If you play Ultimate, you've probably noticed a tattoo or two that has made you look twice. You suspect there's a story behind the ink, one that may inspirational, tragic, or downright hilarious — like the infamous player who had a rat in a chicken costume tattooed on his butt after losing 1 in 10 odds. Liz Clark, an Ultimate player and biologist based in Connecticut, felt compelled to search out and share these stories, and that's how Ultimate Ink was born. Check out Ultimate Ink on Instagram  and consider supporting the Ultimate Ink project with a donation through Greenbackr.

Savage: Tell us about yourself.

Liz Clark: I started playing ultimate in high school in Pittsburgh and was on USA U-19 in 2008. I played in college in North Carolina and now I live in Connecticut. I’ve been on a number of mixed and womxns club teams over the years, and I currently play for Metro North. I’m also a biologist! I build 3D digital models to figure out how different structures in animals and plants function. My specialty is on illuminating the biomechanics of unusual strategies for movement and locomotion found in nature. I work with engineers in Japan to design robots resilient to damage based on the animals I study.

Savage: Where did the initial idea for Ultimate Ink come from? 

LC: We all love ultimate because of the community, but having to secure a place in a social network based on our athletic ability can be a recipe for isolation and insecurity. I think we can do better to support our friends who are experiencing some kind of upheaval with ultimate, like getting injured, getting cut from a team, moving, taking a break or deciding to retire. I think it’s also important to consider how the things going on in our lives outside ultimate impact who we are on the field. I also wanted to hear more about the experiences of members of typically underrepresented groups in our sport as well.

I started Ultimate Ink to celebrate the connections we share with this sport, and to build a space where we can better support each other in what we’re going through by sharing our personal experiences with one another. Tattoos are incredibly intimate, and they provide a gateway for people to open up about their feelings, their histories and what they’ve experienced with an appealing visual draw.

Savage: Tell us about some of the stories you've heard so far in this project.

LC: One of the first stories we got was from Toby Sznaj who described how her journey with ultimate intersected with her experiences with bipolar disorder. I thought that story was incredibly inspiring, and I think it set a powerful tone for the project. I think the most touching story so far has been from Sean Stasiak, who got a matching tattoo with his best friend and teammate Topher Kazanski who tragically passed away. Alix Robbins’ story is super badass — she describes getting her college program to nationals and making it to the pros while raising a child.

Savage: What about your own tattoos? What are your favorites and what are the stories behind them? 

LC: I have two. I have a sun on my back that was inspired by the design of one of the first discs I ever threw. I remember seeing it at one of my first practices and thinking that I would get it as a tattoo if ultimate ever became important to me. Five years later, when ultimate had become firmly woven into the fabric of my life, I pulled the trigger. I was really competitive at the time, and it served as a reminder to work hard to be my best for a sport that I truly loved. I stopped playing ultimate for about six years, and I got my second tattoo, a tree on my wrist, for the first team I was on when I came back. It serves as a symbol for my next stage with ultimate, where my focus is on contributing to the community by being mindful of the person I want to be on and off the field, while also working hard to achieve my goals as a player. 

Savage: Do you think a lot about the kinds of tattoos you're going to get or are you more spontaneous? 

LC: I always encourage people not to rush the decision to get inked since it will be on your body for the rest of your life! But I have to say I do love finding people who have gotten tattoos from losing odds — they’re hilariously common in the ultimate community, and usually pretty awful. We featured someone who has a rat in a chicken costume on his butt from losing 1 in 10 odds. The guys on Sin the Fields loved it so much that they talked about it on their podcast and even sent him a free T-shirt!

Savage: Why do you think tattoos are a special part of the ultimate community? 

LC: I’ve been really surprised at how many ultimate-inspired tattoos are out there — for every team I talk to there’s usually at least one person that has one. I think tattoos are a creative way to commemorate powerful experiences or relationships, as well as remembering something, or someone, that’s important to us. I’ve found that it can be really difficult to explain the meaning behind my tattoos to people who ask, especially to those outside the ultimate community. Now, I can just direct them to Ultimate Ink!

Savage: What do you plan to do with the money you raise through Greenbackr? 

