Friday, February 27, 2015

What is Beach Ultimate?



From the WFDF Rules of 5-on-5 Beach Ultimate (2013):

Beach Ultimate is a five-a-side team sport played with a flying disc. It is played on a rectangular field, about half the width of a football field, with an end zone at each end. The object of each team is to score a goal by having a player catch a pass in the end zone that they are attacking. A thrower may not run with the disc, but may pass the disc in any direction to any team-mate. Any time a pass is incomplete, a turnover occurs, and the other team may take the disc to score in the opposite end zone. Games are typically played to 13 goals and last around 45 minutes. Ultimate is self-refereed and non-contact. The Spirit of the Game guides how players referee the game and conduct themselves on the field.

From Paganello Tournament:
Beach Ultimate is really easy: 5 players, a field of 75 meters long and 25 width with two opposite end zones. As in rugby, you score when a player get the Frisbee in the end zone. The difference is that you cannot walk with the Frisbee in your hand, you have only 10 seconds to throw it and the physical contact is almost absent. Have you ever seen it? Till now, have you been thinking that the Frisbee was only played with your dog? This is not true. Come to Paganello and take a look! You will be surprised of the atmosphere, the colors and matches played without referee. Yes, without referee. The players, they referee by themselves in a fair played game and respect of the rules, unlike the most famous and popular sports.

Via USAU:
Beach Ultimate is a popular and fast-growing spin-off of the grass-based game. Well-established Beach Ultimate events date back to the early 1990's, with some events hosting as many as 100 teams, making them some of the largest tournaments in Ultimate. Beach Ultimate leagues and casual pickup games are sprinkled across the country, even on lakeside beaches.

Beach Ultimate is played as 4-on-4 or 5-on-5 and is played by Mixed, Women, Open, Masters, College, and Junior level players and teams. Windy beach conditions and a smaller field demand a more precision-oriented set of throwing skills, while the sandy field requires even greater endurance.

Per BULA President Patrick van der Valk in BULA's documentary:
The feeling you get when you start to play beach ultimate is...you get to the beach and you take off your shoes. Instead of when you get to the field, and you put on your cleats. And I think that sorta changes people's thinking and feeling when you're on the beach.

It's...slightly more free. Therefore, the way people are playing is a very happy way of playing because you have no footwear. You just have your shorts and tshirt. You run and you smell the sea. There's the wind and the sun. And, it already makes you already happy playing the game. [15:30]

Thursday, February 26, 2015

WFDF Updates Logo

World Flying Disc Federation updated its logo with the help of VC Ultimate. Most noticeable is the red disc no longer flying through the middle of the logo, and is now at the bottom as if to underline the now all-black lettering of the international organization.

The previous logo was designed by Andrew Morris and has been used since 1986.

Visiting Currier Island

Of all the teams at World Flying Disc Federation's World Championships of Beach Ultimate, the most mysterious team is...

Currier Island.
Q: Where is Currier Island?
A: Currier Island is a small tropical land mass with less than 5,000 extremely athletic and jaw-droppingly attractive inhabitants. They are the home for people without homes—or, in many cases, for people whose homes suck and want better homes. Of course by 'home' they mean "team".

Q: What is Currier Island?
A: Currier Island is less a country and "more a state of mind." It exists, no doubt, but its sheer metaphysical power has long overwhelmed its shifty geographic identity. Currier island is that quiet place that exists inside us all: that place where there are no laws, no money, no police and no problems...just the spirit of the game.

Currier Island is a "country in the making." Brainchild of Ivan Zoltan Cestero, each BULA World Championship will now see one pickup team that represents 'Currier Island'. The idea is that each year the team that represents Currier Island will add to the country's history/tradition.

Q: Will Currier Island be competing at WCBU 2015 in Dubai, UAE?
A: Yes, five (5) beach ultimate teams are representing the Currier Island in all divisions except Mixed and Open. Currier Island (CUR) is scheduled to play 33 games at WCBU.

Q: What seed are the Currier Island teams?
A: Four of their teams are seeded last in the divisions of Women, Mixed Masters, Open Masters, Women Masters and their Grand Masters team is seeded second from last.

Q: How competitive is Currier Island?
A: Currier Island can "never make it to the semi-finals," but they will bring excitement and fun to the Championship.

