Women's Frisbee heads to Nationals

The IU women's ultimate Frisbee club team, also known as "Calamity Jane," heads to Spokane, Wash. this weekend to compete against other top-16 ultimate teams in the country in the National Tournament. \nCalamity Jane earned its berth to the National Tournament by edging out 16 other teams to become the 2002 Great Lakes Regional Champions. The Calamity Jane team finished fourth in Regionals and beat the top-three seeds to earn its spot as one of the 16 at the National Tournament.\n"I think it was a group effort, and we worked hard to make it to Nationals," junior team member, Mary Belcher, said. "It was a total team effort."\nThey will be joined by teams from seven other regions that are made up of mostly U.S. colleges, but also some Canadian colleges.\nOn May 24, pool play will begin to decide what teams will make it into the Championship bracket and the Consolation bracket. Bracket play will take place May 25, and the National Champion will be determined May 26. \nCalamity Jane hopes to make it to the quarterfinals, but does want to be sure all 13 members receive fair playing time. \n"We want to do really well and represent our region well, but we also want everyone to have a great time and really enjoy the fact that we're playing in a tournament with the top 16 teams in the country," graduate student team member, Michelle Tseng, said.\nThe team has come a long way this year to get to this level of play. They began training in the beginning of the year, practicing on the field three days per week and put extra time into the weight room and on the track. \n"The dedication seen in all the team members was incredible," Tseng said. "Our goal was to peak at regionals, and that's we did."\nCalamity Jane is coached by Ben Barbera, who is a 15-year veteran of ultimate frisbee. This is his fifth trip to the National Tournament -- he made it three times as a player, one as an assistant coach and this year.\nBarbera said this year is different than his past trips, though. \n"This year, we knew we had the talent and potential," he said. "Through hard work and dedication, we made it the best team we can be"