Ultimate Frisbee: The Ultimate Sport

What’s It Like Being An Ultimate Athlete? 

Senior Captain Perry Honey-Hochstadt has been on the East Frisbee team for four years, and he has improved immensely over that time. He has been learning everything he can about Ultimate Frisbee since joining as a freshman. Perry is one of the captains, -he has been for two years- and for a good reason. His goals are focused on creating an inclusive and fun environment, as well as winning games and playing his best. As a captain, he has many responsibilities, and that includes being a leader for the team as well as balancing his own school-athletic life. He states that, “Most days I wake up, go to the gym during my first because I have it off, go to school. Then I have practice from 4-6, eat dinner afterwards, do homework, stretch, and go to sleep.” In order to balance school, practice, and separate training, it takes work and there’s a need to prioritize the important things in day-to-day life. Not only has Perry improved his own playing and athleticism, but he has helped so many other athletes improve as well. Being team captain means he always gives tips and encouragement anywhere he can. 

What is Ultimate?

So what even is Ultimate? It is actually an incredibly unique sport, with many exciting and distinct features. Some say it's like soccer or basketball but with a frisbee, though it’s much more complex than that. The field positioning is similar to soccer but has its own set of rules, strategies, and scoring mechanisms. The sport has no referees –it’s self-officiated– meaning the players implement and enforce the rules. This proves both challenging and rewarding and leads to one thing so many people love about Ultimate: the Spirit of the Game. To every person on a team -players, coaches, families- the Spirit of the Game represents such a significant part of Ultimate Frisbee. One of the coaches, Coach Brixey declares that, “We care about people on the field as human beings and we respect our competitors just as much as we want to be winning the game.” As athletes and people, having good spirit is one of the most important virtues. Being on the team has been an incredible place to meet people and build community, as well as improve skill. “Everybody passes to each other and everybody is family on this team,” says Sophia Natale, a spirit captain.

Ultimate at East High

East has had a Frisbee team for years, but it’s never been so big. Our school is one that excels in sports, and Ultimate is no exception. When Ultimate started growing as a sport, so did East’s team. It has always had many players and been a great community, but this year has over 60 players registered, 13 of them being female players; last year, we only had 5-6 female players and about 35-40 male players. With the hard work of many past players and coaches (many of whom are volunteers), we are able to have endless opportunities and options to build and grow. Austin Green, one of the Senior captains, states that, “One of my favorite feelings during the season is the first day, and walking up and seeing like 50 new people… All these people want to do my thing and do my passion.” 

Head coach Thomas Echols has been in love with the sport for 15 years now. “I was an 8th grader who got to play with a really senior heavy team, but I felt really included with them.” Thomas is one of the best players and coaches out there, and we are so lucky he is coaching us and is here to help East grow and build in the best way possible. 

East is an athletic heavy school, with many great teams and players who are excited about their sport - Ultimate is no different. With a large number of championship wins in past years, East is dominating the sport and is on track to continue. East is a 9x State Champion team, and has also won the Western US Championships once. This season, we have won games against New Vista (10-5) and Northfield (12-4) as well as 4 wins and 2 losses at the MoHi Tournament.  

Ultimate Frisbee is an important part of people who play, and is an incredible sport that I love being part of. In this sport, everyone is free to be themselves and in a community, working together with a team that cares about each other and strives to engage and improve. Frisbee is a diverse and inclusive sport, with people of many ages, heights, skill levels, genders, and races. “Ultimate is a game for everyone… You can be an athlete here” says Perry Honey-Hochstadt. The impact this sport has on people's lives extends far past a high school sport. There are professional, competitive youth, college, and competitive teams for every age group from 20 to 60 with opportunities to play in the future. Parents pass it on to their kids too; many players have picked up the sport and fallen in love with it because of their parents who play. Multiple coaches on East also have kids who play for the team. Perry explains, “I’ve been playing frisbee since I could throw a disc.” Ultimate is an easy sport to fall in love with and to get interested in, and there’s so many people to thank for all the growth the sport has had.