Ultimate Frisbee League takes flight

May 11, 2005

It’s the perfect marriage: Frisbee & football. Lots of action and lots of good times racing up and down a field in pursuit of a spinning disc.
It’s Ultimate Frisbee, a new sport that’s making heads turn across the country on high school and college campuses, not to mention here in Northern Michigan where a new league is forming to promote the sport.
Tyler Blaum, 19, and Jason Whittaker, 27, have established Traverse City Ultimate, a new league which got its wings last year with nine teams and has since grown to more than a dozen. Players have been honing their skills each Saturday with pickup games at Traverse City West Junior High School. Starting this summer, they’ll play every Tuesday night at West Senior High.
What does it take to get in the swing?
“You have a ‘pull,’ which is like a kickoff to the other team and then you try to advance the Frisbee down the field to the end zone,” Blaum says.
“You can’t run, you can only throw,” Whittaker adds. “While the other people are running around, you pass to them, and if they drop it the Frisbee changes possession.”
The game is played by two teams of seven players each, along with three substitutes, on a 120-yard field that’s 40 yards wide with two 25-yard end zones. The first team that scores 15 points wins, providing they’re ahead by two points.
There’s no tackling involved; instead, opposing players try to knock the Frisbee down or catch it in flight.
“There are also no referees,” Whittaker notes. “The players themselves make the calls on the honor system.”
Blaum says the game is especially popular on college campuses and cites. A tournament in Milwaukee recently drew 160 teams and 2,000 players.
“A lot of young people play it, but the sport isn’t bound to any age group,” he says. “It’s not just played by one gender either because girls can run as fast as guys.”
Whittaker and Blaum have been playing the game locally for the past 8-10 years. They are trying to take their league beyond the informal stage with a new website to alert interested players.
“It’s going to be bigger and more formal,” Blaum says of the league. “Last year the play was free, but we need insurance to take the next step.”
Ideally, they’d like to have a league of 200-250 players. They’ve established a fee of $30 to join, which includes a Frisbee, a t-shirt, and a chance to join the fun. For more information, check out www.traversecityultimate.com, or call Tyler at 231-883-3213.