Redemption Tour

We could have been great. That’s what I keep coming back to. We had all the pieces: phenomenal players, an incredible history of winning, experience at nearly every level of play, captains that knew how to get gold, a goal to not only be the best but to be so undeniably. This, even more so than years before, was our year. It was our final year; our victory lap. It was the 5th season of a long, hard, and inspired run for us, a final push that would cement our legacy before we passed it onto the next generation. It was the end and it was going to be beautiful.

But we were plagued by wrongs. Fugue 2016 never found its swing. As our beloved rain gave way to Stanford’s sun, we watched our chance at our dream bafflingly slip away. For the first time in my career I experienced the college national championship from the bleachers instead of the field. In the days that followed I drowned in frustration, confusion, anger, and most of all, heartbreak. The sport and the team that had taught me so much of who I have become--hard  work, fight, buy in--took it all away and left me broken and reeling.

The All-Star Ultimate Tour 2016 feels like a second chance. I can’t rewrite the ending of my college career; unfortunately that chapter is closed, but I can write a new chapter. This could be a redemption tour. It could, once more, be a chance to reach for greatness, to lift my teammates up, to define success in groundbreaking ways. And it provides something new too, an opportunity to play with new stakes, as part of a movement of utmost importance. Suddenly I saw a new light and found a way to feel inspired again. Dreams and drive edged their way in once more. Redemption Tour 2016 here I come.

But it's not just a redemption tour for me. It's for all of us. It’s time we reimagine the future of women in ultimate. The tour is an opportunity to demonstrate and celebrate our strength, passion, and viability as athletes and as leaders. This sport can break your heart but it can grow it too. I've already written some of my story but together we get to write the future. I’m ready for the next chapter. Welcome back, dreams.

-Alex Ode