I’ll start with a brief overview of how the sport is played. It is a sport played with a frisbee where, like football, there are two end zones that the teams will try to score on. Seven players start in each end zone. The game is started by a pull, this is where the defending team throws the disc as close to the opposite end zone as possible. Wherever the disc hits the ground and stops moving is where it will start. The player in possession of the disc is unable to move while holding it. The goal is to throw the disc to other players to move it up the field and eventually reach the end zone. If the disc is not caught or goes out of bounds after being thrown, there is a turnover and the other team will receive the disc. The process then repeats itself with the team who most recently scored playing defense.
In Kentucky, there are currently only three high school level ultimate teams. These teams are West Jessamine County High School, Lexington Catholic, and Lexington Pi. Pi, the team I play for, was started by a group of homeschoolers but 
is open to anyone who is interested in playing, their practices are every Tuesday and Thursday at Shillito Park from 4:30 to 6:00. The ultimate community is so positive and friendly, especially towards new players. In my experience, every player has been extremely encouraging and helpful.
One of the things that ultimate highlights the spirit of the game. After every game, the two teams will circle up and give compliments to the other team’s players. It is such a positive experience that other sports do not have. Even after losing a point, the other team’s players will congratulate the team that scored. During tournaments, teams are given spirit scores that are determined by players’ attitudes during games. This score is then used to rank the teams based on spirit. All ultimate teams strive to be a team that others would want to play against again because of their positive attitude. Good spirit is something I wish that all sports had as most are so competitive that it can get in the way of having a great time while playing.
Every time I mention that I play ultimate frisbee, I’m always asked what it is. I would love for more people to start playing the sport so they are able to experience the positive social environment while being active. Ultimate is a phenomenal way to spend time with friends and having fun and being active. More recently I have heard of more and more people who are playing ultimate suggesting its rise in popularity. My hope is that this article lets people know that the sport is out there if anyone wants to try something fun and different.
