Clambake is one of the most sought-after fall bids on the East Coast, and for good reason: great fields, great food, great Frisbee, all in one superbly organized tournament (and party!) held at picturesque Bowdoin College in Maine. It's late September - the leaves are just beginning to turn color, and the air has a decided nip to it when the sun's not up, but it's not yet so cold as to set them old-timers' bones aching. Ah, Clambake.
This year's Clambake had the same dependable organization (partly because many teams offer to clean-up/set-up/cook/provide as part of their bids), with all donations and surplus going to benefit the Maine Special Olympics. With the spirit of goodwill in the air, teams were especially spirited and generous, many offering sizable donations to the charity in addition to their bids. Disco Inferno offered up a fantastic coloring book for sale, authored and illustrated by Jess Guffey ('02), with all proceeds going towards the charity.
Friday night before the tournament, cars packed with Disco girls headed up to spend the night at Sarah Ross-Viles's ('02) house in Maine less than an hour from Bowdoin. Early the next morning, well-rested and well-fed, Disco made her way to the green grass of Clambake and warmed up for her first game. This game was against one of the best club teams in the Boston area, Ambush, and although Disco scored only a point or two, make no mistake that Ambush had to work for their win. The next game was against another club team, Supernova. Playing stronger now, Disco lost again but won their last game of the day against yet another club team, UnderToe (?).
With daylight waning, Disco hurried to the showers and then to the party/campground to pitch their tents. The party was as good as ever, with delicious seafood from the clambake, a live band, and alcohol-induced good cheer. Breakfast the next morning was also a dependably hearty affair. After eating their fill, Disco Inferno packed up the tents and headed back to the fields to battle for the title in the Clam pool(?). Tough wins were had against Middlebury and club team Chrome Ladies (7-5). Finishing the tournament as 1st in the Clam pool with a win-loss record of 3-2, Disco fulfilled their annual field clean-up duty and headed home, tired and dirty, but incredibly fired up about what was sure to be an incredible fall season. --Shirley Wu '04