LC: The best way to find new Ultimate Inkers is to do it in person. Over the past year, I’ve been traveling to tournaments to chat with people about the project and encourage them to share their tattoos and stories with us. I’m planning on using the money to cover the costs from the project so far and expand the scope to reach a diverse range of storytellers in the future.

Savage: What are your future plans for the project?

LC: We have a lot of great stories lined up that we’ll be sharing over the next few months. I’d also like to start doing more targeted calls for stories around certain subject matter, or long-form interviews with people in our community with unique perspectives. I’d also like to keep encouraging people to write and submit their own stories to us regardless of whether or not they have ultimate tattoos — the tattoos are awesome, but the project is really about sharing our experiences and love for the sport with each other.

Savage: What are your favorite ultimate snacks?

MN: I love cured meats. If I have any say in the team snack cooler, there will always be some prosciutto or salami in there.

JM: I’m not a huge snacker. Give me a full meal. To that end, I like getting a can lentil soup and an avocado. Easy way to stay full on the cheap. Frozen fruit is also fantastic when it’s hot.

Savage: What skill have you practiced most in frisbee?

MN: This may be silly, but probably just talking. On the field communication, sideline help, chair heckling. I've been told I can be loud effectively, and I don't shy away from projecting my voice.

JN: Probably throwing.

Savage: Can you tell us about the most meaningful moment in your respective ultimate careers?

MN: I'm not sure if anything tops winning a YCC tournament back in 2009 with Seattle. Taking a gold medal (or crappy piece of plastic) home, and having your name in the UPA Archives is pretty sweet. I've also won the Moscow Indoor Tournament twice in my career, which not a ton of people can say that they have done.

JN: That’s a really hard one—the game has been so good to me! There were a few years where I helped run clinics in Panama for a 2-week stretch in January, and the time when we were starting up, a woman came up to me beaming, talking about how what she had learned the previous year had been paying off ever since and how it had made playing so much more fun for her. Seeing her gain that confidence meant a whole lot. On the field, making Nationals my last year at Virginia and semis my last year on Truck are two big ones.

Savage: Ultimate seems to be at an important crossroads right now. What direction do you expect it to go, and what would you hope for ultimate's future?

JN: I used to think the ultimate world was this thing I could fully grasp—like as long as I kept an eye on things and talked to lots of people, I could understand all of its angles. These days, it’s clear to me how ridiculous that thought has always been. I think frisbee will keep going in all kinds of ways for all kinds of people, and there’s only a big narrative to the extent that people imagine one. I recently played in a local beach league where $5 got you two games and lunch afterward. And the ocean was the sideline.  

I guess what I’m saying is that one place my mind goes here is what might essentially be described as ultimate "going corporate," and how at first pass I don’t love that notion. But that isn't a new phenomenon—Jose Cuervo was sponsoring tournaments in the '90s. And on the personal level, my entire career has happened in the context of people wanting to take ultimate beyond just being a game and being this thing to consume. I was into 5 Ultimate stretchy shorts in college, and pro ultimate gave me some of my fondest memories. And yet I still think of the frisbee world as pretty welcoming and quirky and all that. 

I guess I just hope ultimate continues to be fun, becomes more welcoming for more people, and does for more people what it has done for me, which is serve as a forum for stopping to think about how sports and community and personal stake and responsibility all overlap.

MN: I don't know if I'm the one to call all the shots here, but there was a club player coalition meeting in DC where we discussed the ultimate community and making things more accessible and accepting for everyone. Things like that certainly need to keep happening, and I believe we as players are going in the right direction.

I guess what I'll say is that in 2011 we went to college sectionals for a bid fee of $150 and it was hosted by a dude that was quite involved in the ultimate community. The fields were good, the weather was fantastic, there was a keg on site and a party in Missoula that night with food and beer provided. This coming season, our club sectionals bid fee is $600 and it's being ran by a for-profit company. I would appreciate an explanation for this, cuz it just ain't right.

Savage: You both have ties to Seattle and Virginia/DC ultimate. Do you have any observations about how those ultimate communities compare?

