The Thunderbirds are ready for their ninth season of pro ultimate frisbee

Ultimate frisbee is back in Pittsburgh, and this year, the city's pro team is even allowed to call it that.

A licensing agreement completed earlier this year allows the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds to use the Wham-O trademark "frisbee" instead of "ultimate disc." The team's general manager Andrew Gardner says the agreement is important for the sport as it clears up confusion — "just saying 'ultimate frisbee' gets us away from 'disc golf,'" he tells Pittsburgh City Paper — and comes with educational initiatives to promote ultimate frisbee in schools and at retailers.

It also comes with a slightly different frisbee mold and a new league name, the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA). Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds are looking ahead to twelve hotly contested games, six of which will be played at home in Highmark Stadium; family-friendly promos; and even a makeover to the team's mascot T-Bird courtesy of a player's mother. Gardner says it's all in service of reflecting the league's growth and the players' talent.

"We do goofy stuff sometimes, but this is a professional team, and the guys all take this very seriously," he says.

Pittsburgh has a robust ultimate frisbee ecosystem, and Gardner says the Thunderbirds have benefitted from closer relationships with the Pittsburgh Temper, a club team, and Pitt team En Sabah Nur. "The University of Pittsburgh is also really good at ultimate," he tells City Paper. "They won back-to-back national championships in '12 and '13." Gardner confirms with player Will Hoffenkamp that the team has had national tournament appearances nearly every year since.

The sport is also in a growth phase. Gardner says the T-Birds' roster includes players who travel in from Columbus, Cleveland, and elsewhere, and has previously featured players from Upstate New York. The UFA is even signing international players. "Ultimate's really big in Colombia," Gardner says. The UFA recently hosted a showcase with the New York and Washington, D.C. teams there. "Detroit had the first-ever nationally born Chinese player on their roster."

"A player who plays for the U-24 Belgium national team is playing for the Montreal Royale," Hayden Daley, a youth player who practices with the Thunderbirds, adds.

Daley says the sport has a strong youth base. There are leagues for middle- and high-school players, coed teams, and competitions for every season. Gardner says the team is launching youth camps for the first time this year, as well: "If any school was ever interested in us coming in and taking over the P.E. classes, I can have my pro guys or myself come in and teach them what we do and throw the pro Frisbee around."

Even with all this momentum, all of the Thunderbirds have day jobs.

"We've had teachers and chemists and … an orthopedic surgeon," Gardner says, noting that he worried the surgeon would injure his hands during play. "Every time he laid out, I'd be like, 'that is like your moneymaker!'" he laughs.

Regardless of day jobs, college, or school, dozens of players show up each Wednesday to prepare for a schedule that Gardner says leaves little room for error. Even as the temperature drops below 50˚F, head coach Max Barowski has the team running drills and fielding "pulls," or long passes out of a team's end zone. (The rules and terms differ, but Gardner compares the sport to a mix of basketball, football, and soccer.)

Up first on Saturday, April 27 is a home duel with the Minnesota Wind Chill. On the field, Barowsky warns his players of the team's pulling prowess. Gardner says the team is also looking beyond to clashes with rivals Madison and Indianapolis.

"The Madison Radicals are by far our biggest rival," Gardner says. "We went to the divisional final three years in a row in '15, '16, and '17. We lost to the Radicals all three times … We have also never defeated them at their place." The T-Birds will face Madison and Indianapolis twice each this season.

Off the field, Gardner says fans can expect $1 beers, Dippin' Dots, games, and free admission for kids under eight. In addition to the refreshed mascot, the team will also sport new kits that feature an asymmetrical lightning design and the Pittsburgh skyline. While the Thunderbirds' operation is still relatively lean, Gardner says there's no shortage of enthusiasm, which reflects the way ultimate frisbee has caught on with a growing number of local fans and players.

"There's a really good community built here in Pittsburgh," he says. "If you want to go play recreational ultimate, you can basically play almost any day."

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The Pittsburgh Thunderbirds will host the Minnesota Wind Chill on Saturday, April 27 at 1 p.m. Tickets start at $10.