The UA's Scorch ultimate Frisbee team has proven that it is a force to be reckoned with.
After the group officially tossed its first disc in the fall of 2000, it won a bid to nationals in only its second year.
This past weekend at the Santa Barbara Invitational in Santa Barbara, Calif., the women played 4-3, winning the B division tournament and securing a ninth place finish overall.
Despite the competitive nature of the game, the veteran members of the Scorch maintain that winning is not the most important reason they play.
Instead, they say "the spirit of the game" is what keeps them coming back to play ultimate Frisbee year after year.
"The spirit of the game," a phrase used mostly by hardened Frisbee gurus, reflects the sport's creation three decades ago as an alternative to competitive sports and allows teams like the Scorch to play ultimate just for the fun of it.
Scorch treasurer Joelle Sarlls, a biomedical engineering graduate student, said ultimate games often have no referee. She said the spirit of the game allows the players to judge their own plays.
Sarlls said it is not uncommon to see players call a foul on themselves.
"You're supposed to be honest with your calls," she said.
And while team members acknowledge that proving themselves as a top-notch team is quite an accomplishment, the girls say their achievements have been a by-product of hard work and commitment.
"We have two mandatory practices plus added fitness workouts," said Scorch president and team captain Esther Kim.
"We don't want to force anyone," said Kim, a speech and hearing sciences
graduate student, "but it's in everyone's best interest to be in shape."
Despite an intense workout schedule and the time each student commits to the sport, the women say the team functions as a close-knit community that only loses teammates to graduation.
"This year, there were only five players that returned," Sarlls said. "But that's just because everyone else graduated."
Team member Becka Alper, a sociology senior, agreed.
"I like ultimate because of the spirit of the game, and it's different than other sports -and I've played a lot of sports," she said.
Alper added that the Scorch's ability to hold its own in competition and have a good time sets the team apart from the others and is becoming increasingly rare among many college-level teams.
Florencia Chialvo, a women's studies graduate student, added that many teams forget about "the spirit of the game."
"You look at the other big teams, and they're no longer about just playing," Chialvo said.
She added that the girls always make sure to remember to have fun and even go as far as to cheer for other teams.
Those who have watched the Scorch grow from a group with a few players and little experience into a skilled and talented group said that they are always looking for new people to get involved.
"We're still trying to make sure we have a team," Sarlls said. "We are always looking for new people to come out."
Students interested in joining the women's Scorch or men's Sunburn ultimate Frisbee team can contact Esther Kim at eskim@email.arizona.edu or Joelle Sarlls at jsarlls@email.arizona.edu.