Covering nontraditional, emerging and niche sports with a focus on women and LGBTIQA+ people. Currently doing a deep dive into quadball and the change to 3 max with the gender rule.
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I'm back, finally! Today’s episode is about the USA Ultimate D-I college championships, specifically the women’s division. The tournament took place May 23-26 in Burlington, Washington. Note: this is explicit because I swore a couple timesShow NotesUSA UltimateClip of trophy winning play in the finals from USAU Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/DKIoF7ZuMhQ/ Full results of women’s division https://play.usaultimate.org/events/2025-USA-Ultimate-College-Championships/schedule/Women/CollegeWomen/ Game info page for the finals https://play.usaultimate.org/teams/events/match_report/?EventGameId=VT88axfTUSrZsFQcMRHXlLlmubCiz1ZSG2RCoo3YLdc%3d Overview of college division https://usaultimate.org/college/ Rulebook https://usaultimate.org/rules/ BB5Full article recap coming soonD-III semifinal highlights from May 18, Haverford/Bryn Mawr vs Middlebury https://www.beyondthebig5.com/photos/usau-diii-college-champs-womens-semis-haverfordbryn-mawr-vs-middleburyD-I quarterfinal highlights from May 25 https://www.beyondthebig5.com/photos/usau-di-college-champs-womens-quarterfinals-highlightsD-I finals highlights from May 26 https://www.beyondthebig5.com/photos/usau-di-college-champs-ubc-vs-carleton-womens-final Host/editor/producer: Mary KimballTheme music: Jeff McBrideEpisode cover photo: Mary Kimball
Minisode 3: June 22, 2024 (00:09:20)
This is a short recap of our watch guide from the previous week and a preview of what we’re paying attention to the following week. Today, we’re going to talk about quadball, softball, the Olympics, ultimate, and beach handball.
Show Notes
Major League Quadball
QUEST analysis on game 3 of New Orleans Curse vs League City Legends by Leo Fried https://quadballest.com/2024/06/21/quest-2024-league-city-new-orleans-game-3/
Fast Takes with Fast Break News on Minneapolis Monarchs vs Chicago Prowl https://www.fastbreaknews.com/articles/fast-takes-with-fast-break-chicago-v-minneapolis
MLQ’s Players to Watch Week 4 https://www.mlquadball.com/news/players-to-watch-week-four
Athletes Unlimited AUX Softball Series
Leaderboard https://auprosports.com/softball/leaderboard/?season=172
Schedule https://auprosports.com/aux-softball/schedule/2024/
LA 2028 Summer Games
Venue update https://la28.org/en/newsroom/la28-updates-venue-plan.html
Paris 2024 trials for Team USA
USA Today article on Gretchen Walsh https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/06/16/gretchen-walsh-virginia-star-olympics/74120008007/
Trials schedule portal https://www.teamusa.com/events/trials-schedule
Video of javelin thrower Kara Winger from 2023 World Championships https://youtu.be/SmKrWB1ym-k?si=JI-HEowl9YaNCrxS
Premier Ultimate League
Championship Weekend schedule https://www.premierultimateleague.com/pul-championship
Team USA Beach Handball
Interview from 2019 featuring Alex and Missy Browne https://teamhandballnews.com/2019/08/podcast-episode-59c-alex-browne-on-talent-transfer-quidditch-to-beach-handball/
Interview from 2023 featuring Alex Browne https://teamhandballnews.com/2023/08/podcast-episode-81a-alex-browne-of-the-san-diego-sea-dragons-beach-handball-club/
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Kielan Donahue
Transcript
Read at beyondthebig5.com.
Minisode 2: June 11, 2024 (00:07:34)
This is a short recap of our watch guide from the previous week and a preview of what we’re paying attention to the following week. Today, we’re going to talk about rugby, quadball, ultimate, softball, the Olympics, and the Paralympics.
Show Notes:
Wheelchair Rugby:
Female players take spotlight in wheelchair rugby as record numbers take up sport, from 2023 https://www.paralympic.org/feature/female-players-take-spotlight-wheelchair-rugby
Roster for 2024 Paralympics https://usawr.org/usawr-announces-2024-paralympic-roster/
2024 Canada Cup livestream playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWTbLwz4aBDu3lBISgonNIRuEbXuty9OJ
Video on Sarah Adam https://youtu.be/n4NrSi6hsgo?si=G8EZ0OIRYz4xko43
Major League Quadball:
Stats from 2024 https://www.mlquadball.com/stats/2024
Softball:
USA Today article about 2024 Most Oustanding Player Kelly Maxwell https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/2024/06/07/oklahoma-sooners-softball-kelly-maxwell-wcws-national-championship/
More about Jocelyn Alo https://auprosports.com/softball/athletes/jocelyn-alo/
ESPN video essay about Jocelyn Alo and her evolution as home run queen https://youtu.be/ewRST2p1c-Q?si=qUBHJwi5BERaA_2w
Team USA:
Schedule of trials for Olympics and Paralympics https://www.teamusa.com/events/trials-schedule
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Mary Kimball
Minisode 1: June 3, 2024 (00:04:57)
For Pride Month, we’re trying out something new! This is a short recap of our watch guide from the previous week and a preview of what we’re paying attention to the following week.