MN: I'll start by saying that both communities are really awesome, and there are a lot of very cool people involved in both cities. One thing I've noticed is that in Seattle, there seem to be more folks that are ALL IN on frisbee. Like, at every skill level, there are people that go to every dang tournament they can. Like 35 tournaments a year. I don't know if I just don't see as much of that in DC, so that could just be a perception. People in Seattle also play a ton of goaltimate. I miss goaltimate. 

I think the DC community is more team-oriented. There are a number of teams that do a lot within their own team structure. Maybe that's just me getting older and less social though, because I know things are going on, but half the time I would prefer sitting at home with the pup!

JN: I agree with Matthew: they’re both great places to play ultimate. I think he’s onto something about Seattle having more people who are straight-up ultimate-obsessed, which I think comes from the overall culture just being different. Here in DC, there’s just a stronger magnet that pulls people into the mainstream, whereas in the Northwest, I think it’s just more common to have people who really march to the beat of their own drum, and so you naturally have ultimate players who take more unique paths. And I think all of that has led to Seattle being an innovator with ultimate, from on-field stuff to using the sport to make cultural gains. There’s just a little more “what angle can I come at this sport from?” and more willingness to go all-in on that angle. That’s what I see, anyway.

Savage: Both of you guys have been playing for a long time. Any words of wisdom for other ultimate siblings out there?

MN: I feel like we have a rather unique situation, since we have lived on opposite sides of the country for the majority of our ultimate careers. I would say to take every chance you have to play with each other. If you aren't on the same team, or in the same city, get workouts in during holidays and go to pickup games together. Talk to each other about ultimate and life. It's the 21st century, so we're both blessed and cursed with the gift of communication!

JN: Yep to all of that. Even with the teammates you’re closest with, it’s rare that any of them don’t know you primarily as an ultimate player. That’s not the case with a sibling, which is something to relish. 

Savage: Any ultimate heroes or heroines?

MN: Hero: I find it hard to put ultimate players on a pedestal for idolization, but I definitely used to get pretty hyped about some of those mid-2000 Sockeye teams. Ryan Winkelmann comes to mind as a dude that worked hard, and was just really cool on and off the field. Jonathan and I got the chance to work with him at the camps out in Seattle, and he's a hilarious dude that is down to teach you a thing or two if you ask.

JN: Coming up in the game, I idolized Ben Wiggins pretty hard. I liked how good he was at throwing and how he talked about the game in a way that always seemed to say "I know the conventional wisdom says to do that, but have you thought about it like this?" I really like the way he thinks, at least publicly. 

Savage: What's the most memorable game you've witnessed or been a part of? Set the scene for us. 

MN: College Regionals 2013. We were playing UW (gross) in the last game of pool play. We had gone down 2-6 or something like that and I sort of just turned it on. Ended up getting involved in every point and playing one of the best games of my college career. Brought the score to 11-11 with us receiving, when one of my friends, Jeff Landrie, promptly turfed the centering pass off the pull. Naturally, UW punched it in for the break and promptly broke us again to win 13-11, but that game was darn fun. We then went on to lose to Oregon B in my last college game ever. Good times. 

JN: Easy. The 2009 Open final at Club Nationals, Chain vs. Revolver. This was my first Club Nationals, and seeing a team as dialed in as Chain was… I had just never seen that before. This was before Nationals happened in a stadium, so I was sitting on one of the front endzone line cones with some good friends who I had graduated from college with a few months prior, just talking frisbee and taking it all in. Our captain, Robert Runner, was playing big minutes for Chain, and seeing him dominate these top players with the exact same throws and moves and attitude that he had spent the last four years dominating us with at practice… that added this element of pride to it. The whole thing felt like this welcome to a new level of ultimate for me. I don’t think I’m painting a great picture here, but it all still glows in my head.

Savage: Favorite Neeley family memory?

JN: So tough! The time my dad saw us pretending to smoke cigars and then went to the store and came back with a pack of cigarettes and told us we had to smoke them because if you kids want to do that crap, why don’t you really do it… and then both of us crying and apologizing and seeing how unvirtuous we had been… that was pretty good.

Savage: Between the two of you, what's the tie-dye shirt count? Any favorites and the story behind them?

