In just its second year with the school, Ultimate Frisbee is a relatively unknown sport to many. Many people view Frisbee as merely a hobby, or something to do when you are hanging out at the beach, but not according to the 70 plus high school teams that are competing this year’s Minnesota High School Ultimate Frisbee League.
MHS brings two teams to the league: Team Walrus, a team of only seniors, and Team Narwhal, which includes juniors and underclassmen. “Participation has increased dramatically since last year” says senior Brendan Johnson, “people really love the sport and the atmosphere that comes with it.”
The Ultimate team usually has practice twice a week and a game once a week. “We run scrimmages and a couple drills each practice” says senior Erik Weidner, “It’s pretty low key and relaxed.” Even though practices may not always be full throttle, Team Walrus already began their season with a dominant 15-2 win over St. Paul Central.
Ultimate Frisbee is a mix of football and soccer. Each team has seven players: four handlers and three cutters. The Handlers are the “quarterbacks” on the ultimate field. They use their precision passing skills to toss the Frisbee to the cutters. The runners are the “wide receivers” of ultimate Frisbee as they use their speed and catching ability to catch the throws from the handler. There are two end zones on the ultimate field which are used similarly to an end zone on a football field; each team tries to complete a pass to their teammate in an end zone to score a point. The first team to 15 points wins the game.
Ultimate Frisbee is different from many sports due to its more social feel during and after game. Competition can be intense, but the ultimate Frisbee teams believe in camaraderie and having a good time. “We have team moms that bring us snacks for each game” says Brendan, “and after every game, we usually play some sort of non-Frisbee game with the opposing team and our fans.” There are no referees in ultimate, so players call their own fouls embracing the honor code. “People play fair because everybody’s just out there to have a good time,” says Weidner.
Minnetonka looks to improve on last year’s disappointing performance in the state tournament by making a deep run this year. “We won the spirit award which was cool, but we didn’t win as many tournament games as we wanted to” says Johnson. Minnetonka will have difficult time this year against the juggernaut of ultimate Frisbee, Hopkins High School.
Whether you play to win, or just to have a good time, the Ultimate Frisbee team at MHS is a great fit for many. Its social feel, combined with fierce competition is why participation is increasing every year. “You can’t beat the energy at the games” says Johnson, “that’s why everyone loves it.” The season is just underway for both Minnetonka teams, and we can guarantee they will both have their best season yet.
