CA Ultimate Team Achieves Personal Best

After earning a 6-5 regular-season record, Colorado Academy’s Co-Ed Ultimate Frisbee team entered the top competitive bracket of the November 12-13, 2016 State Championship Tournament as the #9 seed. After competing in six games over two days, and defeating both Littleton and Monarch High Schools, CA placed seventh, the highest finish ever for a CA Co-Ed Ultimate Team. They competed against 27 teams; besides the teams above, they included Columbine HS, D’Evelyn, Golden HS, CIVA, JeffCO Open, Littleton HS, Heritage HS, Broomfield HS, and DSST.

 

Additionally, CA placed second among all teams in the Spirit Award competition. This award recognizes a team’s sportsmanship and level of competitiveness, and is determined by opposing team players ranking each team against which they compete.

 

Unlike sports that compete under the auspices of the Colorado High School Activities Association, where divisions are based on school size, Ultimate does not. Thus, CA was competing this year against state contenders that included Cherry Creek, East, Arapahoe, Lakewood, Fairview, Monarch, Littleton, and Boulder high schools, each with student populations ranging from 1,600 to 3,500.

 

This season, the CA coaches challenged each athlete to “be the best teammate he or she could be every day.” They learned this meant an individual commitment to improving one’s own skills and also understanding, appreciating and respecting each other. Led by captains Jake Dietrich, Harper Ellsworth, Claire Wright and Colin Zenge, the camaraderie was evident at daily practices and during each game. Six of the seven girls on the team are seniors, and through their leadership of 13 freshmen and sophomores, the character of the team improved throughout the season, translating directly into success on the field.

 

While all teams stress teamwork, in a co-ed sport, the importance of creating a team bond is even more vital.

 

The coaches are immensely proud of the team and their accomplishments this season, knowing that the seniors have paved a bright future for CA Ultimate.