An Ultimate Sport Sadly Under Rated

             As I look at the top line of the page here on Bleacher Report I see all the available sports for conversation but I can’t help to wonder, what about Ultimate Frisbee. Ultimate is a sport that often goes unseen and under rated. It surprises me when I hear people even ask, what is Ultimate Frisbee? So for those of you who have been deprived of the exhilarating rush of ultimate allow me to explain what it is. Ultimate is like (and don’t be insulted because my feelings will be hurt) football in the sense that there is two end zones, instead of a ball it’s a flat curved at the edges Frisbee. It is like basketball because when you have the Frisbee at hand you can only move your right foot in any direction, and you stall one another with ten seconds till the Frisbee is passed. If a person from the opposite team brings down the Frisbee while it’s in the air, it’s a turnover and that team gets it. The game is fast and for the player’s breath taking.  There is running, jumping, catching and stealing involved. It takes much team work and strategy to win the game. The field is usually 70 feet long 40feet wide and the end zones are 25 feet long.  It takes one team 21 goals to win with five minutes in between to catch your breath and walk to the end zones.

A lover of the game who had learned it at a math camp said “I think Ultimate became popular among math nerds because it's much easier to throw and catch a Frisbee instead of a football, basketball, or anything else.” However it takes smart careful planning and tactic to play the game. I bet that when people think of a Frisbee they think of a dog and its master enjoying a fun afternoon at a dog park.  But that’s another beauty of the game that it’s fit for many occasions. Nevertheless one doesn’t have to be extremely fit to know how to throw and that is a huge part of the game. There Is more than one way to throw a Frisbee and before throwing a Frisbee one must make calculations about the direction and speed of the wind to pick the right kind of throw to get it to the target and direction you want it in. The different kinds of ways to throw it are backhand, forehand, hammer, and curving. The easiest for most people is backhand. It what comes most naturally however in some situations will not work. Properly used a curved throw can make miracles.

This sport is popular within colleges, other than that the sport is only played within communities and small competitions and tournaments. Because of the movement and excitement of the sport I feel it should be better known and appreciated. This article was more about how to play the game but I urge you to go on line and watch games or look in your community for any sports. It is such a fun way to get connected with the people around you all while playing a great sport.

-Atalia Castro