Get to know Seattle Tempest #25 Cat Chung

By Becca Weinberg, edited by Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA - Seattle Tempest handler Cat Chung signed up for the club frisbee team at University of Southern California’s club involvement fair during her freshman year, and immediately found a sport that she loved. With five goals, four assists, and 124 offensive possessions last season for the Seattle Tempest, Chung provides a spark for the team’s offense that she first developed while playing at USC, as has further expanded since joining Tempest in 2022. 

“I started playing my freshman year and continued to play because it was so incredibly fun going to a fall tourney and getting to know my teammates,” said Chung. “Playing with the Tempest has been fun getting to play in the league against former teammates from college or past club teams.” Chung learned more about the game each year at USC, and continued to improve with the support of teammates and coaches. During her senior year in 2019, she was nominated by her teammates for the Callahan Award, which is given annually to the most valuable player in college ultimate. 

Primarily a cutter, Chung has been playing for Tempest since 2022, and has been involved with the Seattle ultimate frisbee community for multiple years prior as a high school coach. “I have also been involved with AGE UP, a South End based organization that invests in the BIPOC youth ultimate community,” said Chung. She enjoys being able to meet many different members of the frisbee community through her involvement with the team.

“My favorite part of playing for Tempest has definitely been the bonds and connections I’ve been able to create with my teammates throughout each season I’ve been on the team,” said Chung. “It's also really fun being able to play in front of the crowd at home and meeting the next generation of young frisbee players who come out to watch.” 

WIth so many youth development programs around the city of Seattle, including camps and clinics put on by Seattle Tempest and Cascades players themselves, younger frisbee fans have multiple different avenues available to build their skillset. At both Tempest and Cascades games, young fans are invited onto the field following the conclusion of each game to meet players and receive autographs, one of the many initiatives of the teams to make the game more accessible for everyone. “My favorite memory is signing shirts and frisbees after home games when kids get to come on the field and chat with us,” said Chung. “ It's cool to see how much the sport already means to them and hope they enjoyed watching the game.”

Throughout her three seasons with the team, Chung has provided confident playmaking and dynamic handler movement to ignite the Tempest offense. Consistently ranking in the top percentiles of Relative Offensive Efficiency (ROE) since joining the team, which measures the team’s offensive performance when a player is on the field versus off, Chung is a proven difference maker. Additionally, Chung recorded six blocks last season, which ranks in the top of both Tempest team stats and the WUL as a whole. With her sights set on the upcoming season, she is excited to get back on the field with her teammates and continue developing together. “I’m looking forward to grinding at practice and growing with the team to prepare ourselves for the season,” she said. Keep an eye out for #25 as the Tempest season gets underway in March. 

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Check out our previous Seattle Tempest articles here.

Check out our previous articles with writing for CSS by Becca Weinberg here, and her work with Lookout Landing here.

Cover photo provided by the Seattle Tempest.

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