Up2Us Sports coaches are leaders in the field of sports-based youth development (SBYD), but they often don't receive the recognition they deserve. Coaches' Corner is our way to show our appreciation for our incredible coaches who make positive change in their communities every day!
This month we spoke with Bridget Mizener, a coach at Triangle Ultimate in Durham, North Carolina.
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Bridget Mizener moved to North Carolina to attend the University of North Carolina and play for their club ultimate team, the Pleiades. She has been playing ultimate frisbee for seven years, and in 2021 she was named Ultiworld's D-I Women’s Offensive Player of the Year. Bridget has been an Up2Us Sports coach since February of 2023 at Triangle Ultimate in Durham, North Carolina, where she had been coaching a high school team since 2017. When asked about what brought her to her current host site, she said:
“Triangle Ultimate is the local ultimate frisbee organization that touches all levels of the sport, from youth and high school competition to adults. When I began coaching a high school team in 2017, Triangle Ultimate ran the interscholastic league my team played in. In the subsequent years, I was involved with even more TU programs — summer camps, rec programs, and beginner’s clinics — before hearing about the Up2Us Sports position. I attribute my growth as an ultimate player to the incredible coaching I’ve received from members of the community — the player-to-coach pipeline is very strong at UNC. Most of my teammates coach, and many of my coaches were elite players. It’s ingrained and expected within the community that players help bring up the next generation. I saw the Up2Us Sports program as an opportunity to expand my horizons as a coach and give back to the local ultimate scene.”
“Most of my teammates coach, and many of my coaches were elite players. It’s ingrained and expected within the community that players help bring up the next generation. I saw the Up2Us Sports program as an opportunity to expand my horizons as a coach and give back to the local ultimate scene.” ”
As well as being an ultimate frisbee coach, she is no stranger to competition herself. As an ultimate player, she won a National Championship at UNC in 2021 and will play for Team USA this fall. Being a coach is rewarding, as well as a growing experience. When asked what the biggest lessons she has learned as a coach were, Mizener said:
“I’ve learned what motivates kids: feeling seen in their efforts and feeling seen as people. I do my best to reward effort and encourage my players to chase mastery; innate ability, in both life and sport, will never be as important as persistence, drive, and effort. Validating that is one of the most important things we can do.”
Bridget is a versatile coach, having worked with both high school-aged athletes, and with children. She has found drills that have worked for both age ranges and made her athletes better frisbee players in the process. When asked what a typical practice looks like and what favorite drills/team activities are, she said:
“I’ve learned what motivates kids: feeling seen in their efforts and feeling seen as people.”
“Over my term, I’ve worked with groups from 6-year-old beginners to high school seniors who are looking to compete on the national stage. One common thread between them is that everyone loves a drill called “apples”: a one-on-one jump-off between players competing to catch a long pass. One of the most satisfying feelings in ultimate is the “sky”: reading the flight path of the disc, getting up over your opponent, and snagging a high throw over the top of them. Apples involve lots of skying.”
She has been able to seamlessly blend the passion of athletes of all ages, to prepare them for competing at the national level. When asked what she feels her biggest accomplishment has been as a coach, she said:
“I loved coaching a U17 girls’ team this spring, including some beginners to the sport. There’s nothing better than helping players build confidence in their abilities and realize how much they’re capable of. By the end of the program, all of the girls were regularly completing throws and catches and moving around the field assertively. Some went on to try out for the competitive U17 team this summer; to me, the fact that they felt confident enough to try out was a big win. That they made the team was all gravy!”
As for what is next for Coach Bridget? She will play for Team USA this fall and finish her Up2Us Sports service year in February 2024.
Thank you Coach Bridget for all that you have done for both of your athletes and the community. We wish you the best in all of your current and future endeavors!
Bridget has served as an Up2Us Sports coach at Triangle Ultimate in Durham, North Carolina since February 2023 thanks to support from AmeriCorps.
