Ultimate Frisbee Club encourages sportsmanship among players
Ultimate Frisbee captain Connor Keane instructs team members on practice drills while splitting them into two teams on March 1.
May 5, 2022
Ultimate Frisbee is a no-contact sport that originated in 1968 and involves team players throwing a disk towards the end zone in order to score points. As of early March, the revival of the Ultimate Frisbee Club led many students to build their athleticism by flinging a disk around with their peers while enjoying the outdoor air and interacting with friends.
The club meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 4-6 p.m. at the Franklin Middle School grounds for practice. Team members work on throwing and footwork techniques, improve cardio and hold scrimmages to practice for upcoming games that are usually against schools from local counties.
“There are many chances for our team and individual members of the team to compete in higher level events like state tournaments and other competitive leagues,” senior captain Connor Keane said. “Good players can oftentimes receive invites from pro-level teams if their skills are up to par.”
Like any sport, ultimate also requires its participants to have certain skills that can be built up over time as one plays the sport. Skills include throwing a flying disc with accuracy, displaying endurance, having good hand-eye coordination and participating with team members as it is a vital component of the game.
“Ultimate Frisbee requires a lot of teamwork, which is very fun and yet important because we need to trust each other in order to win,” senior Ayham Elayan said.
Members who joined the club are excited for the competitive yet lively aspect of the game. A few of the participants have some previous exposure to sports and have developed foundational skills for athletics such as building strength and developing sporting as well as teamwork skills, which will help support them in the new arena of Frisbee.
“I’ve always wanted to get more involved in the community through sports and learn more about the rules of ultimate while getting engaged with a sport that takes place outdoors compared to my experience with playing volleyball indoors,” Elayan said. “Some skills that I have from playing volleyball that carry to ultimate Frisbee are my stamina and receiving skills.”
According to Ultimate Peace, ultimate Frisbee is the ideal team sport to unite divided societies and culture and attracts people as it not only builds one’s athleticism, but also encourages good character traits and the spirit of sportsmanship.
“I play ultimate and continue to enjoy the sport because of the fact that there are so many ways you can continue your growth in the sport.” Keane said.”You are capable of not only improving your own technical skills through footwork, throwing and playmaking, but you can also improve in the teamwork aspects of the game where it is necessary to be able to cooperate with other players in order to score and win games in general.”
