Coronavirus Precautions For the Sport of Ultimate

Besides the general prevention efforts of spreading the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), USA Ultimate has provided the additional precautions so ultimate players do not catch the disease:

• Regularly disinfect the disc(s) you are using (e.g. wipes or sanitizer)
• Not sharing water bottles or community snacks
• Avoiding shaking hands or giving high-fives
• Not doing spirit circles
  

Kind of takes the fun out of playing ultimate, but these are different times which demand a different level of expectations.

San Francisco FlameThrowers: AUDL Trailblazer

It came as a great shock that one of the more successful American Ultimate Disc League teams was folding.  San Francisco FlameThrowers posted a 45-25 (.642) regular season record, advanced to the postseason 4 of their 5 seasons, twice finished 1st in West Division (2016, 2017), had an interesting mascot, participated in the first semi-pro mixed ultimate game, and won the AUDL title in 2017.

Beyond their on-field performance, the FlameThrowers were an exemplary franchise. Let their stated values and mission live on as the benchmark for all current and future AUDL teams.

---

OUR VALUES: Passion, Excellence & Improvement

Passion

We are passionate about the sport of Ultimate. A team sport played with a flying disc instead of a ball. A team sport played by athletes of all kinds, across gender formats. We love playing it, and we love watching it. And we are equally passionate about creating opportunities for the sport of Ultimate to have a positive impact on society by promoting teamwork, "Spirit of The Game", equity, and conflict resolution.

Excellence

We believe in striving for excellence on and off the field. On the field, we will strive to win through the effort of our players, the intelligence of our strategies, the energy from our fans, and the sheer joy of play embodied in the Spirit Of The Game. Off the field, members of the Flamethrowers organization strive for the same levels of excellence across all areas of our lives. We believe that the pursuit of excellence, in and of itself, is at the core of success, and that all associated with the team will be proud to be a part of that pursuit.

Improvement

We acknowledge that the sport of Ultimate reflects the imperfections in society at large. Male participation is significantly higher than female participation, and there is a severe lack of racial and economic diversity. We believe that striving for gender, racial, and economic diversity is critical to making the sport of Ultimate the best that it can be. We intend to play a positive role in helping to improve access to opportunities for everyone to play at the highest level and showcase their talents to the world.

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OUR MISSION: Grow, Unite & Sustain

Grow The Sport

We believe that growing participation in the sport will increase the positive impact of Ultimate, and we believe that showcasing the best athletes, competing at the highest level, will inspire new participation. We want to grow the sport of Ultimate at all levels and across every division (open, mixed, and women). We also believe that spectators and sponsors can provide the support to fund the growth of the sport at all levels, and in all communities, and we intend to continue and increase our efforts to bring new players and fans to the sport.

Unite With Others

We cannot grow the sport alone. You can't play a team sport without teammates and a team can't play a game without an opponent. To accomplish the first part of our mission we must work with others. This means supporting organizations like the Bay Area Disc Association (BADA). It means participating in a professional league, the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). Working with others inevitably involves compromise, but it also allows us to achieve more than we could alone. We look forward to expanding our partnerships with Ultimate organizations whose mission and values align with ours. It also means working with the Ultimate community, particularly the youth in our community. We are committed to the SOTG and we insist that our players, coaches, and staff model that behavior on and off the field.

Sustain Progress

We want to bring our sport to hundreds of millions of new players, and it is simply not possible to do that in a few short years. It is the Ultimate community that will sustain us over the course of this long journey, and it is the participation and support of the players, coaches, parents, fans, and countless others that will enable us to succeed. All of the owners of our organization have been members of the Ultimate community for decades, and it is an integral part of our passion for the sport. We cherish the opportunity to give back to the sport of Ultimate, and we are always searching for new partnerships and creative new solutions that will help us to bring Ultimate to as many people as possible.

In a parting email, the FlameThrowers continued their graciousness. Their email text in full:

Dear Friends of the FlameThrowers and the Bay Area Disc Community,

As some of you will know by now, the FlameThrowers will not be playing in the AUDL in 2019. We are sad to have made the decision, but we just did not see a way forward to create a sustainable business in this market.

When we contacted Josh Moore over 6 years ago and began our journey with the FlameThrowers, we had a vision of professional ultimate taking its place alongside the great spectator sports. While we always knew there would be challenges along the way, the FlameThrowers ownership group believes that those challenges warrant a pause.

