Disc throwers and chasers took over St. Olaf’s green spaces on Sept. 26 and 27 as ultimate frisbee teams from all over Minnesota were in Northfield for the annual “Exit 69 Tournament.” Hosted by St. Olaf’s three ultimate frisbee teams, Vortex and Tempest, for female and nonbinary-identifying students, and Berzerkers (Zerks), for male-identifying students, the tournament marked the start of a nearly nine-month-long season.
Planning for the tournament starts well before it takes place.
“It is a ginormous operation,” Maggie Walsh ’26, one of the captains of Vortex, said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “We hit summer, and then a couple of weeks later, [the captains] text each other and say, ‘Hey, we have to start planning.’ We literally start planning in June.”
Captains of all three teams met monthly to plan, working closely with Director of Recreation Ryan Townzen to coordinate field space assignments. Organizers also reached out to ultimate frisbee teams, both collegiate and high school, across the state.
Inviting high school teams serves the additional purpose of recruiting.
“Getting high schoolers to come watch us play is an instrument to build our team,” Walsh said. “A lot of [Vortex’s] players have come from high school teams we’ve played in the past.”
The Exit 69 Tournament is part of the “informal tryout” process for St. Olaf’s ultimate teams. Teams were split up into “X” and “Y” during the tournament, where players already rostered on Vortex and Tempest, along with all students trying out, were mixed into the two teams. Zerks followed the same process for the men’s bracket. Captains remained on the sidelines, watching games to see how well players played together and who would make their respective teams.
However, competition is not the focus of the Exit 69 Tournament.
“We’re all about having fun,” Walsh continued. “If the vibes are good on the field, if we’re all cheering for each other, that’s all I can ask for at Exit 69. If we’re also learning something at the same time, that’s also great.”
Looking ahead to the season at large, Vortex’s ultimate goal is simple: win nationals. A consistent Division III nationals qualifier, Vortex has a roster that Walsh believes will be competitive this year.
“Our team seems really great this year,” Walsh said. “We have a lot of people coming in who have frisbee experience this year, which is unique.”
Vortex’s season officially starts in mid-October in Eau Claire, Wis., with the “Chillout” tournament. Along with a few tournaments during the spring semester, Vortex is preparing for nationals, which will take place in Waukegan, Ill., from May 16 to 18.
