This morning the men's and women's ultimate frisbee clubs hosted an alumni tournament on the IM fields. The tournament was one of the main events for their alumni weekend. The clubs usually reconnect with their alumni separately, but decided to try a joint venture this year as both a bonding opportunity and fundraiser for the two clubs.
 
The current and alumni players were mixed and separated into four coed teams upon arrival. The teams played in a round-robin format. Unfortunately, the alumni tournament had to compete with a large beach ultimate tournament in Santa Monica, so lacking subs, the games to 11 were played 5 on 5, usually with 4 men and 1 woman on a line. For the final game, the four teams were reorganized into two, alumni vs. current players. The alumni team won.
 
Throughout the morning and early afternoon, the sidelines were filled with good-hearted heckling and cheerful conversations between old friends, catching each other up on life happenings.
 
Among some of the rookies who came out, freshman and women's ultimate rookie, Sonia Lele, said, "I was surprised by how interested some of the alumni were in us and what we're doing. Also I think the fact that they came just to play with us says a lot about the program and how much of a family it is."
 
Fellow freshman and rookie, Mo Henn, agreed saying, "The alumni tournament was great because I got to see how the friendships people form through club ultimate last beyond your years at UCLA. It was an exciting way to spend the day playing hard, getting to know the people who already went through the program and learning about where they are now."

Another rookie, freshman Erin Doyle, said her favorite part was seeing Alex Korb, the women's head coach, play with so many people younger than him. He schooled them all.

The weekend will hopefully serve as a helpful fundraiser to the clubs as they begin their main seasons next quarter, but most importantly, it is a fun way to keep in touch with past players and continue growing the programs and support behind them.

Thanks so much for coming, ultimate alumni!