We are incredibly proud to have represented San Francisco ultimate and the Bay Area in the AUDL and to the world at large. We are delighted to have been at the forefront of providing women opportunities to play on the same field as men. We are thrilled to have won the 2017 AUDL Championship and seen our players featured on ESPN’s Top 10 as well as receive numerous AUDL accolades. And we consider ourselves fortunate to have given those amazing players an opportunity to showcase the joy of the sport.

For those that think about Ultimate as a spectator sport, here are some of the key things we’ve learned on this journey. First, Ultimate is incredibly spectator/fan-friendly and we continue to believe people will watch it. Second, the Ultimate community by itself is not large enough (even in the Bay Area!) to provide the fan base necessary to support a team financially, but broader awareness of the sport still lags far behind, as seen in the difficulty in landing a significant sponsorship after several years. Finally, operational excellence takes time to build and requires great relationships with service providers and partners; we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for all they did over the years.

Our hopes for the future include continued involvement in spectator/fan-focused ultimate, particularly in a more gender-equitable format. We have advocated for more local flexibility in game formats and believe that experimentation at this stage of spectator Ultimate’s development is critical. And we have long hoped for coordination between the AUDL and the USAU to ensure player safety and reasonable workloads over the season.

We wish all those competing, producing, and otherwise involved in the AUDL all the best in 2019 and beyond. And we again thank all the players, partners, youth groups, Laney College, Bay Area Disc Association and countless others for supporting us along the way and helping make the FlameThrowers a reality.

The FlameThrowers sign off with "Flame On!"

New President of William & Mary Played and Coached Ultimate

Rector Todd Stottlemyer introduced Katherine A. Rowe as The College of William & Mary's new president, during which he highlighted Rowe's ultimate history. She will be the first female president of William & Mary (Virginia) in the school's 325-year history.

WATCH

"Katherine also loves sports and has been a competitive athlete throughout her life. She remarked throughout the search process how sports – varsity, club and intramurals – are an important part of the university. Katherine also observed how well William & Mary does with its varsity sports in producing outstanding scholar-athletes who compete and win on the field of competition and in the classroom. On a personal level, Katherine is well known as a player and now championship coach of United States Ultimate Frisbee. Ultimate is a self-refereed team sport governed by the "Spirit of the Game:" the joy of play and a mutual respect for fellow players. This is how Katherine leads."

Rowe played ultimate a Carleton College and, more recently, coached the Lower Merion High School Girls Ultimate team to multiple state (Pennsylvania) championships. Additionally, Katherine Rowe built up her already impressive resume with a few articles published on Ultiworld.

W&M's announcement describes Rowe as having..

spent more than a decade coaching Ultimate Frisbee and has led multiple teams to state championships in Pennsylvania. She was a World Ultimate Club Finalist and a Women's Nationals Finalist. She also co-founded the nonprofit Boston Ultimate Disc Alliance and the Carleton College women's Ultimate team.

Rowe shares her love of Ultimate with her spouse, Bruce Jacobson...

On This Day: In 2015, USA vs Philippines WCBU Semifinal

On this day in 2015....oh, what a thrilling men's semifinal game between Team USA and Boracay Dragons (Philippines) from 2015 World Championships of Beach Ultimate. The strong wind made this a game of throwing into the wind, reading the blade-y discs, and catching fast-moving plastic.



USA took the first point (1-0), then was down 2 goals (3-5), took the lead back (7-5), and then Boracay Dragons came back to with 2 goals. The game was tied at 7's FOR A LOOOONG TIME. Whichever teams scored the next goal would win a trip to the WCBU finals.

Watch the entire beach ultimate game. Or, start watching at double-game point @ 54:32.

This game is infamous for the Spirit of the Game timeout called.

Spirit timeout called by Team USA. [Game tied @ 7s]

According to WFDF, If there is ever an issue with Spirit of The Game during play, Captains should be aware that the Appendix to the WFDF Rules of Ultimate include a Spirit of the Game Time-out (A7):
If a team's captain believes that either or both teams are failing to follow the Spirit of the Game (SOTG), they may call a "Spirit of the Game Time-out."
This can only be called after the start of a point and prior to the ensuing pull.
During this time-out, neither team may engage in tactical discussions.
All team members of both teams will form a “spirit circle” in the middle of the field.
The two opposing team captains shall separately discuss all current issues with adherence to SOTG, determine ways to rectify those issues, and then convey the agreement to the spirit circle.
SOTG time-outs do not affect, nor are they affected by, the number of time-outs available.

