Casey interviews Ben about TUFF
On Thursday, November 20th, the Murchison Ultimate team wrapped up their fall session with a practice that featured several players from UT's open team, TUFF. Middle school ultimate met college disc as the players threw around together and got to know each other. Several Murchison players were prepared with brainstormed questions to ask their mentors, and the college guys took several minutes to answer them.
Here, Casey Aldridge(Murchison) asks Ben Hamilton(TUFF) about his goals.
Picture: Sammy Pappert, Casey Aldridge, and Nate Bott relax in the Murchison courtyard with a couple of their team discs during lunch.
Casey Aldridge: What is your schedule like on practice days?
Ben Hamilton: We practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and some weekends. We do sprints and weight-lifting on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
CA: What year are you in school?
BH: I’m a junior.
CA: How long have you played Ultimate?
BH: Since my sophomore year in high school, but not seriously until college.
CA: What are your long-term Ultimate goals?
BH: To become a consistent break-mark thrower and keep in touch with the ultimate community.
CA: Why did you start playing Ultimate?
BH: I started because of the club at my high school, and I was looking for something fun and competitive.
CA: Do you play on any other teams besides TUFF?
BH: I played on a club team this summer called the Skilla Kings.
CA: Can you get a scholarship to play Ultimate?
BH: (Laughing) NO!!
CA: Do you play against schools across the U.S.?
BH: Yes, there are over 600 teams in the U.S., at almost every college.
CA: How do your parents feel about you playing Ultimate?
BH: They like it, but they don’t understand it too much.
CA: Who are you r Ultimate role models?
BH: Steven Presley, Chase Hudson, and the guys on Doublewide.
CA: Who is your biggest rival?
BH: Stanford and Wisconsin.
CA: What other sports did/do you play?
BH: Track (high jump specifically) and cross-country in high school, basketball, volleyball…
CA: Do you have cool uniforms?
BH: (Laughing) YES!!
CA: What are tournaments like?
BH: Really fun. We play a lot of games, all day Saturday and Sunday, usually between six and nine games altogether.
CA: What brought you to UT?
BH: It’s a good school and I have a lot of friends there, and there’s a good film program.
CA: What was your favorite Ultimate moment so far?
BH: I caught a hammer in the semi-finals of a tournament for a score.
Casey Aldridge is in 8th grade at Murchison Middle School, and he has been playing for the Ultimate team at Murchison since he was in sixth grade. As one of the only sixth graders to make the “A” team in 2008, Casey impressed his coaches and teammates with his amazing grabs. He brought those grabs to the 2009 Live Logic Texas Shootout Middle School Showcase game at House Park last spring as well. Casey also plays on the football team at Murchison, and he is one of three triplets in his family.
