The captain of the ship is the most vital member of the crew. He or she knows the path of the ship and must steer it wisely through the course. On the ACU Ultimate Frisbee ship, the captain goes by the name of J.
J. Rodriguez prepares to throw during practice. (Optimist photo by Kelsi Williamson)
“J. leads by example, work ethic and mad skills,” said Ben Word, senior and first-year Ultimate player.
Many may know his face from the checkout line in The Campus Center, but what those people may not know is that J. Rodriguez strives for greatness three times a week on the old intramural fields.
“I want to succeed, do my best, every single time I play,” said Rodriguez, senior information technology major. “I am motivated by my team.”
On a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday afternoon, J. and his friends can be found hurling a disc and running like maniacs to catch it. They are preparing for sectionals, the biggest tournament of the season, which start in two weeks.
Last year, they finished eighth despite being ranked 18th. This year, J. expects to do even more.
“My goal is to lead this team to regionals,” he said.
Rodriguez had never played Ultimate Frisbee until his first practice with the ACU club team as a sophomore. When his resident assistant told him he needed to try out, J. was skeptical, but after a Chapel announcement about the new team the same week, he thought, “Why not?”
He ended up on the first Ultimate team at ACU. What started as a motley crew of men, however, became a team with a competitive drive that wanted to measure their success against hard competition.
“Every year we say we are getting the experience; I’m tired of getting the experience,” Rodriguez said. “I want more. I want to be a competitive team. I want UT and A&M to think we are a competitive program.”
Not only is J. the captain, but on the field he is also the coach: helping people, telling them how to play in every situation and being the all-around example of how to play the game correctly.
“On the field, he is so encouraging,” said Scott Shewmaker, junior and first-year player. “When you mess up, he is always right there to pick you up and get you going again. He isn’t just that way on the field either.”
J. takes this sport seriously. Ultimate Frisbee is a contact sport where injuries happen on a regular basis.
“It isn’t just a sport where you casually toss discs. It is a tough physical game,” Rodriguez said. “I tore cartilage in my knee in the last tournament we played. I’m trying to heal and be ready for sectionals.”
And he needs to be ready. A ship, no matter its strengths, must have its captain.
