Madison’s Ultimate Frisbee community grows in size and spirit

 Young fans cheer on Madison's professional Ultimate team, the Radicals. The sport provides opportunities for all ages to participate. (Kimberly Winheim)

Madison’s Ultimate Frisbee community is running, jumping, diving and growing.  

The disc-throwing teams exist on the youth level, college level (Hodags and Bella Donna, male and female respectively), and even higher levels (Radicals and Heist, male and female respectively). There are also summer leagues (MUFA), 

Ultimate Frisbee is similar to point-scoring games like soccer and football. One team must advance the disc to the other end of the field to score a point, and players can’t travel while holding the disc.

The “Spirit of the Game” is what makes Ultimate truly unique. For most leagues, the game is regulated by the players themselves. That level of involvement demands a high level of respect. For most Ultimate Frisbee players, one of the first things they will tell you about Ultimate is Spirit of the Game.

“It teaches you to respect your opponent more than any sport I’ve ever played. It forces you to be reflective and understand how to hone your competitive nature to be better yourself, instead of putting down your competitor,” said Bella Donna player Anna Hrovat-Strader.

The Spirit of the Game instills a spirit in the community. Some older players have been in the Ultimate world since they were kids, inspired by older siblings who did the same. Ross Barker, who plays for the college level Hodags, had a relatively late start in the game. 

Barker found Ultimate Frisbee a sport fun for all – including former football players.

Peter Graffy makes a catch during the Madison Radicals opening game on April 9. (Kimberly Winheim)

Barker came to UW-Madison to play Badger football. Three and a half weeks into his freshman year, an electrocardiogram test revealed a heart defect, making it unsafe for Barker to play football. A couple weeks later, Barker read an email about Hodag tryouts and decided to give it a go. Barker, now a senior, has been on the team ever since.

Many players’ testimonials echo that of Barker’s. Many players agree that Ultimate is about more than just the sport; it is about the community.

Fran Kelley, USA Ultimate Regional Youth Director for the Central Region, met his wife playing Ultimate. Together they have travelled to 14 different states to play and will play in the Philippines this spring. Tom Annen, player on Madison’s professional team the Radicals, commuted from Boston for some time to continue playing for the Radicals.

Hrovat-Strader won a gold medal in London playing for Team USA at the Under 23 World Ultimate Championships just three years after she joined Bella Donna. Hrovat-Strader attributes that to the mentorship from the community.

Barker said a large part of the reason he is staying for a fifth year of college is to continue playing for the Hodags.

“You're brought together by this shared joy of this silly game but the community is built on so much more,” Kelley said.

This community is growing–all the way to the youth level. When Kelley started playing in high school there were three boys teams and no girls teams. This year there are 20 boys teams and six girls teams in the league.

Many older players say Ultimate is a safe, less expensive option for youth. 

“While athletes do excel, the skill-sets involved can cater to all body types and levels of athleticism. There are avenues for both boys and girls to get involved, sometimes on the same field together. Ultimate is one of the cheapest sports to play with no expensive equipment or referees to pay,” Kelley said. 

“You're brought together by this shared joy of this silly game but the community is built on so much more,” said Fran Kelley, USA Ultimate Regional Youth Director for the Central Region, said.

The community also strives for gender inclusion. With Madison being home to some of the best female Ultimate athletes in the country, Hrovat-Strader said there is huge opportunity to empower girls and women on and off the field.

“Due to the growing nature of the sport, Ultimate is chasing legitimacy… Madison is attempting to find a proper voice for equality in Ultimate,” Hrovat-Strader said.

In Madison and beyond, the Spirit grows. College-level Ultimate games are now broadcast on ESPN, and Ultimate is shown on Sports Center’s Top Ten highlights. 

Ultimate Frisbee has come a long way from its professional start in the ‘80s, but there is growth to come.

Ultimate rookie and wondering what all the fuss is about? The next Radicals’ home game versus Chicago Wildfire is May 13 at Breese Stevens Field.