Rain drizzled from the leaden sky as Ultimate Frisbee players leapt, dove and dashed across the field at the Bio Hazardous Halloween Tournament on Oct. 31. “The conditions can only be described as ‘Braveheart-esque’ with the overcast sky and the flowing fields,” Guilford first-year Sam Kelly said while waiting for the third round of the tournament to start.
The teams played four rounds of games, with three games per round. The competing teams were from Guilford, Goucher College, Warren Wilson College, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, University of North Carolina-Asheville, Piedmont Virginia Community College, and High Point University.
Guilford, UNCG, UNCA and Warren Wilson tied the tournament with a 3-1 record. The Guilford Biohazards beat Goucher College 9-7, then had a bye. Their third round score against Piedmont Virginia Community College was also 9-7 in favor of the Biohazards, but the team lost in the fourth round against Warren Wilson College, 13-9.
Senior Nathan Coppock credited teammate Steven Obeng for his “special catch” in the tournament’s first round.
“We threw a hammer, a whimsical throw that’s really hard to catch…and (he) caught it,” said Coppock.
Coppock also explained that the Biohazard’s short-toss game worked well for the team. Other teams tried to throw the disc deep, which failed.
In the spirit of Halloween, many teams arrived to the festivities dressed in costumes. The UNCG players were dressed as the Blue Barracudas from the TV series “The Legend of the Hidden Temple.” One of UNCG’s male players also wore a fluffy pink tutu.
Goucher College dressed up for the tournament as did Guilford’s Biohazards, who wore orange face and body paint. Goucher had a different idea for costumes.
Goucher, who played Guilford in the first round, came to the tournament wearing sweatshirts. When the game started, Goucher players took off their sweatshirts.
“They made their own shirts look like ours. It’s really confusing but it was pretty clever,” Guilford sophomore Sarah Stangl said.
Spectators also came to the tournament in costumes. Junior Danny Criscenzo, who was drinking beer that was hidden in a sock, showed up in a duck costume.
Fans found many sources of entertainment at the tournament. After each game, the competing teams played other games to the amusement of the spectators.
Goucher and Guilford players competed in a game of street fighter after their first game. In street fighter, players form a large circle and have to mimic the person before them. If they mimic wrong, they have to sit down.
“(Ultimate Frisbee) is a big sportsmanship game, a lot of camaraderie. So, after the initial game, we’ll play a fun game,” senior and captain Gillian Galdy said. “Sometimes hard feelings can happen during a game, so it’s good to end it on a positive note by having a fun game.”
Unfortunately, the tournament did not run the scheduled two days. While playing all day Oct. 31, they were unable to complete the event Nov. 1 because of rain.
Despite an unfinished tournament, one team, that was preparing to head home, decided the tournament champions.
“We’re declaring ourselves the winners,” said UNCA senior Thomas McDonald, as his laughing teammates stood behind him. “Thanks for hosting such an awesome tournament.”
The Biohazards disagreed.
“Everybody’s a winner,” Coppock said. “If UNCA are the only winners of that tournament then I’m the queen of France.