Ultimate Frisbee taking off

VIDEO: Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that is growing in popularity on campus. Ultimate frisbee is the only coed competitive sport that is competed on at a world level, according to society president Robert McLeod. To see more check out this video, prepared by Findlay Muir, of the Centre for Teaching and Learning. QuickTime required, broadband connection recommended.

Evan Radisic recently sat down with Robert MacLeod, President of the Dal/King's Society for Ultimate Frisbee.

1. When was the club established?
It was established in 2000 by Chris Lee, a King's College student. Originally, or as the rumour goes, the team was started so Chris and some of his friends could go to Montreal for a weekend to play in an ultimate tournament. The club, now in its fifth year, consists of close to 40 members.

2. Who are the players in the video?
Robert McLeod, John Hassell, Mijanou Jodoin, Bruno Scala

3. How often do you get together and play?
During out season, which runs from Sept - April, we play indoors from roughly November - March. A large portion of our year is spent inside, and as such, we pretty much play when we can. We do have 2 regular bookings per week at Studley gym, but as tournaments approach, we try to practice more than twice, and go for team workouts.

4. What are some of the most recent tournaments between other Universities? Is there a local "league"? Or do you just play among one other?
We went to a tournament in February called Fruitbowl, that was the most recent, however the most recent tournament against other universities was in Sept, when we went to Montreal for "Unleashed and Untrained". There, we competed against teams from McGill, McMaster, Vermont, New Hampshire, and other teams from Quebec, Ontario, and the New England states. There is a local league, called HURL (Halifax Ultimate Recreational League - www.halifaxultimate.ca). Right now, we're in the middle of winter league?hey also have summer and fall league.

5. How many people are involved?
Ultimate consists of 7 players on the field per team. However, because games are so exhausting, it's good to have 14-18 people at every tournament, so that you have enough subs. As far as the club, we have around 40 members, consisting of 25 or so guys and around 15 girls. It is co-ed, and the gender ratio for playing is 4 guys/3 women, so that is why we have more dudes.

6. Tell me a little about the history of the game?
The Frisbie Pie Company was really the beginning of the flying disc. This was a bakery, and the pies were baked on tin plates. However, realizing how dangerous it was to throw tin plates around, one man decided to produce plates (discs) made of plastic in 1948. Students at Harvard were throwing these tins, calling it Frisbie-ing, and the inventor of the plastic disc, not aware of the historical significance of the name, spelled it wrong, and that is the name we use today, Frisbee.The game of ultimate began in 1968, started by Columbia High School as a gag activity for their students at night. This was led by Joel Silver, the man in charge of Silver Pictures, the film production company of Lethal Weapon 4.

7. What is the interest in the sport globally? Is it just coming to the Maritimes?
Ultimate is played in 42 countries, with an estimated 100,000 people playing, half of those in the US. It was a medal sport at the world games in 2001, and will be again in 2005. As far as in the Maritimes, it has only been here for roughly 10 years, but it has grown incredibly quickly in that time.

8. Are there positions on the field? What is you position?
There are no set positions per se, however depending on the Offensive or Defensive Strategy, you may be assigned a position. In general, it is much like rugby - when your team has the disc, you are on offense, and when the other team has the frisbee, you are on defense. You are not allowed to run with the disc (maximum 3 steps), and you have 10 seconds to throw it once you catch it (called a stall count, which is counted by the defender marking up against you).

9. Explain how the officiating works.
The most unique thing about ultimate is that it is all self officiated. From the stall count (10 seconds which the thrower must throw the disc) to fouls (Roughing the passer), they are all called and discussed by the players involved. At the highest levels (nationals and worlds) observers are used, but they are only called upon if two players cannot reach an agreement with a call within 60 seconds.

Because the game is self officiated, Spirit of the Game is the underlying principle that simply says - play by the golden rule. Know the rules, and apply them fairly. Don't make any bad, cheap calls against other players, and they in turn should do the same. Play competitively, but not to the point of putting others in danger. At all tournaments, in addition to an award being given to the Tournament Champions, there is also an award given to the team with the Best Spirit.

10. Do you take the winters off, or is it an all year sport?
We play year round, although during winter, we play indoors. The best and biggest tournaments are outdoor, and it is definitely ideal, because of the size of the field, because of the factors like wind, and because the ground is much softer to play and dive on.

11. How can someone join?
We usually have a table set up in the SUB with all the other clubs at the beginning of the year, come sign up. Our website is www.danrudy.com/dal.

12. How would you describe the key skills and how do you go about improving skills? Training?
Key skills are the ability to throw, run, jump, and catch. The throwing and catching are the biggest factors, however if you have the other parts, that will definitely help as well. To be competitive at ultimate, you have to be in great shape. Because the games are so physically demanding, if you don't have great endurance, and haven't trained much, you will tire quickly, and won't be very helpful to your team. Training consists of mainly endurance training, practicing with throwing and catching and learning how to read the disk when in the air.

13. Is there a lot of strategy, or plays, or is it very free form?
Although at a beginners level you don't play strategy, at a competitive level, everything about the game is strategy. Because it is such a big field and there is no such thing as offside, an offensive player could be thrown a pass the whole length of the field and score, so you are forced to strategize. The offensive strategy depends on the defensive strategy, but basically, the goal is to develop a defensive strategy that will force the other team to turn the disc over, and in offense, the goal is to force the defense to make coverage mistakes, and to score in the end zone, much like football.

14. What program are you in? When do you graduate? Who will take over as captain?
I am currently taking commerce courses, but I will be transferring into third-year management at the University of Calgary in Sept 2005. I will also be completing my diploma in Electrical Engineering in April 2005. So, when I transfer, I will have 2 years left. Because the team is considered a Dal/King's society, in order to appoint a president, I will be sending an email out soon letting people know that they can run for the position. However, since it is a sport, not just anyone can be president. They must have knowledge of the sport, they have to be passionate about it, and preferably they should be a good player, so they can run practices and teach the newer players the game.

15. Tell me a little more about he sport, that the average person might not know.
Ultimate frisbee is an incredibly fun sport, and is really the only coed competitive sport that is competed on at a world level. The average age is mid 20's, but as more and more people are picking up the game, the age keeps getting younger. Ultimate is a beautiful sport to watch, and once you start playing, you really get hooked. It becomes almost like a cult, but it provides you with some of the most amazing experiences of your life, from traveling all over the world to tournaments, and by meeting and playing with some of the most interesting and amazing people.