88-460: Ultimate frisbee (officially simply called Ultimate ) is a non-contact team sport played with a disc flung by hand . Ultimate was developed in 1968 by Joel Silver in Maplewood, New Jersey . Although ultimate resembles many traditional sports in its athletic requirements, it is unlike most sports due to its focus on self-officiating, even at the highest levels of competition. The term "frisbee"
176-678: A P-47 Thunderbolt pilot in Italy flying 58 missions. He was shot down and was a prisoner of war for 48 days in Germany's Stalag 13. In 1946, Morrison sketched out a design (called the Whirlo-Way) for the world's first flying disc. In 1948 an investor, Warren Franscioni, paid for molding the design in plastic. They named it the Flyin-Saucer. After disappointing sales, Fred and Warren parted ways in early 1950. In 1954, Fred bought more of
264-447: A flying disc or simply a disc , is a gliding toy or sporting item that is generally made of injection-molded plastic and roughly 20 to 25 centimetres (8 to 10 in) in diameter with a pronounced lip. It is used recreationally and competitively for throwing and catching, as in flying disc games . The shape of the disc is an airfoil in cross-section which allows it to fly by reducing the drag and increasing lift as it moves through
352-406: A "4-3" ratio, meaning either 4 men and 3 women or 4 women and 3 men will be playing. The offensive end zone dictates whether there are more men or women. This end zone is called the 'gen-zone', short for gender zone. Each point begins with the two teams starting in opposite end zones. The team who scored the previous point are now on defense. The teams indicate their readiness by raising a hand, and
440-438: A "fast-count"), then the thrower can call a violation, in which the mark then has to subtract two seconds from their previous stall count and slow their counting. There can only be one player defending in a 3 meters (9.8 ft) radius around the person who has the disc unless that player is defending against another offensive player. The marker must stay one disc's diameter away from the thrower and must not wrap their hands around
528-448: A cake pan that they were tossing back and forth on a Santa Monica, California , beach. Morrison detailed, in a 2007 interview, "That got the wheels turning, because you could buy a cake pan for five cents, and if people on the beach were willing to pay a quarter for it, well—there was a business." Morrison and Lu developed a little business selling "Flyin' Cake Pans" on the beaches of Los Angeles. During World War II Morrison served as
616-559: A certain velocity in flight. The term frisbee is often used generically to describe all flying discs , but Frisbee is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company. This protection results in organized sports such as ultimate or disc golf having to forgo use of the word "Frisbee". Frisbees were invented in the late 1930s by the American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison . Morrison and his future wife Lucile had fun tossing
704-836: A diameter of 10 inches (25 cm) or less and a weight of around 160 grams (5.6 oz), but this is subject to change according to the performer's need. The IFT guts competitions in Northern Michigan, the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships (1972), Toronto, Ontario, the Vancouver Open Frisbee Championships (1974), Vancouver, British Columbia, the Octad (1974), New Jersey, the American Flying Disc Open (1974), Rochester, New York, and
792-533: A flexible polypropylene plastic by Southern California Plastics, the original molder. He discovered that he could produce his own disc more cheaply, and he designed a new model in 1955 called the Pluto Platter, the archetype of all modern flying discs. He sold the rights to Wham-O on January 23, 1957. In June 1957, Wham-O co-founders Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin gave the disc the brand name "Frisbee" after learning that college students were calling
880-403: A flying disc in the opposing court. Dogs and their human flying disc throwers compete in events such as distance catching and somewhat choreographed freestyle catching. This is a precision and accuracy sport in which individual players throw a flying disc at a target pole hole. In 1926, In Bladworth, Saskatchewan, Canada, Ronald Gibson and a group of his Bladworth Elementary school chums played
968-583: A game using metal lids, they called "Tin Lid Golf". In 1976, the game of disc golf was standardized with targets called "pole holes" invented and developed by Wham-O's Ed Headrick. In 1974, freestyle competition was created and introduced by Ken Westerfield and Discraft 's Jim Kenner. Teams of two or three players are judged as they perform a routine that consists of a series of creative throwing and catching techniques set to music. A half-court disc game derived from ultimate, similar to hot box. The object
