Matt George
m-george.2@onu.edu
Athletes every day are running, jumping, dodging, and diving their way past opponents in order to achieve success. Add a frisbee to the competition and a new sport emerges.
Ohio Northern University men's ultimate Frisbee team has flown past their competition this year, boasting a 13-2 record.
"The more I try, the better I know we get." Nate Niedermeier, senior civil engineer and co-captain, said. "The better we get, the more we win. The more we win, the more fun we have."
Still only considered a club sport at the collegiate level, the team competes ia division nationally among 450 other schools.
"We treat this like a sport because it is," Jake Balyeat, P5 and co-captain, said. "It is very hard to get good at this."
Currently ranked fourth, ONU men's team is part of a 25-team sectional that will compete for seven spots to advance to the regional 65-team tournament. The top 16 teams of those 65 will move on to the national tournament on April 26.
One aspect of Ultimate Frisbee different from any other sport is that the players run the contest.
"This game is all self officiated," Balyeat said. "There's a thing called the spirit of the game. We know everyone is out here to have fun, but it can still become really competitive."
Psychics professor, Dr. William Theisen, has been the coach for multiple years and the 30 student athletes he has this year nearly double that of year's past.
"These guys are out here to have fun," Theisen said. "There's lots of [incidental] contact to keep the game interesting and competitive. I have a great group of guys to work with that really just love to play."
The team hosts a DIII-only Ultimate Frisbee team tournament that has received success and attention from the Ultimate Player's Association. The UPA is in talk with Theisen to take over his tournament to gain more recognition for the sport.
Ultimate requires skill, determination and strategy in order to outsmart the opponent and put the Frisbee in the in zone.
The elements of weather, especially in Ada, can either make or break the game of Ultimate. Wind and rain play huge factors on how the disc flies.
"My favorite throw is the high release backhand," Balyeat said. "I fake a forehand with the Frisbee and then whizz it right past my defender's ear."