Ultimate Frisbee off To Strong Start to the Season: SLU Ultimate Frisbee Competed Well at the 2024 Head of the Pig Tournament at Clarkson

The tournament at Clarkson’s outdoor fields not only brought the various ultimate teams of Clarkson, but also universities in the larger NY area such as SUNY Albany, SUNY Geneseo, and their alumni teams. Many of these traveling teams camp on the same field as the tournament to avoid costs of housing and create a fun, laid-back atmosphere for the entire weekend.  

SLU’s Ruckus Bus won three of the games they played over the two-day tournament. The team played a total of five games: four on Saturday and one on Sunday. After the first two wins of the day against Suny Albany and the Clarkson first-year team, Blowdive, the team was feeling good. Their third game on Saturday was against the Clarkson Alumni team, which proved to be a challenge as playing any Clarkson team puts pressure on the game. The team lost the game but ended the day with another win against the SUNY Geneseo Alumni team. The second day of the tournament only brought one more game for the Ruckus Bus. They played with Clarkson Alumni again, ending the tournament with a loss, but nothing to discourage them from continuing the season as planned. 

While the team had a great start to the season, there were some difficulties in getting the entire team there as the tournament took place the same week as SLU’s Laurentian Weekend, the joint alumni and parent gathering. “It pretty much prevented all the freshman from coming,” said Emmons Whited ’27, captain of the Ruckus Bus. The team typically gets large numbers from incoming first-years, so it was a challenge having the tournament on the same weekend when first-year students’ family members might be visiting. Luckily, the team was able to get enough people, including five alumni of SLU’s Ruckus Bus who were able to return to the team for the weekend.  
“The alumni are a super fun group of people, and we are glad they could come back to play with the bus,” said Ellie Strade ’27, vice president of the Ruckus Bus.  

Overall, the team is happy with the outcome of this year’s tournament. “We played similarly to last year, which was a good thing, because I thought last year was also a strong start to the season,” said Whited. 

The team practices Monday through Thursday on the Quad from 4:30 to 6, and anyone to welcome to play no matter the experience level. So, if you want to be a member of a fun and successful team, join SLU Ultimate.