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#17327806477191056-518: A goal line, advancing the disc by passing, no travelling with the disc, and turnovers on interceptions or incomplete passes. Kass, an instructor and dorm advisor, taught this game to high school student Joel Silver during the summer of 1967 or 1968 at Northfield Mount Hermon School summer camp. Joel Silver , along with fellow students Jonny Hines, Buzzy Hellring , and others, further developed ultimate beginning in 1968 at Columbia High School, Maplewood, New Jersey, US (CHS). The first sanctioned game
1144-520: A greater number of traditional athletes, raising the level of competition and athleticism and providing a challenge to its laid back, free-spirited roots. In 2010, Anne Watson , a Vermont teacher and ultimate coach, launched a seven-year effort to have ultimate recognized as full varsity sport in the state's high schools. Watson's effort culminated on November 3, 2017, when the Vermont Principals Association, which oversees
1232-673: A national champion every year since 1979. Glassboro State College defeated the Santa Barbara Condors 19–18 at the first UPA Nationals in 1979. In 2010, the UPA rebranded itself as USA Ultimate . The first European Championship tournament for national teams was held in 1980 in Paris . Finland won, with England and Sweden finishing second and third. In 1981 the European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF)
1320-429: A pass is incomplete, it is a "turnover" and the opposing team immediately gains possession, playing to score in the opposite direction. Passes are incomplete if they are caught by a defender, touch the ground (meaning defenders need only knock the disc out of the air to gain possession), or touch an out-of-bounds object before being caught. The first body part to touch the ground is the one considered for bounds, which means
1408-422: A pivot point (i.e. they cannot run with the disc, just step out from a single point). They must establish a pivot at "the appropriate spot" on the field (where they caught the disc, or as soon as possible after slowing down). The player can also catch and throw the disc within three steps without establishing a pivot. A violation of these rules is called a "travel". The disc is advanced by throwing it to teammates. If
1496-409: A player disagrees with a foul that was called on them, they can choose to "contest" the infraction. In many instances, a conversation ensues between both parties involved in the foul, and a verdict is determined as to whether the disc will be returned and a "do-over" will commence, or if the person guilty of the foul has no objections to the call. A common infraction, intentional or not, is a "pick" where
1584-403: A player may catch the disc and 'toe the line', or put a foot down, before falling out of bounds. However, if a player jumps from in bounds, catches, and then throws the disc while in the air and technically out of bounds, the disc is still in play and can be caught or defended by players on the field. This feat of athleticism and precision is highly praised, and dubbed "Greatest." Once possession of
1672-481: A popcorn can lid after a Thanksgiving Day dinner in 1937. They soon discovered a market for a light-duty flying disc when they were offered 25 cents (equivalent to $ 5 in 2023) for a cake pan that they were tossing back and forth on a beach near Los Angeles . In 2007, in an interview in The Virginian-Pilot newspaper, Morrison compared that with the 5 cents (equivalent to $ 1 in 2023) it cost at
1760-452: A testing match with rapid turnovers, heightening the pressure of play. From its beginnings in the American counterculture of the late 1960s , ultimate has resisted empowering any referee with rule enforcement. Instead, it relies on the sportsmanship of players and invokes the "spirit of the game" to maintain fair play. Players call their own fouls, and dispute a foul only when they genuinely believe it did not occur. Playing without referees
1848-445: Is a foul, regardless of intent, with various consequences depending on the situation and the league rules. Incidental contact, like minor collisions while jumping for the disc or running for it, can be acceptable, depending on the circumstances. Parameters like who has the "right" to the relevant space, who caught the disc etc. will determine whether a foul has been committed or not. Attitudes can vary between leagues and countries, even if
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#17327806477191936-625: Is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company, and thus the sport is not formally called "ultimate frisbee ", though this name is still in common casual use (and the trademark was licensed to the Ultimate Frisbee Association in 2024). Points are scored by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone . Other basic rules are that players must not take steps while holding the disc, and interceptions, incomplete passes, and passes out of bounds are turnovers. Rain, wind, or occasionally other adversities can make for
