More than just throwing a frisbee

While many believe that throwing a frisbee around is all fun and games, the Oregon State men's ultimate frisbee team would have to disagree.

There is more to the sport of ultimate frisbee than just tossing the disc around on a sunny day.

The sport consists of cuts, plays and quick decision-making, all of which come together to make a fast-paced game.

"When people hear the word ‘frisbee,' most people just think about throwing a frisbee on the beach with their dog, but it is so much more than that," said Greg Meshnik, a member of the team.

The club consists of about 50 members, with 18 of them participating on the traveling team.

They meet Monday, Wednesday and Friday for practice. They also have workouts outside of practice times.

"We have a lot of fun, but we also have a certain amount of commitment we expect from our members," Meshnik said.

With this club, the time commitment ranges from 12 to 15 hours a week.

Besides the time commitment, anyone can join the ultimate frisbee team. Whether you've been playing for years or you've never thrown a frisbee before, the team would welcome you.

"This is a great sport for those people who played varsity sports in high school and still want that thrill of competition," Meshnik said.

They also have around three tournaments per term, with their peak coming at the beginning of spring term. This is when they compete to go to regionals and then nationals.

The team goes to regionals nearly every year, but has never advanced to nationals.

Last year, they placed fifth in regionals, just one place short of qualifying for nationals.

"Our goal this year is to make it to nationals, especially after this last weekend. We have high hopes," said Zac Hervey, a senior on the team.

Last weekend, OSU placed second in a tournament they hosted, losing the final to the University of Oregon team.

Drew Larson was responsible for helping make the tournament happen. He is a third-year member of the team and one of the officers. Larson's efforts brought 12 men's teams and eight women's teams together.

The tournament was held at Student Legacy Park, and OSU was hoping to protect its home turf.

After playing five games, they competed against Oregon, but just couldn't pull out a win.

"We played a really tough game against University of Victoria right before the final game, and it really wiped us out," said Zane Michael Rogers, a player for OSU.

Oregon is usually ranked in the top 10 in the nation as a team.

"Going into this weekend, I had really low expectations, but we played extremely well," Hervey said. "Our new guys made really good choices and I was really proud."

After this weekend, the team realized they have the potential to go far this year.

"I was really happy with how the team played, and we had our foot on the gas pedal the entire time," Rogers said. "It was a lot of fun, and it's great to be a part of that team."

The team prides itself on how close they are on and off the field. With so much time spent together during practice, they have been able to form bonds with one another.

"It is honestly like a family, not just between our team, but between all the teams we play against," said player Andy Jung. "We've formed a lot of connections and it's a great way to meet new people."

Caitie Karcher, sports writer

sports@dailybarometer.com