Written by Heidi Tabor
HU: Apocalypse Ultimate Frisbee team is one of Harding University’s most successful athletic programs, yet it remains relatively unknown because it is not an official Harding sports team.
The team plays talented Division I schools from across the country, including the University of Florida, the University of Texas and Indiana University, giving it one of the toughest schedules of any athletic team affiliated with Harding.
However, the players receive no financial support from the university.
Players spend as much at $200 a semester on their regular out-of-state tournament fees and gas to and from games. In addition, the players also cover the costs of their own jerseys, cleats and discs.
“To my knowledge, we are the only team who plays D1 schools, and we are very competitive,” said Peter Jordan,an Apocalypse member.”We could be even more so if we had better resources.”
Team members try to raise money by selling Apocalypse T-shirts and discs, and by hosting their own tournament at Harding. However, these efforts serve primarily to erase debt from previous years due to the high cost of being a part of the team, Jordan said.
According to theUltimate Players Association, HU: Apocalypse is currently ranked 10thin Division III and 79thout of more than 200 teams overall, beating out big names like Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Kentucky.
HU: Apocalypse represents the spirituality of Harding University in the Ultimate Frisbee community by praying with other teams after games, staying in local churches when traveling to tournaments, and by playing with an attitude that often causes other teams to question what makes them different, said Jordan.
So why doesn’t Harding sponsor the Apocalypse as an official team?
“Harding does not sponsor any club on campus, and Harding Apocalypse is seen by the administration as a club, not a University athletic team, ” said junior Tyler Samuel.
Ultimate Frisbee is a fast-paced sport that takes on similar characteristics as football, basketball and soccer. The Harding team practices twice a week for two hours and is coached by three elected players on the team who form a leadership trio called the Triumvirate.
This year, Harding’s Frisbee team is comprised of a few solid veterans, as well as some talented newcomers, Jordan said.
The team, on average, rank 3rdout of about 20 teams in the tournaments they have played this year. To see updated rankings for Apocalypse and its competetion, visit the UPA college season rankings pagehere.