2024-489: Is by David Wiggins Jr. with a distance of 338 metres (1,109 ft). Disc dog sports use relatively slow-flying discs made of more pliable material to better resist a dog's bite and prevent injury to the dog. Flying rings are also available which typically travel significantly farther than any traditional flying disc. Illuminated discs are made of phosphorescent plastic or contain chemiluminescent fluid or battery-powered LEDs for play after dark. Others whistle when they reach
2112-435: Is colloquially known as "being a deep threat". For example, multiple throwing techniques and the ability to pass the disc before the defense has had a chance to reset helps increase a player or team's threat level, and merging that with speed and coordinated plays can form a phalanx that is hard for competitors to overcome. When referencing the curve of a throw, the terms outside-in (OI) and inside-out (IO) are used. An OI throw
2200-464: Is described in the song "Friz Me the Frisby," as a Frisbee was passed among stooges in the audience. The scene was expressly intended as a way to introduce the game to the audience. In 1964, Ed Headrick was hired as Wham-O's general manager and vice president of marketing. Headrick redesigned the Pluto Platter by reworking the mold, mainly to remove the names of the planets, but fortuitously increasing
2288-438: Is known as the "feature", or "German". The idea behind this strategy is that it opens up space for the feature to cut, and at the same time it allows handlers to focus all of their attention on only one cutter. This maximizes the ability for give-and-go strategies between the feature and the handlers. It is also an excellent strategy if one cutter is superior to other cutters, or if they are guarded by someone slower than them. While
2376-415: Is one that curves in towards the opposite side of the throwers body from which it is thrown. An IO throw is one that curves toward the same side of the throwers body from which it is thrown. With the rotation of the disc in mind, an IO throw has the side of the disc rotating toward the direction of the throw angled to the ground, whereas an OI throw has the side of the disc rotating toward the thrower angled to
2464-439: Is played 7 vs. 7, with substitutions allowed between points and for injuries. Games are typically played to a points limit of 13/15/17 or more, or a time limit of 75/90/100 minutes. There is usually a halftime break and an allowance of two timeouts per team each half. A regulation field is 100 meters (330 ft) by 37 meters (121 ft), including end zones each 18 meters (59 ft) deep. Competitive ultimate
2552-466: Is played in gender divisions using gender determination rules based on those of the IOC. Different competitions may have a "men's" or an "open" division (the latter usually being extremely male-dominated at competitive levels, but technically unrestricted). Mixed is officially played with 4 of one gender and 3 of the other, but variants exist for different numbers. Men's, women's, and mixed ultimate are played by
2640-432: Is referred to as "stalling". If the disc has not been thrown when the defending player reaches 10, it is turned over to the other team. "Stall" can only be called after the defender has actually counted the 10 seconds. In order for the "mark" to be considered as counting all the way to ten, the thrower must throw the disc before the mark is able to say the "T" in the word ten. If the mark is accused of counting too fast (called
2728-412: Is scored when one team catches the disc in the opposing team's end zone. Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective end zone line. Standing beyond the end zone line before the disc is thrown by the defense (a "pull") to the offense is known as an "offsides" violation. A regulation grass outdoor game has seven players per team. In mixed ultimate, the teams usually play with
Ultimate frisbee - Misplaced Pages Continue
2816-510: Is the disc golf disc, which is used in the sport of disc golf . Disc golf discs are similar in size and shape to ultimate discs, but have different weights and designs. The material often used to make golf discs is polypropylene . There are three main types of disc golf discs: drivers, mid-range discs, and putters. Each type is designed for a specific purpose, with drivers being used for long-distance throws, mid-range discs for more controlled shots, and putters for short and accurate throws into
2904-558: Is the norm for league play but has been supplanted in club competition by the use of "observers" or "game advisors" to help in disputes, and the professional league employs empowered referees. In 2012, there were 5.1 million ultimate players in the United States. Ultimate is played across the world in pickup games and by recreational, school, club, professional, and national teams at various age levels and with open, women's, and mixed divisions. The USA has historically won most of
