The Claremont Greenshirts boast a successful and vibrant community of athletes, mentors and student-coaches that facilitate the club from logistics to strategic game-planning. Courtesy: Claremont Greenshirts Womxn’s Ultimate Frisbee
“Dart, Esso, Bubbles, Airbud, Rocket, Tune, Tricks and Sprite.” Those would be the code names of your teammates when you walk onto the field for your first day of practice with the Greenshirts. The real names of your teammates will be a mystery plaguing you throughout your journey — at least until you have a codename of your own.
For the Claremont Greenshirts, nicknames aren’t just playful; they’re a rite of passage, a symbol of belonging in a team built on community and spirit.
The Greenshirts — or “Greenies,” as they affectionately call themselves — are the women and gender-expansive ultimate frisbee team at the Claremont Colleges. One of their defining features is that they are an entirely student-run club team with no coaches, limited institutional funding and little to no formal staff support.
But they’ve never allowed that to become a barrier. Instead, the Greenshirts have used these obstacles as a source of motivation, enthusiastically compensating for the lack of resources with creativity and grit.
Greenshirt practices are held three times a week at Scripps College’s Alumni Field or Claremont McKenna College’s Parents Field, and always have a vivacious energy that draws in everyone who’s near.
Without a formal coach, the Greenies rely on each other. The most experienced and committed players mentor newer ones, while everyone contributes ideas for drills and plays.
Willa Polin SC ’29, a new member of the Greenshirts, talked about the benefits of this system.
“It’s cool because you’re learning from your teammates,” Polin said. “The [more experienced players] actively participate in what they’re implementing, making the drills more effective.”
One of the team’s practice captains, Grace Flikke SC ’28, also discussed the self-directed nature of the Greenshirts and how it has helped them continue to develop as a cohesive team.
“We’re completely student-run,” Flikke said. “That means we plan practices, schedule tournaments, book housing — everything. It takes a lot of work, but it’s also what makes every achievement so rewarding.”
Instead of a traditional hierarchy, the Greenshirts operate under what they call the “Bowl of Greens”: a horizontal leadership structure that spreads out responsibilities among practice, logistics and finance. Decisions are made collectively, with players sharing ownership over the team’s direction.
Because no one person is in charge, everyone’s invested, highlighting one of the more unique aspects of the Greenshirts.
“It’s empowering to know how tight-knit the community is,” Flikke said.
From those who’ve never touched a disc to members with successful high school careers in the sport, the Greenshirts have utilized their diversity as a way to set them apart from other teams. That sense of shared responsibility, although unconventional, has translated into remarkable success, coming from players of all skill levels.
Last season, the Greenshirts beat Occidental in the Southwest Sectionals, earning themselves a spot at the USA Ultimate DIII college championships in Bellingham, Washington.
Looking ahead to this season, the team is currently preparing for a one-day tournament at UCLA on Oct. 26, where they will play against USC, Occidental and several other Southern California schools. Many more tournaments will take place throughout the fall and spring seasons, with the ultimate aim of qualifying for and placing in the top 10 at nationals, which will be held in Waukegan, Illinois, at the end of next May.
Beyond the Greenies’ competitive objectives, some of their long-term goals include expanding their roster to accommodate leisurely players in addition to the competitive traveling team, which has already grown by 10 people this fall.
Moreover, the Greenies hope to strengthen leadership transitions and secure more reliable funding to sustain the program.
Establishing the structures necessary for future program success, though, starts with having an inviting atmosphere for new members who may be less experienced.
Talia Rosen SC ’29 is a first-year player who, like Polin, hasn’t yet earned her code name.
Rosen said that the team’s welcoming culture is what draws people in and what ultimately makes their success possible. This was immediately noticeable for Rosen, even as a first-year student.
“It’s not intimidating, you feel so excited to join,” Rosen said.
Polin expressed a similar sentiment, noting that even with such competitive goals, there is never too much pressure.
“Everyone’s so welcoming,” Polin said. “There’s this energy that makes you want to show up and get better, but you never feel like you have to prove yourself. You just have fun and belong.”
Unlike Polin, Rosen joined the team this fall having no previous ultimate frisbee experience. And yet, thanks to the spirit of the Greenshirts, she also said she felt right at home.
That spirit of belonging runs deep in the Greenshirts’ identity. One of the cornerstones of ultimate Frisbee is the spirit of the game, which emphasizes respect, sportsmanship and trust between opponents, especially since the games are entirely self-officiated.
For the Greenies, this respect for the game and what it brings is crucial. The Greenies bring the same enthusiasm to practices as they do to tournaments, often showing up painted in glitter and with green in their hair.
These tenets were on full display at last year’s nationals, where the Greenshirts won the Spirit Award, one of USA Ultimate’s highest honors, for their outstanding sportsmanship and respect shown throughout the championships.
While many of their opponents at those championships have their own coaches and institutional funding, the Greenies rely financially on their own initiatives, like bake sales and T-shirt sales. Nevertheless, the Greenies have managed to cement themselves not just as a successful group in Claremont, but as a nationally recognized club team.
What makes the Greenshirts remarkable isn’t just that they win without a coach or a significant budget — it’s that they’ve built something so much bigger than a team.
They’ve created a space where joy, care and inclusivity are the foundation. They’ve shown that trust and cooperation can replace conventional leadership hierarchies, and that respecting the spirit of the game can go a long way.