.

The men’s team has a roster of 25 this fall, but there is always room for newcomers.

In fact, the vast majority of this year’s team are first years, as there are only 8 upperclassmen on the regular roster.

According to the USA Ultimate rules, there is a max roster of 27 for tournaments such as the upcoming notable Centex tournament in spring that attracts all the top teams from across the country.

On the women’s side, senior Luisa Ruge-Jones discusses the growth of Altitude. Entering their second official season as a team, there already are 25 girls on the roster.

“I’m really excited about our team this year because we have improved personally and collectively,” Ruge-Jones said. “A lot of the new [first years] on the team are really athletic, and everyone has increased their skill level since last year.”

Although the women’s squad recently lost their coach, they continue to heed her advice for practice, formations, and plays via the captains who Skype with her on a weekly basis. On the men’s side, new head coach Kevin Halprin plays locally with the San Antonio Ultimate team, Bexar Necessities.

Like the men’s team, the women compete in numerous tournaments over the fall and into the spring in order to prepare for regionals and nationals in the late spring.

Altitude will travel to Dallas on October 17 and 18 for the Ultimate 101 all-women’s tournament. Rice, UT and UTSA are some of the in-state competitors that Altitude will look to contend with in this and other tournaments.

Both teams are still open to newcomers, and there is also an option to scrimmage on Friday nights at 8 with both teams. These inter-squad competitions are just one of the many ways that Altitude and Turbulence continue to build the Trinity Frisbee program.