When the ultimate frisbee team held its first meeting in Oct. 2024, Judson High School teacher, Mr. Hisquierdo, was pleasantly shocked to see the amount of students interested in the sport. Ever since then, the team has held many more practices, faced off against other high school teams and has gained multiple new members.
In the center of these successes, there is U.S. history teacher, Mr. Hisquierdo, the founder and main coordinator of the team, who’s passion for the sport dates back to his time at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).
Hisquierdo recalls, “I first started playing ultimate frisbee with a Christian ministry called Chi Alpha at UTSA. After every church service, we would go to the rec fields and play.”
While he believes he didn’t really know much about the sport back then, he claims it is where he “fell in love with the sport.”
Hisquierdo has now been playing for four years, and has been participating in competitive club frisbee for two years. For the past three years, Hisquierdo has been trying to bring the sport to Judson High School for students to fall in love with as well.
“We were finally able to work it out this year,” Hisquierdo states, “Thankfully, the administrators, coaching staff and Mr. Gutierrez were very supportive with my goal to have a team.”
On Oct. 2, 2024, Hisquierdo’s goal was met. The ultimate frisbee team held its first ever meeting, which primarily consisted of a pickup game, a game spontaneously organized by the team. Thanks to community frisbee players, students were able to sharpen their skills and build new ones.
These skills were later put to the test. On Nov. 2, 2024, just a month after the club’s formation, when the ultimate frisbee team participated in a tournament held by the San Antonio Ultimate Community (SAUC). The tournament was the Judson team’s first time competing against other schools.
Although they lost three out of the four games, it proved to be a large stepping stone for the group and for Mr. Hisquierdo, who has previously stated, “My dream is to have a Judson club frisbee team regularly competing against other schools in tournaments around the state!”
Unfortunately, the team is currently going through a rough patch. With the end of daylight saving time, the sun now sets much earlier in the day. This is a problem for the ultimate frisbee team, as the field they typically use to practice doesn’t have any light sources to illuminate the field.
While Hisquierdo has considered using the stadium field to practice, other athletic groups have been occupying the field almost every day.
Hisquierdo commented, “Currently, I think the club needs a little boost of energy going into the next year. We haven’t been able to play because of soccer season.”
Student athletes also share this sentiment. Junior, Treanna Moss, stated “There’s so many outdoor sports throughout the school year, it’s so hard to find a private spot. Especially because we’re still such a new club.”
Despite these inconveniences, Hisquierdo hasn’t given up. “I do plan on getting the momentum rolling back up once we have fields again!”
As students prepare for spring break, ultimate frisbee athletes were able to get back on the field and ignite their passion for the sport on Feb. 26 and March 5.