If you play Ultimate Frisbee in college, you've probably heard about High Tide. It's the month-long tournament in Myrtle Beach that teams cycle through on their spring break. High Tide is one of the most fun frisbee experiences a college player can have, but it can be brutal if you're not prepared. Having experienced the tournament myself, I've decided to share tips to surviving High Tide.
1. Bring sunscreen.
This might seem like an obvious suggestion, but it is necessary. You're outside playing ultimate for four days straight. And, if you're lucky enough to stay in Myrtle after, you're probably going to go to the beach. Sunburns are the bane of everyone's existence, and no one should have to go through Spring Break with red, painful skin.
2. Bring so much water.
Again, it seems obvious. But between the physical activity and, most likely, the alcohol consumption (it is Spring Break after all), dehydration is extremely common. If you're not drinking at least half a gallon a day, you're in dangerous territory. The tournament is good about having stations to refill your water bottles, but they're only useful if you use them.
3. Bring snacks.
Playing frisbee for an entire day means lots of calories are being burned. Of course, the facilities at the fields include a snack bar, but one can only stand to eat chicken fingers so many times. Plus, if you're on one of the far fields, you don't want to be walking all the way to the snack bar just to walk all the way back to your team. Snacks are definitely the way to go.
4. Expect to play positions you haven't played before.
Because the games don't count towards anything in the actual season, you're going to be playing positions you don't usually play. If you're a cutter, you might be handling for multiple points, or vice versa. If you've only thrown man, now might be the time to throw a zone on defense. Things are going to get weird, but it's okay. You wouldn't be at High Tide if you didn't love frisbee, and playing other positions just makes you appreciate what you do more.
5. There will absolutely be drinking on the fields, and some teams won't take games seriously.
The Hat Tournament is where drinking is the most prominent. You're on a team with random people from other colleges, and it's just one day. Chances are, teams will challenge you to shotgun for pull. When teams start to lose, frisbee-related drinking games become quite common. Some pull the frisbee, others pull the vodka. Even on real tournament days, alcohol will exist on the fields. The difference between High Tide games and regular season games is astounding.
6. You will try some weird throws.
Hey, it's High Tide. You might as well.
7. You'll also go for some crazy catches.
Everything is so fun and your whole team is pumped. If you see the disc a little too far away to catch, High Tide is the perfect time to practice that layout you've been dreading.
8. You will get exponentially closer to your team.
You can't possibly not get closer when you spend a whole week in a hotel with your closest friends. Playing frisbee every day and partying together every night are just staples of a Frisbee Spring Break. Those scary upperclassmen that you didn't talk to before? You'll play enough drinking games with them that you'll be best friends. You will come out of Spring Break with so many positive memories and so many funny stories that only you and your team understand.
