After enduring countless weeks of rain, Branson’s spirit is back and the field has come alive with the birth of a new activity and club, the Ultimate Frisbee Club.
Led by Zachary Redlin ‘25 and Christopher Mao ‘26, the club quickly became very popular. What started as an activity at lunch has turned into a club with aspirations to one day play against other schools in competition. The club aims to build both skills, with the guidance and coaching of faculty adviser Drew Mathieson, and friendship as they promote cross-grade connections.
“It feels like the old Branson everyone remembers,” said Redlin. “People are on the field again enjoying the sun and being happy.”
“The club is a good way for people to get outside and run around,” said Mao.
“The club started because we used to play ultimate frisbee every day at lunch and we realized we wanted to get better at it and make it more official and have more intense games,” said Redlin.
Mao and Redlin see a bright future for this club and ultimate frisbee as a whole at Branson.
“Hopefully if a lot of people get involved and we start to get better, we could compete against other schools,” said Redlin “We aren’t ready right now but with more official meetings and structure we will be.”
“Playing as an official team for Branson might be far in the future,” said Mao. “But I think we could definitely put a team together and see if other schools have a team we could play against to venture out of just the Branson community.”
The club will meet every Wednesday before lunch for training and games.
Mathieson, the faculty advisor of the club, has a rich background in ultimate frisbee. Mr. Math played frisbee at Stanford and is an expert when it comes to frisbee.
“He’s good, really good,” said Redlin. “He has a lot to teach us.”
“It’s really fun to play with Mr. Math, it’s cool to see how we compare to him and what we can do to reach his skill,” said Mao.
“Mr. Math is super skilled,” said member Jasper James ‘24, “he’s really good at throwing and making big plays.”
This club is a great social opportunity. It’s a chance to make friends with people from all grades and meet people that you normally might not have met.
“It’s such a good opportunity to make new friends and interact with multiple grade levels,” said Redlin.
“I have made friends through the club and I get to spend more time with the friends I have made through this club,” said Mao, “we play competitively but also just for the fun of it, I think it really builds stronger connections”
“One of my favorite parts of the club is I have made a lot of friends and there are a lot of nice people,” said James. “I also love winning, and winning with your friends strengthens our bonds”
“It’s a way to have fun and relax,” said Mao, “At the end of the day it’s just something that we picked up for fun and everyone who has played has had a lot of fun.”
This club has much to offer and it is a great opportunity for students to make new friends and connect with Branson. The club is a symbol of spring and a great addition to the Branson community.
“Join! You have nothing to lose,” said Mao.