MN: I think I have 5 sitting in my drawers, with the best one being the Lithuanian Grateful Dead basketball shirt. That one is top-notch and gets a lot of shout outs. Just this past AUDL season the guy making my sandwich at Wawa geeked out over it, and we had a nice conversation about the Dead. Always cool when strangers connect over things like that.

JN: Off the top of my head, I’m counting 6, so 11 between us. Woulda expected a little higher. No great stories with mine, but I did only pay $.05 for my favorite one. Bought it right before spring break my junior year. It’s served me well ever since.

Savage: Who is more likely to start a jam band when he hits 40? What's the band name?

MN: I have to imagine that's Jonathan. He's been actively learning to play guitar. I'll definitely be ready to sell grilled cheeses and cooler beers in the lot when tour kicks up though!

JN: That’s nice of you to say, but that project has been on hold for a while. But Vault is pretty much a jam band if you're willing to look at it that way. We helped start that last December. 

Savage: Who are your favorite writers and why?

MN: Jeff Sullivan from fangraphs is one of my favorite internet writers. As a big baseball fan, and Mariners fan, he helped my friends and I cope with what was, and still is Mariners baseball. He's pretty witty, and did a good job of keeping things in perspective when dealing with a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2001. He's moved onto better things, like writing about interesting teams and players, but he still has our hearts.

JN: There's a thinker named Eckhart Tolle blew my worldview open two summers ago, and I revisit hist stuff pretty frequently, especially a book called The Power of Now. Along those lines, I also like Thich Nhat Hanh and Alan Watts a whole lot. I just got introduced to Neil Gaiman and have had a hard time putting his books down. I like a lot of New Yorker writers — Malcom Gladwell, Jia Tolentino, and Rachel Aviv all come to mind. My favorites tend to evolve, and I'm sort of a slow book reader so I don't always feel like I have time to get into a critical mass of a single person's work. But the Gaiman thing is showing me a little about how cool that can be.

Savage: This one's for Jonathan. What's the best biking city you've been to? What can you tell us about bike lanes? Are bike lanes even important?

JN: DC is pretty great, and people here should remember that. Nationally, we’re right behind Portland in terms of number of people riding, and we’re up there on miles of bike lanes, both of which make riding safer and more fun. Of other places I’ve been and have tried to bike, I had a lot of fun in New Orleans, and they’re building a ton of new lanes there. And Seattle is really great too—our dad still lives there and I work for a company that has an office there, so I go out once or twice a year, and I’ve done some bike commuting while there. What’s crazy is that in all of those places, riding your bike can still be pretty unsafe on the whole. And even in the places where a certain bike lane or street feels super safe, that’s just a function of where in town you are. If it’s a white area near the city center, you can probably ride pretty safely and comfortably. If you’re in a community of color that was probably redlined and still being starved for resources, the roads tend to be super dangerous for everyone. Luckily there are some smart people in all sectors who are talking about this problem more.

To sum all this up, though, what I really know is this: parking is going to kill us all. We’ve got to walk back this whole “storing my 2-ton hunk of personal property in the street is my God-given right” thing. Quit it with the parking, everyone. And build the freaking bike lanes.

Professional women's ultimate frisbee has officially arrived in Southern California with WestCoast Women's Pro Ultimate, and Savage is proud to be outfitting the Los Angeles 99s and San Diego Wolfpack as they kick off their inaugural season. Check out their official collection of ultimate frisbee jerseys and shorts in their team shop, and read our Q&A with the 99s' Felicia Yang below.

Savage: Tell us about your background in ultimate.

Felicia Yang: I started playing intramurals as a freshman at USC. My very first tournament was Sean Ryan Memorial in Santa Cruz. I had a terrible time and vowed that this tournament would be my last. The next week practice rolled around and I needed a break from schoolwork, so I sucked it up and went back. I ended up finding ultimate to be a fun way to get exercise, relieve stress, meet new people and take a mental break from the college grind. It took some time after college to commit to the club scene, but now I'm hooked and ultimate is a huge part of my life.

Savage: What's the part you played in bringing WestCoast Women's Pro Ultimate to life? 

