SPARKLE MOTION GXRLS PROGRAM – FALL 2025

The Founding of Sparkle Motion:

20 Years of Columbia High School Girls’ Ultimate

In the spring of 2005, three Columbia High School seniors, Mary Lamkin, Vanessa Low, and Maia Cincotta, decided to do something new: create an ultimate frisbee team, just for girls.

There was no funding, no official recognition, no coaches, uniforms, or schedule. What they did have was drive, friendship, and a shared sense that they simply wanted to be in the game. That was the beginning of Sparkle Motion.

A DIY Beginning

Vanessa described starting the team as “purely selfish,” with no plan beyond the desire to get out on the field. Mary echoed the feeling: “We didn’t have a ton of parents involved. People thought it was kind of dorky. But we loved this sport that was competitive but still fun.”

The players came from different backgrounds. Mary had tried lacrosse and soccer before frisbee caught her interest. Vanessa had already played on the Open (boys’) team and began recruiting friends from other sports. Maia, homeschooled and one of eight siblings, brought in players from outside the traditional school system. Later, they added sophomore Judith Garber to their ranks.

None of them imagined the team would survive beyond their senior year. There were no girls’ tournaments at the time, just mixed scrimmages with the boys. Still, they made their own jerseys at a t-shirt-making party, complete with glitter, stars, and inside jokes. “We wanted it to be as girlie as we could imagine,” Vanessa said. They named the team Sparkle Motion, inspired by the cult film Donnie Darko, which was popular at the time. “Mary was into it,” Vanessa laughed. “I never actually saw the movie.”

A Place to Grow

Judith Garber, then a sophomore, was one of the first underclassmen to join. Initially recruited by Vanessa and Maia, she had been playing with the boys’ team but rarely got to handle the disc. “They were welcoming,” she recalled, “but you didn’t feel like you were contributing much. Being on the girls’ team meant you got to be part of the play. That’s how you really learn.”

Vanessa remembers Judith as a fierce spirit with a drive to learn. “She played in summer leagues, kept practicing.”

At Sparkle Motion’s debut tournament, possibly Easterns or Northeasterns, according to Judith, where, despite being a brand-new team, they placed third. “We were this rag-tag group,” she said, “but everyone was jazzed to teach each other. I’m so glad they started it.”

The next year, the team traveled to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, scraping together permission slips and parental support. Everything was player-organized and paid for out of pocket. They entered club-level events like Wildwood, faced regional powerhouses like Amherst and Watchung, and held their own. At a time when girls’ ultimate was still sparse, Sparkle Motion was forging a path.

Vanessa and Mary also give credit to their first coach, Jen Freeman, a Rutgers alum and CHS physics teacher, who was instrumental in shaping the team. “She passed away from cancer in 2021,” Vanessa said. “She, along with Judith, really kept things going.”

Beyond Columbia

After graduation, all three founders continued to carry ultimate with them. Vanessa and Mary played for Rutgers Shakti and helped build new teams—first Killer Tomatoes, then Nightshade—during college. Mary eventually moved to Seattle, where she still plays in one of the country’s most vibrant ultimate communities. A few years ago, she co-founded a women’s masters team called Night Cheese, for players over 30. “At a league game, someone showed up wearing a Sparkle Motion jersey,” she said. “It was surreal,” and then thought “I started that!”

Today, Anthony Nunez, then affiliated with the CHS Open team, supported Sparkle Motion in its earliest days. Other early players remain involved in the sport, mentoring new generations of athletes.

The Legacy

What began as a small act of fun, a glitter-covered, underfunded girls’ team, has grown into a two-decade tradition of excellence, community, and fun.  “We weren’t the best players,” Vanessa said. “But we were good people. And we made something that mattered.”

Twenty years later, Sparkle Motion continues to thrive, not just as a team but as a lasting reminder of what becomes possible with an idea, a wish and a posse of friends.

As Vanesssa said, “I didn’t know it would continue. There was no money, no tournaments.  Watchung came later, Pennsbury, Amherst. But I hoped other teams would come out of it –  that more would follow.”

And so they did….

Photos Courtesy of Vanessa Low
Left: Maia Cincotta and Vanessa Low
Second from left: cake
Third from left: Rachel Hotchkiss, Alyssa Cooper, Maia Cincotta
Right: Vanessa Low, ?, Mary Lamkin

2025 Tournaments & Scores

SPRING 2025

Columbia High School’s Sparkle Motion has a long and storied history with outstanding team and individual achievements. Beginning in 2005, Sparkle Motion has captured six New Jersey State championships and is the three-time reigning State champion. The team has competed against some of the best competition in the county and finished as high as third place at regional events in Washington, DC, and Massachusetts.

Alumni Vanessa Low and Sydney Mannion have gone on to compete and win a Gold Medal with Team USA at the World Junior Ultimate Championships. Four alumni – Skylar Yarter (2021), Mannion (2022), Irene Chen (2023), and Eileen Conway (2024) – have been named the New Jersey Player of the Year. Countless alumni have gone on to compete at the D1 and D3 National Championship Tournament with their respective college programs.

It’s a special and talented group! Join the family, and experience the success! Fill out the interest form, email chs.sparklemotion@gmail.com or DM @chssparklemotion on Instagram to get involved today.

FALL 2024

Started in 2005, Sparkle Motion is the girls’ and non-binary high school competitive team. Consistently ranked as one of the top teams in New Jersey, Sparkle Motion takes its name from the cult classic film Donnie Darko. The team has both varsity and junior varsity divisions, and new players are welcome to join.

Practice takes place Monday through Thursday from September until early November. Players learn gameplay, strategy, and the principles of the Spirit of the Game, while performing athletic drills. Several local tournaments are scheduled this fall (Jersey Devil on 9/21 and Coconut Classic on 11/2 & 11/3).  The teams use the fall season to prepare for a highly competitive spring, which includes out-of-state travel.

Sparkle Motion aims to qualify for the 2025 nationals.