Kion Young ’20 picked up the fundamentals of Ultimate from his older brother in the sixth and seventh grade, and decided to try out for the Ultimate team his Junior year at Andover. Despite only knowing the basic throws and nothing about the rules of the game, Young made it onto Andover’s Varsity Ultimate team his Junior year.
With a year of experience on the team, Young is becoming a valuable member of Andover Ultimate.
Co-captain Reuben Philip ’18 said, “In any sport, natural athleticism can always give you an edge on your opponent. Kion, being a multisport athlete, had already developed natural athleticism through other sports and even though he had never played any Ultimate before, he was quickly able to make contributions to the team. He has quickly picked up the strategy behind ultimate and has become a consistent contributor to the team.”
Although Young has some good throws, he stays humble and strives to learn from the other players on the team, including his captains.
Young said, “As more of a cutter, my throwing skills aren’t as good as, for example, [Philip’s] who prefers handling and being able to make precise throws. However, I really like my backhand throw, since I can send accurate throws for any distance. I would say this is my best throw, but I would also like to develop my other throws as well.”
According to teammate Tyler Rynne ’18, one of Young’s strengths is scoping out the field to find open spots to catch or pass the frisbee.
Rynne wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “[Young] brings a level of athleticism and drive to the team that helps push us all. He also has a great spacial awareness of the field and a vision that allows him to make great plays on the disk.”
Young is excited for this coming season and hopes to make an impact at the home opener against Andover High School on Wednesday.
