Leagues. Camps. Tournaments.
History of Missoula Club Ultimate
Missoula has been home to a mixed club team donning different names since the mid-1980s. The late 1990s ushered in Missoula’s first effort to compete on the national stage with the formation of Trigger Hippy. That effort led to a third place finish in 1999, second place in 2000, and culminated in a national championship in 2001.
Missoula club players reformed in 2004 under the name Mental Toss Flycoons. The name references the Frank Zappa hit, Montana, and pay homage to earlier iterations of the Missoula club team. The Flycoons made appearances at Nationals from 2006-2009, earning a national championship in 2008, a bronze medal in 2009, and a bronze at the World Ultimate Club Championships in Prague in 2010. After a rebuild with a younger core group, the team returned to Nationals in 2012 and won the team spirit award.
In 2019, The Flycoons joined forces with friends from Bozeman to establish a new club team: Montana Moondog. Representing the state of Montana, the team qualified for Nationals in their inaugural season. They finished 12th and again brought the team spirit award back to Montana. Moondog continues to compete on the national stage.
Missoula Fishpix was established in 2019 and represents the city of Missoula. Fishpix travels to tournaments around the Northwest and hosts a tournament in Missoula during June.
History of Spring League
In order to foster growth and meet the demands of a growing ultimate community, a recreational league was established in 2001 by Dana Green and Alistair MacDonald. The league had 6 teams and was a great success. In 2003, John O’Connor & Laurie Ashley took over Spring League. With help from many volunteers, John O’Connor managed the league from 2002 – 2010. In 2011, Leah McBreairty took over the league and established a league committee working under MUF to maintain the growth and development of the league. In 2012, Tom Perry took over direction of the league, coining the phrase, “Attention Athletes!!" and establishing the controversial mulligan rule. He watched over spring league until passing the torch to Andrew Valainis in 2016. The Spring League Committee (renamed Community Engagement) is Missoula Ultimate’s longest serving body of volunteers.
History of Missoula Ultimate Spirit Awards
In 2018, two spirit awards were established to celebrate the lives of two of the most beloved Missoula ultimate players, Katy Branston and Matthew "Moose" McNulty. Each year, two players are chosen from spring league who share the signature elements of their characters that we treasured so much. The Katy Branston Spirit Award, designed by Missoula Ultimate alumna Linette Maeder, goes to a player in the league who excels at making others feel welcome, consistently displays spirit of the game, and reminds us that the only part of Spring League to get competitive about is in the costume and/or sideline treats department. The Moose McNulty award, designed by another community member and former student of Moose's, Nate Goodburn, is bestowed upon a player who is a stalwart presence at Missoula Ultimate events and is unmatched in their hustle and delight in playing - not for glory - but for sheer love of ultimate. The presentation of these awards occurs following the Spring League championship and is one of the highlights of the year, allowing us to say the names of our friends and share their stories while recognizing others that make the Missoula Ultimate Community so special.
Recipients of the Katy Branston Award are:
2018 - Linette Maeder
2019 - Ser Anderson
2021 - Andrew Valainis
2022 - Therese “Trez” Robbins
Recipients of the Matthew “Moose” McNulty Award are:
2018 - Shane Morrisey
2019 - Andrew Ware
2021 - Sarah Megyesi
2022 - Michael Faris
History of the
Big Sky Gun Show
In 2013, two Missoula ultimate players, Kevin Ryder and Tyler Albrethsen, decided that Missoula needed a perennial fall tournament. Featuring an exciting showcase game, a traveling trophy, and an annual highlight reel, the tournament would be an opportunity for college teams to show their stuff under the last sunny days in the Big Sky. The first year, the Gun Show took place at Playfair Park. Although it only had a handful of teams, the seed was planted. The following year, participation nearly doubled. From 2014-2016, the Gun Show was held on University field and showcase games were played under the lights of the football stadium. The tournament continued to gain popularity and a cult following among Big Sky teams. In 2017, the tournament directors made the move to the newly minted Fort Missoula Regional Park. The event is now one of the largest recreational sporting events in Missoula, and one of the premier fall tournaments in the Northwest. The University of Montana Alumni remain undefeated in the showcase game.
The success of the Gun Show has led to two more tournaments in Missoula. The Slumber Party is a college womxn’s tournament held in the spring and the Zootown Disco is a mixed club tournament held in the summer.
"A refreshing reminder of what sport was meant to be, and still, on rare occasions, can be."
-Howard Cosell