Their goal is to put together a team that will not only play with other Currierians, but will also reach out to party and play with players and teams from around the world. They seek outgoing, fun, energetic Ultimate players who can not only hold their own on the sand, but at the parties as well.

For more information, check out their website at currierisland.com and Get Horizontal.

[Text pulled directly from hyperlinked sources]

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

WCBU 2015 Teams

There are 71 beach ultimate teams representing 25 places (24 countries + Currier Island) at the 2015 World Championships of Beach Ultimate. Four countries have team representation in all 7 divisions – Canada, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. These 28 teams make up nearly 40% of all beach ultimate teams set to compete in Dubai.

:WCBU Teams by Country and Division:
2015 WCBU Participating Countries [chart via WCBU]

:WCBU Teams by Division:


  • The Mixed division has the most teams (18), followed by the Open division (16 teams).
  • Grand Masters comes in third with 9 teams.
  • The divisions of Women and Women's Masters each have 7 teams.
  • Open Masters division has 8 teams.
  • Six (6) teams are playing in the the Mixed Masters division.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Chart: WCBU 2015 Broadcast Games by Division

Across the seven divisions of play, there will be 358 games at the 2015 World Championships of Beach Ultimate. A total of 23 of beach ultimate games (~6.5% of total) are scheduled to be broadcast from Dubai.

Divisional Representation (%) in Scheduled Broadcasts
14% (4 games) of all Women games
9% (8 games) of all Open games
6% (6 games) of all Mixed games
5% (2 games) of all Open Masters games
4% (1 game) of all Mixed Masters games
3% (1 game) Women Masters games
2% (1 game) of all Grand Masters games

[Data based on WCBU broadcast schedule.]

Monday, February 23, 2015

2015 World Championship Beach Ultimate Broadcast Schedule

The 2015 World Championships of Beach Ultimate are fast approaching. A total of 71 beach ultimate teams are set to compete at WCBU 2015. There are 25 countries represented at this WFDF international beach ultimate event which takes place over March 8 - 13 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

WATCH GAMES LIVE

According to the published WCBU schedule, a total of 23 games will possibly be broadcast live.

WCBU Broadcast Guide:

DateTime (GST)GameDivision
SUN March 83pmUnited States vs GermanyWomen
MON March 911amGermany vs PhilippinesOpen
MON March 91pmNetherlands vs UgandaMixed
MON March 92pmAustralia vs FranceOpen
MON March 94pmCanada vs RussiaWomen
TUES March 108amKenya vs United Arab EmiratesOpen
TUES March 1010amIreland vs JapanMixed
TUES March 1012pmGreat Britain vs JapanOpen
TUES March 103pmUnited States vs CanadaOpen
TUES March 105pmCanada vs SwedenMixed
WED March 118amPhilippines vs CanadaOpen Masters
WED March 1110amIndia vs GermanyOpen
WED March 1112pmGreat Britain vs GermanyWomen
WED March 113pmPortugal vs RussiaMixed
TH March 1212pmSemi-finalsMixed
TH March 121pmSemi-finalsOpen
TH March 123:15pmFinalsWomen Masters
TH March 124:30pmFinalsMixed Masters
FRI March 1310:15amFinalsGrand Masters
FRI March 1311:30amFinalsOpen Masters
FRI March 1312:45pmFinalsWomen
FRI March 132pmFinalsOpen
FRI March 133:15pmFinalsMixed
Subject to change. Data via WCBU schedule (v1.1 Feb 20)*
*Possibly broadcast live on Dubai Sports TV with online streaming at http://live.wcbu2015.org

NOTE: The times listed are local Dubai time (GST), which is currently 9 hours ahead of EST. After DST, Dubai will be 8 hours ahead of EDT.

Broadcast Schedule by Day:
Sunday = 1 game
Monday = 4 games
Tuesday = 5 games
Wednesday = 4 games
Thursday = 4
Friday = 5 games

Broadcast Games by Division:
Open = 8
Mixed = 6
Women = 4
Open Masters = 2
Grand Masters  = 1
Mixed Masters = 1
Women Masters = 1

Friday, February 20, 2015

Chart: Matchup Frequency of MLU 2015

The 2015 Major League Ultimate regular season is scheduled to have 40 games. The four teams in each conference play each other team at least 3 times. To achieve 10 games, teams play one team in their conference 4 times during the season.

