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University of California Santa Barbara

Burning Skirts

Captains

  • Kaitlyn Weaver

  • Leah Forester

  • Felicia Cruz

Coaches

  • Sam Fontaine

  • Hani Pajela

Social Media

Twitter: @BSkirts
Instagram:  @burningskirtsucsb
​Facebook:  BSkirts

Email: burningskirts@gmail.com!

Many people outside of California may not know much about UCSB. For one, Santa Barbara is a relatively small city in Southern California, much smaller than LA and San Diego. Despite not being the most well-known university, our ultimate team has a rich history and our current team is trending in an exciting direction! The Burning Skirts are one of the oldest and most successful college ultimate teams in the U.S. The team was founded in 1985 and in those 34 seasons has had 13 nationals appearances, made it to 8 national championship games, and has won 4 college national championships in 1988, 1990, 1991, and 2011. More recently in the 2020 season, the team was on track to receive its third consecutive berth to college nationals after attending both 2018 and 2019 championships.

Team History

Even more important than our recent on-field success, is how we got here. In 2016, our team came together and recommitted to a few important goals: 

  1. Creating an inclusive, positive culture - we wanted to make sure that we were creating a welcoming environment for younger players to learn and develop their skills. Our team has grown consistently each year since then and we are currently in the process of establishing a developmental team due to the size of our program. We’re also a tight-knit group and make friendship a priority.

  2. Focusing on the process rather than the outcomes - we also realized that our best chance to remain competitive was to take a process-based approach to individual development that emphasizes positive feedback and continual learning opportunities. We strongly believe that college ultimate is an opportunity for individual players to improve their skills and, when we all do this together, we can play at an even higher level on the field.

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There’s a lot more to know about our team and about UCSB, so feel free to reach out to us through any of the listed platforms. We would love to connect with you and answer any questions that you may have. Our community is always growing and the support surrounding our team is immeasurable. We’d love to give more insight into the Skirts Family and we hope to see you soon!

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And if you're thinking about joining the family, please fill out this interest survey  (you don't have to be an accepted senior):  
https://forms.gle/kF6UnuhiwPeYCwie9

Team Values

2020 Player accolades 

Runner-up Defensive POTY: Jasmine Childress 
Runner-up Offensive POTY: Kaitlyn Weaver 
Breakout Player of the Year: Elsa Winslow 
All American, First team: Kaitlyn Weaver and Jasmine Childress 

Testimonials

“The energy and love that radiates is constant and inspiring. Even though I’ve only had one full season playing for the Skirts, I have never once felt like I wasn’t a member of the team. We’re all such good friends and clearly love and care for each other, it’s really an amazing group of athletes to be a part of. We’re all there for each other through the ups and downs of the season and we all work together to make sure we’re the best we can be. I have never been on a womxn’s or gxrl’s team with such a strong support system as the Skirts (teammates, friends, and family combined!).”
Maria Sutherland, Sophomore, Class of 2022
“The Skirts are more than just my teammates, they are my best friends, my support system, my role models, and my funny bone. Everyday they challenge me to be the best form of myself, whether that be on field as a player and captain, or off field as a friend and upperclassmen. I value the team's balance of positivity and competition as it drives the program's success year after year. The Skirts are the most baller and fun team you will find in college ultimate.”
Kaitlyn Weaver, Senior/ Captain, Class of 2020/2021
“The skirts are a group of women who not only love playing with each other on the field but our #1 hobby is friendship so we hang out with each other 24/7. The karaoke nights, the craft days, and the early morning McDonald's runs are just some of my favorite activities that we do together. Overall, my favorite part of ultimate frisbee are the people. Not only have I found my best friends and main support system at college through this team, but I've also met so many people from other teams at tournaments that are simply amazing human beings.”
Yu Ishii, Sophomore, Class of 2022
“All prior experience I had of what it means to be a team and work hard to push yourself for the team is incomparable to this. This team is full of inspiration. We are also so supported by our coaches, our men’s team, and the broader community. I helped with some of the social media my earlier years and saw how much the community cares. As a captain now, I see it more still. My favorite part about Skirts is our mentality. Whether it is in practice or in games we are pushing for each other. Whether it’s after a rough practice or midterm, we support each other. We made up goofy cheers on the sidelines and goofier dances when we’re hanging out. They’re role models on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. 
Literally everyday I actively think about how lucky I am to be a Burning Skirt and I could not be more proud. “
Leah Forester, Junior/ Captain, Class of 2021
“Coming into this season as someone new to Ultimate, I was anxious about learning how to play a new sport. However, this anxiousness dissipated after my first week at practice. The coaches and all of the returning players on the team were not just willing to help us “rookies” improve our skills, but were eager to do so”
Kunz Namgyal, Freshman, Class of 2023
“Skirts culture is based on positivity and competitiveness and the balance between these two aspects is one of my favorite parts of this team. We hold ourselves to a high standard of play, always pushing each other in practice and workouts, but we also prioritize energy and friendship. We study together, live together, eat together and put just as much time into the community aspect of the team as we do the athletic aspect. Every time I step on the field I feel lucky to play with such a talented, driven, and hardworking group of individuals. We win together and we lose together and at the end of the day we always have a really fun time doing what we love together. I will always be extremely proud to be a Skirt because this is a team like no other. “
Felicia Cruz, Junior/ Captain, Class of 2021
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