Fast-paced 'Ultimate Frisbee' great fun and a great workout
It combines elements of demanding sports like football and rugby.
It shares the exhausting pace of soccer.
It requires seven players per team, and many are rabid about the game.
But Ultimate Frisbee is also a gentleman's game of sorts, forbidding rough play, shunning referees and requiring its players to be honest about their fouls.
And its growing popularity in recent years has created a successful Chicago league that will likely draw about 700 people when spring play starts next month, organizers say.
Ultimate Frisbee lovers also organize pickup games year-round throughout the suburbs.
The big draw for Ultimate Frisbee is its physical demands and sheer fun, says David Szczepanski of Des Plaines. The 24-year-old got turned on to the game in college, playing every day after class.
The seven-on-seven player game uses a Frisbee disc on a football-like field with end zones, and the goal is to score by catching the disc in the end zone.
Because he runs almost five miles per game chasing the disc, Szczepanski said he lost about 20 pounds in a month's time and cut his 60-yard-dash time in half.
The fitness improvements were a side effect, however, and Szczepanski says he loves Ultimate Frisbee most for its philosophy.
"The best part is it's the most democratic game that exists," he says. "It's based on integrity, and you have to call your own fouls."
Steve Frankel, president of the Ultimate Chicago Board of Directors, says another draw is the reduced risk for injury, which equals more time to play.
"It is designed as a non-contact sport, and you get frowned upon by the community if you're pushing and shoving," Frankel says.
With league games starting in March at Schiller Woods in Chicago and pickup games forming around the suburbs, Frankel says newcomers have plenty of chances to check out the game and even join in.
The recreational league (not the advanced) appoints captains who spend time working with new players.
"Really, that is the way to learn the game quickly," Frankel says. "If you want to just see it played, you can go to any of the pickup games."
Once you learn the ins-and-outs of Ultimate Frisbee, both Frankel and Szczepanski agree that the game will always provide a tough workout, and other players -- even strangers -- are likely to welcome you into games.
During one of Szczepanski's pickup games in Mount Prospect, a Dallas man saw the group playing just before he was leaving from O'Hare International Airport to fly home, and he decided to join in.
"It's amazing how committed some of these guys are to it," Szczepanski said. "He played with us all afternoon and then just literally hopped on a flight at O'Hare. Ultimate Frisbee is really interesting and it brings a lot of people together."
Chicago Ultimate Leagues
Signup runs now through March 8. Games are Saturdays at Schiller Woods, Cumberland Avenue and Irving Park Road, Chicago. The cost is $35. For details, visit www.ultimatechicago.org.
Ultimate Frisbee pickup games
To find a pickup game near you, visit the Ultimate Chicago Web site and click the link on the left side of the home page. You can also join a list-serve at ultimatechicago.org.