Ben McGinn, game to go
Ben McGinn: I only played one season of high school flat-ball back home in Concord, MA (at Concord Carlisle High School — CC Haos represent!). Other than that, my ultimate background is all with the Sweets.
How did you come to play at Whitman?
After one season in high school I wanted to continue playing in college. Unfortunately, I wasn’t exactly good at ultimate. Fortunately, neither were the Sweets at the time. After loosing almost our entire 2008 A-team, 2009 (my freshman season) was what they call a “rebuilding year” in the business. Despite my terrible skill set, I got a decent amount of playing time as a freshman, which allowed me to develop quite a bit.
What is your roll on and off the field?
On the field this season I play both ways (as often as Jeremy will let me). On the O-line, I handle. This usually means I catch the pull, give it to Jeremy, and watch him throw a massive huck to one of our four nasty deeps. Occasionally, Jeremy decides to swing it to me — thats when things get a little more exciting. On the D-line, I usually try to match up with one of the other team’s big deeps. I do my best to be physical and not get roasted deep.
Off the field I’m just another one of the guys. The Sweets are all a bunch of characters, so it’s generally pretty hilarious how we mesh together.
How are you getting prepared for the Sweets first trip to the big show?
Right now we’re in the middle of finals, so our practice schedule is a bit off. Thankfully, we got a week and a half after finals and before we head to Boulder to practice hard. Its also getting nice and sunny in Walla Walla, so practice will be a good ole time!
What does making nationals mean to you?
Last year a bunch of us went to watch D1s after we came in second at D3s. It occurred to me then that the Sweets would be capable of making it this year, and I haven’t really stopped thinking about D1s since. Finally beating OSU in the game to go was a huge relief. This is going to be super-duper tight!
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