Bobcats Prep for Another Undefeated Season

By Micheal Campagna

After a successful 2015 season, Georgia College’s club ultimate Frisbee team is looking to advance its program even further in the upcoming spring season.

Last year, the team started off strong, winning most of their regular season games and advancing to the national tournament. The team fell just short of the national title, losing a close game in the quarterfinals.

“We as a team have a unified goal this season,” said team president Alex Kelly, “And that is vtomake it to nationals and get first place.”

Bouncing back from last year’s loss, this year’s team, led by senior captains, Caleb Shorthouse and Josh Bush, are working hard to ensure a spot at nationals.

With several new players and a more experienced lineup, the team is confident that it can beat the competition it faced last season.

“We’re going to win nationals this year,” Shorthouse said. “We’ve gone up two spots every year. Freshman year was ninth, the year after that was sixth or seventh, last time was fifth.”

For the captains this year is their last chance to make a strong showing at nationals. In the past few months, the team has been practicing regularly, preparing for last week’s tournament and the rest of the season. Instead of focusing their attention on their competitors, the team is looking to better themselves first.

“We have a saying on our team, that is ‘all about us’, we don’t care who our opponent is,” Kelly said. “All that matters is how we play as a team and how we respond.”

The team started off the year strong, hosting their annual spring tournament last weekend. Competing against five different teams, GC won every game and placed first in the tournament. The team beat Berry College, Georgia Southern, University of North Georgia and several other teams in a successful kickoff to the new year.

The team has grown with each season, adding strong freshman players and advancing the scope of the Frisbee program. Within the next few years, the team hopes to extend the outreach of its program to the high school level.

“In the future we want to start doing something like reaching out to high schools and doing a clinic for them,” Bush said. “And hopefully, that will make some kids…want to head towards Georgia College.”

Apart from the program itself, Shorthouse and Bush give the Frisbee community credit for the many friendships they have made in the past four years – friendships that extend beyond team rivalries.

“I would say [my favorite part is] the family aspect of it,” Bush said. “Once everyone becomes a part of it, we all join a family.”