Ultimate Frisbee at SJND, the Bay Area, and all over America
Written by Wyatt Sacco ‘27
Ultimate Frisbee is the coolest sport you have never played as well as one the fastest-growing sports in the world today. The word ‘Ultimate’ means last or final, and this sport is definitely not in its final days. Its origin is traced back to a high school student named Joel Silver who later became a successful movie producer financing movies like Predator, Road House, Lethal Weapon, and many more. Joel and a few friends played the frisbee, or disc, game in a parking lot in New Jersey and now Ultimate Frisbee has grown to over 100,000 players worldwide.
To find out the basics of Ultimate Frisbee, just ask SJND senior Sam Kohler. Sam plays on the Alameda Monarchs, a local Ultimate Frisbee club team, composedof 9–12 graders in mixed gender and single gender teams. Sam has played Ultimate Frisbee for a total of 4 years and would rate the sport a 9 out of 10 when asked if he would recommend it. Sam likes playing Ultimate Frisbee for the player’s camaraderie and conditioning he gets playing it: “The amount of running I can do, and the chance to foster team spirit.”
There are offensive positions in Ultimate Frisbee and defensive positions as well. Sam plays cutter, an offensive position that will typically be downfield of the disc and the handler, the person who has the frisbee in their hand. When the games start, what is known in Ultimate Frisbee as ‘the pull,’ cutters need to get downfield and start preparing to ‘cut,’ or race to grab for the disc and pass it across the goal line.
Ultimate Frisbee may have odd-sounding positions and language, but it is a sport loosely related to football. The game is frequently played on a football field or a soccer field. When asked what sport resembles Ultimate Frisbee the most, Sam agreed, “Football. We stop the play and reset, just like in football.”
Ultimate Frisbee is so popular that it even has a national organization supporting teams across the country, including the Bay Area Disc Association, of which the Alameda Monarchs are a member club. I reached out to Dan Raabe ,who has played Ultimate Frisbee since 1985 and is the Director of Youth Programs for USA Ultimate. Dan had so much knowledge to share when I asked him about Ultimate Frisbee and the history of sports in the Bay Area. He wants students to know, “The Bay Area is home to one of the best ultimate teams of all time, Fury. They are awesome. The Bay Area is also lucky to have two great organizations that provide playing opportunities for youth. I would encourage any students interested in playing to check out Bay Area Disc Association (BADA) and Bay Ultimate Youth Association (BUYA).”
Ultimate Frisbee at first appears to be a nontraditional sport, but I’ve learned that it is more mainstream than I expected based on all the people and teams involved with it. Just as Dan Rabbe suggests, students should give it a try and they will have a good time.
Interested in knowing more about Ultimate Frisbee? Check out this video from a championship back in 2018.
