One plastic disc, a playing surface and something to mark the goals are all that are needed to fire up a game of Ultimate, the fast-paced sport that's rapidly growing in popularity at Kamiak and with other schools and groups.

Oh, and a few enthusiastic players. That's the easy part. Pull out one of those disks, whether on a school field, the beach, or any flat stretch of land, and Ultimate fans come from all over.

"We love to play on grass, so we can lay out (dive for a disk)," Kamiak Ultimate coach Don Saul said.

Saul moved here from Minnesota, bringing his family and their love for the game. He met a fellow Ultimate addict in Kamiak swimming coach Chris Erickson, who wasted no time in challenging some of his swimmers.

"I formed the team with a couple of my friends," senior Hank Han said. "Last year, everyone played Frisbee(r) on the school field."

No one had played with formal rules before, but the competition sounded fun, Han said.

"I'm an AP student. I study very hard. My friends and I wanted to do something really fun our senior year!"

Kamiak's team, despite being in its first year of competition, recently took second place in its division in an Ultimate tournament.

One sports staple that's not needed for a game of Ultimate? Those folks in the black and white stripes that call fair or foul, goal or goose egg.

"The primary rule is 'spirit of the game,'" Saul said. "Players work it out amongst themselves."

If there's a question about a rule, the coach can consult a rulebook, but cannot make any judgment calls. Those fall to the players closest to the action, usually the two involved in the dispute.

"You just have to let things go sometimes," player Miles Tipp said. "It's a game of give and take. You just have to be a good competitor."

"I coach them to just have fun out there and keep their good spirits up," Saul said.

"It's a lot of fun; everyone is super nice," Tipp said. "It really is a team sport, truly a team effort."

It's also addicting, as evidenced by Ben Tu, currently playing with a broken finger.

Yes, he broke it during a game, he admitted, laughing. And yes, he finished that game.

"I just straightened it out. I wanted to keep playing!" he said. "It did hurt, but it was worth it!"

Kamiak's team, like many Ultimate competitors, is co-ed. Each team must have at least three women among its seven players on the field at all times.

"It's a lot of fun," senior Claire Crisp said of competing with the guys. "It's very chill and relaxed - we're out here to have fun!"

Like with traditional rugby matches, the opposing teams usually get together after the Ultimate game and do something bonding and fun together, Saul said.

The game generally goes for about 90 minutes, or until a team scores 15 points, whichever comes first.

"We find we often run out of time before we get to 15," Saul said.

(Which, of course, means the team hasn't ##given up## 15 goals, either.)

The field is 70 by 40 feet, with a 25-yard end zone on each side.

"There's a lot of space in the end zones, so players aren't all crowded together, so there's room to play," Saul explained.

There are two positions on offense - handlers and cutters. Handlers manage the front and get the disk to the cutters, who move back and forth in the backfield, much like their soccer counterparts.

Defenses run zone (each player is responsible for a set portion of the field) or man-to-man, depending upon the skill set of the team and its opponent.

Kamiak's team, being relatively new to the sport, mostly runs the simpler man-to-man defenses, Saul said.

While there's no physical contact in the rules, players do bump occasionally, resulting in a foul. Again, the players involved decide who fouled whom.

"Anyone can play Ultimate," Han said. "If you can run, throw and catch, you can play."

Despite the rookie Kamiak team's early success, it's not about competition, Han said.

"The spirit of the game is very important," he said. "The way you get there, not the end result, is what's important."

While the team plays in tournaments throughout the school year, pick-up games run year round, Saul said.

"It doesn't take a lot of time to learn the basics. Everyone just kind of integrates (newcomers) into the game," he said. "This is a great team we have."

Anyone enrolled at Kamiak can join that team; there are no tryouts, Saul said.

 

For more information on Ultimate, or joining Kamiak's team, contact coach Saul at dsaul@techshare.org. Saul and his team will meet on the Kamiak playing field after 11:15 dismissal Friday, May 14.  Learn about the game, toss a disc around, and collect a free mini-Frisbee®