April 1, 2025 by Laura Osterlund, Patrick Stegemoeller and Alex Rubin in Livewire, Other
Middlebury Coach Comes to Life
Off the heels of Colorado and UNC’s coaching recruitment news, it appears that Middlebury Pranksters have finally found one. Although their three-peat record precedes them as a team who did not necessarily need a coach, their recent performances have shown that a coach’s presence is evident.
While the Pranksters are famous for their unseriousness and their, urm, pranks, they made a choice to take their game to the next level. Their offensive sets looked more composed and structured than ever and their defense showed that a considerable amount of strategic work had been put into how to best beat their opponents. They also had more complex-looking defenses and their line management looked better than it ever did.
“I’ve been following along with the team for an upwards of 10 years now, but they have never really needed my help until recently. Having been around the game for this long, I know the ins and outs and I have had plenty of opportunities to scout other teams and learn how to ruffle their feathers,” said the new coach. “The team knows and trusts me, which definitely helps. And they know I am more than happy to assist in their various escapades.”
Perhaps another D-III championship is brewing based on the Pranksters’ new leadership staff. Even if the advice is coming from a talking lawn goose they call Stephen Swannifer.1
USA Ultimate Adds T-Shirt Companies as Official Uniform Supplier
USA Ultimate made a surprise announcement last week, adding Fruit of the Loom and Hanes as official uniform suppliers alongside the stalwart ultimate companies such as Spin and VC. “So many teams really love their product with its endless customization options at a low price point, that it made sense for us to add them to our list of approved uniform suppliers,” USA Ultimate’s senior event manager Bryan Hucks said. “We expect that many teams will take advantage of this option, and we look forward to seeing the creative designs that our inspiring athletes get to wear.”
Many teams will play their early season tournaments in plain white shirts with spray painted designs. While the look is frustrating to viewers who prefer following along with visible jersey numbers, players appreciate the opportunity for individual expression and the ability to provide some subterfuge against opponent scouting.
USA Ultimate also quietly announced that teams will be allowed to wear multiple colors as long as they are “close enough” and will not be “easily mistaken” for opponents colors. Examples given include pairing light grey with white, pink with red, and dark blue with either purple or black. “The right to individual expression is core to the values of our sport,” said USA Ultimate’s chair of the uniform committee, Toad Currant. “This common-sense change gives our athletes another opportunity to show their true selves while on the field regardless of the arbitrary decisions of the team they play for.”
As of this morning, Middlebury’s men’s team updated their team store so that no two jerseys of the same color could be purchased.
Santa Barbara Invite Relocating
With the ever-unpredictability of the weather at spring tournaments, as well as its recent poor conditions, USAU officials confirm that Santa Barbara Invite will be held in the tropical location of Rockford, Illinois, until further notice
“We got feedback from a number of Club players who remembered Rockford Nationals in 2016 and they had fond memories of the location,” said UCSB tournament organizer Santa Cruz. “We know that the temperatures in late October are a little different than those of the end of January. But, we don’t want to run the risk of any more unforeseen rainstorms and we think that the conditions will be a bit more predictable in Illinois compared to Santa Barbara. At least now, teams will come to the tournament and know that things will be iffy.”
In addition to the more consistent weather, the additional benefit is the location, making the tournament more easily accessible to any Central and East Coast teams that may be invited.
Despite the location change, the tournament’s name, Santa Barbara Invite, will remain the same to avoid additional unnecessary confusion.
Registration Mix-Up Causes Chaos Throughout Divisions
Another kind of switch-up has occurred, but this one is in the Midwest. Due to an error caused by the Carleton registrar, Carleton CHOP and Eclipse will compete in the D-I division at 2025 Nationals, while CUT and Syzygy will compete in D-III.
“Well, we were looking to win a championship this year, we have the squad for it,” said CUT coach Noah Handsoff. “In the end, though, a championship is a championship, and we will do what we have to do to secure that bag.”
The teams will likely return to playing in their original divisions starting next Fall, but there’s no saying how this will impact their eligibility to compete at invite-only tournaments.
Or Swan Steve, as many know him ↩
