When Portland Rhino Slam! claimed the program’s first USA Ultimate club championship in October 2024, it felt like a new high for the long-time ultimate hotbed. Why have the local professional ultimate teams been in disarray?
January 23, 2026 by Ted Shorack in News
In 2022, professional ultimate made a triumphant return to the state of Oregon. After the closure of Major League Ultimate in 2016 shuttered the Portland Stags franchise, the proud ultimate hotbed was excited about the newly announced Portland Nitro (of the then-American Ultimate Disc League) and Oregon Onyx (of the Western Ultimate League). The local community of players and fans in Oregon was eager to embrace professional ultimate once again.
In March 2022, the Nitro, debuting as one of three expansion teams that season, released the team roster for its inaugural season. Nearly half of the players were some of the most recognizable names on Rhino Slam!, ones that would go on to become national champions of the USA Ultimate men’s club division in 2024. Onyx was similarly loaded with past and present members of Schwa, which tied for third in the women’s division of the 2019 club championships…