Long Beach State’s Ultimate Frisbee team has continued to grow in popularity since its inception in the spring of 2005. Ultimate is a club sport that competes with other colleges in the area and has qualified for national and regional tournaments. The game combines all the great elements of other sports into one incredible game.
Ultimate is played on a 70-by-40-yard grass field with 25-yard end zones. The game is unique in that there are no referees, even at the highest competitive levels.
The sport was first introduced to LBSU by a former student Will Harris, and began to take shape as an organized sport under the leadership of Daniel Smeltzer.
Smeltzer, a senior human resources management major and President’s Scholar, played Ultimate Frisbee for fun in high school and is now captain of the men’s team, known as the Cal State Long Beach Stalkers.
“I knew there was competitive college Ultimate Frisbee and I wanted to be exposed to it,” Smeltzer said. “So I sought it out at Long Beach, only to discover that I would have to be a driving force to make it happen on this campus.”
Ultimate is played at a sprinting speed and includes fast cuts and well-timed passes. Players are said to play with “the spirit of the game,” which explains the mutual respect among all players on the field. The games are self-officiated because players call their own fouls. It’s competitive, but winning isn’t what’s most important.
“Ultimate, as a game, is a running-intensive sport much like soccer, but everyone is an integral part of the offense as both passers and receivers,” Smeltzer said. “At the organized level there are two teams of seven who initiate a game by a ‘pull’ much like a kickoff in football.”
The team that starts on offense has to advance the disc by passing to its teammates while they are running to get open. Once a player catches the disc, they must come to a stop. A team scores by catching a pass in the end zone. The defense tries to force a throw to touch the ground, go out of bounds or be intercepted.
“[Near] Long Beach there are more than 16 college men’s Ultimate Frisbee teams,” Smeltzer said. “Most schools also have a separate women’s team, too. Ours [just started] last year and is growing.”
Gerri Duru is a sophomore molecular and cellular biology major that has played for the women’s team No Regrets for a year-and-a-half now.
“It’s a sport based on spirit,” Duru said. “There’s a big Frisbee community outside Long Beach and everyone is very friendly.”
Ultimate is an intense workout that requires a lot of conditioning, according to Duru.
“I feel a lot more fit from all the conditioning we do. We practice three times a week for a few hours and sometimes we play beach Ultimate,” Duru said. “Like any other sport, with ultimate you have to discipline yourself and be on top of your game on and off the field.”
Also similar to other sports, Ultimate is strategically and physically challenging. Players have experienced their share of injuries.
“I’ve busted my lip a few times and had stitches once. It was so cool,” Duru said. “It’s an intense sport because we’re not just standing around tossing a Frisbee back and forth. We’re running, diving, jumping and making great throws.”
Smeltzer said Ultimate is like a “big family” and has created a network of friends on and off campus.
“We have an awesome group of people on the team with a variety of interests; people who ride unicycles, vegetarians, president scholars and musicians,” Smeltzer said. “We love to sing and dance to ballads by Queen, Eagle Eye Cherry and Cascada.”
The team has been accepted into the high-profile “Trouble in Vegas” tournament Feb. 8-10 to play along with 63 other men’s teams across the United States. In the spring, the team will be playing at UC Santa Barbara Jan. 12-13, UC San Diego Feb. 16-17 and here at Long Beach State on March 1-2.
The season’s tournaments are in late April. Smeltzer is hoping the team does well enough to make regionals and then nationals, which will be hosted this year in Boulder, Colo.
Long Beach Ultimate welcomes newcomers any time of the year, and it’s free of charge to participate.
“We have a men’s and women’s team and are very friendly to newbies,” Smeltzer said. “We even have an evening pickup game where anyone from any skill level is welcome to join in Thursday nights on the soccer/rugby fields.”
The first-timer practices take place on Friday afternoons from 2-5 p.m. Students are encouraged to come out whether it’s just for fun or for those who are looking to get in shape.
“Joining in an organization like Ultimate is essential to getting the most out of your college career,” Smeltzer said. “The benefits are lasting friendships, networking for your classes and for your future work.”
Students can also enroll in an Ultimate Frisbee class. It is a one-unit activity class being offered next semester Fridays from 10-11:50 a.m., listed as Kin 198C – Ultimate Frisbee.
