Latest "News"
Foothill Jamboree 2008
Bitney Prep's Ultimate (Frisbee) team, Air Traffic Control, traveled to Pleasanton on Saturday, November 8th to compete in a tournament hosted by the Foothill Falcons. 10 different high school teams mostly from the Bay Area were in attendance. ATC was unfortunately held scoreless in our first game, but as our opponents were the highly spirited Gymnosperms from Redwood High School, we almost enjoyed getting trounced (OK, not really). Our next opponents, Alameda's Dark Meat, went to the High School National Championships last year, but we shook off our initial jitters and managed a slightly more respectable 11-2 loss against this stronger opponent. We then faced the Granada High School Facebreakers, and won this game 10-8 despite a strong comeback by Granada after the time cap went on. Since we had to leave at 2pm, our hosts (Foothill Falcons) graciously agreed to have a short scrimmage with us during the lunch period. We fell behind early, but made a surprising comeback after putting on our Zone Defense. In the end, though, we had to leave while the Falcons were a few points ahead. Over all, this was a very strong showing for an ATC team with so many young and inexperienced players. I think we're all inspired to work hard over the coming months to see if we can take it to a "whole 'nutha level".
Overview and Team Philosophy
Ultimate combines the passing game of American football with the give and go ballet of basketball, and then extends both by using a projectile that can itself be taught to dance. Ultimate is a non-contact sport where the Spirit of the Game is taken so seriously that officials are only required at the absolute highest levels of competition. Ultimate is quite simply the most exciting, in-your-face game played anywhere on the planet. Coach Schneider has competed on several Bay Area teams (one made it to Regionals, and the first West Coast Masters team came in third at Nationals in 1991.)
Although Ultimate is not quite as popular a sport as basketball or football, it is nevertheless played by well over 100,000 people here in the United States. The game has a good international following as well, with teams established in over 40 countries. Most colleges have active Ultimate programs (some even offer Ultimate scholarships), with both open and women's teams travelling regularly to tournaments that culminate each spring in the College Championships. Beyond college, the competition level increases dramatically, with very serious open, women's, co-ed, and masters teams working hard each spring toward the Fall Series, which leads to the National Championships. At the other end of the spectrum are the numerous city leagues and pick-up games found in nearly every community across the country.
Unfortunately, most players who eventually become competitive don't get started in the sport until college. The key to becoming an elite player is high school experience, including tournament competition against stronger teams. We'll try to take the team to as many of these tournaments as possible. We'd like to see a team resurface at Nevada Union, but we also scrimmage regularly with Ananda's Chakras, and may get together with the local (adult) pick-up team as well.
After focusing on Ultimate fundamentals for up to three years, several of our players are becoming truly competitive. However, anyone who comes to practice gets to play. There will never be any cuts due to experience, skill level, or athletic ability. The focus is on having fun, rather than winning at all cost. If this sounds like something you're interested in, then show up to practice sometime.
Practice (Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30pm - 5:00pm)
The team practices and competes year-round. All students must arrange for their own transportation home from practice. See Mr. Schneider for a list of team phone numbers.
Team Discs Available!!!
The team is selling custom Discraft 175g Ultra-Star discs in three exciting colors: white, royal blue and ultraviolet (changes color when placed in the sun - amaze your friends!) This is the official disc of the Ultimate Players Association, and sports the team's logo. All discs are $10 each. Stop by the school office to buy your disc today.
Click the Disc to See a Larger Version
Past Tournaments
Click on the links below for a history of the team. There are team pictures posted for each year and for many of the tournaments:
The Spirit of the Game
Ultimate relies on a spirit of sportspersonship which places the responsibility for fair play on the individual. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players. And never with an intention to abuse the agreed upon rules of the game, or destroy the pure joy of play. Actions that go against these basic principles may hasten the day when players no longer control the game. Playing by the Spirit of the Game will help Ultimate remain a sport where each one of us is free to decide, for themselves, what fair play means to him or her. Remember, no set of rules can replace players' respect for one another and the Spirit of the Game.
Other Resources
California/Oregon High School Ultimate Email Distribution List
Nationwide High School Ultimate Email Distribution List
Local Pick-up Team's Email Distribution List
Ultimate Players Association
Quick Overview of the Rules
Offical Rules of Ultimate, 11th Edition |