FY: I was very disappointed to learn about the attempt for a similar event in 2018 that didn't come to fruition. I believed that the Aviators and Growlers ownership had genuine intentions of creating opportunities for women to play and be seen, and needed a hand in bringing those intentions to life. They didn't get the help they needed last year, and I saw this as an opportunity to take action and contribute my logistical organization skills to promote change. I believe that if I care enough about something—visibility and opportunity for women in ultimate in this case—then I need to put forth my best effort to make something happen. Otherwise, I don't have a right to complain that it doesn't exist. 

Savage: Who are some other key players we should know about? 

FY: Katie Killebrew is a long-standing leader in the ultimate community. I first met her while playing at USC and she was one of the most welcoming, inclusive, energetically loud people around. She's dedicated much of her time toward coaching and captaining women's ultimate in Los Angeles over the last decade. She's one of the people who I constantly see taking action to contribute to a cause that she cares about, and I admire her dedication.

Many of the other women on 99s and Wolfpack have also dedicated time toward coaching and captaining. This includes Jenny Norris, Lizzy Cowan, Sheila Robles, Ali Webster, Amy Lee, Linda Venema, Lisa Shipek, Sheliemae Reyes, Simrit Khalsa, Stacy Tran, Allison Brown and Annie Kean. How amazing is it to see how much these women care about the community and what they're willing to give back. I know I missed people too, so apologies for that.

Savage: Why do you think WestCoast Women's Ultimate is important? 

FY: There's been so much momentum behind empowering women in our society recently. As an engineer in a male-dominated aerospace industry, showing that women belong in sports is just as important as demonstrating that women are equally capable in an academic, professional, and engineering setting. Visibility of diverse people in all of these fields is imperative in continuing to push for more equity in our society. This pro series is just one step in pushing toward a future society that is more inclusive and provides equal opportunities to a broader range of people. Women in other sports have been amazing role models in paving a path toward better representation, from Venus Williams in women's tennis, Ronda Rousey in MMA, the 99ers in women's soccer, and Becky Hammon in men's and women's basketball.

Savage: Tell us about the educational component of WestCoast Women's Pro Ultimate.

FY: The most important thing right now is shifting the mindset around women's sports and showing everyone that they are just as entertaining and impressive to watch as men's sports given the same level of resources and development. When we aim high and create an excellent product, then we are more visible to different populations including children. This will give people something to strive for, and will shape the future of ultimate and of women's sports.

Savage: How do you hope this will evolve?

FY: I hope that professional ultimate can become sustainable in general.  How amazing would it be to have resources and income to offset the cost of playing at high levels? The benefit of professional leagues is to grow ultimate and make it more accessible for people to watch and play, but growth comes with some downsides that I think the community needs to be wary of. Visibility is great for growth and equity, and I hope the ultimate community can maintain its closeness as it becomes self-sustainable.

Ultimate Chicago Sandblast is one of America's premier beach ultimate tournaments, and Savage is proud to be the event's new apparel partner. Scheduled for July 13-14 on beautiful Montrose Beach overlooking the Chicago skyline, this event brings together more than 1000 players, volunteers, and spectators. We talked with Ultimate Chicago Sandblast director Adam Levy about what makes this awesome event so unique.

Headed to Sandblast? Be sure to order your tournament jerseys by May 24 to make sure you get 'em in time for the event.

Savage: Tell us a bit about Sandblast. What sets this tournament apart from others out there?

Adam Levy: Ultimate Chicago Sandblast is hosting its 19^th edition in 2019 and takes pride in evolving year after year with feedback and focus on the players. Our event features three divisions: Elite for top teams focused on play, Spirit of the Game focused on shenanigans, and Game as the best of both. Our event has the blessing and curse of space limitations which allows our event to focus on how to maximize value for our player participants through an excellent collection of generous partners that make up our sponsor village. Players have enjoyed Chipotle burritos and Potbelly sandwiches for lunch; BodyArmor, Monster Energy, Vita Coco, BAI and other beverages; KIND Snacks, CLIF Bar, Krave Jerky and other snack providers along with so much more. The party does not stop on the beach as we take great pride in our Saturday night celebrations at premier City of Chicago venues so our players, both near and far, can enjoy a true perspective of the Windy City.

Savage: How has the tournament evolved since the early days? 

