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South Jersey Event Special:
Ultimate Frisbee, The Game For All Abilities

Wednesday, July 11, 2001

By Art Redd
SJSports Staff Writer

A new sport has been gaining interest in this area which symbolizes a tremendous game, well worth watching, fast paste and considered an honorable sport. Ultimate Frisbee is an exciting, non-contact team sport, played by thousands the world over. It mixes the best features of sports such as soccer, basketball, football and netball into an elegantly simple, yet fascinating and demanding game. Different levels of the game could consist of an unmatched degree of speed, stamina and agility. But also could be resembled as a good all rounded workout.

I know, I know. Some of you are saying that throwing a frisbee around is not a sport. Sure, it does look like no one could ever break a sweat by throwing a round disk to someone who's just six to twelve feet away. But when you have boundaries like a soccer field, an end zone similar to football, defense like basketball and the stamina of a long distance runner, it sounds like an ultimate sport. When this game really gets going, a frisbee could be thrown 70 yards to a sprinting player past his or her defender for a score in a 25 yard end zone. Ultimate does involve a great deal of team work and let's face it, some of us could only sprint five to ten yards and be extremely exhausted. That's why this game is for all athletic abilities.

This game has been traditionally relied upon the spirit of sportsmanship and has been labeled having "Spirit of the Ultimate Game". Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bon of mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed-upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse conduct on the field of play. With a friendly atmosphere free from taunting of opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling or the "win at all costs" behavior, has been the example of why this game is exciting to play with different levels of play for the game.

Here in South Jersey, the ultimate game can be seen played on a field located behind the Hillside Elementary/Harrington Middle Schools on the corner of Hainesport-Mt. Laurel and Moorestown-Mt. Laurel Roads, respectively. An average group of 10 to 16 male and female players have been meeting consistently on Thursday evenings to compete in a pickup game of ultimate frisbee. The group that gathers together has grown to enjoy this game and progressive learn all the tricks and trades of tossing the disk around. As their experience have grown, you can hear the frisbee lingo being uttered by all participants.

Here are a few comments from a previous game. "Yesterday's match was a see-saw contest, with the dark team jumping out to a half-time 8-2 lead. Seemingly almost impossible to come back from, the white team removed their heads from their butts and managed to make a game of it, playing good defense and throwing the long bombs for scores. They tied the score at 11-11 and now we had a nail-biter!! Of course, with the momentum going in favor of the white team, not even the addition of a new player and her fresh legs could help the dark team regain the lead," mentioned Bob Campanella.

If you would like to get more information and/or directions for the Ultimate game, please feel free to email the editor@sjsports.com. The information will be passed on to the appropriate individuals. You will not regret sending the email and take part in this sport that has grown into the depths of Southern New Jersey.

Photos by Art Redd

©2001 South Jersey Sports Online