It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a… Frisbee?
Prior to college, I wasn’t a super active person. I played soccer in third grade, took swim lessons, and did karate for a year or two, but none of those really stuck with me. Now that I am in college and gym class isn’t mandatory, I try to find ways to stay in shape and not be such a couch potato.
So, What is Ultimate Frisbee?
Ultimate frisbee is a non-contact sport that involves a disc. The game is played in teams, and the goal is to get the disc to your team’s endzone. However, while a player is holding the disc, they can’t move. They must throw the disc to their teammates and pass it down the field. It’s a pretty simple game, but there are still lots of rules, techniques, and strategies that go into becoming a great ultimate player.
How Did I Get Into Ultimate?
Interestingly enough, I actually joined the team on accident! A friend of a friend, who was on the frisbee team, invited me to come to their practice, as it was the first one of the spring season. I didn’t want to be rude and say no, and ultimate frisbee did sound interesting, so I agreed to check it out.
I didn’t know anybody except for the girl who invited me (we weren’t really friends quite yet at that point), but the girls on the team were super friendly and inclusive– I didn’t feel like an outsider at all. By the end of the practice, the captain of the team asked for my phone number and added me to their team group chat, and with that, I was officially on the team.
How Ultimate has Impacted Me
Ultimate frisbee has been the most unexpected and one of the best things to happen to me in college. Since the moment I joined, I’ve loved every minute of it. What really makes ultimate frisbee special to me is the people involved in it. The girls on the team are really something different– their passion for the sport and comradery with each other push me to become a better player as well as a person.
The team at Drake isn’t a very big one, but that just makes our bond stronger. All experience levels are welcome to join (I didn’t know a thing about ultimate frisbee when I joined) and everyone is respectful of that. Even though we don’t win every game we play, the team’s spirit never falters. When a player is struggling, everyone works with her to improve. I’ve made some good friends through ultimate, and I couldn’t be more thankful for this experience. So here’s to many more years of frisbee!
Nice!