Triangle Ultimate: Where goodwill and Spirit fly fast

In the most literal sense, there are no bells or whistles surrounding the Triangle Ultimate Middle School League. Especially no whistles, for this game foregoes formal officiating.

It is on the competing clubs to manage a match’s time, keep score and ensure fair play on their part and their counterparts’ alike.

That is just the way the World Flying Disc Federation, and International Olympic Committee-recognized governing body, intended competitive Ultimate Frisbee to be.

In most sports, a game has three teams — one in a darker uniform, one in a lighter uniform and one in zebra stripes — plus one meaningful scoreboard. Here it is two teams and two scorecards.

Except, this Saturday on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, it will be two dozen teams combining for hundreds of notable score columns.

All 24 members of the region’s Independent School 15-and-under division will engage in a daylong tournament at NCSU’s Lee Field and Miller Field. Each team’s morning slate consists of three pool-play matches, followed by a two-hour break, then an afternoon playoff tripleheader.

As with ordinary regular-season contests, every game will be squeezed into a one-hour window. The action is capped at 50 minutes. But this season-ending marathon is both a reward and a rigorous uptick in pace from a two-and-a-half-month slate that usually has the student-athletes on the pitch one hour per day, three days per week, when you combine practices and games.

“This will be a new challenge for us,” said Luke Rugani, coach of the Durham-based Montessori Community School’s team. “But the kids are always hungry to play and bring a lot of youthful energy to each event.

“A number of our players are active in other sports, so we benefit from that conditioning. Player rotation and a cooler of good snacks will also be a factor in keeping the kids fresh throughout the day.”

The MCS Mustangs are in Pool D of the 15-and-under Open Division III, and will play all three of its morning round-robin games at Miller Field. Morning results will determine the afternoon brackets, with up to three more games on tap for either Miller Field or Lee Field.

Two years ago, the Mustangs topped their division in terms of wins and losses. By comparison, 2017-18 and 2018-19 have constituted a rebuilding phase. But Saturday’s bonanza, Rugani hopes, can cement a springboard.

“The kids have done well representing MCS,” he said, “and their Spirit Score through the regular season speaks to that. We’re all growing and developing this year. I’m proud of the progress the kids have made, and hope they return next year so we can keep building.”
 

Despite the dip in the area of wins and losses, MCS accrued the highest Spirit Score last winter.

Per the WFDF’s website, teams assign each other’s Spirit Scores on a five-part rubric. They determine whether their opponents understood and followed the rules, refrained from intentional physical contact, were fair-minded, demonstrated self-control and positivity and communicated respectfully.

With a scale of zero to four for each criterion, 20 is the maximum tally. Besides defending a sportsmanship-excellence title from 2018, the Mustangs have plenty of precedent from this season for more high marks at Saturday’s tournament.

The round-robin slate features a pair of new opponents in St. Raphael and Roland Grise. But in between, at 10 a.m., MCS will meet the Franciscan School for the third time this season.

When the TFS Timberwolves visited the MCS pitch, which brushes the Chapel Hill town limit, to start each team’s schedule in mid-November, the Mustangs logged a Spirit Score of 16.

MCS returned the visit this past Monday for each team’s penultimate regular-season game. The Mustangs came away with 15 Spirit points.

Of all their matches in 2018-19 with a Spirit Score on record, they have consistently broken double digits. But the Timberwolves have bestowed their two highest marks to date.

Around here, familiarity may breed contempt between sets of Blue Devils and Tar Heels. But in this case, it spawns expectations of exciting competition and substantial sportsmanship marks.

“Triangle Ultimate is very committed to fostering a great community of Ultimate players,” said Rugani, “and I think that will be more apparent when playing among 23 other middle school teams.

“I hope their appetite for the sport grows - they’ll have many opportunities to play through high school and beyond. Tournaments can be demanding, but I’ve seen many teams evolve during or after a tournament. They get to see what they’re truly capable of and how much potential they have.

“I hope they’re inspired to reach that potential, either during the tournament or in the years to come. Most of all, I want them to have fun this weekend.”