Junior Levi Smetana talks about his sport Ultimate frisbee and how he has succeeded so far.

Q: How long have you played?
A: I have played Ultimate since 6th grade. My dad played ultimate in college, which is how I got into the sport.

Q: What is the team culture like?

A: The team culture for Ultimate is great. Practices are hard but they are a lot of fun, and games are always exciting. We have two or three tournaments every year (3-4 games per day, Saturday and Sunday), which really builds the chemistry, and they are often my favorite weekends of the season.

Q: What motivates you on and off the field?
A: I think the biggest motivation for me is just enjoying the game. I love playing, just throwing a frisbee and playing ultimate is really fun for me and I could do it all day long.

Q: How has COVID-19 affected your season?
A: I do know that there will be a lot of changes to the structure of the team. I think that as an Upperclassmen, I will need to play a big role in leading the team this season, because there was no team last year, meaning Freshmen and Sophomores have not played yet.

Q: What is an underappreciated skill in Ultimate?
A: Stamina and athleticism is definitely the most important skills for ultimate. Often times it is assumed that throwing and catching are the only important skills, but athleticism and coordination play a much bigger role in one’s success on the field

Q: Why is Ultimate not considered a sport at SPA?
A: Right now, Ultimate is considered a club sport, so it is not sponsored by the school right now. I don’t know everything, but I do know that it has only been a sport for a handful of years, which I think plays a part in the decision. I hope that either this year or next year it will become a school sport which will help with field-time, bussing, and more.

Q: What are your goals for the season?
A: My freshman year I believe we finished really strong, and played in the top bracket for the end of season tournament. We lost a bunch of talented seniors that year, but my hope is that we can do the same this season and be in the top bracket with some of the best teams in the state such as Edina and Hopkins.

Q: Who is your favorite ultimate team?
A: I don’t watch too much professional Ultimate, but I do watch some college Ultimate as I have some friends who play and my dad played for Carleton College so I like to watch them.

Q: How did you learn to play?
A: My dad taught me to play at a pretty young age and I have enjoyed playing ever since.

Q: Do you hope to play in College?
A: Although I’m not considering it at all in my college decision, I would really like to play in college, but I would definitely need to improve in order to play at a good school.