Sideline Talk: Octavia “Opi” Payne [Ep. 40]

One of the biggest stars of ultimate's media era.

Fury's Opi Payne celebrates the championship winning goal at the 2018 Club National Championships.
Fury’s Opi Payne celebrates the championship winning goal at the 2018 Club National Championships. Photo: Paul Rutherford—Ultiphotos.com

Octavia “Opi” Payne is a four-time national champion, a world champion, and a World Games gold medalist. In this episode of Sideline Talk, Opi talks about her roots in the game at the University of Pennsylvania and how she’s long thrived on an underdog mentality, despite her greatness over the last decade.

We talk about her influences, emerging as a star player, playing under the coaching of both Alex Ghesquiere and Matty Tsang, and transitioning from a high-volume offensive player on Washington DC Scandal and Denver Molly Brown to a far more structured D-line role with San Francisco Fury.

Opi also discusses her thoughts on ultimate’s reckoning with race and what she sees as her future in the sport. It’s a wide-ranging conversation and the longest-ever episode of Sideline Talk!

Sideline Talk is now available as a video podcast for Full and Plus subscribers!

Sideline Talk: Octavia “Opi” Payne [Ep. 40] is only available to Ultiworld Subscribers

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  1. Charlie Eisenhood
    Charlie Eisenhood

    Charlie Eisenhood is the editor-in-chief of Ultiworld.You can reach him by email ([email protected]) or on Twitter (@ceisenhood).

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