Frisbee was like the only thing that really stuck, and I think it’s because no matter my skill level people were very welcoming and open. It’s not just a sport—it’s, you know, “Spirit of the Game.” There’s probably an official definition. But to me it means putting the people first in the game and not the score or the outcome. It’s just the feeling of being welcomed and appreciated in the space, not just for your talents.

I went to Santa Clara University for undergrad, and the ultimate team was a big part of my time there. And in college is where I also started finding pickup groups. And so whenever I go to a new place, I always look for an ultimate pickup group as a way to get engaged with the community.

When I came to Providence, I found Providence Community Ultimate Team. You know how in a time travel movie they always have this focal point or event that all the time travel revolves around? I was joking with my husband the other day that PCUT would be our focal event because of how many people we’ve connected with because of the team. Anyone can come. People are often like, “Oh, I don’t know how to throw. I don’t know how to XYZ.” And then I’ll tell them a story about when I started and how I accidentally threw a frisbee into someone’s head and it was fine. Everyone was nice about it.

In the summer we play two to four times a week: league twice a week, then pickup on Thursday and Sunday. When we come without our year-and-a-half-old daughter, people ask, “Where’s Annie?” But it’s rare that we make all four, because we also got super into pickleball recently, but that’s a whole ’nother thing.