N.C. State’s Ultimate Frisbee Club held a massive gathering Wednesday night, with the goal of increasing school-wide knowledge of the fast-growing sport and getting as many people playing ultimate frisbee as possible.
“We love the sport, and we wanted as many people to come out and enjoy it,” Casey Haigh, one of the organizers of the event, said. “We were definitely hoping to pique interest.”
The Lower Miller Field was packed with would-be ultimate frisbee stars, looking to be added to the club team, or to just have some fun.
“This is one of the larger turnouts I’ve seen here for a club tryout,” Aaron Harper, student director of club sports, said. “The turnout is much larger than last year’s.”
Those who came to the tryout got a chance to show off their disc flinging skills and athletic skills. Although quite a few came just to have fun playing a sport they enjoy, for many others, it was a chance to make an impression on club leaders and earn a spot on the team. While the event held a general air of a good-natured get together, it was still a tryout.
Ultimate frisbee, or simply Ultimate, is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. The National Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association has estimated that the sport is played by approximately five million people in the United States, based on sales figures for Ultimate-related merchandise.
The sport’s growing popularity was reflected in the sizable turnout. The players who came to Miller Field were not just the old stereotype of the Ultimate player: the faux hippie with a hacky sack and unkempt appearance. No, these players were genuine athletes with an interest in playing a sport they have come to enjoy.
Some, like freshman Nathan Hooks, came out to the event looking to showcase their talents and earn a spot on the club.
“I wanted to be seen by the club team and try to make the team,” Hooks said.
Others, like sophomore Peter Gunyan, came just to play.
“It’s a really exciting game. People definitely get excited watching it,” Gunyan said. “I think a lot of people would come watch it if they just saw it once.”
There have been pushes by some Ultimate lobbying groups to get the sport added to the NCAA. Some, such as the Ultimate Players Association and the World Flying Disc Association, have even lobbied for the sport to gain Olympic status. While both NCAA or International Olympic Committee recognition are unlikely to happen in the near future, the prospect is still one that Ultimate players would love to see.
“It would be nice [to see the sport added to the NCAA],” Haigh said. “We definitely all love the sport a great deal, and we want to see it go as far as it can possibly go. We just love the competition that the sport brings, and we feel it is really unique and should be recognized for that.”
Those who came out to the event echoed the sentiment when asked, but recognition seemed to be the last real thought on their mind.
“I just want to play,” Hooks said. “It would be cool, definitely, for it to be an NCAA sport, but I play just to play.”
