BY DANIEL KIM
STAFF WRITER
On a frosty Saturday morning, as ice covered the field and snow flurries froze the air, Franciscan FATAL competed fervently in its last tournament for the fall season at Cincinnati.
FATAL had a high hope for the tournament. Even since the beginning of the semester, the team has been accumulating experience and practice time. As a result, they have been performing very well beyond anyone’s expectation.
So far, the Franciscan ultimate Frisbee team has participated in tournaments in Buffalo and Oberlin and has produced excellent results both times. At Buffalo, FATAL took second place. At Oberlin, they claimed the title of collegial champion.
FATAL, however, faced a rough challenge when they arrived in Cincinnati tournament. The weather condition on Saturday was as bad as it could get with near freezing temperatures and high wind.
“It would be interesting but definitely not easy,” said Michael Bissonnette, a former FATAL teammate who graduated last year.
Because wind has a big impact on how a sport like ultimate Frisbee is played, the performance of FATAL rested on how they would confront this challenge through adaptation and modification of strategy.
FATAL dominated their games up until they faced the Wright State/ Dayton team. In an evenly matched game, score difference was one or two points at all time. After a two hour game, FATAL lost by a score of 13-15.
Putting their defeat behind them, Franciscan ultimate Frisbee team instead remembered God by thanking him for the opportunity and asking him for strength in the face of disappointment.
Weather conditions improved on Sunday. By overcoming Louisville team, FATAL advanced to the semi-final where they once again came face to face with Wright State/ Dayton. With confidence burning in its heart, FATAL played and pulled out a convincing win.
FATAL concluded the tournament by coming in at the second place, losing to the host team, Xavier Alumni.
“A key thing is,” said Tommy Koch, the captain of the team, “that we are building chemistry among teammates. … FATAL is outstanding in that we encourage each other to be better.”
And thus, the fall season of Franciscan ultimate Frisbee team is concluded with exceptional marks. FATAL has emerged as a team with rich talent and potential that are fine-tuned, thriving for victory as they look forward to their spring season when they hope to advance all the way up to the nationals.
Charlie Amrein, a freshman who joined FATAL this year, said, “We play to win. We try our best. However we always remember who we are glorifying, who we are offering this to. So even when we lose, I think, that’s how we are able to stand back up because of Him.”