With Ultimate Frisbee reported as one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, it is no surprise that the Troy University Ultimate Frisbee club is growing. This year marks the team’s first time playing in the official Division I (DI) league.
According to USA Ultimate, Ultimate Frisbee is a game played by two teams with a flying disc on a field with end zones, similar to football. It combines the nonstop movement and athletic endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football. The object of the game is to score by catching a pass in the opponent’s end zone.
Caleb Posey, a junior accounting major from Dothan and the president of Ultimate Frisbee, said that the club welcomes all students to its meetings and practices on Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on the practice field behind the arena.
“We normally meet for about 3 1/2 hours, which breaks down into an hour worth of drills and two hours of scrimmage and 30 minutes of conditioning,” Posey said.
According to him, newcomers will be introduced to the basics of Ultimate Frisbee and start to practice with the team to get the hang of the game faster.
Beyond practicing and playing for fun, the team also competes at tournaments against other college teams.
“We submit bids to tournament directors at different schools or locations,” Posey said. “If they accept the bid, we proceed to pay the bid fee to play.
“Teams from other colleges have concrete backgrounds in the sport already, so it’s hard to beat them, but entering tournaments really helps us to improve.”
Posey said that practice and self-dedication are extremely important if one wants to improve at the sport.
“We sometimes watch tournaments together to learn new techniques,” Posey said.
Seth Justice, a junior accounting major from Slocomb, is also a member of Ultimate Frisbee.
“I played other traditional sports in high school, such as baseball and basketball, but Frisbee is new and something fun to learn,” Justice said. “It also keeps me in shape.”
Justice said he joined the club last semester, and stayed for the friends and community.
“I grew up in a small town, and since Ultimate isn’t that popular, it has the small-town vibe of a growing community, which appeals to me,” Justice said.
Justice said he likes the sport because it teaches him how to work as a team.
“It can be frustrating sometimes, but once you have some chemistry with your team members, things start to come together,” Justice said. “It’s amazing.”
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