Lewis & Clark’s ultimate frisbee teams are not only nationally ranked, but they also feature professional players. Both Amelie Steer ’27 and Orlando Impas ’26 started playing for Oregon’s professional ultimate frisbee teams this spring and are grateful for the opportunity to compete at such a high level. While it can be challenging to balance playing on both professional and college teams, their passion for the sport and community pushes them forward.
Steer started playing ultimate frisbee when she was in middle school after her friends convinced her to join the sport, and her interest only grew in high school. Steer joined Artemis, LC’s women’s ultimate frisbee team during her first year and has enjoyed playing for the teams ever since. During her time here, Artemis has qualified for the DIII College Championships at the national level both last season and this season, and wants to keep this momentum going for this season and the future.
Individually, she has made great accomplishments. Namely, playing at a professional level. Steer tried out for the Oregon Soar, a professional women’s ultimate frisbee team which just started this season. at the encouragement of her coach Chris Beaulieu who had a connection with the coaches of the team and thought that Steer would be a good fit.
“I wasn’t even going to try out, but Chris was like ‘You should, even if you don’t think you’ll make it. It’s just a good opportunity to get some good reps with really good players.’ I went to tryouts and there were three rounds. Turns out I did pretty good,” Steer said.
Impas also discovered ultimate in middle school and has played since then, joining Bacchus, or the men’s ultimate frisbee team, his freshman year after being won over by the welcoming community. The Bacchus team has qualified for national championships since 2023, making this the third year in a row that they have qualified. Impas was very proud to be part of such a strong team.
“That’s a big accomplishment for me and I feel like I was part of that. My freshman class was a part of that because prior to that we had not gone (to nationals) for seven years. So it feels like a new wave with the people we have on the team now,” Impas said.
Impas tried out for the Oregon Steel during his first year at LC, but was cut during the third round of tryouts. He used the feedback given to him to continue improving for another season, came back this year to try out again, and was able to make the team.
Of course, playing for a professional team is a big commitment with more serious stakes. Both athletes explained that the teams are trying to improve from previous years and become more competitive within their respective leagues. They typically practice for four hours each day on the weekends, with a smaller group during the week along with doing their own workouts. The Soar team has been practicing less since their games started, but they are still working incredibly hard to improve. Steer explained that players are of all ages and live across Oregon, so they practice around the state, which can be a big time commitment.
“It would either be a practice weekend in Portland, which would be fine, but then I would have to go to Corvallis for some weekends,” Steer said. “(I would) drive up Saturday morning, practice four hours, sleep there, practice four hours Sunday.”
As professional athletes, their gear and travel is covered by the team and they receive a small stipend for the game they play in. This also means that there is greater pressure to win games and play to the highest ability.
A major difference between playing for the professional teams and the LC teams is the age of players. Steer and Impas are some of the youngest players on their teams, and some of the oldest players are in their 40s, meaning there is a wide variety of experience. This provides an opportunity for mentorship from older players who are passionate about teaching others about the game, which Steer and Impas appreciate.
“A lot of them have been playing since before I was born and being one of the youngest people on the team and definitely on the lower end of the skill regimen. Because I am so young, I have a lot to learn,” Steer said. “Everybody on Soar knows so much about frisbee and they love to share it. I’m getting a lot of feedback and I’m learning a lot, being pushed because everybody’s better than me.”
For Impas, another source of motivation has been former Bacchus players who are on the Steel.
“There are three other Bacchus alumni who are on the team. I don’t think it would be as easy for me to be on this team by myself and to have that connection is really important,” Impas said.
This sense of community with both the professional and LC teams has encouraged Steer and Impas to improve. They feel that the opportunities and support have helped them grow tremendously in new ways as players.
“Support from the Bacchus community is very important. Once I made the team, it was super special for the entire team, my coaches were like, this is a really big achievement,” Impas said. “That just boosted me up and that positive energy from the Bacchus community allows me to play on Steel and vice versa, Steel is very supportive in general.”
Steer has started playing games, traveling around the country to face off against teams in the west. While they have not won yet, she and her team are proud of their performance and believe they will grow as a new team to be top competitors until the league championships in June. Impas will play his first professional game this weekend on Saturday, April 26 and play a home game at the University of Oregon in early May.
Other than continuing to play professionally, both players have aspirations to play for the national team in the Under 24 division and for high-level club teams, which are separate from professional leagues. Impas also wants to coach younger players and give back to the frisbee community, which he has already had the chance to do.
“We had an exhibition game against Seattle and my favorite part wasn’t actually playing Seattle, although that was fun. It was being able to work with kids. We were in Eugene and we held a workshop. I’ve coached before, but being able to do drills with them and talk to them and connect with them, that made it feel very real,” Impas said.
Despite all of their individual achievements, they also focus on the LC teams, with both seeking a national title as one of their goals.
They also both highlighted the accessibility and their love for the sport. While they have been playing since they were young, some of the best players on the LC teams did not start until they were first-years here. The supportive community and chance to grow in their skils is why Steer loves playing.
“I highly encourage people, if you’re looking for a good community, Artemis and Bacchus are awesome. So many great people, really great coaches, even if you’ve never played a team sport before,” Steer said.
If students are looking to support the teams or become more involved, they can follow @artemisultimate and @bacchusultimate on Instagram. The professional teams play around the country, but info about their schedule and standings can be found online at oregonultimatealliance.com.
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