2992-480: Is the ultimate game. This is the ultimate game.' Team flying disc games using pie tins and cake pan lids were part of Amherst College student culture for decades before plastic discs were available. As of 2023, the college currently boasts a woman's team called Sparkle Motion (inspired by the dance team in Donnie Darko ) and an open team titled Army of Darkness . A similar two-hand, touch-football-based game
3080-640: Is to advance the disc on the field of play by passing, and score points by throwing the flying disc to a teammate in a small scoring area. The game of guts was invented by the Healy Brothers in the 1950s and developed at the International Frisbee Tournament (IFT) in Eagle Harbor, Michigan . Two teams of one to five team members stand in parallel lines facing each other across a court and throw flying discs at members of
3168-485: The target . The rim for golf discs are sharper than ultimate frisbee, to reduce wind drag . Each type of golf disc has hundreds of variations, subject to a uniform requirement in the size of discs: the minimum diameter of a golf disc is 21 cm (8.3 in ). Freestyle discs are another variation of flying discs that are used in freestyle Frisbee competitions. These discs are usually smaller and lighter than other types of flying discs. Most freestyle discs have
3256-572: The 2023–24 academic year. In late December 1979, the first national player-run ultimate organization was founded in the United States as the Ultimate Players Association (UPA). Tom Kennedy was elected its first director. Before the UPA, events had been sponsored by the International Frisbee Association (IFA), a promotional arm of Wham-O. The UPA organized regional tournaments and has crowned
3344-616: The Pluto Platter by that term, which was derived from the Connecticut-based pie manufacturer Frisbie Pie Company , a supplier of pies to Yale University , where students had started a campus craze tossing empty pie tins stamped with the company's logo—the way that Morrison and his wife had in 1937. In November 1957, the Frisbee was featured in what may be the first rock musical ever performed, Anything & Everything , written by Ted Nelson. The game of Frisbee (spelled Frisby)
3432-472: The Saucers from the original molders to sell at local fairs, but soon found he could produce his own disc more cheaply. In 1955, he and Lu designed the Pluto Platter, the archetype of all modern flying discs. On January 23, 1957, they sold the rights for the Pluto Platter to the Wham-O toy company. Initially Wham-O continued to market the toy solely as the "Pluto Platter", but by June 1957 they also began using
3520-561: The Whirlo-Way, after the famous racehorse . He and business partner Warren Franscioni began producing the first plastic discs by 1948, after design modifications and experimentation with several prototypes. They renamed them the "Flyin-Saucer" in the wake of reported unidentified flying object sightings . "We worked fairs, demonstrating it," Morrison told the Virginian-Pilot . The two of them once overheard someone saying that
3608-477: The World Class "80 Mold" 165 gram frisbee. This disc quickly replaced the relatively light and flimsy Master frisbee with much improved stability and consistency of throws even in windy conditions. Throws like the flick and hammer were possible with greater control and accuracy with this sturdier disc. The 80 Mold was used in ultimate tournaments even after it was discontinued in 1983. Discraft , founded in
Ultimate frisbee - Misplaced Pages Continue
3696-499: The World Frisbee Championships (1974), Pasadena, California, are the earliest Frisbee competitions that presented the Frisbee as a new disc sport. Before these tournaments, the Frisbee was considered a toy and used for recreation. Double disc court was invented and introduced in 1974 by Jim Palmeri, a sport played with two flying discs and two teams of two players. Each team defends its court and tries to land
3784-420: The air, compared to a flat plate. Spinning the disc imparts a stabilizing gyroscopic force, allowing it to be both aimed with accuracy and thrown for distance. A wide range is available of flying disc variants. Those for disc golf are usually smaller but denser compared to ultimate frisbee, and tailored for particular flight profiles to increase or decrease stability and distance. The longest recorded disc throw
3872-425: The call's validity, the disc can be given back to the last uncontested thrower, with play restarting as if before the disputed throw. Coaches and other players on the sidelines cannot make calls, however they may inform players of specific rules in the case of a contested call. Players on the sideline may also be asked for their view, as they often have "best perspective" to see what happened. A regulation outdoor game
