Angela Lin

I was a handler.

Callahan Award runner up / top three 1999, 2000, 2001; Pufahl Spirit Award Nominee 2009.

I feel that I’m well known for being a consistent, hard-working continuation handler who attacks with a lot of break side throws and with up line cuts. Also, I feel I’m well known for my adaptiveness, work ethic and willingness to push to grow my skills as the sport has changed. At some point in the mid to late 2000s, I really targeted defensive footwork/hygiene, because I knew that, with improvements in efficiency, I could be that defender who was going to frustrate you both by shutting down the open side and by being able to make up ground to get blocks if I got beat by a step. I also feel like I’m known for being a captain who pushed teammates to focus more on team building, mental preparation and toughness during my last two years with Ozone in 2014 and 2015.

Defensive handler – playing tight defense usually on cutters then anchoring the defense’s offense once we got the turn.

This is a tough question. My peak years, if you define those as where I thought I could be a contender for U.S. National Team level of play, was probably 2001-2009 or so. I was an alternate for the 2005 World Games team. However, I think the way I’ve tried to frame growth and physical training in the 2010-2015 timeframe, after not making the cut for the World Games team in 2009, was to really buckle down on specifics to make gains in areas like defensive footwork and efficiency, mental strength and durability (changing physical workout and weight room tactics, finding new mental toughness reading and exercises). After the 2013 World Games team tryouts, I felt like I’d had a really excellent tryout and had implemented the plan I’d made. But, again, I did not quite make the cut and was pretty down about it. I re-upped my commitment to physical/mental training, but also to trying to impact others so that perhaps my younger teammates could start utilizing some of the lessons and knowledge I felt like I learned or found an understanding about too late in the game: how to train mentally, how to make a real plan to make physical training gains, how to really build good individual and team goals that you can hold yourself accountable for (all those were high on the list). I made it a personal goal as captain to impart as much of these strategies as possible in 2014 and 2015, and to also simultaneously maintain a high level of contribution as a player. In my opinion, I achieved that and had great performances at nationals in those two years. I ended my career with Ozone in 2015, but I have been playing with LOL since 2017. Additionally, I have won gold in three worlds tournaments (two WCBUs and one WUGC) in the masters division between 2015-17.

Coach Atlanta YCC ATLiens (HS Mixed) 2008; Coach Paideia Groove (HS Women) 2001-2002; Coach MELD (HS Women) 2014-2018; Coach Atlanta Orbit (Club Women) 2017-present; AFDC Terminus Women’s TD 1999-2001; Atlanta Flying Disc Club Social Director 2011-present; USAU Southeast Mens Regional Coordinator 2016-2017

Maddy Frey and I cofounded and co-captained Atlanta Soul in 2018 – Atlanta’s womens professional team in the Premier Ultimate League.

Also a tough question – I was certainly not expecting this right now. But, I think I’ve encompassed some of the reasons in the answers to the previous several questions. Something I had really focused on in later years of my career with Ozone was to make a positive impact on how the younger players conceptualize becoming better ultimate players and athletes and humans. I think that this type of leadership is not very straightforward and requires a lot of patience and communication, but I also feel like I found success in being the type of leader who influences a large group of younger players through actions, even still today through coaching and playing. I also feel that my longevity and maintenance of real contributions on elite club women’s teams from around 2000 through 2015 are a big part of why Chris nominated me. I think being able to adapt and adjust as the sport has changed (especially to being more physical) are really important things, and I feel like I’ve done that. Also, in my estimation, I’ve become a physically and mentally stronger player and leader toward the end of my career. I may not have been truly ‘dominating’ the other team’s most dangerous weapons for that whole timeframe, but I feel like I’ve been giving those women a super hard time for a long time. I also feel like people in the broad community respect me for my level-headedness, calm presence and belief in fairness and SOTG – no matter if we’re playing at league or at nationals or at worlds.