Going Deep with Aaron Watson 141 Octavia Payne, Leila Tunnell & Qxhna Titcomb on Gender Equity in Ultimate Frisbee & Beyond
I'm Qxhna Titcomb and I've been playing disc sports since I was 5 years old. I went to Tufts University in Boston, played on Boston Brute Squad and am now on my second year on Seattle Riot. I have three older brothers and one older sister - they are the ones that inspire me to think bigger and be better. Together we have founded the ultimate frisbee apparel company Five Ultimate and are the owners of the men's professional team in Seattle called the Cascades. Most recently, I have been working on promoting women in ultimate via the All-Star Ultimate Tour. Check out www.AllStarUltimateTour.com to see what that's all about!
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My name is Leila Tunnell and I have been playing Ultimate for 17 years. I grew up in Atlanta, GA, where I played for The Paideia School and with the Atlanta women's club team, Ozone. In 2004 and 2006 I was selected for the U-20 Girls National Team, winning silver and gold respectively. In college I played for UNC Chapel Hill, where I won the Callahan Award in 2011, and also helped start and played for the NC women's team Phoenix. I have coached high school programs all over the east coast and have also worked as a counselor and now Assistant Director of the Nationals Ultimate Training Camp in Amherst, MA, for 10 years. In 2014 I won the Kathy Pufahl Spirit Award for contribution to the sport, and in 2016 I was selected to play for the US Women's National Team at the World Ultimate and Guts Championships in London where we won a gold medal. I currently live in Amherst, MA, and play for the reigning national champions, Boston Brutesquad and also help coach the Amherst High School Boys Varsity team.
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My name is Octavia Payne, but many people call me Opi. I grew up mostly in Baltimore and I began playing ultimate at UPenn in 2007. I've played for a number of club teams, including a 5 year stint with DC Scandal with whom I won two national championships. I've also won a gold medal with the U.S. Mixed National Team at the 2013 World Games and with the U.S. Women's National Team at the 2016 World Ultimate and Guts Championship. I currently play on Denver Molly Brown.
Their Challenges
- Don’t shy away from being accountable.
- Find a storyline in women’s ultimate and follow it for a season.
- Have a conversation with your team about gender equity
- Watch one women's highlight video
Connect with Them
genderequityactiongroup@gmail.com
If you liked this interview, check out episode 39 with Tim DeByl where we discuss the AUDL and Madison Radicals.