Ultimate frisbee

By Casey Toner

The NIU Ultimate Frisbee Club takes the simple premise of throwing a frisbee and turns it into a sport.

Ultimate frisbee is played on a field similar to that of a football field with seven people per team.

The game is played by passing the frisbee all the way up the field into the end zone. On a turnover, such as an intercepted pass or a dropped pass, the defending team starts off where the opposing team left off. Thus, the constant motion continues.

The first team to 15 points (one point per touchdown) wins. There is a halftime at the seven point mark so teams can catch a breather.

“It’s the most physically demanding sport I’ve ever done,” said Chris Boeke, an NIU Ultimate Frisbee Club member.

There are several moves in the ultimate frisbee game, aside from tossing the frisbee freehand, such as the “hammer” and the “blade.”

The “hammer” is a forehand throw, but it’s thrown upside down and over the left shoulder. The “blade” is thrown vertically in the air and is primarily used to avoid wind conditions.

The club was established six years ago, said Bill Ferry, an NIU Ultimate Frisbee Club member.

The club now receives $1,700 in Student Association-allocated fees each year to pay for lodging, tournament fees and supplies.

The NIU Ultimate Frisbee Club also raises money for the tournaments. For one fundraiser, the group sells Citibank credit cards, Ferry said.

Fundraisers pay for ultimate frisbee expenses, like the cost of the tournament, which costs about $100 per team entry. While on the road, the team either stays at a hotel or at an acquaintance’s place, Boeke said.

The team travels distances that don’t breach the four- to five-hour mark. They take up to 12 cars to the tournaments, which have been held at Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Practices are held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Saturday in courts 7 and 8 at the Student Recreation Center.

Anyone can join the club — all they have to do is show up for practice.