As the leaves begin to change colors and the winds grow chillier, a fall club sport team begins their new journey to take their program to the next level.

The Colorado State club disc golf team has begun its season and is continuing to show why disc golf is such a fast-growing sport.

In the team’s inaugural 2012 season as a recognized club sport, their men’s team placed first out of 40 teams at the College Disc Golf National Championship. Starting at the highest point possible, they have shown no signs of slowing down since.

With a second-place finish the following year in 2013, as well placing in the top 20 nationally ranked teams the past two years, the CSU disc golf team has displayed how a group that is both connected and passionate about the sport can come together and perform like no other.

“Our team is known for staying positive and having fun during the competitions,” said senior Benji Schatz, treasurer for the team. “Never try and have a bad attitude. Of course, we could all play better, but we’re constantly trying to stay positive and be together.”

A large emphasis for the club disc golf team: Enjoy competing with the people you’re around.

“You don’t have to know anything about disc golf. You don’t even have to have played disc golf before. If you just want to come out, come hang out. It’s really fun.” –Tom Asiala, club disc golf player

“While we are playing our competition rounds, we’re having a good time; we’re joking with each other,” team President Nick Olmsted said. “If one of us messes up a shot, we’ll joke about it. Just keep that team chemistry positive. I think that really equates to having a good team; if everyone is staying positive, then nobody is getting mad at themselves, and we can, in the end, do better.”

At last year’s nationals in South Carolina in May, the Rams brought four teams, including their men’s Division I, DII and DIII teams as well as a women’s team. Competing for one final time with many experienced and graduating members proved to be one of the better parts of the national experience.

“As for the experience of nationals, it is second to none,” said fifth-year senior Ethan Peterson, who served as team president last year. “It’s like the best week of the whole year.”

Joey Pacula, team vice president, reiterated how the team bonding experience created so many memories.

“It was a blast,” Pacula said. “We flew out and had an Airbnb, and I think being crammed into the Airbnb — 14 of us — … that is something I’ll never forget.”

A common theme with the team is their dissatisfaction with their performance at nationals last year, believing they underperformed. With a new president and many new members this year, the team has as high of hopes as ever after their first Colorado-only tournament, which was hosted by Colorado.

“Greg (Kee) is a freshman this year, and everyone else on the A team had played for a couple of years,” said junior Tom Asiala, a member of the A team. “So we were all like, ‘Oh, how is Greg gonna do?’ And he came out, and he shot lights out and destroyed everybody as a freshman, so it was really cool to see that.”

At the CU Disc Golf Invitational Sept. 28, the CSU A team won the whole tournament, and first-year Kee won the singles round in his first-ever collegiate event.

“This year, … I think we have a real shot to do something good because to win (nationals), you can’t really have any weak links,” Peterson said.

While the CSU club disc golf team may seem highly competitive — constantly being nationally ranked and attending large tournaments — they largely emphasize being open to new members and teaching new players about the rising sport of disc golf.

“The biggest thing we want to push out into the community is that yes, we have the competitive side, but this is a very open team,” Olmsted said. “We want everybody to come. … We just want people who are interested in disc golf, want to learn how to play it, come play disc golf with us.”

The CSU disc golf team practices on the Intramural Fields, at Edora Park and in the Glenn Morris Field House later in the year, aiming to return to the top of the nation while fostering a fun and lasting team bond.

“People think you have to be really good to join the team — you don’t,” Asiala said. “You don’t have to know anything about disc golf. You don’t even have to have played disc golf before. If you just want to come out, come hang out. It’s really fun.”

Reach Devin Imsirpasic at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @DImsirpasic.