“Usually it’s more a matter of position than ups, and I try to be in a spot where the defender has to make a bid they can’t get,” Nord explained. “It helps to be tall.”
Judging the value of Nord to CUT (Carleton Ultimate Team) this season is the equivalent of looking a whale in the eye and trying to guess its length. In one sense, his value was spectacularly obvious.

Parents and spectators who had never seen ultimate before could watch a close game with Carleton and make a very accurate insight: “They’re going to throw it that tall red-headed guy.” That’s because despite a multitude of stars and an intricate zone offense, Carleton knew that what put them at a level above the competition was Nord’s ability to score goals when they needed them. In the final this year, battling a barrage of talented Colorado defenders, Nord pulled down eight goals in eight chances. The last was the most spectacular: an utterly impractical grab over the head of a perfectly-positioned Mark Driver, which led to a ground-causing concussion for Nord and a look of disbelief from Driver that was matched by everyone in the stadium.
Nord grew up playing juniors ultimate in Seattle, and was the star of the 1996 US Juniors team in Sweden. But when he arrived at Carleton, his throws were awkward. When he was a freshman, historically dominant CUT didn’t even make quarterfinals. Four years of hard work later, Nord is a fantastic thrower and a quick-footed defender, CUT has its first ever championship, and the Callahan vote was decided by the largest margin ever.

“I remember the feeling after each nationals from going out in pool play my freshman year, to semifinals when I was a sophomore, to finals last year,” Nord said. “Each season ended with a loss and an empty feeling. The buildup made this year as sweet as it could have been.”
Last fall Nord played club ultimate with Sub Zero through the UPA Fall Series. This year’s plans are still up in the air; Nord doesn’t know where he’ll be playing ultimate in the future. When asked to give advice to upcoming players on improving their play, Nord responded, “Play as much as you can with as many different teams and players as you can.”

— Jonathan O'Connell
Jonathan was captain of the University of Wisconsin Madison's Hodags.