By Morgan Conlin
More Frisbees have been sold in the United States than baseballs, basketballs and footballs combined. While still not considered an Olympic sport — though the International Olympic Committee did formally recognize the World Flying Disc Federation in 2015 paving the way for potential inclusion in future Olympic Games — Ultimate Frisbee is gaining popularity across the country, including at Pioneer, where an Ultimate Frisbee team was first formed in 1968.
Playing ultimate is very different from playing a more traditional sport, because it involves a disc — not a ball. Ultimate consists of seven players — usually two to three “handlers” and four to five “cutters” on the line. Each end zone is approximately 40 yards wide by 25 yards deep, and the length of the field is 40 yards by width and 120 by length. The objective of the game is to be the first team to get to 15 points. This goal is achieved by running plays down the field until the team scores a point in the end zone.
Ultimate Frisbee is known for being a low pressure sport, which is part of the reason people like it so much. As Brendan Flanagan, one of Pioneer’s Ultimate Frisbee team captains says, “ultimate is [a] much more laid back sport than other sports. We only practice three days a week, which gives everyone a lot of time to do their homework and relax.”
Many of Pioneer’s ultimate players enjoy having practice only three days a week, because it allows them to manage their time wisely and balance school, Frisbee, and a social life.
“Part of the way we preserve that [relaxed] attitude is by trying to make it easy for people to play, and I’d say our three-day-a-week schedule accomplishes that pretty well,” says Eli Richards, another one of Pioneer’s Ultimate Frisbee captains.
Ultimate Frisbee’s community is a very open and encouraging environment, which creates a healthy competition between opposing teams. This makes people want to continue to playing, say enthusiasts. Richards says his favorite thing about ultimate is “the people, for sure. I can play ultimate wherever and whenever I want, but I can’t always play with whomever I want.”
Since ultimate is so friendly, team members say it is easier to make friends and people aren’t as competitive so the environment is more inviting to new players.
Since ultimate has a fall and spring season at Pioneer, student athletes find that it is easy to join during the off season of their other activities. Many people who have fall engagements, such as marching band, join Frisbee in the spring; they get to enjoy their fall sport and also play Ultimate Frisbee. “It keeps you in shape [during the off season] and is a lot of fun,” said Flanagan. “Sometimes players will find ultimate more fun than their main sport; we had a football player join us a few years ago, and he eventually went on to play ultimate in college.”
Not only is participating in a sport healthy for one physically, but also mentally and socially. Many of the players on the ultimate team are friends outside of practice, because it’s easy for people to talk and get to know each other while playing. Team members say the sport has given them lasting memories.
“My most memorable memory was last year when we beat Washtenaw Technical Middle College. I don’t think any of us had ever poured that much into a game, and to have it culminate in victory was an amazing, and new, feeling,” said Richards.
Playing ultimate is very different from playing a more traditional sport, because it involves a disc — not a ball. Ultimate consists of seven players — usually two to three “handlers” and four to five “cutters” on the line. Each end zone is approximately 40 yards wide by 25 yards deep, and the length of the field is 40 yards by width and 120 by length. The objective of the game is to be the first team to get to 15 points. This goal is achieved by running plays down the field until the team scores a point in the end zone.
Ultimate Frisbee is known for being a low pressure sport, which is part of the reason people like it so much. As Brendan Flanagan, one of Pioneer’s Ultimate Frisbee team captains says, “ultimate is [a] much more laid back sport than other sports. We only practice three days a week, which gives everyone a lot of time to do their homework and relax.”
Many of Pioneer’s ultimate players enjoy having practice only three days a week, because it allows them to manage their time wisely and balance school, Frisbee, and a social life.
“Part of the way we preserve that [relaxed] attitude is by trying to make it easy for people to play, and I’d say our three-day-a-week schedule accomplishes that pretty well,” says Eli Richards, another one of Pioneer’s Ultimate Frisbee captains.
Ultimate Frisbee’s community is a very open and encouraging environment, which creates a healthy competition between opposing teams. This makes people want to continue to playing, say enthusiasts. Richards says his favorite thing about ultimate is “the people, for sure. I can play ultimate wherever and whenever I want, but I can’t always play with whomever I want.”
Since ultimate is so friendly, team members say it is easier to make friends and people aren’t as competitive so the environment is more inviting to new players.
Since ultimate has a fall and spring season at Pioneer, student athletes find that it is easy to join during the off season of their other activities. Many people who have fall engagements, such as marching band, join Frisbee in the spring; they get to enjoy their fall sport and also play Ultimate Frisbee. “It keeps you in shape [during the off season] and is a lot of fun,” said Flanagan. “Sometimes players will find ultimate more fun than their main sport; we had a football player join us a few years ago, and he eventually went on to play ultimate in college.”
Not only is participating in a sport healthy for one physically, but also mentally and socially. Many of the players on the ultimate team are friends outside of practice, because it’s easy for people to talk and get to know each other while playing. Team members say the sport has given them lasting memories.
“My most memorable memory was last year when we beat Washtenaw Technical Middle College. I don’t think any of us had ever poured that much into a game, and to have it culminate in victory was an amazing, and new, feeling,” said Richards.