The air was hot as the morning sun rose over the beautiful Costa Mesa field. A motley crew of UCLA ultimate players had mustered up the courage to play in one of the toughest tournaments of the year, Nairobi Classic. The reason this tournament is so tough is not the challengers (as strong as they may be), but the timing: this one day tournament was the day after rookies got their frisbee names!
Frisbee names are a tradition that date back to the oldest records of humankind. Often not seen in cave paintings are the flying discs above the animals heads. Frisbee names were used as a way to identify people, similar to how a human name works today. These names can range from Asiago to McQueen to Calamity, but no matter how silly or serious, these names become the basis of how we all know and interact with each other. So the first tournament with frisbee names for our rookies is always a beautiful experience.
UCLA Ultimate strives to keep the time honored tradition of frisbee names alive, and watching rookies adjust to their new names is always a treat. Chewing on it, and turning it over in their mind, trying to understand if they are a self-driving car at their core. Eventually though they are understood as they are: a bond that ties every player on Blidas together, a name that belongs only to this community.
Aarthi "Temper" Raghavan, a rookie, was all smiles at Nairobi Classic. The following day at practice, she was so excited to be on the field again after barely over 24 hours away. She says about frisbee names, "I really like the concept behind frisbee names— I think it's a great way to make teams more close-knit. I love mine too, it's something that feels personal and heartfelt."
And looking back on the final Blidas tournament of the quarter, it is wonderful to recognize the amazing people who make the space of Womxn's Ultimate at UCLA one of the best spaces to be. Two lovely captains, Juno and Papaya, were a part of the team who made it out to the tournament, as well as president, Cascade. Their leadership steers us into another great season as we split off for winter and spring. Another shout-out to our coach for making it out, Rune, a Blu alumni herself who pushes us to be the best on and off the field.