Show Notes
Results from 2024 WUL season: https://westernultimateleague.com/2024-schedule
PUL schedule: https://www.premierultimateleague.com/schedule
MLQ schedule: https://www.mlquadball.com/schedule
Coverage of rowing college nationals from Row2k: https://www.row2k.com/NCAA/ https://www.row2k.com/NCAA/
College World Series for softball: https://www.ncaa.com/news/softball/article/2024-06-01/2024-ncaa-softball-bracket-womens-college-world-series-scores-schedule
AUX Pro Softball: https://auprosports.com/aux-softball/
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Sloth Jackson
BB5 Episode 9: USQ Cup 2024 Recap (01:33:54)
This is Episode 9, the US Quadball Cup 2024 Recap. USQ nationals took place a month and a half ago, April 13 and 14 in Round Rock, TX. It featured 58 teams competing in 5 divisions: 16 teams in college D1, 15 teams in college D2, 2 teams in college open, 19 teams in club championship, and 6 teams in club open.
For the recap, we’re joined by longtime players and coaches Michael Goldman of the Silicon Valley Vipers, Soleil Heaney of Seattle Sirens and Vanguard in Vancouver, BC, and Chanun Ong of Boom Train and Cal to discuss the results, what we think of the US debut of the 3 max rule, and what we’re paying attention to this summer and beyond with MLQ, Western Championship Quadball, and the next USQ season.
Note that this interview was recorded on April 30, before MLQ dropped their rosters.
Show Notes
Timestamps coming soon!
College D1
D1 finals, Harvard vs UTSA
College D2
D2 pool play game, Cal vs BU
D2 finals, Cal vs UCLA
3 max
Final thoughts on the USQ season
Summer events with MLQ and WCQ
Teams discussed
College D1: Harvard, University of Texas San Antonio, Creighton, Arizona State University, Texas State, Rutgers, Virginia (University of Virginia), Mizzou (University of Missouri)
College D2: Cal (University of California Berkeley), University of California Los Angeles, Baylor, Boston University
College open: Oddballs, Texas A&M/Merc
Club championship: Warriors, Boom Train, Bosny Bearsharks, Texas Hill County Heat, Bay Area Breakers, Lost Boys, Seattle Sirens, District of Columbia QC, Twin Cities QC, Boston Pandas, Pegasus
Club open: Second Stars
BB5 recaps
USQ Cup 2024 recap article - this has a long list of other recaps, spreadsheets, and stats from the weekend, as well as a preview of MLQ opening weekend
Photos
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Mary Kimball
BB5 Episode 8: Lulu Xu (00:32:15)
Episode 8 of the BB5 podcast, featuring quadball player and coach Lulu Xu. Hailing from the Northeast, Lulu is one of the sport’s more influential beaters. She’s been playing since 2011. She’s a 5x national champion and 2x international champion. This interview explores the context around which Lulu's club team, the Boston Pandas, was created in 2020, a team that was the leader in the US in the adoption of the 3 max rule from its beginning, and also discusses Lulu’s experiences as a coach for both Pandas and Harvard and what’s next for her in the sport.
Show notes:
Essay by Lulu in the Eighth Man from 2019: http://www.eighthman.com/2020/09/18/guest-column-the-importance-of-recognizing-bias-and-intersectionality-in-quidditch/
Video Essay by Lulu Xu and Max Havlin for the Midline in 2020: https://youtu.be/Fe7vh21Mkxs?si=XyY32oYPFIbhTCza
interview with Lulu and Pandas co-founder Grace Dastous on Eighth Man’s The Pod in 2020: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1HsUjoMDomBj5ofOSKJK9H?si=cxOVSTsIRQK59JVllhI_Pg -
Coverage of Lulu’s time on the US National Team in 2018 in Florence, Italy: https://abcnews.go.com/International/harry-potter-italy-americans-compete-quidditch-world-cup/story?id=56173662
On Total Quadball Podcast in 2021 with Max Havlin: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6d8D3DNyrkHtyoNp40E2LI?si=b791a98523b5433d
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Mary Kimball
BB5 Episode 7: Joanne Lam (00:45:52)
Please note that this podcast and the advice given are meant for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice.