TBT: Official Rules of the Sport of Ultimate (Ninth Edition)

Throwback to the mid-1990's when the pocket-sized printed rules of ultimate was published by the UPA. USA Ultimate is currently following the 11th edition rule set. 

 The magenta-printed rule book describes ultimate as "a non-contact sport played by two seven player teams. The object of the game is to score goals. The disc may only be moved by passing as the thrower is not allowed to take any steps. Any time a pass is incomplete, intercepted, knocked-down, or contacts an out-of-bounds area, a turnover occurs, resulting in an immediate change of possession of the disc. A goal is scored when a player successfully passes the disc to a teammate in the endzone which that team is attacking."

The Preface states:
"The purpose of the rules of Ultimate is to provide a guideline which describes the way the game is played. It assumed that no Ultimate player will intentionally violate the rules; thus there are no harsh penalties for inadvertent infractions, but rather a method for resuming play in a manner which simulates what would most likely have occurred had there been no infraction.

In Ultimate, an intentional foul would be considered cheating and a gross offense against the spirit of sportsmanship. Often a player is in a position where it is clearly to the player's advantage to foul or commit some violation, but that player is morally bound to abide by the rules. The integrity of Ultimate depends on each player's responsibility to uphold the spirit of the game, and this responsibility should not be taken lightly."

No set of rules can replace player's respect for one another and for good spirit.

:Notes:
Two options of game length are provided:
1. Each half lasts for twenty-four (24) minutes of stopped time.
2. A game to points lasts until one team scores twenty-one (21) goals with a margin of victory of at least two (2) goals.

Observers are mentioned near the end of the rule book. "Before the game, the captains may decide to select up to six (6) experienced non-players to act as Observers. In this role, their job is to carefully watch the action of the game. They do not actively call any fouls, violations, picks, or line calls.

What's Happening with Ultimate in the Olympics?

Below is a compilation from a variety of sources on the Olympic status updates for the sport of ultimate over the past four months.

JULY 2016
Interview during USAU U.S. Open Championship, Men's Final
Evan Lepler asked USA Ultimate CEO: "What's the latest that we should know?"

Crawford: "We're staying optimistic [for 2024]. We're trying to stay positioned as well as we possibly can to have a legitimate shot of getting on the program. With the 2020 Reform Movement in the Olympic Games, we check off a lot of those boxes and that's a good thing. So we're still pursuing it and that's definitely our goal."

Lepler: ...What needs to go right for the sport?

Crawford: "IOC keeps coming to our World Championships and watching...One of the value-adds they really like is the self-officiating and the Spirit of the Game aspect because they think it's a real differentiator. So, as long as they continue to see that working and us be very entertaining - which we certainly are. We've proven we can be on TV."

"It would be great to see L.A. win the [2024 Olympics] bid, I can tell you that...we also have some relationships out there we can sort of take advantage of to give us a good shot."

=================

AUGUST 2016
WFDF confirms by Twitter: "We're aiming at the 2024 Olympics."

@ninafogel @Ulti_world @kdubsultimate We're aiming at the 2024 Olympics :)

— WFDF (@WorldFlyingDisc) August 4, 2016

=================

SEPTEMBER 2016
Via USA Ultimate Annual Report (2015):

"The IOC recognition (in August 2015) officially puts us on the bench for future Olympic Games inclusion...."

=================

OCTOBER 2016

World Flying Disc Federation President in posted video (October 31, 2016): Inclusion of Flying Disc (Ultimate) in ANOC's 2019 World Beach Games "puts us in a very good position vis-à-vis  our overall Olympic aspirations....part of ongoing progress towards improving our status within the Olympics movement."

Screengrab via Facebook

=================

NOVEMBER 2016

This weekend's U.S. Beach Open takes place in Santa Monica - less than 20 miles away from Los Angeles. The beach ultimate tournament description states: "It's no secret that the International Olympic Committee is interested in our sport, and mixed gender beach ultimate is, for many reasons, high on the list."

==============

Spirit Of The Game

This is an annual tradition of reposting this "ghost" story on Halloween.  