Here's a visual of how many times MLU teams play each other:

The 4-game Matchups in 2015:
DC Current vs Philadelphia Spinners
Boston Whitecaps vs New York Rumble
Vancouver Nighthawks vs Seattle Rainmakers
Portland Stags vs San Francisco Dogfish

Thursday, February 19, 2015

2015 AUDL Teams Arranged by Color

Can't....Look....Away.... IT'S SO BEAUDIFUL!

[26 images via AUDL; compiled by SLUDGE]




RELATED: Rainbow shorts

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Breakdown of AUDL 2015 Schedule

The 2015 regular season schedule of American Ultimate Disc League was just published. There are a total of 182 regular season games spanning 15 weeks - from April 11 through July 19.


  • The majority of AUDL games (115, 63.2%) are scheduled on Saturday.
  • The schedule has Friday game(s) in 12 out of 15 weeks (80%).
  • Week 4 (May 1-3) has the largest number of scheduled weekend games; 15.
  • Week 6 (May 15) has the largest number of Friday games; 3.
  • Week 13 (July 3-4) has the lowest quantity of total weekend games; 5.
  • Week 15 has the AUDL's first-ever game scheduled on Thursday; a match up between Rochester and Toronto on July 16. (Those locations are ~3 hours away.)

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

2015 Schedule for Ultimate Events

There are lots of events happening in 2015. Here are the major ultimate events to calendar:

March
8-13: WFDF World Championships of Beach Ultimate

April
11: AUDL regular season begins, thru July 19
18: MLU regular season begins, thru June 28

May
2-3: USAU Beach Nationals
16-17: USAU D-III College Championships
22-25: USAU D-I College Championships

June
6: Triple Crown Tour season opens

July
2-5: U.S. Open Championships
11-12: TCT Elite-Select Challenge
12-18: WFDF U-23 World Championships
24-26: USAU Masters Championships

August
1-2: TCT Pro-Elite Challenge
7-9: Youth Club Championships
8-9: AUDL Championships (San Jose, CA)
15-16: TCT Select Flight Invite
22-23 TCT Pro Flight Finale
29-30: TCT Sectionals

September
12-13: TCT Regionals

October
1-4: TCT Nationals

NOTE: This is not intended to be list EVERY ultimate event in 2015, just some major ones.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Vote for DC Scandal in WCP Poll

Joining D.C.'s Major Ultimate League team (Current) as a nominee in Washington City Paper's poll is...D.C. Scandal.

Their nomination text: "DC has the largest Ultimate Frisbee community in the country, and Scandal has won back-to-back national championships in the women's division. To boot, they've got the best chant*! Give 'em some love!"


*Scandal's chant is: "When I root, I root for the District!"


Go. VOTE. Now.

...Thousand Words

So, this happened over the weekend at the 2015 Youth Ultimate Coaching Conference... 
USA Ultimate CEO Dr. Tom Crawford with Girls Ultimate Movement headwear presenting - one can only assume - on the topic of  A W E S O M E!
Photo via Bay Area Disc
The GUM Headband is available for purchase via Five Ultimate.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

YOU and I Together

Say it sweetly. Say it lovely. Always say it truthfully.

Ultimate brings "YOU" & I together.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day: Ultimate Edition

Express your love for the sport with these candy hearts just for Ultimate players:







RELATED: Eyes for U,ltimate . I LOVE U,ltimate

Friday, February 13, 2015

Scandal Ultimate Featured on D.C. Radio

The weekly DC public radio show Metro Connection (WAMU) addresses "passion" just in time for Valentine's Day.  What better topic to discuss than the sport of ultimate?

Two-time USAU National Champions D.C. Scandal is interviewed in this piece "Meet The Ladies Of D.C.'s Ultimate Frisbee Championship-Winning Team" by Lauren Landau.

The piece on a "rather unusual sport" was broadcast at 1pm ET today.

LISTEN to the STORY. [5:35]

Here are a few choice quotes...
Allison Maddux (Scandal): "What's so great about the women's division that I really like is everyone is just pushing the game to the next level there, and it's just so fun to be able to play with a whole bunch of other really strong, really athletic, really smart women and have that community."

Jenny Fey (Scandal): "There's so many opportunities for giant plays and I think the movement is just so beautiful to watch."