3960-421: The defending team time to make the run. To score goals, the players of each team try to get the possession of the flying disc (without making physical contact with players), pass it from one teammate to the other, and keep it away from the opponents till it is carried all the way towards their (opponents’) end zone or goal area. Each end-zone lies at each end of the court. The player holding the disc must establish
4048-428: The disc at an angle and away from the disc straight, creating a 'diamond' or 'peppermill' pattern. A variation on the horizontal stack offense is called a feature, German, or isolation (or "iso" for short). In this offensive strategy three of the cutters line up deeper than usual (this can vary from 5 yards farther downfield to at the endzone) while the remaining cutter lines up closer to the handlers. This closest cutter
4136-424: The disc is obtained, however, it cannot be forced out of the throwers possession before it leaves their hand. A common infraction of this nature is called a "strip", in which one player feels that they had enough possession of the disc to stop its rotation before it was taken out of their hand. Ultimate is non-contact. Non-incidental, play-affecting, or dangerous physical contact is not allowed. Non-incidental contact
4224-404: The disc rim, making sure to catch on the proper side of the disc, according to which way the disc is spinning. When a frisbee is thrown at high speeds, as is frequently the case in a competitive game of ultimate, one side of the disc can spin out of the player's hand, and the other side can spin into their hand, which can make a catch far more secure. For this reason, along with the desire to secure
4312-459: The disc. Cutters, are the players positioned downfield, whose job is usually to catch the disc farther afield and progress the disc through the field or score goals by catching the disc in the end zone. Typically, when the offense is playing against a zone defense the cutters will be assigned positions based on their location on the field, oftentimes referred to as "poppers and rails (or deep deeps)." Poppers will typically make cuts within 15 yards of
4400-608: The father of Frisbee sports; he founded the International Frisbee Association and appointed Dan Roddick as its head. Roddick began establishing North American Series (NAS) tournament standards for various Frisbee sports, such as Freestyle , Guts , Double Disc Court , and overall events. Headrick later helped to develop the sport of disc golf, which was first played with Frisbees and later with more aerodynamic beveled-rim discs, by inventing standardized targets called "pole holes". When Headrick died, he
4488-413: The field in which the thrower and receiver can complete a pass. Organized teams assign positions to the players based on their specific strengths. Designated throwers are called handlers and designated receivers are called cutters. The amount of autonomy or overlap between these positions depends on the make-up of the team. Many advanced teams develop variations on the basic offenses to take advantage of
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#17327806477194576-435: The field. This formation encourages cutters to attack any of the space either towards or away from the disc, granting each cutter access to the full width of the field and thereby allowing a degree more creativity than is possible with a vertical stack. If cutters cannot get open, the handlers swing the disc side to side to reset the stall count and in an attempt to get the defense out of position. Usually players will cut towards
4664-507: The first and second edition of "Rules of Ultimate Frisbee". In 1970 CHS defeated Millburn High 43–10 in the first interscholastic ultimate game, which was played in the evening in the CHS's faculty parking lot. Millburn, and three other New Jersey high schools made up the first conference of ultimate teams beginning in 1971. Alumni of that first league took the game to their colleges and universities. Rutgers defeated Princeton 29–27 in 1972 in
4752-415: The first intercollegiate game. This game was played exactly 103 years after the first intercollegiate American football game by the same teams at precisely the same site, which had been paved as a parking lot in the interim. Rutgers won both games by an identical margin. Rutgers also won the first ultimate Frisbee tournament in 1975, hosted by Yale , with 8 college teams participating. That summer ultimate
4840-473: The frisbee strongly and "cleanly", the general advice is to strongly prefer to catch with two hands if possible. The most popular throws are backhand and forehand/flick. Less frequently used throws include the hammer, scoober, thumber, push-passes, chicken wing, biscuit, and throwing with the non-dominant hand . Part of the area of ultimate where skill and strategy meet is a player's capacity to plot and execute on throwing and passing to outrun another team, which