Ripley's Believe It or Not featured Ed Headrick's unique request upon his death for his cremated ashes to be entombed into a commemorative namesake golf discs. Headrick passed away in August 2002.

Discraft facilitated molding the Last Flight Memorial Discs and making Ed's unique last wish to have his ashes incorporated into discs a reality. Ed's ashes were incorporated into a very special blend of elite plastic into the immortal XL™ and APX™ molds. It was "Steady" Ed's wish that once he passed away his ashes be incorporated into discs so that his soul could fly freely.

"When I die, I want to be made into a Frisbee."

[via original post]

Data Visual: WUGC 2016 Spirit of the Game Scores

open bracket (ultimate) designed a beautiful data visualization of SOTG scores from the 2016 World Ultimate & Guts Championships for all the ultimate divisions.

data visual via

E.R.I.C. Speak Up Tour 2016-2017

The Early Recognition Is Critical (E.R.I.C.) school clinic begins its 22-city tour today in Dallas, home of the Roughnecks. Last week, Beau Kittredge announced the tour last week which is meant to:

• Teach youth to be healthy, active and aware of their bodies
• Educates youth on cancer symptoms in non-scary way
• Learn a new fun, non-contact sport and the importance of Spirit of the Game
• Teach them to speak up and call their own fouls (because ultimate at that age doesn't and shouldn't have referees, which helps them understand the incredible important skill of conflict resolution)
• Apply what they learned to life, respect and help others and to SPEAK UP when something feels wrong

Map via SKYD, updated by SLUDGE

Not cited in the E.R.I.C. tour details is the overlap with AUDL cities. According to the list of Am-E.R.I.C-an tour locations, the clinic plans to visit American Ultimate Disc League cities. Though, the map shows 20+ locations including 3 stops in North Carolina while there are just Charlotte and Raleigh  AUDL teams. E.R.I.C. and the AUDL have a partnership that was announced in November 2014. 

TOUR SCHEDULE

2016 

8/29 Dallas

9/6 Austin

9/12 Minnesota

9/19 Madison

9/26 Detroit

10/3 Chicago

10/24 Nashville

10/31 Charlotte

11/7 Raleigh

11/14 Jacksonville

11/28 Atlanta

2017

Jan 

San Diego

Los Angeles

3/6 Indianapolis

3/13 Cincinnati

3/20 Pittsburgh

3/27 Washington

4/3 Philadelphia

4/10 New York

2016 WUGC Spirit of the Game Report

WFDF's 2016 World Ultimate (& Guts) Championships were held in London in June. The final results have already been posted. Now, let's have a look at the Spirit of the Game scores for each ultimate team in the five divisions. Best possible score = 20.

Highest Overall Spirit Scores at 2016 WUGC by Division (sorted high to low):

• New Zealand @ 13.60 (Men's Masters Division)
• New Zealand 13.43 (Men's Division)
• India @ 12.42 (Women's Division)
• Finland @ 12.26 (Mixed Division)
• Germany @ 11.43 (Women's Masters Division*)

Average Overall Spirit Scores at 2016 WUGC by Division (sorted high to low):

• Men's Masters = 11.58
• Men's Division = 10.97
• Mixed Division = 10.76
• Women's Masters = 10.62
• Women's Division = 10.43

Average Overall Spirit Scores of 2016 WFDF WUGC Teams by Division:
Rank = ranking based on spirit scores
Place = tournament finish 

Women's Masters Division

Men's Masters Division

Women's Division

Mixed Division

Men's Division

-------------------------

WFDF's scoring system for The Spirit of the Game is based on five categories:
Knowing the rules
Avoiding fouls and body contact
Being fair-minded and respectful
Having a positive attitude and showing self-control
Communication

Teams are awarded points in each category: 4 (Excellent), 3 (Very good), 2 (Good), 1 (Not so good), or 0 (Poor) points respectively, yielding a score range of 0-20 points per team per game.

NOTE 1: *Due to a scheduling issue, the Women's Masters Spirit Award was initially presented to New Zealand, who scored the highest average total Spirit score (11.29) at the division's final. Placing games were then played after the final (due to rain delays) which placed Germany at the top of the average total Spirit rankings (11.43). WFDF recognized both Germany and New Zealand as joint winners of the award in honor of Spirit of the Game.

