Five Members Welcomed into Ultimate Hall of Fame in Class of 2019

Deb started her ultimate career in 1994 on Carleton College’s Syzygy. The team qualified for the College Championships from 1995 – 1998, and Deb captained the team in 1997 and 1998, helping the team to a second place finish in her final year with the team. In 1999, Deb was the only rookie on Seattle’s Women On The Verge and played in the World Ultimate Club Championships (WUCC) in St. Andrews, Scotland, leading the team to a gold medal and team spirit award. As one of the founders of Seattle Riot, she helped establish the program as an elite team, both in the United States and internationally. Leading Riot to a world title, two national championships (including an undefeated season) and numerous other finals and semi-finals appearances, Deb was a driving force behind the success of the team. Deb played on two gold medal winning U.S. National Teams at the World Games, both in 2005 (Germany) and 2009 (Taiwan). While in Atlanta for physical therapy school, Deb joined Ozone for the 2007-2009 seasons and was a captain in her last year with the team. Following a break to focus on her physical therapy career and the birth of her two sons, Deb was back at it as a key member of iRot in the masters division, where she helped her team win a world championship at the World Masters Ultimate Club Championships (WMUCC) in 2018 and a second place finish at the Masters Championships in 2019. Playing with the Seattle-based mixed team, Mixtape, Deb was called up from practice player to competitor at the 2019 National Championships in October in San Diego.

Lori (Parham) Ewald began her 22-year career at Indiana University playing college ultimate from 1989-1993 and also with the area’s leading women’s club team, Nemesis, in ‘92 and ‘93. Thereafter, Lori played with Ozone and Lady Godiva, and competed at Club Nationals for 12 consecutive years (15 total). During Lori’s tenure with Godiva, the team won five National Championships in ‘97, ‘98, ‘00, ‘01 and ‘02. In international competition, she helped Godiva win a gold medal at the ‘98 World Ultimate and Guts Championships (WUGC), contributed to Ozone’s silver medal in ’95 and was part of Godiva’s bronze medal performance in ‘02 at the WUCC.  

Lori’s success at the highest levels of the sport was evidenced by her offensive skill set, throwing accuracy and ability to break the mark. A skilled handler and top player, Lori was also involved in teaching, coaching, mentoring and volunteering as a sectional/regional coordinator in three regions. Lori coached the Brown University women’s team to a College Championships semifinals appearance in ‘99, quarterfinals in ‘00 and semifinals again in ‘01. While coaching at Brown, she contributed to team leadership and the grassroots development of girls and women in ultimate; this led to a successful recruiting pipeline for Godiva. In addition to recruiting, Lori contributed to Godiva’s success as a leader and captain. Her understanding of strategy and tactics and her ability to execute those tactics, along with her ability to teach others, made the whole team better. Nothing could stop Lori’s competitive drive, including playing with a broken right hand and throwing left-handed at the ‘95 National Championships. Lori lives in Atlanta and spends her time developing a savage seven team consisting of her husband and their six children.

Walter was introduced to ultimate while in middle school in New Jersey in the late 1970’s by his first team, the “Summit No Sweat”, a mixed team. He spent many summer nights honing his game on the hallowed parking lot of Columbia High School. Having developed into a strong all-around player at the University of Vermont, Walter joined the fabled NYC Spot in 1986, which was one-half of the historic merger with Kaboom that became NYNY in 1987. While surrounded by numerous high-profile future Hall of Fame players, Walter thrived in his role as a key defensive player for all six of NYNY’s National Championship titles, as well as its five WFDF gold medals. After NYNY, Walter’s skills on both offense and defense were a significant factor in the success of other Nationals-caliber NYC-based teams during the next eight years, reaching the semifinals in ’94 and ‘95 with the Cojones, and again in ‘98 with the WSL All-Stars. 

While shorter in height than others, Walter utilized his quickness and intelligence to gain advantages. He played every point with passion, focus and the endurance and desire to never give up on a play. Walter was universally respected by his peers as one who strived to play the game at the highest level possible, always acted selflessly to help his team, made those around him better and never let his will to win compromise his behavior on or off the field. For nearly 40 years, Walter has been an ambassador of the game, teaching and mentoring countless players, always leading by example. Continuing to play competitively in 2019, Walter added another championship medal to his collection as a member of the great grand masters team, Relics.