Mike Gross
Marquis Mason of the Radicals (right) catches his first goal of the season on April 7 against the Indianapolis AlleyCats.
When the threat of heavy snow on April 14 forced the postponement of the Madison Radicals’ home opener at Breese Stevens Field against the Minnesota Wind Chill to April 28 against the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds, Mother Nature also raised the stakes for the hometown team.
The Wind Chill matchup is rescheduled for July 3 and will be the penultimate game of the regular season.
“It could potentially make that game significantly more important,” says Tim DeByl, coach and general manager of Madison’s American Ultimate Disc League team, which is off to a 2-0 start in its sixth season. “By July 3, the battle for the division will be narrowed down to two or three teams. It’s likely that Minnesota will be one of those teams.”
Historically, Madison has represented the six-team Midwest Division in the AUDL’s Final Four-style Championship Weekend every year since the team’s founding in 2013 but has never claimed the title. This year, Madison will host Championship Weekend at Breese Stevens on Aug. 11-12 for the second time in three years.
What better place to finally win it all than here?
“It feels like ultimate is having a moment,” DeByl says. “The league signed our first TV deal this year, and we are gaining fans from all over the world. To a lot of people, Madison has been at the epicenter of this growth. We have the record for largest crowd in league history and have only lost two home games over five years.”
AUDL officials now refer to 2016’s Championship Weekend in Madison as “a seminal moment for the sport,” as almost 7,000 fans packed Breese Stevens for the weekend’s three games, setting an AUDL record of 3,200 people witnessing the Radicals drop a heartbreaking semifinal game to the Seattle Cascades.
The Radicals are the talk of the AUDL for another reason, too. Robyn Wiseman, one of 10 rookies to join the team this season, is the first woman to be on the roster for Madison (and only the third in AUDL history).
“She is one of the top players in the world, and it’s an honor to have her out on the field with us every week,” DeByl says. “I think it’s very significant. Right now, the ultimate community is having a conversation about where they want ultimate to go in the future. Much of that revolves around women players. Right now, I can’t predict how that will play out in terms of pro ultimate, but I think it’s good for everyone to have Robyn on the team.”