Photo Credit: Daniel Tsai for UltiPhotos

Continuing their push for gender equity on and off the ultimate field, many of the FlameThrowers athletes who competed at the Cascades Cup are donating their salaries from the game to a local women’s team. The team is also hosting a showcase game before their home game against the Cascades on May 13; this game will feature rising all-stars in the local women’s club scene.

When the fans finished clapping at the end of the Cascades Cup, one thing was very clear: there is a large market for mixed professional ultimate, and women fit in quite well on a mixed AUDL field. However, many more questions remained unanswered: what are the next steps for these athletes? What would the spectators from the Cascades Cup do to ensure that something like it could happen again? Is one game enough to change the minds of franchise owners everywhere?

The answers to all of these questions are still largely unknown, but many FlameThrowers are doing what they can to keep pushing the message and take steps in the right direction. After the announcement that the team would be hosting its own mixed showcase game in 2018, the players decided that action should also be taken sooner than next season if possible. As a result, they decided to donate their salaries from the game (a total of $700) to local girls’ high school ultimate team California Roll. The team has been fundraising at every FlameThrowers home game in order to help fund their upcoming trip to nationals, and this recent donation will make a huge difference for them.

In addition to the donation, the FlameThrowers are also hosting a women’s Rising Stars showcase game at 5 PM on May 13 before their next home game in order to give Bay Area fans a taste of the future all-stars of elite mixed and women’s club ultimate. Two teams of twelve women each will play a 45-minute game that will also be livestreamed for those who can’t make it in person.

Featuring athletes such as Hayley Wahlroos (of Oregon Fugue and SCTop10 fame) and Monisha White (Stanford Superfly’s Callahan nominee and a DI National Champion), it will be an incredible chance for FlameThrowers fans to watch women’s ultimate presented in a new and accessible way. Other notable athletes to watch include Allyn Suzuki, a lethal cutter, and two-time DIII National Champion Angela Aie. They will face off against defensive all-star Eliza Chang, Oregon Fugue’s 2015 Callahan nominee Bethany Kaylor, and Team USA member Jenna Krugler among others.

“Looking at the roster, it’s going to be an exciting event full of highlights and amazing plays,” says Jen Pashley, Youth Outreach Program Manager at Bay Area Disc and organizer for the event. “It’s a chance for incredibly talented female athletes to play in front of a crowd and to really get a chance to shine in front of the spotlight. I can’t wait to see what happens!”

Immediately before the Rising Stars game will be the state championship game for high school girls – California States will be held at Laney College from 9 AM to 4 PM on Saturday. The FlameThrowers are hoping to improve audience turnout at these events and thus help push gender equity to the forefront of people’s minds at the professional, club, college, and younger levels.

In order to ensure a large and enthusiastic crowd for the games, the FlameThrowers are offering half-priced tickets as part of a Mother’s Day promotion. This means that everyone who would have bought a full-priced ticket can now bring their mother (or daughter, or aunt, or anyone else who loves women’s ultimate) for free! Simply use discount code “UltimateWomen” at checkout when you purchase your tickets here.

Following the Rising Stars game, the FlameThrowers take on the Seattle Cascades in one of the most highly anticipated home games of the regular season. The Cascades are 3-1 so far this season with a +15 goal differential and thus are tied with the Los Angeles Aviators for the second best record in the Western Conference. The FlameThrowers are 4-1 and beat a mixed Seattle team during the Cascades Cup, but both teams’ rosters have been significantly altered since then.

The Cascades recently had their first loss – their only regulation loss of the season as an open team – against the San Jose Spiders, and it was decided by a single point. The FlameThrowers, on the other hand, are fresh off of two victories against the Los Angeles Aviators and the San Diego Growlers. They are also undefeated at home. It remains to be seen whether or not they can defeat the Cascades a second time and solidify their place as the best in the West.

The full roster for the Rising Stars game is listed below. Replica jerseys can be ordered at the game as well and will be printed by Boon Technical Clothing. Check out their Facebook page for photos!