Flourishing Things: Ultimate Frisbee

Team sports introduce physical activity into your life in an enjoyable and consistent way, while increasing your social circle and building a sense of community. Ultimate Frisbee is a non-contact team sport that is played with a flying disk (also known as a frisbee). It was created in 1968 by students at Columbia High School in Jersey, in the U.S. Today it is an officially recognized sport that is played by thousands all over the world. Ultimate Frisbee is played by recreational, club, national and professional teams at differing age levels. Why do I single out Ultimate frisbee as a flourishing thing? Because my husband and I have been playing this sport together for over 25 years now, and we love the principles of the sport, that of sportsmanship and fair play. We always play hard and give our best, but it is most important to have fun! Win or lose, we want to enjoy the game. That is one of the foundations of the sport.

    Although Ultimate Frisbee is an intense sport, it is very newcomer friendly, I certainly learned the rules and strategy of the game from opposing players when I first started, and I like to pass that along to other new players. Tight-knit teams will welcome new players and teach them as they play! There is a good chance that there is a club or team near you that you can join if you are interested in running and playing an intense sport. Check out Ultimatecentral.com to find Ultimate Frisbee opportunities near you. Additionally, you can always familiarize yourself with the rules and create and register your own team. This is a relatively easy process, as supplies and equipment are minimal. All you need is a disc (make sure that it is a regulation disc of the correct size and weight) and at least seven team members, although most teams average twelve, and soccer cleats are useful. Unlike many sports, mixed-gender teams and a wide range of ages of players are common in Ultimate Frisbee and transgender players are welcome. I am always thrilled when we are able to play with or against the children of our teammates. It is really wonderful to see parents and their teenage or adult children playing a sport together, especially one as intense as Ultimate Frisbee.

    One thing that makes Ultimate Frisbee unique is the fact that there are no referees. The players themselves are responsible for calling fouls and self-refereeing. This is a code of conduct is called “Spirit of the Game.” As Ultimate Frisbee is a non-contact sport, any contact between players can be deemed a foul. Many leagues and teams, even international competitions give awards to teams exhibiting the best “Spirit of the Game”. My league team continues one of the original traditions of the game, which is to sing a song that we have written during the game to the other team at the end of each game. This combines intense play with equally intense spirit and sportsmanship building a sports community unlike any other. 

Whatisulitmate.com is a great resource for familiarizing yourself with the rules of the game. If an exciting, competitive, and community building team sport appeals to you, give Ultimate Frisbee a try. It is an amazing workout that is so much easier to commit to than a gym routine.

World Flying Disc Federation

What is Ultimate