August 11, 2015 by Ultiworld in Interview with 0 comments
This summer’s All Star Ultimate Tour has spotlighted some of the best young talent in the game today. While we’ve seen plenty from these ladies on the field over the course of the Tour, Ultiworld wanted to get to know to more about what they’re like off of it.
Today we hear from Hayley Wahlroos, Lisa Pitcaithley, Megan Cousins, Hannah Leathers, and Margot Stert talk about brute strength, Irish step dancing, and fast food guilty pleasures.
Q: What other sports have you played and how did they prepare you for or differ from ultimate?
HW: I played whatever was in season up until middle school. When I was in 5th grade, they no longer let the boys and girls play together. I couldn’t play baseball with the boys, and I didn’t want to play softball, so I quit all sports—which I regret. I’ve always been athletic, but not playing sports in recent history has impacted my ultimate game. I started to play ultimate my sophomore year of high school. My best friend is a guy and it was the only co-ed sport that they offered in high school, so I went out with him and stuck with it.
LP: I played karate, tennis, and racquetball, and they prepared me with mental toughness, brute strength, and agility.
MC: When I was growing up, soccer was my main sport. I also played basketball in high school for a couple years. I did gymnastics and Irish dancing, though they probably didn’t have anything to do with ultimate—except for maybe timing. Soccer prepared me the most; it developed field awareness, athleticism, and endurance.
HL: I played soccer. I was a goalkeeper, so I had some hand/eye coordination experience. It also helped with agility training and field awareness. I also swam. In swimming, the culture was very individualistic, which looking back now, I’m not such a fan of.
MS: I played basketball as a youth and really got into cross country and track & field in high school. I was going to run competitively for UCLA, but that didn’t work out. Basketball is more translatable to the physical aspects of ultimate, while cross country and track were very helpful with the mental side.
Q: If you could have any one person with you to be coaching the All Star Ultimate Tour, who would it be and why?
HW: Lou Burruss. He’s shaped who I’ve become and how I want to play.
LP: Matty Tsang. Period. Because he’s the man.
MC: I would choose my college coaches, Lauren Boyle and Claire Chastain. They would mesh really well with the group socially, and they have a lot of great ultimate tactical strategies that they could implement. They would uphold the mission of the tour while continuing to make the tour really fun.
HL: Tross [Mike Lawler], Gwen [Ambler], and Rohre [Titcomb]. I really enjoyed working with them and gaining new perspectives. I think they are all really smart and really passionate.
MS: I would like to learn more from Mike Lawler, aka Tross. I know that he has a great mind for the game, but I haven’t gotten to work with him very much. He was very helpful in our lone practice and the Riot game.
Q: If you’re driving the van and need to stop for dinner, what fast food restaurant are you most likely to pull into and what are you ordering?
HW: Taco Bell. I really want to try a chalupa, but I would order a bean burrito. Actually, make that two. I would order two bean burritos with the mindset of trying the chalupa. I like the catchy phrases on the sauce packets. I like the spicy one. Also, Chipotle is NOT fast food.
LP: Does Chipotle count? Then Chipotle. Period. I’d get a half steak, half chicken burrito bowl. No guac, I’m poor.
MC: Chipotle. I’m all about the burritos. I’d order a chicken burrito, pico de gayo, cheese, lettuce. If you ask for guac at the very end, sometimes it comes free.
HL: Panera. But I’m a picky eater, so a grocery store is ideal. Favorite food is prepackaged or cheap sushi. California rolls—fake crab is where it’s at.
MS: Subway! Eat Fresh. I would order the spicy Italian sandwich. Italian herbs and cheese bread. Not toasted. Provolone. Lettuces, pickles, olives. Light mayo.
Q: Which city that you’ve visited has been your favorite so far or are you most looking forward to?
HW: Colorado was really fun, but I think it was because we spent so much time there. I’m looking forward to going out and exploring DC and Boston.
LP: Either Colorado or Atlanta or DC. They’ve been fun and we’ve had great team bonding in all of those places.
MC: I liked Seattle and Atlanta. It might have been because we got to spend the most time there. They both just had really fun vibes. I’m most looking forward to Boston because I haven’t been there and I’m excited to see that city.
HL: I was really amazed by Seattle. I’ve never been there before and seeing the landscape was really incredible. It was my first trip to the northwest and it was amazing.
MS: Denver, Colorado, for sure.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a girl just picking up a disc for the first time, what would it be?
HW: Invest time into it; don’t give up too fast. Most importantly, at the end of the day, it’s not about how good you are—the people involved in ultimate are really good people. The community is worth the wait. Don’t give up.
LP: Ultimate is the greatest sport of all time.
MC: Stick with it. Keeping working hard. The sport is new, but it’s possible to meet your dreams. In other sports, it’s not possible go to Worlds, but in ultimate, it’s very conceivable. That’s what the tour taught me.
HL: Ultimate has changed my life in so many positive ways. Immerse yourself in the culture and work your butt off.
MS: Don’t be discouraged if your disc skills aren’t there yet. Learning to play ultimate takes time and everyone has to start from square one.
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The All Star Ultimate Tour concludes tonight in Boston where the All Stars take on Brute Squad. Check out the live stream here starting at 7:00 PM EDT.