Host Mary Kimball first met Joanne Lam during QuidCon in 2021, a virtual event that US Quadball and Major League Quadball hosted during one of the waves of COVID lockdowns. She led a great home workout session. She started following Joanne online, and came to really admire her approach to training, especially foundational exercises that prepare the body for movements commonly found in a sport like quadball.
In the interview, we discuss what kind of fitness and health care professionals can help athletes with training and injury recovery and how best to use them, how to approach training as we age, the impact of hormones and menstruation on athletic performance (and vice versa in some cases!), how to track workouts more effectively, and more.
Before we get to links, a quick note about language. We used the phrase people with uteruses to refer to the health concerns that people with uteruses and menstrual cycles face. In the future, we might shift to different language, like women and people with cycles. If you have any feedback on this, please email mary@beyondthebig5.com. Our goal is always to lead with inclusion, balancing accuracy with concision wherever possible.
Here’s how to learn more about Joanne’s services and to get in touch:
@JoanneLamFitness on Instagram
@TheQuadballCoach on Instagram, for exercises/tips just about training for this sport
The Quadball Coach website
Joanne’s LinkTree website
Joanne’s YouTube channel
Other show notes:
Toronto City News article from 2010 about quidditch, featuring Allison Gillette, who got Joanne into the sport in the first place
Essay from Allison Gillette on competing with the US National Team in 2012
Essay from Joanne on becoming a personal trainer (not referenced but it’s worth a read!)
Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport from October 2022
Feisty Media, a women’s owned sports media company that has great features on training, especially for athletes with uteruses
Dr. Stacy Sims, an expert on impacts of menopause on athletic performance and other training particulars for athletes with uteruses
Side note - Dr. Sims is really focused on science and research for athletes with uteruses and female health. She doesn’t often speak about trans athletes, and the full picture of her views there are a little unclear. Here at BB5, we believe that it’s important for sports to lead with inclusion, and that trans athletes should play in sports according to their gender. Dr. Sims just did an interview with the podcast Female Athlete Nutrition where she spoke on trans athletes in sports. You can listen to it here. She talks about the need for more research in this area and her views on a new, open division idea seen in some leagues in the UK that separates athletes from a women’s division and is maybe separate or combined with men’s. She also talked about the importance of inclusion in sports overall.
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Eric Lynch
BB5 Episode 6: The League Perspective, Part 1 (00:55:18)
Hear from players and US Quadball co-gameplay department managers Thomas Chang-Davidson and Sarah “Phantom” Kneiling about USQ’s transition to 3 max. They discuss how their own history has shaped their approach with policy making around gender (and other areas), how they started playing and got involved with USQ gameplay, and what changes they hope to see this weekend at USQ Cup in the club championship division, and over the next 2 years as the rest of the league makes this change. They also go over how to report gameplay disciplinary violations, both online and in person.
YouTube video of Aimee Howarth-Horner from 2009: https://youtu.be/rEBprM3LRrc?si=iO3ut5pQBiIaPhv-
US Quadball Gameplay Policies and Forms: https://members.usquadball.org/gameplay
Sign up for Beyond the Big 5 Newsletter: https://www.beyondthebig5.com/
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Duran Alison/Shirley Lu and Ana Sophia Acosta
BB5 Episode 5: Aubrey Johnson (00:27:14)
Hear from player and photographer Aubrey Johnson about her time on Salt Lake City Hive, based out of Utah. Besides talking about her own experiences playing on America’s sweetheart quadball team, Aubrey also gives some flowers to retiring players and teammates Katie Ely, Danika Liou, and Nathan Liou. This episode is part of our April 1, 2024 exclusive day of Bee-yond the Big 5 features on sports and pollinators.
Resources about bees and pollinators:
https://extension.usu.edu/pests/research/beginners-guide-to-common-native-bees
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/meet-7-lesser-known-pollinators
https://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/about-pollinators
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/extension_curall/724/
Salt Lake City Hive on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltlakequadball/
Aubrey’s photo account on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akj.photos
Special thanks to scientist Brandi Cannon-Force for some initial suggestions about under the radar pollinators.
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Mary Kimball
BB5 Episode 4: Ryan Davis and Molly Potter (00:45:44)
In three weekends, USQ club team the Warriors takes the pitch at US Quadball Cup 2024 in Round Rock, TX to defend their national title. How prepared are they for the shift to 3 max? What is it like to train on this team? What makes the Warriors such a successful program? Learn the answers to these questions and more in our interview with Ryan Davis and Molly Potter, two players with significant experience in quadball who are on the roster this coming April. While we talked a lot about the specifics of the Warriors, Ryan and Molly also shared their perspectives on player development more broadly, making this a must listen episode for any player looking to up their game.
