Most people would think that playing ultimate frisbee is just throwing a disk around. However, the truth is that there is way more than that to the game.
At Georgia State, a group of students strive to put this misconception to rest by representing the school with their own ultimate frisbee club, which began in 2008.
"What makes the sport different than a casual throw in the park is the nature and spirit of the game," women's captain Hae Sin said.
Korey Meek, current president of the club, talked about the beginnings of the team.
"The club was started by me and Chris Hill (who has since transferred to FSU)," he said. "Chris wanted to start an ultimate team, and I enjoyed playing so I was on board."
After only a few years of existence, the team has attracted a considerable amount of players.
"At GSU, we get around 100 people who sign up in the fall," Meek said.
The reason for such a high turnout of players can be directly attributed to the level of excitement the game brings.
Sophomore player Brett Nelson was one of the people who could not escape the beauty of ultimate frisbee.
"When I went to Incept, some of my [now teammates] talked to me into signing up, then I went to a couple of practices and loved it," the international economics major said.
"The game requires a lot of running and for some new people, it takes a while for them to learn how to throw the disk correctly," Nelson said.
There are games in which the rivals make it very contested for the Panthers, increasing the level of excitement.
"When we play against good teams like UGA, the games don't turn out to be relaxing at all," Nelson said.
This sport might be exciting and fun, but it's definitely not for everyone.
"At the first few practices, the men's team has about 60 people come out," Meek said. "As people start to realize that we are a competitive team, the people who just like to throw Frisbees stop coming and we whittle down to about 30ish."
Due to the competitiveness on the club, the team has made some pretty significant accomplishments despite their short existence. These include the start of a women's team this year, qualifying for the Regional Championship in the spring of 2011 and making it to the finals of Tally Classic Div.2 in the spring of 2011.
According to Sin, competitiveness is what makes a player and a team develop.
"You want to be able to channel that competitiveness into others on the team and on the field," Sin said.
In relation to the first year of the women's team, the organizers of the club are facing a few challenges with trying to get women interested in the sport.
"The biggest challenge right now is growing the women's program," Meek said. "They have a lot of support from us, but they need to get more girls in order for them to be self sufficient."
Currently, they work on promoting the team by posting flyers up in the classroom hallways, having posters up in the Recreation Center, attending club recruitment and student organization fairs along with other activities. Sin seems to think that so far their recruitment efforts have paid off.
"For being a first-year team, the numbers are actually pretty high." Sin said.
There is an opportunity available to play some competitive ultimate frisbee for whoever is up to the challenge. The club is hosting the Freaknik 2012 tournament from March 31 to April 1, which will take place in Cumming, Ga.
For anyone who wishes to sign up, they can do so by March 5th. For more information, visit www.gsuultimate.com.
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