Women’s ultimate frisbee club aims to conquer regionals

Cold Smoke, the women’s club ultimate frisbee team, is looking to build on its most successful season yet. The team’s 2022 season culminated in a chance to represent MSU in the regional tournament out of the Big Sky Region, and has led to even loftier goals for this season.

Following a period of masked practices, wearing gloves to not contaminate the frisbee and no tournament play, all of which was made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic, their current season is pushing ahead. 

Founded in 2014 under the name ‘Booty Chest’, the club has provided an opportunity for women and non-binary players to form a community and compete with other schools in the United States Ultimate Women’s Collegiate Series, a Division 1 competition.  

With their sights set on the upcoming season, senior Alison Kidd, a handler for the team,  said, “Last year we made it to regionals,” said Alison Kidd, a handler for the team. “Now we want to get there and beat somebody.”  

This sentiment was echoed by Co-President Chloe Silbernagel, a junior handler and cutter for the team. 

A handler is responsible for throwing the frisbee downfield, while cutters attempt to catch the frisbee in the end zone to score points.

The team seems poised to reach its goal — and they showed it at the first tournament of the 2023 season, the Big Sky Brawl. They went undefeated in four placement games before the remainder of the tournament was canceled due to snow.

Silbernagel said recruiting more people to the club is a long term goal. Junior Anna Chagnon, a cutter for the team, said, “I had never played ultimate before, but I heard about it from a friend and started coming to practices.” 

According to Silbernagel, students with no experience in ultimate frisbee make up approximately 75 percent of the club.

An important component of the success the team has found on the field has been the close friendships formed off of it.  “Everyone keeps the energy good,” Kidd said. “Ultimate is a self-officiated sport, so there is a different level of respect involved. It's part of the spirit of the game.”

Silbernagel reiterated this point, saying that the group can often be found bonding outside of practices.  This includes team hikes at Hyalite, sitting around the fire together and even spending time with the University of Montana women’s ultimate club team at tournaments.

“Ultimate is the perfect community to learn, and it is a very welcoming community,” Silbernagel said. 

If you want to learn more about the team, they can be reached at womensultimatemsu@gmail.com or found on Instagram, @coldsmokeulti.