Ultimately, Ultimate Frisbee is simply a great game. Awesome even.
—
We’ve taken on the complex simplicity of baseball, gone back to classic ‘Sports Goofy’ to explain football, and learned the beautiful game of soccer with an assist from Jason Sudeikis, The Simpsons, and The Minions. We’ve even taken it international in our piece on rugby.
This week, we bring it back home again.
Like to my actual hometown of Maplewood, NJ, where the sport of ultimate frisbee was invented. It’s true. It’s all there on Wikipedia:
Students Joel Silver and Jared Kass, along with Jonny Hines and Buzzy Hellring, invented ultimate frisbee in 1967 at Columbia High School, Maplewood, New Jersey, USA (CHS). The first game was played at CHS in 1968 between the student council and the student newspaper staff. Beginning the following year evening games were played in the glow of mercury-vapor lights on the school’s parking lot.
Why is it called Ultimate Frisbee?
“I just remember one time running for a pass and leaping up in the air and just feeling the Frisbee making it into my hand and feeling the perfect synchrony and the joy of the moment, and as I landed I said to myself, ‘This is the ultimate game. This is the ultimate game'” – Jared Kass
♦◊♦
How does it work? Simple.
The Quarterback throws Frisbee in a throw-off. (Except it’s not called a Quarterback; it’s called a “Handler.” And the throw-off is actually called a “Pull”).
The team on offense passes the disc from person to person down the field, trying to reach the end zone to score a touchdown. (Except it’s not called a Touchdown; it’s called a “point.”). Interceptions and incomplete passes are turn-overs, and the other team’s Quarterback – er – Handler, will take over from there.
The sport is self-officiated on the honor system and employing consensus to make decisions. There are no refs, which is awesome. (If you like socialism.)
All in all, there are several hours of running back and forth, which is also awesome. (No snarky parenthetical here. It is awesome).
It’s co-ed and the kids wear fun hats, gloves, and shorts. Awesome.
On the sidelines and on the field, everyone smiles and laughs the whole time. (Again with the awesomeness).
The overall awesomeness of ultimate frisbee surely has its roots in the fact that the sport grew out of 1960’s counter-culture. This also means there is lots of fun and goofy video footage to use from the 1970s and onward, if you … say … wanted to make video to accompany a fun song called ‘Ultimate Frisbee.’ (Warning: Song in video is catchier than it appears):
♦◊♦
So there you have it: Ultimate Frisbee, explained.
What sport do you want us to enlighten you about in next week’s Sports Explained?
We want to hear from you!
—
(Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons/Andy Nelson)
Special thanks to fellow ultimate-frisbee parent, Susan Berkley, for inspiring this piece and for always being there on the sidelines to yell “Touchdown!!” with, when a point is scored.
—
The article linked even refers to ultimate as being a gender-mixed and non-refereed sport, and I think that WFDF is deliberately making that the message they send to an unfamiliar audience, whereas those of us who know the sport know it’s much more nuanced than that.
Good one. Yes – we will certainly queue up lacrosse in the next few weeks. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks for the informative articles. Could you do one on lacrosse? Many of my friends’ kids are involved in the sport but I remain clueless when they talk about their matches.
Thanks!