Ultimate Frisbee—it’s the sissy “sport” where grown adults run around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to catch a disc (for god knows what reason). Or is it?
To tell you the truth, I was awful at throwing frisbees as a kid. Thanks to a little motivation from an elementary school teacher, I learned how to throw properly about 6 years ago, and I’ve been in love with Ultimate ever since.
For those who don’t know, Ultimate isn’t just about catching discs and spirit points. It’s a game played with seven players per team on the field who try to move the disc into the other team’s end zone to score a point. You score a point by catching the disc in the end zone. NO, you cannot take any steps while you hold the disc, and YES, there is a ton of running (this is a good thing).
I’ve compiled a list of four reasons why you should go sign up for intramural games and/or grab some friends and go to a park and/or find a recreational league in Ottawa immediately upon reading this.
- Ultimate is an amazing workout
Have you been feeling like you need to get up off your butt and work off those extra pounds that snuck onto your body after you came back to school and rediscovered the bliss of ordering pizza instead of making your own food? Look no further. A lot of people assume that Ultimate is a relaxed sport. If your definition of relaxed is “full speed sprinting all the time” then this would absolutely be correct. Chances are you won’t get the disc if your body isn’t moving at least 90 per cent of its maximum possible speed. I order my pizza guilt-free, thank you very much Ultimate.
- There are endless chances to meet amazing people
The Ultimate community is a great place to meet people. Some of the best friends I’ve made have been through Ultimate, and as soon as you know a few you’ll see the same people come back year after year. Whether its through a recreational league, a team, or intramural games, Ultimate is where it’s at if you’re out looking to be a part of a fun-loving team who are there because they love the sport.
- Beer and frisbee are soul mates
Some sports go better with beer than others. Ultimate just happens to be one of the sports that goes incredibly well with beer, or any alcohol for that matter. Honestly, you might hurt yourself if you’re drinking in the middle of a game, but there’s nothing that will make you want to grab a drink with friends more than playing a good game of Ultimate. And we don’t apologize for the smell in the bar when we get there straight from a game. Not to mention that with all that running, you’ve basically just given yourself a get-out-of-jail-free card to eat the delicious bar food to your little heart’s content.
- You don’t have to be a granola eating hippie (but you can be)
Although (contrary to popular belief) you don’t have to be a flowery hippie to play, Ultimate is one of those sports that attracts relaxed, happy-go-lucky people who just want to have a great time. If you aren’t ready to be ultra-kind and respectful to the other team (as well as to your own teammates), we actually don’t want you. We play because we love it, not because we need to win (although that feels nice too) and because it encourages us to be active and feel great.
If you have any doubts, check out some YouTube videos that show highlights from national or international tournaments (they exist), or get out and support the Ottawa Outlaws when they play in the city. You won’t be disappointed, and when you get out there yourself you might be surprised to find a hundred more reasons why you should’ve started years ago. Good luck!
