CALEDONIA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — For the first time in Michigan collegiate athletics, both a men's and women's ultimate Frisbee team are fully supported by their university with scholarships available for student athletes.
"They'd say, 'Oh, it's not a real sport,'" said Mike "Zags" Zaagman, head coach of the men's team. "We're not taking it for granted."
While hundreds of colleges and universities around the nation offer ultimate Frisbee as a club sport, few athletic departments provide scholarships and pay for uniforms, travel and other expenses.
In Michigan, Davenport University's program— currently in its first season — is the first.
"He said, 'Hey, we're doing this thing. It's going to be awesome," said Lanie O'Neill, recalling a conversation with Zaagman that led to her commitment to the team. The two had connected at an out-of-state ultimate tournament.
"He said, 'Yeah, we'll take you.' I said, 'All right, I'm in,'" O'Neill said.
While having played professionally, O'Neill plans to use her remaining college eligibility to compete at Davenport, also working toward a master's degree in education.
"A handful of us are Frisbee lifers. It's all we want to do," O'Neill said. "It's all we've ever wanted to do."
For women's head coach Jessica Creamer, a passion for the sport pulled her away from a job at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory.
"Having moved from state to state, it's the way I find my friends," Creamer said. "Frisbee is a much more supportive community."
The self-officiated sport fields seven players per team that both try to score as many goals as possible, rapidly switching from offense to defense as possession of the Frisbee alternates sides.
"You are accountable for your own actions," Creamer said. "That attracts a certain type of person."
While 16 women and 18 men currently make up the two teams, both are looking to fill out their rosters to 21 and 25, respectively.
"Starting to become a destination in Grand Rapids for top-level talent," Zaagman said. "I'm eager to teach people who are fast, teach them how to throw a Frisbee."
“If there's any seniors or juniors that are looking for a way to play sports," Creamer said, "[if they] want to try something new in college, they should reach out.”
