The Ultimate Trailblazers: From Change Project to Championship Contenders
What began as an eighth-grade initiative has evolved into a powerhouse sport. The Ultimate Frisbee team, now a launchpad for talent with many alumni playing in college, draws national attention at the annual River Campus Classic hosted at University School of Nashville. Guided by dedicated alumni coaches, the boys and girls teams consistently win state championships, embodying a legacy of excellence and innovation.
The story of Ultimate Frisbee at University School of Nashville is something straight out of a PG sports film: Middle Schoolers discover the sport, build a ragtag team, learn the game on their own, and, after a few dreadful years, go on to win a national championship.
You could even add a sequel where the legacy they built endures nearly 30 years later as their children take up the sport. The girls and boys Ultimate Frisbee teams both won state championships in 2024. It was the third title for the girls, and a back-to-back title for the boys. The teams consistently look promising.
Where it leaves the Hollywood script behind, though, is the trailblazers’ grassroots-style undertaking. They learned as they went and made do with what they had. At that time, there was no official USN-sanctioned team.
The story of Brutal Grassburn, as they are known, happened at all because of the culture at USN, one where students think nothing of forging their own paths.
“I want people who read this to know that this would not have happened at another school,” said James Harper ’99.
The team achieved success because of its willingness to self-motivate for love of the game, and because these student-athletes had their parents’ trust. They were eighth graders, after all.
“I think that’s a good lesson, to let your kids’ passion drive where they’re going,” said Nathan Terry ’99. “We did it because we loved it. We wanted to have these experiences for ourselves.”
And they did. This is the legacy that Brutal Grassburn built. Read the entire article in 2000 Edgehill, the magazine of Peabody Demonstration School and University School of Nashville.
About Ultimate Frisbee
This flying disc game is a seven-on-seven match-up on a field about the size of a soccer pitch. Athletes play for 75 minutes per game as they try to throw the Frisbee to each other, advancing down the field to throw to a player in the end zone. It is an extremely high-paced and exciting game to watch. Over the course of USN’s two-day River Campus Classic tournament, players run roughly 10 to 15 miles of sprints.
School News
List of 3 news stories.
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USN Evening Classes offers mahjong for parents, Middle Schoolers
Students in grades 5-8 and their families can take USN Evening Class 702: Mah and Pah Jong and Me to learn to play a board game together while benefiting USN's need-based scholarship endowment.Read More -
Travel grant takes naturalist to Galápagos Islands
Read MoreThe Helen Meador Summer International Fellowship funded a summer of professional development in South America for Lower School Naturalist Carrie Riley. Through this profound experience, she said she plans to bring these lessons into her teaching, grounding her voice in wonder, joy, and a commitment to protecting the natural world, which she loves. -
Vissepó’s 'Fantastical Views' creates space to connect
The impact of USN’s Art Department is not confined to art studios in the Christine Slayden Tibbott Center. Students often engage with art in ways that transcend traditional classroom learning, such as at the opening reception for artist Yanira Vissepó's “Fantastical Views.”Read More
Athletics News
List of 3 news stories.
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HS athletics recaps for September 11-17
Tiger golfers have officially qualified for the region tournament, and our other teams are not far behind. Volleyball sits near the top of the district, finishing up regular season play next week with Senior Night. Girls soccer continues to hold first place in the district after another 9-0 win, and our cross country runners are chasing after some school records. To round it all out, our mountain bike team traveled to Oakfield to continue to improve on their times for the season. There’s plenty more where that came from- so be sure to come out to the River Campus, Sperling Gym, or out on the road to cheer on our Tigers before their seasons end.Read More -
MS athletics recaps for September 11-17
Middle School volleyball and tennis teams are nearing the final games of their seasons, with the competition heating up while the Tigers play to determine their HVAC rankings. Cross country was finally able to race at the River Campus despite the heat, and our mountain biking team traveled to Oakfield, Tennessee, for a high-temperature race weekend.Read More -
MTB Race #2 Report - Rockabilly Ridge Trails, Oakfield, TN
The MTB team returned to the the twisty trails of tranquil Oakfield, TN on Sept 13th to take part in the second race of the season, as part of the 5-race series hosted by the NICA/TICL League.Read More
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
USN Mission:
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.