TRYOUTS
DATE AND TIME TBD FOR SY24-25
Preliminary Spring Tournament Schedule
YULA Invite: Arlington VA
Spring Fling: April Freehold NJ (varsity only)
DCSAA States: May Washington DC
VA State Championships, May Fairfax VA
ABOUT BOYS ULTIMATE
Jackson-Reed Boys Ultimate welcomes any student to join the team, regardless of experience. Ultimate frisbee is an exciting team sport with fast-paced action, elite athleticism and skill, and highlight-reel plays. As a rapidly growing sport, it can be played in college and throughout adult life. While the emphasis is on fun, Jackson-Reed seeks to play to its maximum capability, and in recent years has been one of the top teams in the country. From school teams to elite-level world championships, Ultimate places the responsibility of fair play solely on the athletes themselves by requiring each player to know the rules and make their own calls. For an intro to the sport of ultimate, see this video.
The modern era of Jackson-Reed Boys Ultimate began in 2013 after a dormant period following its original incarnation in the 1970s and ‘80s. Dave Ohls became head coach in 2014 and was joined by Aaron Besser in 2016 and Seth Martin as JV coach in 2019. The team finished the 2019 season ranked 6th in the nation following a 4th place finish at the High School National Invite in Illinois, and it also won its first DC/VA State Championship. The Jackson-Reed Boys Ultimate team operates in partial coordination with the Wilson Girls Ultimate team. Together as a mixed team, they are the five-time defending DCSAA champions.
Two Jackson-Reed alumni have been selected to represent Team USA at the World Juniors Ultimate Championships, and four will be playing this year for the professional American Ultimate Disc League, including three with the DC Breeze. Over a dozen former Tigers now play at the collegiate level, including at Brown, Colorado, Dartmouth, Michigan, Oregon, Stanford, Toronto, UMass, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin.
FAQs
- Who can be a part of the team/program?
- Everyone! All students with a positive, committed attitude are absolutely welcome as part of the program, regardless of ability, experience, grade, or any other factor.
- What if I've never played before/don't know how to play?
- No problem--we can teach you! Quite a lot of our athletes were brand new to the sport when they initially joined the team.
- What should I bring to practice?
- Athletic gear, lots of water, cleats (if you have them), a white shirt, and a dark shirt (distinctly non-white, e.g. black, dark green, etc). Enthusiasm!
- What teams are there? How is the program organized?
- Roughly, there is a girls team and a boys team (players are welcome to participate on whichever they feel most comfortable and/or best matches their gender identity). Some practices are separate, some practices are mixed. Most competitions are separate boys/girls. Teams may divide into varsity and JV in the spring, depending on numbers.
- When is the ultimate frisbee season?
- The core season is in the spring, but we are also active in the fall. Space-permitting, we try to play indoors a bit in the winter as well.
- When/where do the teams compete?
- Primary competition is at weekend-long tournaments (2-3 in the fall, 3-4 in the spring). Most are local, though varsity teams do travel some. We also schedule local one-off scrimmages, either at Wilson (during our evening stadium times) or at nearby schools (evenings and/or weekends).
- How much of a time commitment is it?
- Teams practice 2-3 times per week in the fall, 3-5 times per week in the spring. Players are expected to attend all practices, but we do understand that many students are involved in many activities in addition to schoolwork and family priorities. Talk to the coaches if you have any questions about your particular situation.
- How expensive is it?
- We aim to keep costs low, and are committed that the finances should never be a barrier to anyone's participation. There are some expenses, financial assistance is absolutely available if needed--just reach out to coaches or parent managers. We do not generally charge dues for the fall season except for players invited to travel tournaments (approximately $100). Spring dues are approximately $600-700 for varsity teams and $100-150 for JV teams, which covers tournament fees, travel expenses, and team food. Uniforms, membership fees, and other incidentals are approximately $100.
- Can I be on the team if I play another sport?
- Sure--we welcome multi-sport athletes. If this is likely to lead to conflicts with practice/competition, just talk with the coaches and we'll figure out the best approach for each individual situation.
- Are there tryouts?
- Not at the start of the year. If/when teams split into varsity/JV for the spring, there will be an official tryout period around February.
- Who are the coaches?
- We have five coaches! Aaron Besser (aaron.k.besser@gmail.com), Dave Ohls (daveohls@gmail.com), Grant Franke (grantrfranke@gmail.com), Kelly Ross (kross210@gmail.com), and Seth Martin (seth@dcmartins.com). Grant and Kelly work primarily with the girls team, Aaron, Dave, and Seth work primarily with the boys team, but all are involved to a degree with both.
- Are there parent managers I could reach out to with questions?
- Yep! For the girls team, contact Todd Nissen (toddnissen@gmail.com). For the boys team, contact Jenny Craig and Mike Lee (mikeandjeneva@verizon.net). You can, of course, also reach out to the coaches at this address or individual coaches at the addresses above.
QUICK LINKS
TEAM PHOTOS
FOLLOW US
HIGHLIGHTS & NEWS
COACHES
Dave Ohls
Co-Head Coach
Dave Ohls has coached Wilson Ultimate since 2014, bringing two decades of experience playing, coaching, and organizing ultimate at the youth and adult level. He learned the sport as a member of Carleton College's Good's of Plastic, and has since played with teams and led teams in New Jersey, Chicago, Madison, and Washington DC. As a coach, he emphasizes building basic skills and a love for the game in everyone, training elite players to excel, and developing responsible, kind, and hard-working young women and men. Between frisbee commitments, Dave is a professor at American University's School of International Service, teaching courses in international relations, global security, and statistics.
Aaron Besser
Co-Head Coach
Aaron Besser attended American University in Washington DC, graduating in 2016 with a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Secondary Education. He started playing ultimate in his freshman year of high school thanks to his older brother, and Aaron fell in love with the game instantly. He played throughout high school and college competitively and continues to play recreationally in DC. In the fall of 2016 Aaron started working at Woodrow Wilson High School in the Social Studies Department and also began coaching the same year.
Seth Martin
Assistant Coach
Seth Martin began playing ultimate in 2008 in local league and pickup games. In 2014, he started playing in club tournaments, mostly in GM (over-40) and GGM (over-50) divisions. Since then he has traveled far and wide to play in many tournaments--including Master's Club Worlds in Winnipeg, Canada and GGM Beach Club Worlds in Sardinia, Italy. Seth has a degree in Math from the University of Michigan and has worked as a software engineer for most of his career.
CHAMPIONSHIPS
USA Ultimate DC/VA States Champions 2019
USA Ultimate High School National Invite 6th Place 2019
USA Ultimate High School National Invite 4th Place 2019
