Popularity of ultimate frisbee on the rise
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 9:53PM By Hannah Schwartz
schwartzh@mytjnow.com
The Winthrop ultimate frisbee club plays on Dinkins lawn every Thursday from 5-6:15 p.m. All are welcome to come out and have a good time, no experience required. Photos by Hannah Schwartz • schwartzh@mytjnow.comOne of the fastest growing sports on Winthrop’s campus is ultimate frisbee.
The Ultimate Frisbee Club, founded last semester, now has over 100 fans on Facebook.Ultimate frisbee, which club member Kevin Reynolds describes as a cross between football and soccer using a flat disc, has been growing in popularity.
He says that two years ago there was a “mini-group”, but it disbanded due to lack of interest. Since the new club wasfounded last year, more than 20 regular members who come out to play during the Thursday afternoon pickup games.
Club president Matthew Abraham is excited by the growth, but the club continues to grow. “We just want to get more people out here” said Abraham.
He said one of the best things about ultimate frisbee is that “it’s a sport where anyone can really play.”
Everyone is welcome to come out and play in the afternoon pickup games.
People can also join the travel team that plays other schools and will be attending the tournament.
The travel team is co-ed and currently has 15 members.
It is a challenging game to play, but current club members are more than happy to teach any newcomers the rules of the sport. “As long as they are willing to play, we are willing to have them come out and play with us,” Reynolds said.
Not only has the club grown, but the talent of the club has increased as well.
“It’s amazing to see how much it has grown in skill set,” says Reynolds.
Even the members who never played until joining last year are able to hold their own against other schools and in scrimmages.
The Ultimate Frisbee Club is holding a scrimmage as a part of itspreparation for a tournament in early March that they will be playing in.
This will be the club’s first tournament, although they played UNCC twice last year, beating them both times.
They are also scheduled to play against Pfeiffer University this semester.
The scrimmage will be held on Jan 30 at 4 p.m. at the recreational fields by the coliseum, and it is free to get in.
Anyone interested in joining the club can contact Matt Abraham at abrahamm3@winthrop.edu or visit the club’s website at www.birdsnest.org/ultimate_frisbee.
