Wright State University Ultimate Frisbee Team | Photo by Alexis Wisler | The Wright State Guardian
“[Ultimate frisbee] is kind of a mix of football, basketball, soccer and lacrosse,” said Team President Hunter Ellis.
The ultimate frisbee team offers a fun and athletic way to make new friends and participate in friendly competition. USAU, or USA Ultimate, is the national league for ultimate frisbee and ranks teams based on their wins and losses.
“We’re competitive, we are school-sanctioned and USAU [-sanctioned],” said Ellis.
The team practices Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6-8 p.m. on the turf football field behind the Nutter Center and plays against other collegiate teams throughout the year. They will play against other ultimate frisbee teams from schools such as Xavier University, University of Dayton, Miami University and University of Cincinnati.
Each year, the team plays three-to-four tournaments during the spring season that last Saturday to Sunday with several games both days.
“There’s two seasons, fall and spring,” said Ellis.The fall season, unlike the spring season, is a laidback time for newcomers to learn the rules of the game and build their skills. Because the fall season is not USAU-sanctioned, wins and losses do not count and teams are encouraged to just have fun.
“It’s a self-refereed sport, so there’s no umpire or referee on the field. A foul is called by a player and then the players discuss if a foul occurred,” said Ellis. This takes responsibility and honesty.
Ellis notes that to play ultimate frisbee, you must be a team player and have great sportsmanship.
“A big thing that ultimate frisbee does is we do jersey trades,” said Dylan Hall, a second-year member of the team.
It is a tradition after games for players to swap jerseys with a player from the other team. According to Hall, this is a way to commemorate the game and gives players something to look back on as they play through the season.
Students who are interested in ultimate frisbee are encouraged to attend a practice and see what being on the team is like. Ellis tells students not to worry if they can’t play, just be excited about the sport and the team will help teach you.
