The game of flying disks has long attracted players of all ages, backgrounds, and genders. Ultimate Frisbee was created in 1968 by high schooler Joel Silver. He began evolving the rules of Frisbee Football in a high school parking lot, and it quickly became a household favorite in his town of Maplewood, Missouri. Since its conception, the game once heralded as the “Ultimate Sports Experience” has gone on to amass wild popularity and even a recognition as an official Olympic sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). However, despite the sport’s influx in popularity, little has materialized from the IOC’s recognition in 2015, as no matches have been held at any past or upcoming summer Olympic games.
Here at Campo, the struggle to break through despite overwhelming demand rings true for the Ultimate Frisbee club. While well-attended and successful (being the division-two state champions last year in California), Ultimate’s push this year to become an official sport is still an uphill battle even though it is well deserved.
After sophomore Zack Seidler founded the Ultimate Frisbee club alongside junior Mackey Hall last year, they have gone on to compete in several tournaments across the Bay Area and partnered with other schools (Miramonte, Acalanes, and Bentley) to form a competitive team. For co-president Seidler , Ultimate Frisbee has always been a passion: “It’s the only sport in the world that’s self officiated, which means there’s no refs…the players in the field are the ones who call the fouls. And then you have a discussion, basically saying, ‘Do you agree on the foul or not’, so more like a community,’” he explained.
The element of community is largely what drives veteran players like sophomore Addison Schoemehl, who joined Campo’s Ultimate club last year when it transitioned from an afterschool get-together with friends at JM into an official club. She explained that what makes the sport truly wonderful is the “strong sense of community… Every time you see someone, and they say they play ultimate, they’re automatically your friend.”
For sophomore Bobby Silvermen who first discovered the sport during PE in 8th grade, Ultimate’s most appealing aspect is its blending of other sports: “You get to run and you get to throw a frisbee. There’s also a lot of techniques and strategies which makes the game super interesting and dynamic.” With an effective coupling between community and competitive nature, the club, which meets at least three days a week after school, is no different from other sports. This causes the issue of PE credits to arise, (which are only applicable to official Campolindo sports) forcing Ultimate players to find other sources of activity.
“We’re putting a bunch of hours into [Ultimate]. There was one point when we were meeting four times a week and multiple hours a day,” said Schoemehl. Similar to the struggle for club sports like soccer and volleyball, Ultimate’s inability to utilize the flawed system of Athletic PE for athletes seeking PE credits has led to several of its players having to seek alternative sports, simply to gain enough hours. For Silverman, who runs Cross Country, Ultimate has had to become a secondary hobby in order for him to gain his PE credits. In spite of immense interest, the barrier between club and sport has ultimately barred potential players from joining.
This year at club day, Seidler’s ultimate goal was to increase relevance in the ultimate frisbee community. “We want people to say, ‘Oh hey, that’s the frisbee club’”. Just like how he formed his club because of fellow frisbee fanatics at JM, Seidler wants to recruit other grade levels who had previously joined him at JM, as well as new faces who are just looking for a fun activity. “We’re really chill if you want to come to one practice, see if you like it and leave. But I have a strong feeling you’re gonna like it and you’re gonna want to stay.”
As for the club’s status in becoming a sport, talks have occurred between Seidler and Athletic Director Ray Meadows to finally allow for the formation of an official team. While still in progress, the sport of Ultimate is nonetheless on a steep rise towards recognition. As Seidler said “it’s a very special sport”.
