More frisbees than usual were flying around campus over the first weekend in April when over 400 Ultimate Frisbee players from around the region partook in Onionfest ­: an annual celebration hosted by the Whitman Sweets.

“The purpose of Onionfest,” said junior Sweets captain Elle Burstein in an e-mail, “is to put together a weekend of great fun with Ultimate for teams that range in skill levels from the national champions to first-time players.”

Twenty-four teams competed in Onionfest this year. Whitman teams included the “Where’s Waldo” themed B team, who finished towards the bottom of the rankings, the all-first-year team called “Do Sumthin’ Crazy” that came in 11th overall, and the “All Blacks” that finished in 5th place.

Juniors Burstein and Micah Babbitt, participants in the tournament, both played on the “All Blacks” team named after the New Zealand rugby team of the same name.

According to “All Blacks” tradition, the frisbee team performed a ‘haka’: a pre-game ritual chant and dance: that, according to Babbitt, is used to “intimidate our opponents.”

The chant was undoubtedly effective given the team’s success.

Burstein described Onionfest as a “chaotic but intensely rewarding experience.”

The chaos of Onionfest mostly results from the logistics and maneuverings required to accommodate so many frisbee players, but ‘intensely rewarding’ in the athletic and social sphere.

Both Burstein and Babbitt were initially attracted to the mental and physical intensity of the sport.

“Ultimate requires a combination of physical endurance, mental focus, skill and athleticism,” said Babbitt. “Each of these things provide a constant challenge and intensify competition.”

Despite the difficulties associated with arranging such a large tournament, both Burstein and Babbitt regarded Onionfest as a highlight of the Ultimate Frisbee season.

Regardless of placement, however, Whitman participants benefit from the opportunity to come together and play as a cohesive unit.

“There are teams who come back year after year because of the quality of the tournament that we put on,” said Burstein. “Hearing positive feedback for our tournament and being able to carry on this great Whitman tradition is such a huge reward.”
Burstein, who expressed excitement for the tournament next year, reflected on the excitement of the past weekend.
“It was amazing,” he said.