It’s safe to say that ultimate is a weird game. I mean come on… We have hat tournaments where people wear all kinds of crazy hats and even cut their hair into many ridiculous styles. I’ve seen people go with mohawks or even wear the same red and white hat from The Cat in the Hat.
Ultimate Frisbee is truly unlike any other sport. While it may be weird, it holds a special place in the hearts of all of the people that join such a tight community. The game itself never gets old or boring because there is always a new skill to work on. I’ve quickly learned that everyone in the community is very accepting of the other, even the extreme newbie who asks five questions every 10 seconds…like me.
The basis of ultimate is run on the “spirit of the game”. Meaning that each player is responsible for keeping an honest and fair opinion throughout the course of the game to maintain the game’s integrity.
When I first came to the game, after playing baseball and basketball throughout my whole life, I thought it was weird that referees, officials or umpires (whatever you want to call them) were not a part of the game. At the level that teams like our very own Springfield College plays at, we call the game ourselves. Players will call out travels, picks, and fouls and if their opponent disagrees, they can contest the infraction. However, once you get to the very competitive, sanctioned tournaments and professional level games, these refs are called “observers”.
The idea behind “spirit of the game” is to keep the integrity of the game through individual responsibility; which is this case, is being honest. It kind of reminds me of backyard football or driveway basketball that you play with your friends. You call your own fouls, fill the air with laughter (or arguments), celebrate when you make an incredible play and fool around a lot in between games. Ultimate presents an enjoyable environment rather than the feel that you’re playing for a title. To be honest, I’ve never been happier playing a sport.
Yes, as tedious as they were, I do miss the long baseball days or the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. But now, I’m learning a my place in a new game. Both baseball and basketball have taught me to play your role since you can’t always be the face of every single play. Whether you’re the outfielder running to backup the pick-off attempt to first base or the the shooting guard that’s been placed in the corner to space out the court, you’re role is just as important as everyone else’s. The same goes for ultimate. You can’t always get the throw sprinting towards your handler from a vertical stack. You have to play your specific role and make your cuts to free up your teammates. It’s like setting an off-ball screen in basketball (even though screens are illegal in ultimate, but you get the point). Doing the dirty work is just as important as the highlights.
*** The featured image taken is from ultimaterob.com. It is the thumbnail for the movie Spirit of the Game. This film is produced and directed by Willie Herndon.***
worldultimate.wordpress.com 