Only 14 days left until the World Ultimate Club Championships in Lecco, Italy! To continue our Countdown to WUCC, we proudly present more of our Riot Stories – quick bios written by the players on Riot. We hope you enjoy. If you would like to help support us this season, please consider donating through our Sportfunder page. We are player-financed, and any contribution helps!
Name: Angelica ‘Geli’ Boyden
Jersey Number: #34
Position: Handler
Years Playing on Riot: 3
Hometown: The Dalles, Oregon
Occupation: Graduate Student
Tell us about one of your first experiences with Ultimate
I was introduced to ultimate frisbee in college. I was very skeptical of the lack of “sport” I felt ultimate possessed. However, at my first practice, I met the team’s coach, Jaime Arambula aka “Idaho”, who was a player for Seattle Sockeye at the time and a former national champion. I was so impressed by how much he knew about the sport and how invested he was in the community of the sport as well as the team at PLU. After my first tournament with the team, I was hooked. It was the community of ultimate that drew me in, and the shared love for competition, team and friendship, which has made this sport the only “real” sport that I now want to play competitively.
Why did you decide to tryout for Riot?
My coach in college always said that Seattle Riot was the best ultimate team that I could play for in the northwest. After missing the college series due to a rostering issue, I was disappointed and looking to extend my opportunities to play ultimate as well as improve my skills as an ultimate player through the club season. I made it into Riot’s closed tryouts that year and got cut after the first round. However, the captains of the newly formed, Seattle Underground, decided to give this athletic and eager to learn college student from Tacoma a shot. That season led to two more seasons with Underground, but I still felt as though I couldn’t become the best ultimate player I wanted to become without continuing to push myself to make Riot. I knew that if I didn’t try-out for Riot and make the team, that I wasn’t on the best team and I wanted to play for the best team.
What do you do off-the-field for Riot?
I have been the brain behind Riot gear sales since making the team in 2012, which consists of ordering new gear items, tracking inventory, fulfilling gear sales, and, most importantly, keeping our amazing fans in the newest Riot fashions! I am also a member of the FUNTA, our team committee designed to create fun team activities and events.
How does Riot impact the Ultimate community?
Our team provides scholarships to local youth who play ultimate and attend ultimate camps. Many teammates invest their time coaching. Personally, I have coached clinics and summer camp sessions in the past, and I am currently a coach for the middle school level club ultimate team out of Seattle called Small Fryz.
To learn more about me, check out my player profile at: https://seattleriot.org/roster/angelica-boyden/
To learn more about Riot and our impact in the community, please visit: https://seattleriot.org/sponsors/