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Mary Kimball
BB5 Episode 3: Fraser Posford on EQC 2024 (00:50:06)
Editor’s note: in the recording, Mary says that EQC is March 15-16. This is incorrect. It’s March 16-17. Also, regarding 3 max, only teams in D1 are required to play that. Teams in D2 were allowed to apply for a waiver; 5 teams in D2 elected not to and will be playing 3 max the entire tournament.
European Quadball Cup 2024 takes place this weekend in Salou, Catalonia. This is Europe’s top club event. For the first time, both divisions (D1 and D2) are competing the same weekend. 32 teams are in D1, fighting for the title of Champion of Europe. 24 teams are in D2. Player, coach, and podcaster Fraser Posford of Total Quadball Podcast joins BB5 for a primer on EQC for US fans.
Total Quadball Podcast, episode 81 on EQC: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5T7AQJ84fhexjoaQoYKggT
EQC 2024 Schedule: https://www.quidditcheurope.org/eqc2024/eqc2024-division-1-gameplay. Times are in CET, which is UTC +1. That’s 5 hours ahead of the East Coast of the US, and 8 hours ahead of the West Coast.
EQC 2024 Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@quadballeurope/streams
EQC 2024 Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/698045429143916
Finals at EQC 2023 D1, between Antwerp QC vs Werewolves of London: https://www.youtube.com/live/qczf27mxByI?si=_9SzYe2c0IiHjhCM&t=38550
3rd place game at EQC 2023 D1, Ruhr Phoenix vs Braunschweig Broomicorns: https://www.youtube.com/live/qczf27mxByI?si=wfbzuAm6KnSYpTYF&t=34990
Quarterfinals at EQC D1 2019, Paris Titans vs Antwerp QC: https://youtu.be/Po71feb9iUM?si=SpnJj9dWkF1e6uPQ
Teams to watch on day 1
D2: NTNUI Rumpeldunk (Norway) and Siena Ghibellines QC (Italy)
D1: any game in group C (especially Paris Titans [France], Old School Quidditch [Turkey], and Rheinos Bonn [Germany]); ODTU Hippogriffs (Turkey) and Ruhr Phoenix (Germany) in group H; Bombarda Brixia QC (top team in Italy) and Münchner Wolpertinger (Germany)
Total Quadball Podcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TotalQuad
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme music: Jeff McBride
Episode cover photo: Van Klaveren Quidditch Photography
BB5 Episode 2: Ally Manzella and Kennedy Murphy (00:57:50)
Join us for a conversation with two players and coaches from Chicago, Ally Manzella (she/her) and Kennedy Murphy (she/her) on gender and player development.
From Fast Break News, Your Guide To Implementing Three-Max (Now, Not Later): https://www.fastbreaknews.com/articles/your-guide-to-implementing-three-max-now-not-later
From Third Bludger Interference, the Kennedy Murphy Interview: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thirdbludger/episodes/S2E22---The-Kennedy-Murphy-Interview-e29a5vh/a-aabrauc
Major League Quadball’s Coleman Clause: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1luV6BxS1SbPB74mye7-ynfmruC3p9ucX/view?fbclid=IwAR1D-XbBNac5f61tewu7noyUaHko-UMoanZbZKvZMrKP0O7n_B_NiU7eYzM
From Fast Break News, Innovation or Tradition: Debating the Removal of Brooms from Quadball: https://www.fastbreaknews.com/articles/innovation-or-tradition-debating-the-removal-of-brooms-from-quadball
Episode cover photo: Kielan Donahue
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme Music: Jeff McBride
BB5 Episode 1: Peter Lawrence (00:51:14)
Hear from nonbinary player Peter Lawrence about their time on Middlebury College, playing in the UK, joining the club team Bosnyan Bearsharks, and playing MLQ. Peter also discusses their experience coming out as nonbinary and playing quadball, and how the support of their team and friends have made a difference on and off the pitch.
Episode cover photo by Kielan Donahue.
Statement in support of nonbinary players: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3_ULISOQwl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Subscribe to the BB5 newsletter: https://www.beyondthebig5.com/
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme Music: Jeff McBride
BB5 Episode 0: An Intro (00:05:16)
Welcome to Beyond the Big 5! This is episode 0: an introduction.
Primer to quadball video: https://youtu.be/_YSx140Nujc?si=-_9CHlVt_kRO4Efb
Subscribe to the BB5 newsletter: https://www.beyondthebig5.com/
Host/editor/producer: Mary Kimball
Theme Music: Jeff McBride
