Written by: Matthew Orquia
When I first tell someone that I play “ultimate” (better known as ultimate frisbee, although that particular nomenclature is not technically correct), they usually politely nod their head and say, “Oh yeah, that’s like golf with a frisbee, right?”
They are thinking of disc golf, another sport that involves people who are much too obsessed with round objects flying through the air, but contrary to popular belief, they are not the same thing.
“Ultimate” is a game somewhat akin to soccer, with a little football mixed in; it involves two teams, traditionally seven players each, who try to score points against each other by catching the disc in the opposing team’s end zone.
One of ultimate’s key characteristics is that a player who is holding the disc is not allowed to move and must throw the disc before a player on the opposing team counts to 10 (usually called a “stall count”). If the player fails to throw the disc within the allotted time, it results in a turnover, keeping the game fast-paced.
Whenever ultimate comes up in conversation, I don’t typically break down the whole sport (unless people ask), and I will often let them think that I do play disc golf rather than ultimate. To me, those misunderstandings are par for the course when it comes to a sport as niche as ultimate.
I used to be annoyed at having to constantly explain one of my favorite sports, but I’ve realized that the uniqueness and specificity of ultimate are two of my favorite things about the game.
Because ultimate is still a small sport, the community is extremely tight-knit and yet remains welcoming, especially in Chattanooga. Since starting to play ultimate during some of the first weeks of my freshman year, I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a pick-up game and not been warmly greeted by both familiar and unfamiliar faces.
Even when I was a brand-new player, veterans of the game showed me the ropes and encouraged me to keep practicing my skills, and I was able to get tips from my older brother, who is more experienced with the sport.
The culture of ultimate, at least in its ideal form, is inviting, competitive and focused on the joy of playing. Most sports strive for a similar goal, but ultimate is unique because this attitude—called “Spirit of the Game”—is written into its rule book and rooted in the origins of the sport.
Most ultimate players could give you their own definition of Spirit of the Game, but according to the USAUltimate website, “Spirit of the Game is a set of principles which places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play.”
As with any ideal, Spirit of the Game is not followed by every ultimate player at all times, and I’m certain that I’m guilty of many rule violations over my career, but it’s evident that the essence of the rule is influencing the way people behave.
One of the great joys of playing a sport as niche as ultimate is stumbling upon someone else who shares the same passion. Every conversation I’ve had with ultimate players in the wild has resulted in an instant connection over our love of throwing discs and scoring goals. I encourage any sports-loving individual to give ultimate a shot and join me in clarifying to others—one conversation at a time—that ultimate is not the same as disc golf.
