A group of individuals who, for one reason or another, caught our reporter's eye on the tournament’s first day.
October 24, 2025 by Edward Stephens in Recap
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Thursday of Nationals is a brilliant moment in time for many reasons, not least of which in my opinion is because virtually all of the major figures in ultimate are in the same place at the same time. It’s a pageant of personality as much as it is of ultimate, and the way various people’s disposition and playstyle fuse into a manifestation of who they are for a few days is genuinely interesting.
Who’s playing against their type? Which players have become on-field leaders? Who has a quick temper? Which younger players have microskills that could set the tone for future development in the sport?
But it fades fast. Four teams – #17 SoCal Condors, #15 Toronto GOAT, #11 Raleigh-Durham United, and #19 Portland Red Tide – have already stepped off of the stage, and four more will follow them into the wings after just two hours on Friday.
So with both that pseudo-anthropological interest and the fleeting nature of the full-bloom version of Nationals in mind, I thought it would be fun to preserve it in a snapshot. To that end I present, for the first time ever, a new list: The Most Interesting Players of Thursday.
They are not necessarily the best (though some definitely are), and there is no quantitative method assessment. This is simply a group of individuals who, for one reason or another, caught my eye on the tournament’s first day.
Onto the list!
The 34 Most Interesting Players of Thursday
Alex Atkins (Pacmen) – Atkins remains one of the most fascinating players in the game. The level of offensive skill is off the charts, and his troll quotient exceeds that mark even further. Thursday saw him throw a whopping 10 turnovers, spike like he was trying to make the San Andreas Fault start moving, flash a piece sign at his defender as he got open for a reset cut, and outread and outjump Brett Hulsmeyer despite giving up a few inches. Compelling doesn’t even begin to describe him.
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