Adam Levy: Our sponsor village brings great value and festivities year after year. We have included keepsake items including backpacks, lunch bags, sport towels, koozies and sunglasses as relevant and valuable memories to enjoy long after leaving the beach. In 2018, we were excited to have a team photo backdrop to help bring teams into one central location while capturing the spirit of our great event as a personalized keepsake for the team to enjoy. In addition to driving value for our players, we are also excited to give back! Over the past few years, we have partnered with Chicago-based not-for-profit Imerman Angels that provides free global one-on-one mentorship for cancer fighters, survivors and caregivers.  

Savage: Is there anything new or different happening this year? 

Adam Levy: We are always looking to raise the bar and are excited to partner with Great Lakes Ultimate Events (GLUE) to lead our gameday operations to ensure a smooth and successful experience for our teams and players. We have three new relationships with Savage Apparel Company, CLIF Bar and Joybol by Kellogg’s that will offer quality product sampling AND unique engagement experiences on the beach. We are most excited about the innovation and fresh perspective that Savage brings to our event as already demonstrated through the 2019 logo design. In addition to the quality merchandise, they have some great ideas and surprises to build engagement and even more memories for our teams.

Savage: What can players expect of the parties?

Adam Levy: We used to organize a Friday night welcome party or coordinate schedules with the AUDL’s Chicago Wildfire, but we found that teams have preferred to take advantage of downtown Chicago. Teams have hosted their own spirit and SWAG design parties or just getting out on the town. The best Saturday night events have been in historical Wrigleyville outside the home of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field. We are focused on getting us back there where we have taken over huge venues with bag board/cornhole tournaments, photo booth activations, karaoke rooms and great tunes to get down and back up again. Our past generous partners have included Pabst Blue Ribbon, Goose Island, Seattle Cider Company with special thanks to Tito’s Homemade Vodka for their product support and an equally generous financial donation to our not-for-profit partner, Imerman Angels. 

Savage: Any tips for folks who are coming to the tournament from out of town? 

Adam Levy: There are many great beach ultimate events available to players, but beyond everything you have read above, what sets us apart is the amazing location as the city of Chicago and is our focus on quality over quantity. Our home of Montrose Beach on the north side of Chicago limits us to just 68 teams which is a great problem to have as we can focus on driving player value without having to balance constant recruiting of teams to expand the field. Another focus of our event is providing everything a player could need on the beach…team/player bags with goodies and giveaways, breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks, athletic trainers and so much more! Is it July 13^th yet?

Sunburn is the University of Arizona’s men’s ultimate team, and Savage is proud to be supplying them with ultimate jerseys, shorts, and more for their season. Check out Sunburn's Team Marketplace here, and their Q&A below.

Savage: Does your team have a hype song?

Sunburn Ultimate: Absolutely. Our anthem is "Praying" by Ke$ha. "Lost Boy" by Ruth B. is a close second.

Savage: What does your team do to celebrate a win?

SU: We do team shout-outs. Sit in a circle, pretend to stretch, and nominate people for top plays.

Savage: Who are some of your team’s MVPs?

SU: Chris Baker's parents. They've been bringing snacks and chocolate milk to every tournament for years. We all would have probably quit if not for the dried fruit. After the Bakers, we're all equals. That's how we operate. The vets step up and lead by example. The rooks work hard and learn quick. We have a lot of different guys on the team; there's no room for ego.

Savage: What makes your team unique?

SU: We're probably not unique at all. Ultimate is a great sport, we happen to love it.

Savage: Favorite place to play?

SU: Sitton Field. It's the best field at UA [the University of Arizona]. If all of our tournaments were there, we would definitely win Nationals.

Savage: What’s a team highlight from this past year?

SU: Santa Barbara Invite, Day 1. Frustrating losses to Washington and Cal. We're eliminated from bracket play. Last game of the day, about to play USC. Pilot tells the team not to worry, let's have fun, and we're going to win on universe point with a lefty scoober. First half, we go up a couple breaks. Second half, USC comes back. Universe point, we pull. Pilot gets a layout D on a handler reset. We have the disc ten yards from the end zone. Pilot taps it in, looks open side, looks break side, looks reset. Nothing is open. Stall eight, Pilot makes momentary eye contact with Jaron and throws a lefty scoober to the break side. Jaron slides to catch it and Sunburn pulled off the biggest upset of the season. True story, no hyperbole, absolutely crazy.