4928-548: The game is to advance the disc and score points by eventually passing the disc to a team member in the opposing team's end zone. Players may not run while holding the disc. Walter Frederick Morrison Walter Frederick Morrison (January 23, 1920 – February 9, 2010) was an American inventor and entrepreneur, who invented the Frisbee . Walter Fredrick "Fred" Morrison was born on January 23, 1920, in Richfield, Utah ,
5016-443: The ground. IO throws are generally the more difficult throw, and are very useful for breaking the mark. Apart from these formal strategies, there is also a freestyle practice, where players throw and catch with fewer limitations, in order to advance their ultimate handling skills. Teams can employ many different offensive strategies, each with distinct goals. Most basic strategies are an attempt to create open space (e.g. lanes) on
5104-410: The handler positions while rails alternate between longer movements downfield. Additionally, against a zone there are typically three or four instead of the usual two or three, depending on the team. One of the most common offensive strategies is the vertical stack. In this strategy, a number of offensive players line up between the disc and the end zone they are attacking. From this position, players in
5192-432: The handler), then the next cutter in line continues. In vertical stack offenses, one player usually plays the role of 'dump', offering a reset option which sets up behind the player with the disc. Another popular offensive strategy is the horizontal stack, also called “ho-stack”. In the most popular form of this offense, three "handlers" line up across the width of the field with four "cutters" downfield, spaced evenly across
5280-570: The late 1970s by Jim Kenner in London, Ontario , later moved the company from Canada to its present location in Wixom, Michigan . Discraft introduced the Ultrastar 175 gram disc in 1981, with an updated mold in 1983. This disc was adopted as the standard for ultimate during the 1980s, with Wham-O holdouts frustrated by the discontinuation of the 80 mold and plastic quality problems with discs made on
5368-448: The letter of the rule remains the same. Contact is disallowed for both defence and offence, including the defender marking the offensive player with the disc, and there are further restrictions on positions this defender can take in order to minimize incidental contact. Defending against the person who has the disc is a central part of the defensive strategy (colloquially "marking"). The defensive "marker" counts aloud to 10 seconds, which
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#17327806477195456-448: The main focus is on the handlers and the feature, the remaining three cutters can be used if the feature cannot get open, if there is an open deep look, or for a continuation throw from the feature itself. Typically, however, these three remaining cutters do all they can to get out of the feature's way. It is usually used near the endzone. Frisbee A frisbee (pronounced / ˈ f r ɪ z b iː / FRIZ -bee ), also called
5544-538: The name Frisbee after learning that college students in the Northeast were calling the Pluto Platter by that name. Morrison also invented several other products for Wham-O, but none were as successful as the Pluto Platter. Morrison and his wife, Lucile Nay Morrison, had a son and two daughters. After divorcing in March 1969 they remarried on April 3, 1971, then soon divorced again. Lucile died in 1987. Morrison died at
5632-550: The national governing body in Canada, was formed in 1993. The first Canadian National Ultimate Championships were held in Ottawa 1987. In 2006, ultimate became a BUCS accredited sport at Australian and UK universities for both indoor and outdoor open division events. The WFDF was granted full IOC recognition on 2 Aug 2015. This allows the possibility for the organization to receive IOC funding and become an Olympic Game. A point
5720-433: The offense (or your own team member even) is somehow in the way of your pursuit of your "check" in man-to-man defense. This only applies when you started within 10 feet of your "check" and the game play is stopped so that the players involved go back to where the "pick" occurred. The integrity of ultimate depends on each player's responsibility to uphold the spirit of the game. Ultimate is predominantly self-refereed, relying on
5808-522: The on-field players to call their own infractions and to try their best to play within the rules of the game. It is assumed that players will not intentionally violate the rules and will be honest when discussing foul calls with opponents. This is called Spirit of the Game, or simply Spirit. After a call is made, the players should agree on an outcome, based on what they think happened and how the rules apply to that situation. If players cannot come to agreement on
