Competing in a national tournament usually means the athlete or team has not only performed well, but practiced well.
Fever Ultimate, Ohio State’s women’s Ultimate team, will be playing in the national USA Ultimate College Championships starting today, in Boulder, Colo. However, this team has practiced on a field that might not be expected out of a national contender.
The team has been practicing since last September, but had to move from their normal grass field by Lincoln Tower to Tuttle Park in the spring. The move was due to confusion about reservations with the OSU Sport Club.
Emily Howard, director of marketing and creative services for Ohio State Recreational Sports, did not immediately respond to phone calls.
Head coach DeAnna Ball said practices at Tuttle Park included long grass, occasional mud patches and wheat.
“It was a little frustrating in the beginning, but that was mostly because we were uncertain of where we were going to play,” Ball said.
The biggest advantage to practicing at Tuttle Park is that the team can practice in the rain. At the Lincoln Tower fields, the team would have been kicked off the field due to bad weather, Ball said.
Some of the returning players who have practiced by Lincoln Tower had mixed feelings about practicing at Tuttle Park.
Cassie Swafford, co-captain and a second-year in zoology, said it can be a pain at Tuttle Park, where the team even practiced in the snow, but it wasn’t a big deal.
And Lauren Doyle, a fourth-year in architecture, said it can be very hard to practice in mud.
Ball said the change wasn’t significant, other than the fact that field conditions were worse.
“I think they just mowed the grass for the first time this spring last week,” Ball said.
