Ultimate Frisbee

Finished eating your pie? Ultimate Frisbee (Ultimate) originated in the 1960s when American college students played catch with pie plates.

Ultimate is played by people ages 6 to 65 in over 50 countries around the world. Canada is ranked number one in the world in both the Open and Women’s divisions.

Ultimate is a non-contact team sport that is a mixture of basketball, soccer, and American-style football. However, the rules of Ultimate are very simple, which means it is easy for newcomers and non-athletes to play. Despite its simplicity, Ultimate is a demanding game in which some players claim they run about 10 kilometres in a competitive game. Elite players require speed, stamina, and agility.

Rules of the Game

Ultimate has three important rules:

1. Players cannot run with the disc.
2. It is a non-contact sport.
3. There are no referees so disputes must be settled fairly, according to a code of conduct known as the spirit of the game.

The Basics

On a large, rectangular patch of grass, draw a line across both ends to create end zones, where points are scored. Ultimate is typically played by two teams of seven players, but for fun games in the park, as few as four can play on a team. To start, each team lines up on opposite end zone lines and one player throws the disc to the other team. Players can pass the disc to their teammates. A goal is scored when a team completes a pass to a player in the end zone opposite to where they started.

Canada to Host 2008 Worlds

Vancouver has the rare honour of hosting the World Ultimate Championships from August 2 to 9, 2008, at the University of British Columbia. Not able to attend this tournament of the world’s best? Never fear, you can catch Canada’s best teams, such as Furious George, Goat, Capitals, and Traffic, playing in tournaments across Canada, in a neighbourhood near you.

For those of us completely hooked on Ultimate, the feeling of grass beneath our cleats, leaping into the air and gliding horizontally with outstretched hands to grab the disc a split second before our defender, is an incredible high. A great way to promote cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility, Ultimate is a must-try and a must-see sport.

Ultimate lingo

Disc = Frisbee, a trademarked name
Flick = forehand throw
Hammer = overhead throw
Layout = diving for the disc