Why I Play

There's a reason the sport is called "Ultimate" Frisbee. Actually, there's a couple. Let's examine:

A) It is truly the "Ultimate" sport.

Ultimate Frisbee has everything that an athlete would love about sports, with one exception (which I will get to). It incorporates speed, agility, size, ability, awareness, strategy, and intensity, among other things. There is no lack of scoring, as most games are played to 11 or 13. It has the game speed of basketball (with constant movement up and down the playing field). It's played on a football-sized field (almost, the same 120 yards long, but only 40 yards wide versus 53, and with 25-yard endzones instead of 10). The 7-on-7 play leaves a lot of room to move around but not so much that it's ridiculous. If you are short and fast, you are an awesome weapon underneath. If you are tall and slow, you are an awesome weapon deep. If you're in between, then you can switch between both. Heck, you could be practically immobile, but as long as you can catch and throw, you can be useful. What other sport does that? Lastly, it is the ultimate team sport. When you are in possession of the disc, you can't move. Do you realize the implications of that? YOU CAN'T MOVE! You have to have teammates moving and getting open so you can throw them the disc, and you have to do likewise when they have the disc. I love the freedom that comes with putting my trust in other people. Give me a team sport over an individual sport any day of the week.

B) It has the "Ultimate" sportsmanship.

Ultimate Frisbee was founded on the principle of "Spirit of the Game" (SOTG). It is predominantly self-governed. No other sport comes even close to this. Ultimate relies solely on the respect and honor of the individuals playing it to make calls and progress in gameplay. Sure, discrepancies occur. But not as often as one would think. Most of the time, calls are worked out really well on the field. Some games get out of hand (namely high-level competition at the top college and club levels) with the number of calls being made. But for the most part, things are handled very well without many arguments.

C) It has the "Ultimate" community.

Ultimate Frisbee has the best community members of any sport I have ever played. Let me elaborate. Ultimate Frisbee players are the most amazing people on the planet. It doesn't matter what skill level you are, you are always welcome on the field and everyone is always willing to offer advice and help you get better. Especially at pickup games. This would never happen on a basketball court. "You don't have skills? You ain't gotta go home, but you gotta get the heck up outta here." Additionally, no matter what happens on the field, everyone is friends off of it. It's bound to happen that you play against someone you've never met before, have a huge disagreement on the field, then become really good friends in postgame activities. I guarantee you, if you play Ultimate, this will happen to you if it hasn't happened already.


You know what the sad thing is? Not enough people know about Ultimate Frisbee yet. More often than not, when I introduce the sport, people think I'm talking about Disc Golf. No, I'm talking about a sport that will kick your butt physically, stretch it mentally, and expand it emotionally (uh, let's just go with that). I have met some of the most amazing people I know, have been a part of some of the most rewarding team accomplishments, and have experienced some of the most remarkable personal highlights that I have ever had in my life, and I have no intention of slowing down anytime soon. Ultimate Frisbee will definitely be a big part of the rest of my life. Hopefully it will be a part of yours, too.