As Grinnell College’s ultimate frisbee open team, the Grinnellephants, toss their way into the ring of national champion hopefuls, they bring with them their camaraderie and close-knit community.
This year, the team consists of two squads that players can choose between — the travel squad and the campus squad. The travel squad attends competitions, while the campus squad players instead opt for a less intensive experience while still attending practices.
Captains Duncan Lambert `25, Solomon Golden `24, and Will Norry `25 agreed that their primary goal this season is to maintain a sense of unity on each respective team, with the competitive squad aiming to make it to nationals.
The team has gone to nationals for the past 2 seasons and earned 10th place both times. Their last run at nationals in the 2023 season was also their first season with their coaches.
The captains noted that each year the team grows more competitive and balanced — the Grinnellephants finished their 2023 season with a 17-9 record and are currently ranked 16th in their division. They were also ranked a top 10 College Division III (D-III) team within the Men’s Division of USA Ultimate for most of the 2023 season, and Norry was also named a member of the D-III Men’s All-American Second Team. Despite competing in the men’s division, all are welcome to join the team regardless of gender identity.
Golden described the team in 2022 regionals as “the dark horse.” No one expected the Grinnellephants to make it that year, but they placed second in their pool, right behind St. Olaf College, securing them a place in nationals. He said he hopes they can maintain their streak this year.
If Norry had to describe the team in two words, he said he would choose “goofy and nerdy.” He said, “Goofy, nerdy and sometimes competitive could sum up 98 percent of the team.” With a chuckle, Golden added, “I’d consider the team to be pretty… open.”
Lambert chimed in, highlighting the advantages of having such a large community through frisbee. He said, “We’re kind of a well-spread group into every other club and aspect of the school. So, you kind of have a person everywhere who has permeated the routes of this campus.”
Chris Stuckart `24, a member of the team, said he has also felt this deep sense of community amongst his fellow Grinnellephants. Stuckart has been a member of the team for the three years he has been on campus.
“This is the best part of college for me,” he said. “Just being a part of the team, and I think it’s the organization that made me feel the greatest sense of belonging. It’s always been where I feel I belong the most.”
Stuckart said he feels the team is shifting towards a more strategy-based approach this semester.
“Our main goal this season is giving structure for people to individually group themselves and get better at different aspects of the game,” he said
Ben Shulman `26, president of the team, echoed Stuckart’s sentiments about the community the team has worked hard to build.
“The goal is always to be lifting each other up, especially when we’re playing at a more intense level,” he said. “At different points in my Grinnellephants career, I’d say I’ve played a role in building that culture.”
In his role as president, he said he is tasked not only with being a positive mentor for players but also handling more tedious behind-the-scenes action, which he said involves “lots of paperwork.” Right now, Shulman is in the process of ordering jerseys from Malaysia for everyone.
On a personal level, Shulman said he is focusing on conditioning this season.
“I want to be able to run forever,” he said. “Then I would say consistency on medium to longer-range throws is something I’m striving for.”
Josh Emrys Payong `27 found his place on campus quickly as a first year –– to him, the Grinnellephants are family. “I feel very much that this is my group. Out of all the communities I am involved with on campus, this is by far the most welcoming one,” he said.
Payong had never played frisbee before coming to Grinnell, but he quickly found that the team’s culture made everyone feel comfortable, regardless of skill level. He said, “I think that not being an ‘official team’ helps in the no-pressure environment that we foster in that we understand that all our members are students first and players second.”
“Your value on the team is not dependent on your value as a player, but rather how you keep the morale, and how you meld with the other players socially,” he added.
The open team hosts practices every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on MacEachron Field.
The first 15 to 20 minutes of practice are spent tossing, warming up and running. The team then moves into their first group activity that involves a skill the captains decide the team should work on before moving into more general skill development activities. For the last hour before sundown, players run scrimmages and try to apply what they learned in the first hour.
This past weekend, the travel squad attended the Midwest Throwdown tournament in St. Louis, Mo. On Saturday, April 6, teams from across the Midwest are headed to Grinnell to scrimmage the Grinnellephants.
