“Community.” That’s the word Owen Suelfow ’26, Kyle Suelflow ’26, and Dylan Lian ’25 consistently returned to as they described the culture of the Macalester Flat Earth Ultimate Frisbee Team. Respectively, the three are the President, Vice President and On-field Captain of the team. “We have just such a great group of people who play this sport, not only at Macalester but across the country,” O. Suelflow said.
Four years ago, these sentiments of positive team spirit and close teammate connections were only idle dreams. At the time, ultimate enthusiasts at Macalester were reeling from a series of Title IX issues which left the team and its reputation in tatters. But in subsequent years, dedicated students rebuilt the team, in the process rebranding themselves as one of the most inclusive, communal and well-respected club sports on campus.
This idea of inclusivity isn’t niche in the sport of ultimate. In fact, O. Suelflow emphasized that the idea of “spirit of the game” is central to playing the sport itself. “Ultimate is a sport that has no referees, so fouls and violations are adjudicated by the people playing,” O. Suelflow said. “It leads to great conversation on the field when a foul is called and players have to talk it out and decide on the correct course of action.”
Flat Earth takes this principle to the next level, something borne out of the team’s high retention rate of new players, O. Suelflow believes. “We get players who have never touched a frisbee, let alone played ultimate, who join us and are instantly hooked because we have such an amazing group of people on our team,” he explained.
“I think our ability to retain and develop new players into key contributors and people who stay involved on and off the field speaks to the strength of our culture.”
While culture and community steal the show, O. Suelflow and Lian point to another simple factor that draws players back year after year: fun.
“It is a fast-paced game, with players cutting, jumping and diving all over the field to secure the frisbee,” O. Suelflow explained. “On the field, we also play a very fun brand of frisbee with lots of deep shots and an aggressive brand of defense which is quite fun to be a part of.”
Culture, community and fun: all of these aspects of the game were on full display last year, as Flat Earth surprised the league with its most competitive season yet. There were many successes such as the team beating Truman State University, which was ranked above Flat Earth at the time. It was an exceptionally windy day and gritty play from Flat Earth earned them the victory in what Lian described as “one of the most memorable and high octane moments of last season for me.”
Ultimately, though, the team was eliminated in the Regional Tournament just one win away from qualifying for Nationals. O. Suelflow reminisced on this tough loss.
“We lost a heartbreaker in the game to go to Nationals to CHOP [Carleton’s ultimate team], which was especially tough as we were winning at halftime,” he said. “But after the game, we all gathered in a circle and spent close to an hour talking about our love for the team. Each of the seniors talked about how much Flat Earth has meant to them and it was really moving for all of us to see the impact this team had on them.”
The moment was not lost on O. Suelflow. As a captain this year, he said that he wants to carry that energy forward: “It was a reminder of how incredible this team and this group of players is, and how important it was for me … to keep our team culture intact,” O. Suelflow said.
As for the team’s goals this fall season? As President, K. Suelflow will be focused on building up everyone around him.
“My goal for the team this fall is for everyone to feel confident when they get the disc,” he explained. “This is going to require lots of time spent on player development, working on throws [and more], but I think it is doable!”
O. Suelflow wants to continue to create a culture that embraces first-years and makes them feel welcome.
“Something as simple as playing catch with someone you don’t know at practice can go a long way to building the culture we want,” he said. Lian strives for something a little more material: “I’m hoping that we can maybe win a tournament in the fall, although it might be just a little ambitious.”