Alicia White (Scandal): "[Ultimate] just provides that balance of like, having friends and running around, exercise, physical activity, the competition that we lack in kind of other aspects of our life."

Jenny Fey (Scandal): "Once you start to play at a high level, it really consumes your life, but it's not a negative thing...the people on my team are some of my best friends. You know, the hours you spend training, and the amount of money and time we put into it, it completely is worth it for me."

Sandy Jorgensen (Scandal): "[Ultimate is] the place that I get to be competitive and athletic and feel powerful and confident, which I don't always at work or when I was in school. And it's just an amazing community of both women and men in the larger community."

Jonathon Neeley (Truck Stop): "When you do run out of energy and you feel like you're out of time and you finish work and you don't want to go to practice, it's the people and it's the passion for the game that keep you coming back."

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Jon Stewart Mentions Ultimate Frisbee

Sadly, Jon Stewart announced on Monday his departure from The Daily Show.

ExtraTV asked Jon about his lame-duck status and here's his mocking response: "I just hope we're able to keep doing it well until the end. You don't want to get senioritis too bad and end up playing Ultimate Frisbee all day. So hopefully, I'll stay focused." (Stewart was a walk-on to William & Mary's soccer team.)

DC Breeze 2015 Season Schedule

The schedule for American Ultimate Disc League 2015 Season is expected to be published soon, but here's a PREVIEW at the 14 regular season games for the D.C. Breeze.


  • Just like the past two seasons (2013, 2014), the Breeze's season/home opener is versus Toronto Rush.
  • Depending on game time, Breeze's April 19th game may conflict with the DC Current's home opener.
  • During the AUDL regular season, DC Breeze are scheduled to play Philadelphia & New York 3 times & twice play Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Rochester.
  • Season tickets are currently for sale.
[SOURCE: AUDL]

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Vote for DC Current in WCP Poll

Washington D.C. Current have been nominated in Washington City Paper's "Best Of DC Readers' Poll."  Looking beyond the grammatical errors (tour/tore?) and fact checking ("largest in the country?"; 21-9? More like 23-17.) of the nomination, the Current of Major League Ultimate are still worthy of your vote(s).


Go. Vote. Now!

Who Really Won the AUDL in 2012?

"Philadelphia" is definitely correct. But, would you also believe Phoenix?? 

The teams page on the American Ultimate Disc League website is chock-full of colors, logos, abbreviations, social media links and...some historical revisionism.
Compilation of AUDL Champs [images via AUDL webpage]
According to the AUDL's webpage, the Philadelphia Phoenixnot the Spinners, won the 2012 AUDL Championship Trophy. There's a trophy icon inscribed with 12 aside the Phoenix's listing.

The AUDL hardware was recently photographed at a San Jose Spiders tryout, and the trophy clearly states the winning city and team.

UPDATE [2/18/2015]
Solution: An asterisk has been deservedly placed aside the Philadelphia team's 2012 trophy icon.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Re-expressing the Charlotte Express Logo

The Charlotte Express are a new American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) team for the 2015 season. This franchise in North Carolina was announced in December 2014 and is slated to play in the AUDL South Division.

Of the AUDL 2015 teams, Charlotte Express (taking the form of a train) were last to express their team name which makes them the caboose in that category!

There are plenty of businesses with "express" in their name, so here are a few pairings:
Deliveries by Charlotte (CLT) Express

No...but I did play with the Charlotte Express last night.

Chasing plastic

Monday, February 09, 2015

Frisbee Spotlighted in WIRED

WIRED magazine and Rob Corddry are on the same page when it comes to loving the Frisbee. Regarding the Frisbee's design, WIRED says "genius," while Corddry thinks "perfect."

WIRED mag dedicated a full page (page 58) – 217 total words and a space filler of a WHAM-O Frisbee image – in their 23.02 issue to spotlight the Wham-O Frisbee, in an article titled The Design Genius of the Frisbee. Yes, the Frisbee.

Article snippets:
In 1955 (or 1957) [Morrison] sold his invention to Wham-O—manufacturer of slingshots and Hula-Hoops—where a product designer named Ed Headrick made the final tweak of rippling the top with concentric ridges. These add turbulence, which holds air against the surface for a longer flight. 
Engineers have since validated those design choices. (For instance, ridges add turbulence, holding air against the surface for longer flight.) And the rest of us have validated the Frisbee's power as a social lubricant...

