Ultimate frisbee is on the rise in popularity with professional teams popping up all over the country. Salt Lake City now has its very own ultimate frisbee team, the Salt Lake Shred.
Shred is part of the UFA, or the Ultimate Frisbee Association. The UFA was established in 2012 and has been growing every year since, constantly adding new teams.
Salt Lake Shred is entering its fourth season in the league and is accustomed to playing against teams in its own division. But this year, according to Shred General Manager Quincey McKeen, games might be different. With 24 teams around the country, teams are divided into four divisions and tend to play within their own divisions until the playoffs. But this year, teams will be playing games outside of their divisions.
“For example, the shred, our opening game is going to be against Atlanta, the Atlanta Hustle, which is a team we have never played before,” McKeen said. “And then our final game of the regular season, which will be a home game, we’re going to play Minnesota, and Minnesota is the reigning champs from last year. So, that will also be a really fun game.”
McKeen has been the general manager of the Salt Lake Shred since August 2023. She played ultimate frisbee in high school and for the women’s competitive team at Brigham Young University. She now plays for the Utah Wild, the women’s team in Utah.
McKeen got involved with Shred when her former coach at BYU became the head coach for the team. The former general manager was in the military, so McKeen would fill in while he was gone.
“Even after he came back it kind of worked out,” McKeen said. “He was doing some other stuff for us and then I kind of just took over for the general manager position. I have a Master of Public Administration, so this is kind of like the perfect combo of frisbee, but also the admin and the logistics side.”
McKeen is optimistic about the future of the UFA and Shred and hopes that one day the sport can make its debut in the Olympics.
“Frisbee needs to get to the Olympics,” McKeen said. "And with flag football being in the 2028 Olympics and those kinds of things that’s something I hope for and that I hope we can work towards because I feel like that would do huge things for the sport.”
To keep up with McKeen and the Salt Lake Shred, follow them on their website as well as Instagram.