Students bond playing ultimate Frisbee
Students practice good sportsmanship and build community while running and jumping for the Frisbee. Students usually play on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the practice field behind the UC.
At 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays students gather on the practice fields behind the University Center for fellowship and exercise by playing ultimate Frisbee.
The group welcomes all students from FMU and Florence-Darlington Technical College as well as faculty and alumni.
“You just have to have a desire to run after a Frisbee,” Hampton Johnson, a sophomore education major and member of the ultimate Frisbee group, said.
Ultimate Frisbee incorporates qualities of other sports such as football and soccer, but the main objective is for your team to get the disc into your opponent’s end zone.
Two of the first members, Weston Lindamood, a senior biology major, and Alex McIntosh, a senior computational physics major, started this group as a way to stay in shape, hang out and have fun together. Since the group started playing pick-up games in the fall of 2012, many more students have joined in on the action. Many of the students involved in the ultimate Frisbee pick-ups describe the atmosphere as very friendly and an almost family-like environment.
“This is how I made friends and got involved during my freshman year,” Johnson said.
“Everyone is included,” Lindamood said. “And, the girls are the best players out here because they are underestimated by the guys.”
There is a lot of communication involved in ultimate Frisbee which makes playing the game a way to boost confidence. Since teams are not the same every game, it provides an opportunity to learn how to work well with a variety of people and become more adaptable. Playing Frisbee can build and strengthen life skills that will be beneficial in college and professional careers.
With a diverse group of students coming together, playing ultimate Frisbee is an opportunity to meet new people and become friends with students outside of your major.
“There are all kinds of majors out here,” McIntosh said. “So, if you need help with one of your classes, you are going to make friends out here [who] will be able to help you.”
The ultimate Frisbee pick-ups are laid back with a minimum amount of rules. The biggest rule is to stay in bounds.
The pick-up game begins by splitting the group into two teams. Competitive ultimate Frisbee is played seven on seven; however, this rule is not followed during the pick-up games at FMU so that everyone can be involved. Teams are selected by two team captains, and team size is dependent on the number of people who show up.
Once teams are established, the set-up is like football. Each team has an end zone, and the goal is to have a player catch the Frisbee within the end zone to score a point. The first pass is the “throw off” when the opposing team throws the Frisbee to the receiving team. The Frisbee is then put into play, and the receiving team keeps the Frisbee until it is either dropped or a point is scored.
Players must throw the Frisbee from one player to the next to get the Frisbee closer to the designated end zone. Players are not allowed to run with the Frisbee. Once someone catches the Frisbee, they must stop moving and throw it to another team member. If the Frisbee is dropped or caught by a player on the opposing team, the Frisbee is turned over to them. The teams go back and forth trying to score until the students get tired or decide to end the game.
The group encourages all students to come out and join the ultimate family.