The Midtown club varsity ultimate team have been state competitors for over a decade. Though they lost many seniors, they are continuing to succeed this year. A large factor is the talent of junior Jory Van Welie.

Ultimate Frisbee is comparable to football, and the position that is closest to quarterback is the handler. They have to control the offense and make the passes to receivers.

“I like playing all around the field,” Van Welie said. “But I’m mainly set as a handler to run the offense.”

Handling can be a rigorous task, but according to senior Aidan Meyer, Van Weile handles it well. 

“Controlling the offense like Jory does can be a difficult thing, it may be the hardest position on the field,” Meyer said. “But he always stays calm and makes good decisions to get us in the endzone.”

Van Welie uses his position to get the Knights out of rough spots in their games on offense in addition to contributing defensively. 

“One of Jory’s best moments on the field was during the state championship, there was an extremely fast and skilled player that everyone was struggling to guard,” junior Johno Moser said. “Jory stepped up to the challenge, made several defensive stops and converted many of his stops to points.” 

Ultimate has been a popular sport for many students in the Inman cluster, which initially drew  Van Weile to play.

“I started playing around five years ago at Inman. Watching the way the disk flew and how everyone competed made me fall in love with it,” Van Welie said. “I would love to play in college after high school. I know it is still a club sport at all schools but I would really enjoy it.

Moser believes Jory has the ability to take his game to the collegiate level.

“Playing with Jory feels like playing with a college frisbee player. Jory’s skills are excellent and Jory is easily able to communicate with the team to help us flourish as well as help others improve in areas they need work,” Moser said.

Van Welie impacts the team both on and off the field. Meyer says his leadership skills show in every practice and every game.

“Even though Jory is only a junior, he is really good at firing the team up. He truly is a good presence,” said Meyer. “His speed and agility are also unmatched. Jory is super hard to guard and that makes him very dependable in big games.”

Head Coach of the Midtown team, Sheryar Ali, believes Jory is special to watch on the field and always enjoyable.

“Jory is playing at a very high level and works very hard in practice,” said Ali. “You can see how his hard work and dedication translates into games.”

Moser says Van Welie is a complete player that has a love for the sport. 

“Jory is a great teammate to have because Jory is very good with communicating both on and off the field, in addition to that Jory makes a clear effort at helping others improve on the team,” Moser said. “He has a great understanding of the field, and how his teammates interact. He can involve the entire team on any given play.”