“Fun, connection, interaction.” These words sum up Mr. Joe Bryant’s view of intramural and club sports offered at Trinity.  As coordinator of intramural sports, he has a unique perspective on the popular program.

Sports like Ping-Pong, cricket, and Ultimate Frisbee may not get the same level of publicity as football or basketball, but they are popular afternoon activities.

Though you may not see an Ultimate Frisbee or cricket tournament on ESPN, these sports have managed to gain quite a rabid fan base at Trinity.

Trinity initially integrated Ultimate Frisbee into physical education classes because there is running, teamwork, catching and throwing.

“There is strategy to the game. It’s fun,” Bryant said. “We’ve got the field out here. We were able to get some time. A lot of guys asked about intramural Frisbee, so we started it.”

Frisbee is currently moderated by Mr. Conor Carroll and Bryant. It is now the second-most popular intramural sport at Trinity (basketball is No. 1), attracting around 200 students each year. It is a seasonal sport, played throughout March, April and May.

Sophomore Baltazar Lora, a player for the Hustlin’ Huskers Frisbee team, first played the sport in Bryant’s P.E. class.   

Lora said, “At first, I have to admit, I was scared at the thought of going out there and playing Ultimate Frisbee, a game that I had never played before. Once I started, I was into it. I was hooked right away.”

Lora recalls the impact playing Frisbee had for him beyond the game itself: “Usually, I’m a shy person. I don’t talk a lot. I’m very quiet. The actual beginning of me playing Ultimate Frisbee coincided with my freshman year, a year that really opened me up to a lot of new friends.”

On the field, Lora does not seem like the quiet type at all. It’s hard to believe he hasn’t been a Frisbee fanatic his whole life.

Frisbee play is split up into three single-elimination tournaments: one for freshmen (five teams), one for sophomores (seven teams), and another for juniors/seniors (eight teams).

The games can get pretty competitive. According to Carroll, some teams will even get together on weekends and practice in parks. The players seem to have the same amount of devotion as they do for other sports.

Carroll said, “In the championship of the junior/senior division last year, there was a team — and you could tell they were just having fun and a good time — they all showed up in NBA basketball jerseys. When I played in Ultimate Frisbee as a student here in 2009, (my team) went to the championship. One of our buddies, a soccer player who hurt his back during soccer season, was our coach. When we made it to the championship, he got all dressed up in a suit and had one of those rolled-up newspapers and was running up and down the sideline, slapping it. That was kind of fun — it’s competitive and everything, but it’s real relaxed.”

Sophomore Nathan Fieldhouse, captain of the Hustlin’ Huskers, has many roles to fulfill as the team captain. He helps organize the team, goes to meetings, and makes sure his team is “all rallied up and always ready to play.”

Like all sports, Ultimate Frisbee helps teach players the virtue of teamwork.

Carroll said, “You couldn’t just have one player take it from one end zone to the next end zone, because when you catch the Frisbee, you have got to stop. It would teach him to rely on other people and not to just be worried about doing it all on your own. You’ve got to rely on your team to get it down the field.”

Bryant agreed. “There is a little bit of camaraderie built among the teams. A lot of guys play on teams where they know a lot of people, obviously. Just good, friendly competition. It kind of builds a unity in the school.”

Sophomore Joey King said, “Everyone just gets together to have fun, and it’s actually really competitive — just get together with your friends and have a good time.”

Ping-Pong and cricket also draw students interested in having a good time. Mr. Joseph Chittissery Mathai (known as Mr. C.M.) moderates the Ping-Pong Club and the Cricket Club. Mr. C.M., who is from India, began playing both sports when he was in his 40s — he began competing in Ping-Pong on a table he built from scratch.

Mr. C.M., who also moderates three other clubs, said, “I’m (moderating these clubs) because I like all these activities myself. I like aviation…Ping-Pong and cricket…ACE Mentoring…and electronics. I enjoy doing these things, and that is exactly what is driving me.”

The Ping-Pong Club started out with about 65 students, with about 20 students who take part regularly.  Mr. C.M. also gets involved in the game, often challenging the students. “I think I can beat many of them, except some of the top students,” he said.

The Ping-Pong Club used to compete against other schools, but those schools lost interest. Now, there are tournaments held within Trinity.

When the Cricket Club first started, about 10 students showed interest. It’s popularity has fluctuated over the years. Scheduling throughout the year can sometimes be a difficult task.

“Initially we start playing in Shamrock Hall,” Mr. C.M. said, but finding a location not taken by other sports is challenging.  It’s also difficult to get involved in tournaments since Trinity is one of the only — if not the only — high school in Kentucky that has a Cricket Club.

As moderator, Mr. C.M. organizes practice sessions and teaches techniques.The ball used by the club has the look of a tennis ball but is much heavier. Mr. C.M. said, “There is a good connection between cricket and baseball. In fact, baseball evolved out of cricket. Students tend to use the baseball style of holding the bat and throw the bat before they run. They’re not supposed to do that, so a lot of guidance is required.”

The club has also provided an opportunity for those with physical handicaps to get involved in sports. Mr. C.M. said, “When they come freshman year, they can only take one catch. They keep dropping it, but by the time they are juniors and seniors, they are able to kind of grab the ball. For a lot of students, (playing cricket) motivates them to come to school.”

From Frisbee to Ping-Pong, cricket and all the other sports that attract students, the lessons imparted are invaluable, Mr. C.M. said. “In all sports, there is always a value. Winning is not always there. Even if you lose, you should keep your cool and strive (to do) better because failure is what makes you succeed later.”

Check out some Ultimate Frisbee action taken by Connor Rafferty: