What's Ultimate Frisbee?

Ultimate Frisbee is an athletic field sport (cleats, endzones, the whole bit) that is growing in popularity throughout the United States and around the world. A combination of soccer, football, and basketball, Ultimate is set apart by the use of a disc (i.e. frisbee) rather than a ball. The game begins when both teams line up on opposite sides of the field, and one team "pulls" the disc (throws it) to the other team, much like a kick off in football. The other team gets the disc and tries to work it up the field and catch it in the endzone. If the disc touches the ground, goes out of bounds, or is caught by a player on the other team, it is a turnover. The person with the disc can't move and has ten seconds to throw it to another player. The rest of the players line up in a "stack" in the middle of the field and make cuts to move the disc up the field. When they score by catching it in the endzone, the other team walks to the other side of the field and receives the pull. Games are usually played to a certain number of points (13 or 15, for example), or are ended at a pre-determined time (called a cap). A regulation field is 70 yards by 40 yards, plus 25 yard endzones. For more on the rules of Ultimate, visit the UPA website.

A huge part of Ultimate is the unique idea of "Spirit of the Game" (SOTG). There are no referees in Ultimate. Instead, players make their own calls (fouls, travels, boundaries, picks), and disputes are settled on the field by the players. Respecting yourself and your opponent by making honest calls is more important than winning the game. Cheering the other team at the end of the game is also a display of spirit: we are competitive on the field, and friends off the field. For more on SOTG, visit here.