For the first time, Chapel Hill High School has a girls’ ultimate team.
Sophomore Clil Phillips, who helped start the team, had played ultimate for Smith Middle School. Last year, she was on the Carolina Friends School (CFS) ultimate team before bringing the sport to Chapel Hill.
“We want to grow girls’ ultimate in the Triangle,” Phillips said. “The more teams that there are around here, the more competition.”
To get coaches, she reached out to UNC graduate student Jenny Wei, who coached a summer team consisting of Phillips and many current Chapel Hill ultimate players. Wei plays for the UNC ultimate team along with the other coaches, junior Anna Xu and sophomore Bridget Mizener.
Since ultimate is not officially a school sport, the girls’ team is part of the Chapel Hill Ultimate Frisbee (CHUF) club, like the boys’ team, which was founded in 1995. The girls’ team, which started October 30, has practiced three days a week on school fields, sharing the space with the boys on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Phillips also recruited many of her friends to the team, which has ten players, though only six attend Chapel Hill. “Aside from being a really fun sport, it’s a good community of people,” Phillips said. “You know everyone who plays.”
She encourages others, like newcomer junior Eliana Davis, to join regardless of their ultimate experience. “They were accepting of people who had never played before,” Davis said. “I’ve learned how the game works: different plays you can run and important Fundamentals.”
The Triangle Ultimate season begins in the spring.