Savage: What does your team name mean?

SU: Well the S stands for special, the U stands for underrated, the N stands for... No it's not that complex. We live in Arizona. So we get a lot of sunburn.

Founded as a D-III women's team at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the early ‘90s, the Pursesnatchers’ team culture is based on equity, inclusion, embracing the weirdness, and growing together as players and people. “While our gender policies have grown more inclusive, our commitment to dopeness and that sweet, sweet disc-slanging has not,” team member Izzy Ryde tells us. We’re proud to be outfitting the Pursesnatchers for their upcoming season—check out their Team Marketplace (with ultimate jerseys, reversible tanks, hoodies and more) here, and our seven burning questions below.

Savage: What’s the story behind your team name?

Pursesnatchers: Our founder found a sign in an airport that read, "Beware the Pursesnatchers" and was inspired by the picture of someone sprinting away with a purse. She decided to steal the sign and just like pursesnatchers run after the purse, we run after the disc.

Savage: Does your team have a hype song?

PS: Not particularly, but Lizzo always gets us going.

Savage: What does your team do to celebrate a win?

PS: We celebrate each other and our teammates with a solid spirit circle.

Savage: Who are some of your MVPs?

PS: Our Snatcher MVPs are committed to the game, the effort, the leadership, and the continued growth of our team. 

Savage: What makes your team unique?

PS: We are a team, not just a few star players. Our newer, less athletic, and less experienced players are just as important to the team as our captains.

Savage: What’s your favorite place to play?

PS: The High Tide fields in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina during spring break.

Savage: Tell us about a recent team highlight.

PS: We won a B team game against Tempest with almost entirely new players.

Dreher High Ultimate just got one step closer to a successful season thanks to their hard work, supportive fans — and Greenbackr. Their fundraising goal for their Greenbackr crowdfunding campaign was $750, but they managed to raise $1,089 for the upcoming season. (BTW: You can buy those Dreher High Ultimate jerseys on their Team Marketplace now.]

Dreher's captain initially reached out to Savage about creating a campaign that would help the team cover jerseys, shorts, and bid fees. Here's how the team succeeded in their Greenbackr crowdfunding campaign — and how you can, too.

1. All hands on deck. You have a whole team that's poised to be a networking machine. Dreher's captain made sure his team was in the loop on the campaign from their first email, and every team member did their part to spread the word about their Greenbackr.
2. Tell your story. Make sure you let Savage and your potential backers know who they are supporting. Dreher's captain provided us with details regarding his team’s efforts at States the year before, and players’ achievements and spirit throughout their season.
3. Secure pledges early. Set your campaign date and start promoting immediately. There's no need to wait for the campaign to officially launch online to tell your family, friends, and fans. Even before campaign launch, Dreher's team captain had capitalized on his school’s Homecoming Spirit Week to let his peers know about their fundraiser.
4. Don't be shy. Let people and businesses know that you’re looking for help. You never know who might be a potential backer and how you might be able to help them in return. (Can you say sponsorship?) During their pre-campaign pledges, Dreher's captain was disappointed that he wasn’t able to secure a sponsorship early on. Yet, when it came time for their campaign, they were able to land a $250 sponsorship donation.
5. Remind, remind, remind. Greenbackr campaigns are built to be sprints with a 10-day donation window. Let your backers know that you’re fundraising, let them know when the campaign begins, that the campaign is happening, that it will be closing soon, and that there’s only one day left. Let’s face it, life is fast and people are busy. Hit your backers with multiple reminders through multiple channels to make sure you get through. 

Disc sports are meaningful to all of us who love disc golf and ultimate, regardless of whether you’re throwing a disc or a Frisbee.

The feeling of the balance, the speed, the power and the throw. The ability to have “ultimate” control over the thrown object’s line, the height and the angle of the release. It’s the “beauty of flight” that has us in awe and coming back for more!

