Ultimate Frisbee: Pitt Ultimate program producing pros

Aaron Watson, a captain of the University of Pittsburgh Ultimate Frisbee club, wants to make one thing clear about the sport he plays. 

“We’re not just a bunch of hippies playing in the park,” Watson said.

If you look at his resumé and the team’s accomplishments, it’s clear that Ultimate isn’t just a hobby. After all, Watson is a collegiate national champion in his sport, and in 2014, he, along with four other members of Pitt’s team, will turn pro.

The origins of professional Ultimate don’t date back very far. The first-ever professional league — the American Ultimate Disc League — was founded in 2010, with its inaugural season occurring in 2012. But after winning the first ever AUDL Championship in 2012, the Philadelphia Spinners determined they weren’t satisfied with the league. 

Jeff Snader, the Spinners general manager during their championship run, played an instrumental role in the formation of Major League Ultimate. The Spinners moved to the upstart league in 2013, providing some credence to their establishment as a thriving organization.

After failing to win the inaugural championship in the league it played such a large role in creating, Philadelphia and its new general manager Jackie Freedman decided to scour elite college clubs as a source of talent. With the help of a returning player, Freedman’s attention moved toward the University of Pittsburgh.

This offseason, she signed five current Panthers to professional contracts for the Spinners, bringing in Watson, Patrick Earles, James Marcus Ranii-Dropcho and Max Thorne and resigning Trent Dillon, who played for the Spinners in 2012 before taking a year off in 2013. Current Pitt freshman Jonah Wisch has also been on the Philadelphia team since his senior year of high school.

Dillon, whose high school club team was critical in the formation of the Spinners and the AUDL, played a large role in bringing in some of his teammates. When Freedman approached him about signing his fellow Panthers, he responded enthusiastically.

“I know these guys,” said Dillon, a junior from outside Philadelphia. “There’s something to be said about playing with new people, but playing with people that you’re friends with is the most fun.”

Playing with familiar faces was a big selling point for some of the new signees as well. 

Junior Max Thorne, the last Panther to sign with Philadelphia, said, “I don’t know if I would have done it without that influence [of them signing].”

Wisch, from Glenside, Pa., — less than 10 miles from the Spinners’ Colonial Stadium at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School — is also excited to play with his fellow Panthers.

“Playing pro last year, there was only one practice a week, so we were more spread out,” he said. “At Pitt we’re always running and practicing together. It’s going to be great to have some guys I’m so close with.”

Unlike most other professional sports leagues, though, the MLU allows athletes to participate while still attending college. The majority of players in the league are either seniors in high school or college students and are able to play professionally while studying because the majority of the season comes after the spring term.

Ranii-Dropcho said the team understands the situation.

“[The Spinners] really work around our schedules,” said Ranii-Dropcho, who will graduate from Pitt this year. “They’re very flexible.”

That flexibility is not lost on the signees. The Spinners allow the Pitt players who are going pro to miss a handful of MLU games that overlap with postseason play for the Pitt club team. For Earles, this was more than just a gesture.

He said that allowing them to miss some games was “huge.”

“They understood that at that point in the year, Pitt Ultimate was more important,” said Earles, a junior from North Hills. “I really appreciated it.”

None of the players are necessarily sure about how long they will be able to continue playing professionally. Professional Ultimate is so new that there isn’t much stability in its infrastructure. 

But the passion for the sport seems to burn for these players regardless.

Wisch can’t predict how long he’ll have the chance to play, but he knows he doesn’t have to look far for inspiration.

“There’s a player on the Spinners right now that’s in his forties,” Wisch said of Terry Katzenbach, who plays the cutter position on offense. “Whatever age he retires at, my goal is to outlast that.”