Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

UCLA Club Sports

Bruin Spotlight: Bryson Levisay
Men's Club Ultimate Frisbee Player Bryson Levisay Hucking a Disc to a Teammate

Bruin Spotlight: Bryson Levisay

BY VINNY LAVALSITI

2,200 miles and a 32-hour long drive.
 
That's what separates Ultimate Frisbee handler Bryson Levisay from his home in Atlanta, Georgia and his living quarters in Westwood.
 
A contingent between the two places? Levisay's love for ultimate frisbee and the family that the sport has created.
 
Levisay, a third-year sociology major, said finding an ultimate community was of utmost importance when he first stepped onto Bruin Walk.
 
"It was the first thing I sought out here," Levisay said. "It's one of the best things about UCLA. I didn't come here solely for the program, but I definitely knew wherever I landed I wanted play."
 
Levisay was appropriately nicknamed "Phoenix", the city emblem of Atlanta, by his teammates and coaches – a rite of passage for new members of club ultimate and one that made Levisay feel at home.
 
In Georgia, there is an uncanny ultimate frisbee presence. Ultimate is commonplace in high schools throughout the state and there are clubs that boast more than 2,000 members.
 
"I had a couple friends who played ultimate and I got super hooked," Levisay said. "There was this whole community I had no idea about that I got launched into."
 
Levisay would describe the ultimate community as one full of quirks, quirks that embraced his arrival to UCLA.
 
"Frisbee guys have a reputation for being really weird across the board, and it's definitely true here," Levisay said. "One of my primary friend groups is all frisbee guys."
 
3989
Men's Ultimate Frisbee Team Photo

The ultimate team is always having socials and parties to build a bond that carries into cohesion on the field.
 
That cohesion starts with Levisay. The handler is the field general. The quarterback of ultimate frisbee if you will. The handler is responsible for distributing the disc to other players in an efficient manner.
 
"I try to have an almost perfect completion rate," Levisay said. "I try to make the smart choices, keep possession, and not be super risky. There's a tendency for guys to play hero ball and do everything themselves. I try really hard to not do that and do what's best for the people around."
 
Levisay's impact on the field is noteworthy, but what Phoenix brings in a mentor role serves ultimate in much more profound ways.
 
Club President and cutter Paul "Encore" Ramstad said Levisay's use as a resource for training and teaching younger talent is incalculable in magnitude. Levisay's knowledge of field-presence and disc throwing has helped significantly.
 
"(Bryson's assistance to younger players is) hugely important. In particular, as somebody who has great throws, having him be able to help the younger players is huge," Ramstad said. "There is a game sense of where you should be, when you should be cutting, so being able to share that wisdom with the younger players is going to be really helpful."
 
The men's ultimate team is coming off a tournament win at UC San Diego in which they bested USC in the final 12-11 – a step toward the ultimate goal (both literally and figuratively) to reaching the Nationals Tournament for the first time in Spring.
 
In the meantime, UCLA will prepare with four winter tournaments next quarter – a reasonable amount of time for students to attribute to non-scholarly activities. But Levisay would not want in any other way.
 
"We spend so much time together, so the connection that I've gained from guys on the team is so awesome," Levisay said. "It anchors my schedule here. I always have ultimate, and it's always really fun, and the guys are always really supportive and awesome."
 
Levisay said ultimate provides a consistency that is comforting when studies can be hectic from time-to-time.
 
Ultimate frisbee is a fairly new sport and was brought to UCLA in 1996. Due to its fresh origins, the game is very conscious of being inclusive and creating a community that's about the people.
 
Be like Bryson. Join club ultimate to find a niche of your own while reaping the benefits of physical activity. This is the story of a Bruin in club sports.
Print Friendly Version

Related Headlines