ADA PACHUCINSKI
Special to The Leader
Photo provided by JACOB PACHUCINSKI.
Ultimate frisbee is a sport involving a frisbee disc that is thrown across a field around the size of a football field. The goal of this game is to reach the end zone of the opposing team, scoring as many points as possible.
Fredonia’s Ultimate Frisbee Club was founded in October 2004, and has continued to grow its club members over the years. This Spring Break, the club team, the “Terrifying Turtles,” decided to drive to Myrtle Beach for a team trip, which then led them to Philadelphia, P.A. for a tournament.
A new rookie of the club, junior applied mathematics major Jakob Pachucinski said that the trip was an experience that brought the team closer together as friends.
“Once we got to Myrtle Beach the vibe was totally different. Each day we felt more and more like a family — you could really tell it was something special,” he said. “Everyone was welcoming, and it was impossible to feel left out in an environment like that.”
Pachucinski added that going into the trip, he felt anxious, since he was a new addition to the team and did not know the club members that well. After the trip had ended, he felt a shift in attitude with everyone, as if a weight had been lifted and the team was finally united as one.
A memory the entire team will remember was the lunch served each day.
“Lunch everyday in Myrtle Beach was pasta, sauce and ground meat,” Pachucinski said. “Each car that drove down had an assigned day and was in charge of making six pounds of pasta before the day’s practice.”
After playing in South Carolina, the team had to drive across the states to Philadelphia, P.A. where they would play multiple Division I colleges. The club members felt that the match-ups were tough, but they continued to keep their heads up, and never truly gave up on themselves. These games were great competition and practice for the colleges they will be playing against in the upcoming weeks.
The team’s Spring Break was filled with lasting memories, from carpool karaoke to late-night card games.
Brandon Jeanotte, a senior communications major, has been on this team for four years, and captain for two of those years. He added that his favorite part of the vacation was being able to see the bonds forming between everyone.
“Groups that did not interact were now sharing rooms together and even the quieter people on the team became more open to talking,” said Jeanotte.
Jeanotte said that he had always loved ultimate frisbee, and four years ago when he was a freshman, he immediately signed up for the team at Fredonia. From the start, Jeanotte experienced a welcoming group that shortly became his family, and he continues to keep that family growing today as one of the captains.
Senior Seth Porter is dual majoring in history and political science and is a first year captain for the team he has been on for two years. Porter brings leadership to the club members, and said that his favorite memory has been watching everyone grow as players.
The captains shared they want everyone to feel welcome and understand that the practices held are meant to be fun and for anyone to join in. Practices for the ultimate frisbee team are currently held Thursdays 7 to 9 p.m. The teams that are faced regularly in tournaments are Geneseo, Cortland, Brockport, and even some Division I rivals, such as University of Pittsburgh and The Ohio State University.
If you are interested in becoming a Terrifying Turtle, feel free to reach out to them on the Twitter page @fredoinault.
Ada Pachucinski, the author of this article, is related to Jakob Pachucinski, a player interviewed in this story.