NOTE 2: There were some discrepancies in the Total  computation in the WFDF WUGC online data and when the totals of the five categories were calculated in Excel. What you see in the charts is WFDF category data and then Excel-calculated totals.

[data via WUGC; recalculations and charts by SLUDGE]

Heckling in Ultimate

Today (April Fool's Day) is as good a day as any to point out that "good-natured heckling" is within the Official Rules of Ultimate (11th Edition):

Number 3 under "Ten Things You Should Know About Spirit of the Game" reads:
Heckling and taunting are different.
Ultimate has a long tradition of good-natured heckling. Heckles are friendly barbs, typically
from non-playing spectators. Heckling can be fun, but taunting is unspirited and wrong.
Harassing remarks after an opponent's foul call or close play are NOT heckling: they are
abusive taunts which create unpleasant playing conditions and often escalate to acrimonious
disputes.

WFDF's "Spirit of the Game" differs from USA Ultimate's version.

Squad Goals: Seattle Riot SOTG

Seattle Riot published an article about Spirit of the Game in USA Ultimate's magazine (Fall 2015 edition; pg 70) and charted their team's history of results along with recognition of their spirit.

Additionally, Riot wonderfully tracked their qualifying seasons (red dots), years when they reached the finals of a major tournament (black circle), and winning a championship (star) since the year 2000.

The article describes how Seattle women's club ultimate team prioritizes SOTG concludes with the following advice for ultimate players:

Love the game, meet your opponents, use a good tone, sometimes choose to agree, sometime choose to disagree, but most of all, have fun and spread the joy you have for this game every time you play!


[Chart via USAU Mag/Gewn Ambler]

Happy Spirit of the Game Day

Today (December 3rd) is International Spirit of the Game Day!

Spirit of the Game (SOTG) is a deliberate and consistent behavior displayed by ultimate Frisbee players worldwide. It includes skills such as spatial awareness; fair-mindedness; clear and respectful communication; a positive attitude towards opponents and teammates; as well as proper use and knowledge of the rules.

However, even more importantly, players value and demonstrate SOTG off-the-field as well in their daily lives.

Celebrate SOTG today and every day! Play ultimate!

SPOTTED: Spirit Circles in Pro Ultimate

Before the last two D.C. Current games, the team has formed a spirit circle with their Major League Ultimate opponent. See below for photographic evidence.

Pre-game huddle: Boston and DC [photo by Brandon Wu]

Pre-game circle: Philadelphia and DC [photo by Sean Carpenter]n

[Photos by UltiPhotos]

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]

awERICness Day

Today is Early Recognition Is Critical (E.R.I.C.) Awareness Day.

E.R.I.C. aims to educate youth about cancer symptoms and body awareness through Ultimate Frisbee which they describe as: a "gentleman's sport" in that all players work on the honor system and games are self-regulated and scored. Ultimate Frisbee teaches life lessons because Spirit of the Game is paramount in the rule book. It is the perfect sport for teaching self-respect and body-awareness.

FACT: Skin cancer is the most common of all cancer types. More than 3.5 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the U.S. – that’s more than all others cancers combined!

FACT: Nearly 1 in every 2 males will develop cancer (~1 in 4 will die from cancer); 1 in every 3 females will develop cancer (~1 in 5 will die from cancer). [ACS]

FACT: Early detection of cancer greatly increases the chances for successful treatment.

Ultimate players, remember: slip, slop, slap, seek, slide. For the slap, DIY a "Frisbee Hat," or use an ultimate disc as a hat.

Explaining Ultimate Frisbee

With Thanksgiving approaching, it's inevitable conversation will lead you to having to describe "Ultimate Frisbee" to a family member.