5896-558: The opposing team. A patented game scoring points by throwing and deflecting the flying disc and hitting or entering the goal. The game ends when a team scores exactly 21 points or "chogs" the disc for an instant win. The most widely played disc game began in the late 1960s with Joel Silver and Jared Kass. In the 1970s, it developed as an organized sport with the creation of the Ultimate Players Association by Dan Roddick, Tom Kennedy and Irv Kalb. The object of
5984-527: The other side. Variations of the vertical stack include the Side Stack, where the stack is moved to a sideline and one player is isolated in the open space, and the Split Stack, where players are split between two stacks, one on either sideline. The Side Stack is most helpful in an end zone play where your players line up on one side of the end zone and the handler calls an "ISO" (isolation) using one of
6072-502: The pair were using wires to make the discs hover, so they developed a sales pitch: "The Flyin' Saucer is free, but the invisible wire is $ 1.00." (equivalent to $ 13 in 2023) "That's where we learned we could sell these things," he said, because people were enthusiastic about them. Morrison and Franscioni ended their partnership in early 1950, and Morrison formed his own company in 1954 called American Trends to buy and sell "Flyin Saucers" (no hyphen after 1953), which were being made of
6160-424: The player's names. This then signals for the rest of the players on your team to clear away from that one person in order for them to receive a pass. Another variation is called Cascades, which starts by setting a side stack. Then, the player at the top or bottom of the stack cuts, using the large amount of available space. Once the initial cutter has finished (whether they caught the disc or if they were waved away by
6248-499: The replacement 80e mold. Wham-O soon introduced a contending 175 gram disc, the U-Max, that also suffered from quality problems and was never widely popular for ultimate. In 1991 the Ultrastar was specified as the official disc for UPA tournament play and remains in wide use. The popularity of the sport spread quickly, taking hold as a free-spirited alternative to traditional organized sports. In recent years college ultimate has attracted
6336-418: The rim thickness and mass in the process, creating a more controllable disc that could be thrown more accurately. Wham-O changed their marketing strategy to promote Frisbee use as a new sport, and sales increased. In 1964, the first professional model went on sale. Headrick patented its design; it featured raised ridges (the "Rings of Headrick") that were claimed to stabilize flight. Headrick became known as
6424-484: The same rules besides those explicitly dealing with gender restrictions. Some rules vary between North America and the rest of the world. More significant rule changes were made in the Ultimate Frisbee Association pro league games. Most differences are minor and they can be found online. USAU rules have been slowly shifting toward WFDF compatibility. The Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA),
6512-408: The semi-professional ultimate league with teams in the U.S. and Canada, has its own variant of the rules, and has made multiple rule changes in recent years. Some of the more important include: A catch can grab the rim with one or two hands, or simultaneously grab the top and bottom of the frisbee – in a clap-catch / "pancake catch". Care is needed with the hand placement when catching with one hand on
6600-549: The son of Dr. Walter F. Morrison, an optometrist. Morrison stated that the original idea for a flying disc toy came to him in 1937, while throwing a popcorn can lid with his girlfriend, Lucile Eleanor "Lu" Nay (1920–1987), whom he later married on April 3, 1939, in Los Angeles, California. The popcorn can lid soon dented which led to the discovery that cake pans flew better and were more common. A year later, Morrison and Lu were offered 25 cents (equivalent to $ 5 in 2023) for
6688-414: The sport of Ultimate . Ultimate discs are made of durable plastic (often polyethylene ) and are designed to be thrown for maximum distance and accuracy. Ultimate has a unique standard with a diameter of 10.75 inches (27.3 cm ) and a weight of 175 grams (6.2 oz ). For competitive uses, WFDF or other official organizations set disc standards to ensure quality. Another type of flying disc
6776-430: The stack make cuts (sudden sprints, usually after throwing off the defender by a "fake" move the other way) into the space available, attempting to get open and receive the disc. The stack generally lines up in the middle of the field, thereby opening up two lanes along the sidelines for cuts, although a captain may occasionally call for the stack to line up closer to one sideline, leaving open just one larger cutting lane on
6864-710: The state's high school sports programs, unanimously approved ultimate as a varsity sport beginning in the Spring 2019 season. The approval made Vermont the first U.S. state to recognize ultimate as a varsity sport. In 2019, Oklahoma Christian University launched the first American varsity ultimate program and full ride ultimate scholarships competing in Division 3 Men's. They would go on to win National Championships in 2021 and 2022. Davenport University aims to follow suit adding Men's and Women's teams beginning in
