Guilford College’s ultimate frisbee club team, BioHazard, competed in the annual Bare Bones Tournament in Charlotte in early October.

Hosted by Charlotte Ultimate, a nonprofit organization that connects frisbee teams through friendly competition, the two-day event featured dozens of matches between collegiate and community teams.

In ultimate frisbee, each game is played with seven players on the field at once. Guilford arrived with only eight players—leaving just one substitute—earning them the nickname “savage seven,” a Frisbee term for teams with few or no subs.

“In my ideal world, we’re taking at least 14 people to the tournament, but going with something like 10 would also be great,” said BioHazard president Maeve Dunkerley.

Preparation for the tournament involved spreading the word, completing waivers and building endurance through conditioning, Dunkerley said.

Each game is played until one team reaches 13 points or 90 minutes have passed, whichever comes first. During Bare Bones, Guilford played three games per day, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., competing against eight other teams in the college mixed division.

“I was really impressed by everyone’s perseverance—just keeping going, even though we had no subs and were playing teams that were way more experienced than us,” Dunkerley said.

On the second day, Guilford rematched against Furman University from Greenville, South Carolina—a team that had outperformed them the day before. Despite their exhaustion, BioHazard closed the point gap in what Dunkerley described as a moment of triumph.

“It was 4–8 at halftime, which is just way better,” she said. “That was a tangible difference. You could see that all we need is a little practice.”

That practice came with effort. After the first day, players were exhausted.
“[The tournament] was physically demanding — we had to be constantly moving,” said team treasurer David White. “There’s no real stop.”

White said the sense of community among the teams stood out most.
“All of the teams were interacting with each other and us,” he said. “When we couldn’t play because of our numbers, they were down to mix with us and help us learn.”

Among the returning players was senior Sophia Lewis-Nash, who had played on BioHazard five years earlier before returning to finish her degree.

“I hurt my knee at practice about a month before the tournament and didn’t go for a while,” Lewis-Nash said.

Bare Bones followed a 5–2 split, requiring five male and two female players on the field. With only two female players—Dunkerley and Lewis-Nash—BioHazard often needed flexibility from their competitors.

“Thankfully, other teams were really accommodating when I needed a break,” Lewis-Nash said. “We’d swap out and play a 6–1 ratio.”

Even with a smaller roster, Lewis-Nash said the camaraderie that defined Guilford’s frisbee culture years ago remains alive today.

“Whenever we were going to a new field to start a game, teams would say, ‘Yes! We were hoping we’d get to play you,’” she said.

Despite limited experience and numbers, BioHazard’s determination and positive spirit earned respect from other teams throughout the tournament.

With Charlotte Ultimate hosting another tournament in the spring, BioHazard hopes to continue attending and competing regularly, aiming for at least one event per semester.

“I want more people to come out and try Frisbee,” Lewis-Nash said. “And if you don’t like it, that’s fine—don’t come again. But you’re going to like it. It’s great people and a great way to get exercise.”

A small but mighty team, BioHazard continues to embody the Quaker spirit of perseverance, teamwork and community.