Prospective players
We'll do this as a good ole Q&A:What's ultimate? Isn't it for dirty hippies?
While some of us at Dartmouth Ultimate certainly are dirty hippies, most of us aren't. Ultimate is a highly competitive sport which combines the fluidity of soccer, the high speed athleticism of basketball, and the physics of rotational motion, all while maintaining a unique outlook on the spirit of competitive sports. Ultimate is what sport should be: competitive, fun, and a good way to look cool in front of possible hook-ups. Most of us have never played ultimate before we came to college and have fallen in love with it quickly. Actually, none of our three men's captains this year had played real ultimate before Dartmouth.
For an idea of what the sport can look like check this out. Keep an eye out at 3:02 -- that's former Pain Train-er Adam Sigelman '05 getting a layout Callahan (catching a goal on defense) at the 2005 Club National Championships.
I've never played ultimate before, all I can do is a "backyard backhand" and I don't even know what that means. Can I still play with you guys?
Of course! Most of us never have played this sport before Dartmouth either. Members of Dartmouth Ultimate come from all sorts of sports -- soccer, basketball, football, lacrosse, swimming, cross country, and tennis, among others. Some hadn't even played a sport before Dartmouth.
As mentioned before, all three of our men's captains this year had never played disc before Dartmouth. Don't worry. We'll teach you how to play. Really, really well.
So who are you guys? What are you about?
We're Dartmouth Ultimate. We've been around for more than 30 years (founded in 1978) and are going strong. We play the sport we love together (traveling all over the country to do it), and we hang out a ton together, too. There are many different motives in the program -- some of us are playing to win a National Championship, some of us want to get outside and run, some of us play to woo potential hook-ups. All are welcome in Dartmouth Ultimate.
Dartmouth Ultimate has four teams -- men's A, men's B, women's A, and women's B. Also known as (respectively): the Pain Train, the Discomfort Trolley (or Discotroll, if you will), Princess Layout, and Princess B-ride. There's a niche for everyone in the Dartmouth Ultimate family. For many of us, Dartmouth Ultimate is the most important and meaningful aspect of college. Many of us see Dartmouth Ultimate as our college family. Come see why.
I'm a prospie who's thinking of coming to Dartmouth and would love to come to a practice and hang out with the team. Can I do that?
Of course! We'd love to meet you, have you come play at a practice, hang out, and show you around Hanover. We probably can even have a bed for you to crash on when you come. Blitz one (or three) of our captains and we can figure something out.
I'm a Dartmouth student and this sport/team/flair/layouts look(s) sweet. I want in. How do I get involved?
Come join us at a practice! In the fall and spring, practices are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3-6 pm. We practice at Sachem and some players choose to run out there but if you want a ride, meet in front of Dartmouth Hall at 2:50. We'll bring the cars. In the winter it gets a bit more snowy and a bit more complicated. The Train practices and does workouts generally four or five days a week, and the Trolley a bit less. The times are variable, so it's best to email los capitanes and ask them when we're practicing.
What's the deal with the Pain Train?
Ah, the Pain Train, the Dartmouth Men's Ultimate A-team. We're a collection of guys (generally around 18-24 of us) who strive for excellence in ultimate. We practice, lift, and train four or five days a week during the school year. We travel New England and the country to play tournaments -- the '10s have played for Dartmouth Ultimate in NH, VT, ME, MA, CT, RI, NY, PA, LA, NC, SC, GA, NV, TN, and CO. We spend a lot of time together and become close. For almost all of us, the Pain Train is the single most important thing to us outside of academics at Dartmouth.
Generally, we are among the best teams in New England. We have won Sectionals for the last decade. For eight of the last nine years we have played on Sunday (aka have been in the top 6) at the New England Regional Championships. 2008 was our best year in our 30-year history. During spring break, we won Southerns,a 50-something team tournament in Georgia. We won Sectionals, and then we won Regionals for the first time in team history. As New England champions, we went to Nationals in Boulder, Colorado and had our best finish in the team's history, finishing 13th in the country.
Hm. I like frisbees and community but I'm not certain that I want to play for the Train and/or I'm a little nervous that I may not make the Train. I guess I can't be a part of Dartmouth Ultimate. **Sigh**
No, no, no! Don't worry, there's a place for you. The Train isn't all there is to Dartmouth Ultimate. We've got a great b-team, the Discomfort Trolley (affectionately known as Disco Troll), that can be either a developmental opportunity or a more lax alternative to the commitment required to the Train. If you want to continue developing and playing without the Train's commitment level, check out the Trolley.
Your uniforms are so sweet. Where did you get them?
Thanks for noticing. Both the Train and Princess were sponsored last year by Five Ultimate, makers of awesome ultimate apparel. Check the uniforms and Five out here. Click on the Paintrain and Princess links to see some pics and hear a summary of our season.
What's with the name? Did one of you get in an unfortunate locomotive accident?
Naz. We were inspired by the best that Madison Avenue can deliver (hint: 1:23):
Others:
-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07kO9TtHYzQ
-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EHhwxRls2Y
-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtJOzE1GJWw
"Pain Train"? "Discomfort Trolley"? Let me guess, your C-team (when you create one) is called the "Sore Caboose."
Um, wow. Yeah, that's what we call them. Oh, and our alums are known (affectionately) as the "Arthritic Carriage." (And sometimes "Dartmouth Die-nasty.")