Zoe Lang/The Mossy Log
Bacchus and Artemis, Lewis & Clark’s ultimate frisbee teams, have had a strong start to their spring competitive season. On the weekend of Feb. 14, both teams participated in the Division III Grand Prix, with the women’s team, Artemis, holding seed — finishing at the rank they started the tournament in — and the men’s team, Bacchus, winning the tournament. Bacchus also participated at Pacific Lutheran University’s PLU BBQ on the weekend of Feb. 21, and Artemis competed in the Stanford Open on Jan. 30 and 31.
Looking ahead to the rest of their season, Bacchus captain Joniah Helperin-Lange ’27, and Cate Talabere ’29, a first-year Artemis player, discussed their experiences on each of the teams with The Mossy Log.
Regarding the spring tournaments Bacchus has competed in so far, Helperin-Lange feels that they have been extremely positive experiences for the team. The new year has presented Bacchus with some challenges — the team lost nine out of their 14 starters from last year due to seniors graduating. But in spite of being in a transitional period, the club has been able to thrive. After struggling on the first day of the DIII Grand Prix, losing their game against the Colorado College Tigers, they came together on the second day, winning the remainder of their games and the rest of the tournament. Helperin-Lange also discussed the PLU BBQ, stating that it was “a fantastic experience” because it provided an opportunity for players to have a travel tournament-like experience, which unfortunately, not everybody on the team is able to have.
“We have the biggest freshman class in the history of Bacchus Ultimate, as far as I know. Because of that and limited financial opportunities, it unfortunately means that not everybody is able to travel for our tournaments,” Helperin-Lange said. “The PLU BBQ was set aside for people who would not be able to go on the travel roster and give them the chance to play against several competitive teams.”
When discussing the experiences that Artemis has had this season, Talabere spoke about the women’s team being in a similar transitional state, with multiple seniors graduating in 2025. Despite this obstacle, first-years like Talabere have been able to fill the gaps and have helped the team succeed in tournaments. This includes the DIII Grand Prix, in which Artemis won three out of six games. Artemis had even more success in the Stanford Open. They won all three of their games during pool play, a series of games in which small pools of 4 teams compete against each other to determine bracket placement. In bracket play, they had a good run, and placed fourth overall in the tournament.
Both players said that the teams use film to reflect on how they are performing and study how other teams are doing.
“We’ve spent a lot of time working on team chemistry, on the field and off the field, building a team environment,” Talabere said. “We do what’s called film night — we sit down and watch film and talk through what was good, what we need to work on, and our coaches are able to give us tips.”
Both teams are also focused on fostering a team environment to help them improve from one game to another.
According to Helperin-Lange, Bacchus has moved away from emphasizing wins and losses when it comes to team pride, now focusing on two concepts: “grit” and “family.” According to the captain, the concept of “grit” refers to being resilient and working hard on the field, and “family” refers to being there for teammates, even when things go wrong, and acting as a support system for teammates on and off the field.
When it comes to the travel roster, the experience differs between clubs. Helperin-Lange said that because Bacchus acts as a competitive team with a large member list and limited funding, those factors ultimately determine who is selected for the travel roster.
“Everybody has the opportunity to be considered for the travel roster. The unfortunate reality of competitive sports and financial limitations is that we can’t afford to bring everyone to these tournaments, which requires purchasing flights and hotel rooms. Because Bacchus operates as a competitive sports team in addition to a club and community space, to compete at the highest level not everybody is going to get the same amount of play,” Helperin-Lange said.
As Artemis has a smaller roster, they are able to provide more opportunities for most of their players despite facing similar financial limitations. However, that does not mean all players are on the travel roster. According to Talabere, players must show determination and a dedication to the sport to be considered.
“It’s mostly team size. We have a small team this year, so most of our team is on the travel roster,” Talabere said. “But really it’s mostly about dedication and how much energy you’re willing to put into the sport, into the team, and working on getting better.”
Talabere also said that most of the team being on the same roster is relieving, as there is not as much pressure compared to an environment where a limited number of players compete to be on the travel team.
Both clubs are confident about their prospects for the rest of the season. Talabere feels that Artemis has a high chance of competing in nationals. While she acknowledges that it will take a lot of effort from the team to achieve, she is also incredibly confident that her teammates are able to work at that level. Artemis went to nationals last year, and although the goal is ambitious, she believes they can achieve it once again.
As for Bacchus, Helperin-Lange feels that their successes in spring tournaments so far will allow them to compete against difficult teams, such as those competing in Division I. He has felt incredibly proud of how quickly the team has developed into a legitimate competitive team in spite of losing most of their starting roster, and believes that Bacchus has the chance to win nationals again this year.
With regionals approaching in mid-April, Bacchus and Artemis have the opportunity to show how they have developed throughout the season. Considering the success both clubs have had in the past spring tournaments, as well as their focus on fostering good team chemistry, the prospect of reaching and even winning nationals seem high for ultimate frisbee at LC.
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