Psycaughtit News 1997
Captain Profile
by Meg Parker
Beth Phillips, the present captain of the 1996-1997 UCSD Women’s Ultimate team is an excellent player on and off the field. Beth, now 20, a third year student at UCSD, began playing at age 16. Beth learned to play at a scuba-diving camp in Virginia. Immediately addicted to the sport, Beth taught her family and friends in Cordon, Indiana. Although casual, Beth organized ultimate games there. The following year, Beth traveled to Australia; there she taught ultimate to people who went on to organize their own teams. During her first year at UCSD, Beth learned the official rules of the game and quickly demonstrated incredible enthusiasm and skill. Beth has been the captain of the women’s team for the past two years.
Beth is not just a great player, but also an inspirational leader. Team size has tripled since Beth’s first year, mostly due to her spirited recruitment. “It’s exciting to see the team grow, and it’s great to see people learn to love playing Ultimate,” said Beth. There is no doubt that Beth’s focus on team unity and the love for the game has had a positive impact on the UCSD Women’s Ultimate team.
Although unbelievable, Beth is getting married in August of 1997 in Indiana. Most likely there will be an ultimate tournament at the reception, all are invited to attend. And year, Beth has already been dared to lay out in her wedding gown!
Coaches’ Profile
by Meg Parker
UCSD Psycaughtit is coached for a second year by Laine Shapiro. Dave Carta is also helping out on a regular basis. Both are very experienced and spirited people.
Laine Shapiro, 26, is a 9 year veteran of Women’s Ultimate. Laine learned how to play as a student at Brown University; her first year she played on the men’s team, called Brownian Motion. Laine went on to form a women’s team, Disco Inferno. As the captain and coach of Disco Inferno, Laine’s team qualified for college nationals twice. Laine then moved to San Diego and began playing with Safari. In 1996, Safari advanced to open nationals and finished 8th. Laine now works for an educational software company.
Now in her second full year as head coach of the UCSD Women’s Ultimate team, Laine’s positive energy is apparent. Laine emphasizes positive team ethos at every practice. In her coaching Laine hopes to “foster a more competitive women’s ultimate arena.” Laine loves to teach and play the sport. Laine admits that seeing people become part of the ultimate community. Under Laine’s leadership, the UCSD Women’s Ultimate team has improved greatly. Laine is looking forward to a great season.
Dave Carta, 28, has been playing Ultimate for 11 years. Dave began playing in high school with some of his co-workers at Sears department store. At Caltech Dave continued playing on a team he formed called, the Caltech Ultimate Machine. In graduate school at UCSD, Dave played 3 years on the UCSD Squids. Dave has played on various open teams include, San Diego Open, Sarcastic Fringeheads, Tigger, Scrubbing Bubbles and he plays currently with Los Guapos. Dave is pursuing his doctorate degree in bio-engineering.
Dave has enjoyed helping coach Psycaughtit this year. Dave is “impressed by the team synergy.” Dave also enjoys the attitude of the team, “they’re interested in playing hard but are still focused on having fun and playing with each other.” Dave is looking forward to “doing some real damage in our region” this season.
The Grad Approach
by Mara Harrell
[Psycaughtit attracts not only undergraduate student; this year we are fortunate to have four grads. The following is an outlook of a graduate student in her first year of Ultimate, Mara Harrell.]
I turned 26 this year. I have one twice-reconstructed ACL and one not-yet reconstructed ACL. Not exactly the recommended time to try a new sport. Old dog, new tricks, and all that.
Nevertheless, I abandoned my 20-year soccer career and came out for ultimate in September. I have friends on the men’s team who had been trying to teach me how to throw for years. But just about two sentences from Laine gave me all the insight I needed. She’s an inspiration; truly believing that anyone can learn to play ultimate, and learn to play it well.
As for the team, from the first day of practice it was clear that this was the friendliest and most spirited team I’d ever seen. The returning players welcomed the new ones with open arms and tones of encouragement. As a fourth year grad student, most of my interactions with undergrads are as teacher to student. I was nervous about being alienated from the group, but they made me feel comfortable.
I am part of a team again. And a great one at that. I’ve played many different sports in my life, from track to lacrosse. By far the most exciting and rewarding is ultimate.
A First-Year Perspective
by Corinne Ginsberg
I am a first year student at UCSD, this is my first year playing organized ultimate. I am one of the few first year players on the team who has had any experience prior to coming here. I have grown up playing ultimate at summer camp. I knew that it was a great game, but I wasn’t prepared for how much better it would be on an organized team.
When I first came to college I thought that I wanted to try out for the basketball team. I went to the meeting and talked to some of the returning players; I didn’t feel welcome. My first ultimate practice was a different experience. I felt welcome right away; I know that ultimate was where I belonged. I haven’t been to a tournament yet and I hear that they are the best part of ultimate; but if we only had practice I would still be out there. Ultimate is perfect for me. I’ve met great people to hang out with. We play often enough to have fun while not neglecting our classes. We get to travel all over California, Oregon, and Arizona. So far, ultimate has been a great experience.
“Ultimate” Movie Lines
by Heather “Skipper” Vickery and Marisa “Mars” Alvarado
- “You have to come out for ‘ultimate practice’ it will be so much fun and we’ll get to be life long friends.” –Grease
- “…And I was running!!!” –Forest Gump
- “Work it, own it, want it.” –Pretty Woman
- “I feel the need, the need for speed.” –Top Gun
- “That’s all I have to say about that.” –Forest Gump
- “Inconceivable.” –Princess Bride
- “As you wish.” –Princess Bride
- “You are evil and you must be destroyed.” –Steel Magnolias
- “A ‘psycho’ by an other name would not be so sweet.” –Romeo and Juliet
A Year In Perspective
by Beth Phillips
This is my third year at UCSD and I had the unique opportunity to watch and help the women’t team at UCSD grow over the last couple years. I became the captain last year and spent the beginning part of the year seeking eager young blood to build a strong foundation for the years to come. Finding eager college students who wanted to play ultimate was the easy part, the next challenge was learning the game… Last year was definitely a building year that taught patience and hard work. We grew from a core of 5 experienced players and 11 people who had never thrown a frisbee to a solid team with growing insight to the game. The skills that were learned cannot be judged by the outcome of last season’s games but will be seen in this year’s play. With one tournament under our belts we are looking better than ever. Our dedication to each other and the sporty has created a common goal and unification that can be seen more each day. This year looks promising and I encourage you whether parent, alum, or friend to keep checking up on us because great things are happening.
UCSD Psycho Ultimate 