For over two decades, Whitman has hosted the annual Onionfest Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Last weekend the event drew 24 teams to Walla Walla to partake in onion eating, an alumni reunion and, of course, Ultimate games.
Fans joined the players to kick off the festivities on Friday night with a men’s showcase game, featuring the current Sweets versus a team of alumni. The scrimmage was played all the way to the point cap, as the male alumni topped the active players 17-15. Although O-fest is not a ranking tournament, senior Elliot Moskat notes that the men’s friendly match was fairly competitive due to the many alumni that continue to play at a professional level.
“The Friday game is pretty high-level Frisbee, and we treat it almost like we would treat any spring tournament game,” said Moskat.
The visiting teams had the opportunity to play in regular tournament games alongside Whitman for the remainder of the weekend. Saturday culminated with a coed Sweets showcase, in which the alumni beat the current players again.
For both the young and old teams, the weekend elicited fond memories of joining the Sweets. Senior Woody Jacobson was sidelined due to injury but recalled some previous Onionfests that contributed to his decision to play competitively this year.
“Onionfest is actually how I kind of got into joining the Frisbee team,” said Jacobson. “Freshman and sophomore year I didn’t really come out to fall practices, but I played O-fest those two years and had a great time.”
Many former and current Sweets acknowledged the more easygoing nature of the annual fundraising tournament, which contrasts the rest of the tough spring season. Recent alumnus Ben Cohen-Stead commented on taking the field with and against familiar faces.
“At tournaments it’s a lot more structured,” said Cohen-Stead. “When you’re not playing your friends, you are a lot more focused on winning. When you’re playing your friends, you’re more focused on having a good time and seeing them do cool things.”
While O-fest is certainly a good time for all participants, sophomore Margo Heffron began planning logistics many months ago in order to make the weekend a success. As the tournament approached, each member of the Sweets was assigned a task, whether it was setting up fields, placing a 300-burrito order with a local food truck, or bringing the team’s Jambox to the games. As a club sport, Ultimate requires a much more student-driven approach to the behind-the-scenes aspect of hosting a 400-player tournament.
“It definitely involves a lot of time and effort to plan an event this big,” said Moskat.
Heffron’s effort is much appreciated by her peers, and especially the alumni, who consistently return to their alma mater for the tournament. Although this year marked Cohen-Stead’s first O-fest as an alumnus, he plans on returning for many more in years the come and encourages others to do the same.
“There’s never a good time to bail on life for a few days and come hang out with your friends, but once you do it you feel better. That’s a good enough reason all on its own,” he said.