6952-407: The strengths of specific players. Frequently, these offenses are meant to isolate a few key players in one-on-one situations, allowing them to take advantage of mismatches, while the others play a supporting role. In most settings, there are a few "handlers" which are the players positioned around the disc. Their task is to distribute the disc forward and provide easy receiving options to whoever has
7040-432: The team on defense will throw the disc to the other team. This throw is called a "pull". When the pull is released, all players are free to leave their end zones and occupy any area on the field. Both teams should not leave the end-zone before the pull is released. Thus, the defending team must run most of the field length at speed to defend immediately, and a good pull is designed to hang in the air as long as possible to give
7128-456: The thrower, or the person with the disc can call a foul ("wrapping"). In ultimate, there is no concept of intentional vs. unintentional fouls: infractions are called by the players themselves and resolved in such a way as to minimize the impact of such calls on the outcome of the play (sometimes resulting in "do-overs" where the disc is returned to the last uncontested possession), rather than emphasizing penalties or "win-at-all-costs" behavior. If
7216-502: The time: "That got the wheels turning, because you could buy a cake pan for five cents, and if people on the beach were willing to pay a quarter for it, well—there was a business." The Morrisons continued their business until World War II , when Walter served in the Army Air Force flying P-47s , and then was a prisoner of war. After the war, Morrison sketched a design for an aerodynamically improved flying disc that he called
7304-486: The world titles, though not all. American teams won all three divisions (women's, men's, and mixed gender) at the U-24 world championship in 2019, and all divisions in 2016 competitions between national teams. I just remember one time running for a pass and leaping up in the air and just feeling the Frisbee making it into my hand and feeling the perfect synchrony and the joy of the moment, and as I landed I said to myself, 'This
7392-763: Was cremated, and his ashes were molded into memorial discs and given to family and close friends and sold to benefit The Ed Headrick Memorial Museum. In 1998, the Frisbee was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame . In addition, many championships have sprung up around the world and the sport has become very popular, with nine-time champion Miguel Larrañaga from Spain being the leading exponent of frisbee throwing. Flying discs , or known as Frisbee, have variations produced for different purposes to optimize variations between branches of disc sports. The three main categories are: ultimate disc, golf disc, and freestyle disc. Ultimate discs are designed to be used in
7480-700: Was formed. In 1984 the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) was formed by the EFDF to be the international governing body for disc sports. The first World Championships tournament was held in 1983 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The European Ultimate Federation is the governing body for the sport of ultimate in Europe. Founded in 2009, it is part of the European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF) and of the World Flying Disc Federation . Ultimate Canada ,
7568-804: Was introduced at the Second World Frisbee Championships at the Rose Bowl. This event introduced ultimate on the west coast of the US. In 1975, ultimate was introduced at the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships in Toronto as a showcase event. Ultimate league play in Canada began in Toronto in 1979. The Toronto Ultimate Club is one of ultimate's oldest leagues. In January 1977 Wham-O introduced
7656-451: Was played at Kenyon College in Ohio starting in 1942. From 1965 or 1966 Jared Kass and fellow Amherst students Bob Fein, Richard Jacobson, Robert Marblestone, Steve Ward, Fred Hoxie, Gordon Murray, and others evolved a team frisbee game based on concepts from American football , basketball , and soccer . This game had some of the basics of modern ultimate, including scoring by passing over
7744-437: Was played at CHS in 1968 between the student council and the student newspaper staff. Beginning the following year, evening games were played in the glow of mercury-vapor lights on the school's student-designated parking lot. Initially players of ultimate Frisbee (as it was known at the time) used a "Master" disc marketed by Wham-O , based on Fred Morrison 's inspired "Pluto Platter" design. Hellring, Silver, and Hines developed
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