I’ve been playing frisbee since the age of five, whether it was playing catch with my parents or disc golf putting games in the backyard. It was the art of throwing that initially excited me at a young age, but it was the actual game play that had me most intrigued. It’s incredible how a simple flying toy can captivate us to the point of utter amazement, yet it’s something that none of us will completely master no matter how much we practice. Now that’s exactly why I respect most all in the disc sport disciplines.

I started playing disc golf soon after throwing my first Frisbee, because that was the sport that my parents played, so it became just another athletic activity that I enjoyed among basketball, football and baseball. It took me a while to understand how truly unique it was compared to other sports, and how many fewer people actually knew about it, but I think that’s what made it special. It wasn’t long after that I realized that I enjoyed the challenge and the competition especially against players much older than me. This is what inspired me to excel within the sport and chase that feeling of winning.

The competition drove my want to be the best for many years, the true nature of sport. I traveled, played and won tournaments all over the world, being considered one of the Top 10 players in the game but still trying to get better at the sport that I loved most.

It wasn’t until I started playing ultimate at the University of Oregon in 2005 that I got to witness the most athletic of all disc sports. A sport that made me realize how much I love throwing, and a sport that tested not only my shot-making ability but my overall athletic ability with the non-stop action. Ultimate was something that I would play with friends when I was younger, but unfortunately I never had an organized club in high school to participate in growing up.

Playing ultimate at the college level provided me with new challenges, because not only was it very physical, but it was very strategically mental as well. A non-contact sport that takes a toll on the body like no other with the running, the cuts and the full layout catches—it’s phenomenal to witness and even better to experience it.

I only played ultimate for two seasons before graduating, but I can absolutely say without a doubt that this sport made me a much better disc golfer. I was in the best shape of my life as it most definitely gave me increased stamina and endurance on the course. It also refined the technique and power of my forehand throws. It was the combination of everything along with radiating confidence that led me to winning some of the biggest tournaments of my career, a Disc Golf World Title and the No. 1 ranking in the world!

Disc golf vs. ultimate... These disc sports are completely different in almost every way except for the very thing that they have in common, the flying disc. It’s the love of the throw and watching a Frisbee fly that brings us together. So whether you’re an ultimate player or a disc golfer, I highly recommend that you give the other sport a try. Who knows? You might just find something special that has been missing from your life all along.

Scandal is the #5 ranked women's ultimate team based in Washington, D.C., and Savage is proud to call them a Savage Select Team. We took a few minutes with Keila Strick to get the skinny on this scandalous team.

1. Savage: How does your team prep for a game? 

Keila Strick for Scandal: Long-term prep includes track workouts, gym, practice, scrimmages, film review. Short-term prep is different for each player.

2. Savage: What's unique about your playing style as a team? 

Scandal: We are patient. We’re process- and goal-oriented. We never get too caught up with our losses, but instead learn where and how we can improve for when it matters most.

We side stack, which isn’t the most popular offense, but I guess it’s becoming more mainstream.

 3. Savage: Who are some of your MVPs?

 Scandal:

• Amy Zhou (D-line cutter)
• Lindsay Soo (D-line cutter)
• Nada Tramonte (O-line cutter)
• Jessie O’Connor (handler)

4. Savage: Can you share some highlights of your time playing together?

Scandal: This could be a long list… I’ll stick to three.

During practices and some games, we do “animal spikes” after a score. In big games with big scores, you might hear somebody on a team shout out an animal and the person who just scored celebrates by being that animal. Molly Roy is particularly talented with her shark spike.

Our team is fast. It’s always fun watching Lauren Allen and Ingrid Petterson run through D people.

We’re also tall. Kelly Ross, Lindsay Soo, Hannah Boone, and Danielle Byers dominate the air.          

5. Savage: What's your favorite place to play ultimate? 

Scandal: It’s pretty sweet playing in DC and looking over and seeing the Washington Monument, Capital building, or White House.

No turf, please.

6. Savage: How does your team celebrate a victory or mourn a loss?

Scandal: To celebrate, we get margs. To mourn, we get margs.

7. Savage: What's your team's hype song? 

Scandal: We actually have a collaborated playlist where each person added their favorite hype song. One that stands out to me: Missy Elliott, "Work It."