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| TUFF's Trey LeMastres pivots out to throw to an open cutter. A forehand throw is known as a "flick." |
Best described as a combination of non contact football and soccer, ultimate frisbee, or as the inner circles of the sport call it, “ultimate,” combines elements of a variety of sports. It is played on a field roughly the size of a soccer pitch (120x50 yards) by two teams of seven. The goal of the game is to move the frisbee the length of the field into the “endzone”, without letting the disc hit the ground. All the while, the opposing team tries to defend each player, and prevent that from happening. The catch? Once a player has the disc, he is not allowed to move, only pivot.
Ultimate made its debut in the 1970s. Quickly, it became a popular activity amongst teenagers and young adults, often the activity of choice at the beach or park. However, ultimate had never been considered a legitimate sport due to its lack of organization, until the past decade.
Over the past 15 years, ultimate has taken huge strides to increase its legitimacy as a sport. Arguably the biggest stride has been creating organized leagues for all ages. Many feel this is the main reason the sport has experienced a rapid increase in popularity over the past decade.
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| Graduate student Peter Clarke leaps to grab a disc with USAU banners lining the field. USAU is the largest ultimate organization in the country. |
Calvin Lin, head coach of the Texas Ultimate team at UT Austin, has been playing and coaching ultimate for nearly 40 years. He has a first hand experience of the changes the sport has undergone.
“When I first started playing ultimate, it was nothing but a leisure activity. Something to do with a group of friends. Now, with all of the leagues, and different competitions, I see ultimate as a full-fledged sport,” said Lin. “I work my guys just as hard in practice as any football or basketball coach would. The game has completely changed.”
Lin was not lying about the work. His team practices three times a week for three hours, sometimes doing track workouts on weekends to help stay in shape. They also travel all over the country, representing the University of Texas, to compete against other colleges.
Will Driscoll, the captain of Texas Ultimate under Lin, has a slightly different background than his coach, having only played ultimate for three years. Yet, their feelings on the fast growing sport are similar.
“I have played sports my whole life. Mainly basketball and football. But I can honestly say that ultimate is by far the most challenging sport for me physically, and mentally,” said the 6 foot 4 inch Driscoll. “No other sport has put me in as good of shape as I am in now. That, along with the complex offensive and defensive schemes definitely make ultimate a legitimate sport to me.”
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| Captain Will Driscoll soars through the air to knock down a pass against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Pitt went on to win the national championship 13-10 over Wisconsin. |
Ultimate took another huge stride in April of 2012 when the first professional league game was played in Philadelphia, Pa. The American Ultimate Disc League was created by Josh Moore. It consists of 12 teams that span across most of the country.
“Our goal is to create the next big sport. We want to expand the game of ultimate so it rivals baseball or football, the more ‘popular’ sports,” said Moore. “We feel that ultimate can become the next big thing in the sports world.”
To help increase popularity, Moore and the AUDL often stream games online for free. They have also taken to popular social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to advertise their new product.
“We are willing to use a variety of mediums to advertise our sport,” said Moore. “If we can get more people to see what ultimate has to offer, we are confident that the sport will take off.”
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| Spectators stare in awe of TUFF's James May as he dives to defend a disc intended for a Michigan player. TUFF beat UM 15-13 in pool play on the first day of the tournament. |
Now with professional leagues, youth leagues, club leagues, and a booming college league, ultimate frisbee is beginning to attract more players each year. According to USA Ultimate, the main organizing body of ultimate, the amount of memberships has increased by 15 percent each year over the past five years.
Ultimate may not be the American pastime that baseball or football is, but the sport is quickly gaining popularity. If this trend continues, ultimate frisbee could become the sport of choice by tomorrow’s youth.
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| Junior Mitch Bennett snags a disc from under a Pittsburgh defender as an"Observer," or referee (in the orange), keeps an eye on the play. Bennett has been playing ultimate for nearly eight years, starting in youth leagues as a teenager. |
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| Grad student Danny Broberg, who coincidentally was voted to have the best name in college ultimate, gets low to the ground to throw around a Luther University defender. In ultimate lingo, this is called "breaking the mark." |
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| TUFF's James May again shows off his athleticism as he lays out to catch a score from the clasps of a California Berkley defender. May, who was born in Australia, where the ultimate community is huge, started playing when he was 10 years old. |
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