This Burlington team is 0–24. Why do they keep coming back?

Last summer, a Burlington ultimate team called Panic at the Disco went 0–12. This summer, they changed their name to the Toss Bosses.

They went 0–12 again.

Twenty-four games across two regular seasons. Not one win.

The most they scored in any game was seven.

To understand what that means, it helps to understand the sport they keep losing at.

First, what exactly is ultimate?

Ultimate, still commonly called Ultimate Frisbee, is played between two teams on a field with an end zone at either end. Seven players from each side are on the field at a time, with points scored by catching the disc in the opposing team’s end zone.

The key difference from sports such as football is that once a player catches the disc, they can’t continue running with it. They stop, establish a pivot and look for a teammate. A defender can try to take away passing lanes while counting aloud toward 10. If the thrower still has the disc when the stall count ends, possession changes.

A dropped pass, interception or throw out of bounds also gives the disc to the other team.

Games are played to 15 points, although Burlington’s recreational games also operate within a scheduled time window. For this team, that time limit hasn’t always been much of a factor.

How does a team go 0–24?

One of their roughest games ended 15–2. There have been other nights when the score became so lopsided that the game was finished within roughly 30 to 45 minutes.

But simply describing Toss Bosses as a bad ultimate team misses much of the story.

Burlington Ultimate Club is a recreational league, but that doesn’t mean every player arrives with the same level of experience. Some people around the league have played university ultimate or have been throwing for years.

Toss Bosses, by comparison, have had plenty of players still learning the game.

Some players returned from last year’s Panic at the Disco roster. Others joined this season knowing almost nothing about ultimate and were learning the sport as the summer went along.

Attendance also makes it hard to win. Ultimate is played seven-on-seven, and in Burlington’s mixed format, three women need to be on the field. There have been Toss Bosses games when only three women showed up, meaning those players had no substitutes and could end up playing virtually every point.

By the final game, something had changed

The final regular-season game began in a familiar way. Toss Bosses fell behind roughly 11–1, and another lopsided loss appeared to be underway.

Then, for one stretch, the team began playing some of its best ultimate of the season.

Players were moving before the disc arrived instead of standing and waiting for it. Cuts opened space. Throws connected. The disc began moving down the field with a speed and rhythm that had often been missing earlier in the summer.

Toss Bosses scored roughly six more points and finished with seven, matching their season high.

They still lost, but the difference between the team that started the summer and the one finishing it had become increasingly obvious.

So why do they keep coming back?

The answer may have less to do with the standings than with what happens around them.

At one game this season, Toss Bosses were down by 10 points but music was playing on the sideline. Players were dancing between points. The game itself was going terribly, but the mood didn’t seem to follow the score.

However, they still want to win. After 24 straight regular-season losses, a first victory would probably produce a celebration wildly disproportionate to the significance of a Burlington recreational ultimate game.

But the scoreboard isn’t measuring everything.

One coach told Burlington News that a player who couldn’t throw a flick in May spent hours all summer learning it. In the final regular-season game, that player launched one the length of the field.

In recreational sports, improvement isn’t always reflected in a record, and enjoyment certainly isn’t.

Panic at the Disco couldn’t find a win last season. The Toss Bosses couldn’t find one this summer.

If the group comes back in 2027, perhaps the third name will be the one to get them their first win.