Ultimate Frisbee

The LGA Ultimate Frisbee team and conditioning elective is open to students in grades three and up. Coached by LGA’s fifth grade teacher, Hilary Gollis, students practice once a week in the fall, learning about the game and building skills. The team meets twice weekly in the spring, practicing and competing against a variety of schools in the Pioneer Valley.

The team competes in tournaments throughout the year. In the Amherst Regional Middle School Ultimate Invitational, the biggest middle school tournament in the country, they play teams from all over New England and as far away as New Jersey. In the Eaglebrook Ultimate Tournament, they compete against mostly private schools from New England.

What began as an afterschool activity blossomed as the team outgrew the fields at LGA and practice moved to Sheldon Field.

The Ultimate field is one of Coach Hilary’s favorite classrooms. She says, “Coaching is extremely important because it allows me to get to know my students in a deeper, more complete way. Kids who struggle in the classroom often excel in the field.”

The LGA Ultimate team impacts LGA students long after they graduate. Many have gone on to play on their high school teams – even starting an all-girls team at Northampton High School. Some compete in national tournaments. Others participate in Ultimate Peace (Jews, Arabs and Palestinians throwing a disc together).