Below are six published descriptions of the sport of ultimate. If you need a printout to pass around, use this definition. Otherwise, pick and choose your words from these fine examples:

The game is played 7 versus 7 with 70-yard fields and 20-yard end zones. The scoring is similar to football, by passing the disc up and down the field to score in the end zone. However, you cannot run with the disc once you receive a pass. "Ultimate," as it is casually referred, is a non-contact sport, but collisions and injuries are inevitable. The game is self-officiated, so sportsmanship and honesty are two main components of Ultimate.
via

Ultimate is constant movement. It mimics sports like football and basketball — there's a lot of sprinting, change of direction, agility. It takes a lot of hand-eye coordination. It also demands flexibility, endurance and proper hydration.
via

In sports terms, ultimate Frisbee combines the nonstop action and athletic endurance of soccer with the passing skills of football. Played on a field similar to a football gridiron, the object is to score by catching a pass in the opponent's end zone.
via

Ultimate frisbee is a mixture between Australian Rules (AFL), netball and gridiron. The game is self-refereed meaning there are no referees. The game is played on a rectangular field that is 100 metres long with a maximum of seven players on the field at one time. The object of the game, like gridiron, is to move the disc down the field and into the end zone.
via

Ultimate frisbee, where teams of seven race to pass the frisbee to a player in the opposite "end zone". There's a lot of running, falling over and skidding, a bit like American football, without the bruising macho element.
via

"Playing a game of Ultimate Frisbee actually resembled a game of rugby, only that there was no contact between players and a disc in place of a ball. Teams start out at their end of the field, when the defence team throws the disk as far away from the opponent's "end zone" as possible. The "end zones" are on each ends of the field, equivalent to the space behind the "goal line" in American Football. The offence team then may pick up the disc and start making their way across the field by throwing the disc from player to player. Those holding the disc may only pass it on by throwing. Each team earns a point by successfully catching the disc while standing in the "end zone". However, if the disc drops at any point, possession changes. The winning team is the one that scores the highest number of points in a fixed amount of time, determined before the game, or the first team that reaches a certain predetermined number of points, before that time had passed."
via

Spirit Circles for Ultimate Games

The traditional post-game handshake (or hi-five) requires each team to form a line and walk toward each other. Hands, then, meet in the middle of these two parallel lines. Here's a reprint of USAU's recent mention of an alternative post-game ritual which is gaining popularity on ultimate fields.

How to Form and Use a Spirit Circle

USA Ultimate has recommended post-game "spirit circles" to teams at the Youth Club Championships since 2010. It's an idea borrowed from international competitions throughout the ultimate world. For years, American teams have traveled to world championships where they have not only done exceptionally well in each competition, but showed the international community the importance we place on respect for the game and their opponents. But American players have also learned a lot from competing against teams from other countries, and invariably one of the most positive parts of the international experience has been the tradition of the post-game spirit circle.

While there are a number of ways to do this, here are some quick tips to get your team started:

• Following each game, rather than lining up to slap hands, the two teams gather into a circle, alternating players on each team, facing inward, with arms around the shoulders of the person next to you. 
• One or two people (often team captains) on each team will talk briefly about the game. Usually the losing team goes first, then the winning team.
• Things to talk about can include how the game went, how your own team played, what the other team did well, who on the other team played well, and anything else that might be worth communicating…even if it's something you think could be done better (and don't forget to look in the mirror on this). 
• After each team has had a chance to talk, the winning team takes a step into the circle and walks around counter-clockwise to slap hands with the players on the other team.

That's it! It's pretty simple and definitely an experience that brings teams together and puts the game and the experience in perspective. It’s all about respect for each other and the experience of bringing out the best in each other through competition. It’s also about building relationships and seeing opponents for what they really are: part of the same community that loves ultimate. Please note that this is not meant to replace other post-game traditions you may have (e.g., cheers, games, photos, gifts or trading gear).

[TEXT SOURCE: 2014 U.S. Open Event Guide]

Olympic Spirit vs. Ultimate Spirit of the Game

Besides the Olympic rings resembling round plastic discs, the Olympic Charter also has a lot in common with ultimate's Spirit of the Game. Read on...

Fundamental Principles of Olympism [Olympic Charter]
1. Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.
2. The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
3. The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world’s athletes at the great sports festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.
4. The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

Spirit of the Game [USA Ultimate]
"Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate unsportsmanlike conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression, belligerent intimidation, intentional infractions, or other 'win-at-all-costs' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players."

Frisbee Combat League

It's safe to say this video game won't win any Spirit of the Game awards.

Frisbee Combat League from XMPT Games is an arena based deathmatch game where you have to take out the opposing teams using your limited supply of Frisbees. They have a tendancy to bounce around, so after only a few throws, the arena gets very manic. Modes for this game include: team deathmatch, a wave-based horde mode, and a number of multi-player options. This new game for Sony PlayStation Mobile is still in development.

[via The Vita Lounge]