A bead of sweat rolls down Mattie Cox’s forehead as the wind whips her hair back. The sun’s glare in her eye blinds her, and she throws the disc across the field. She can hear the cheers and holler of her teammates as the disc glides through the air and is caught in the endzone.

The girls varsity ultimate disc team used to be a club. Starting in 2012, guidance counselor Clifton Jones and a group of students advocated for it to become a school sport. Now, every spring after school, girls and non-binary students meet to practice and spend time together as a team.

In the off-season leading up to the spring, sophomore captains Mattie Cox and Natalie Price took the initiative to organize preseason workouts and play pickup ultimate. Cox said the captains are trying different strategies to improve the team, from small things like getting team jerseys for the first time to bigger goals like strengthening bonds within the team.

“We’re trying to make the team more organized. For example, [we are] teaching people the real spirit of the game this year,” Cox said.

Jones said that while he’s coached many different sports at the high school like lacrosse, none compare to disc and the level of fun the team has together.

“It’s very different from a traditional sport. It’s more supportive. It’s more of a community,” Jones said.

Jones said that a key part of ultimate disc is that it provides a safe space and outlet to anybody, no matter who they are.

“It’s a place for kids who don’t consider themselves athletes. There’s a level for you. If you want to be ultra competitive, you can. If you just want to go to chill and get in shape for the summer, you can. I will meet you where you’re at,” Jones said.

Cox said that this year they are really trying to teach new players how to play since last year, new players did not exactly have that opportunity.

As a captain, Cox is hoping to have an impact on the team, as her captains in the past have had on her.

“Captains really build the team, set the mood and goals for the team in general. It impacts how everyone’s going to be connected to how everyone interacts with each other,” Cox said.

Cox said the captain role can be a lot of pressure but to ease the anxiety, she reminds herself that ultimate disc at the high school has never been too competitive.

“We can only go up from here, basically. So that’s nice to ease my way into being a captain that way,” Cox said.

According to Price, ultimate disc is a unique sport because there are no refs so there is a greater sense of trust needed within the teams playing against each other to play the game fairly.

“It’s a very competitive sport, but one thing that’s really important is the spirit of the game and how you respect the other team,” Price said. “You’re just having a good time playing, but that doesn’t take away from the competitiveness of playing.”

Now that he’s coached ultimate disc, Jones has said it’s opened up a whole new world for him.

“So my advice would be; try something different,” Jones said. “Something that you may not think is your thing, and you might surprise yourself.”