Read full article.

RELATED: Ultimate player profiled in WIRED.

Sunday, February 08, 2015

Frisbee Throwback

The DINNER PARTY download [American Public Media] served up a history lesson in this week's episode (#291).
In 1957, though, the Wham-O Toy Company bought the rights to Fred's invention and changed its name after they heard about college kids in Bridgeport, Connecticut, who had nicknamed the pie-shaped saucer after a local pie company, Frisbee [sic]. Fred later said he found the saucer's new name "a horror." But the millions of dollars in royalties he earned probably helped ease the pain. 
Meanwhile, Wham-O executive Ed Hedrick modified the Frisbee, and invented a sport to play with it, disc golf. After he died, his ashes were molded into Frisbees.


Saturday, February 07, 2015

Rob Corddry Wished He Invented the Frisbee

Debonair funnyman Rob Corddry admits he wished he invented the Frisbee in a recent interview on Alicia Menendez Tonight.

Corddry while promoting Hot Tub Time Machine 2, is asked a hypothetical question: "If you could invent something - go back in real life - what would you invent?"


Rob Corddry (matter of factly): The Frisbee.

Alicia Menendez (dismayed): Of all the things in the world? The Frisbee?!

Corddry: It's a...

Menendez: How much money could you make off that?...Have people made a lot of money of Frisbees??

Corddry: I would love to run those numbers right now...because, I mean, perfect design. Look at the thing. Look at the way it flies.

...

Corddry: You're always buying new Frisbees, man!!

[via Fusion.net]

RELATED: Karl Pilkington (Ricky Gervais Show) disagrees.

Friday, February 06, 2015

Documentary: 175 Grams

This documentary about ultimate Frisbee as a positive recreational activity for those living in India's slums was one of the five Short Film Challenge winning films at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The Short Film Challenge was sponsored by the Gates Foundation, which sought documentaries focused around extreme hunger and poverty. All winning shorts in this category won $10,000 in prize money. Amazingly, the footage was filmed over one weekend and had no script.

The film starts with 19 y.o. Gani speaking: "I live in the corner of a slum. Earlier, I never liked the life I was leading. But after I found frisbee, it became a lot better." The rest of the flick shows youth as part of the Fly Wild Ultimate team playing and enjoying beach ultimate, and the sport giving purpose to these youths.

[Screengrab] "Frisbee is all I want. It's my life."
Title: 175 Grams

Length: 8 minutes

By: Bharat Mirle and Aravind Iyer


"175 Grams" | Sundance Short Film Challenge from Sundance Institute on Vimeo.

Thursday, February 05, 2015

Informercial: Training for the Ultimate Field

Jonathan Neeley (Truck Stop) has a conversation with strength & conditioning guru Tim Morrill (Morrill Performance) about the nuances of working out and its applicability on the ultimate field.

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Documentary: University of Michigan Ultimate Team

MagnUM, the University of Michigan Men's Ultimate Frisbee Team, had a documentary produced about their run at 2014 College Nationals. Great editing, clean video clips and a slick compilation of post-game interviews from the players.

Title: MagnUM Opus

Length: 60 minutes

By: Charles Cleary/Charlie Foxtrot Films.

Tuesday, February 03, 2015

Documentary: Beach Ultimate

If you love reading, then you will love this video documentary which translates the essence of players and fans describing what makes beach ultimate so amazing.

Title: Spirit on the Beach

Length: 30 mins

By: BULA

Monday, February 02, 2015

Flaming Rainbow Unicorns

This comic strip 'Taste the Rainbow' by Megan Praz takes place at ultimate Frisbee tournament and revolves around the shorts of an ultimate team named the Flaming Rainbow Unicorns. While the team is fictional, the Five Ultimate rainbow shorts are very real.

Here's a snippet from the comic strip:
Screengrab from longer comic strip.
[h/t @gwenambler]

Sunday, February 01, 2015

Do Over: January 2015

Wayback MachineCatch up on last month's noteworthy posts you may have missed...


  • Try to "pass" these Ultimate Frisbee college courses
  • AUDL team logo remixes: Atlanta, San Diego, Raleigh
  • "Sock" news from Seattle pro teams
  • MAP: 2015 AUDL teams