I love ultimate. I've played for 11 years now, and have made it to 2 world club championships, numerous Canadian Nationals and probably 100 tournaments or so. I have numerous friends going to Finland.

It can take over your life (some call it "cultimate") but it's simply the best game out there.
posted by sauril at 6:15 PM on July 24, 2004

'cultimate' is right. The only thing funnier than seeing my roommates go nuts over it, and go out and buy supplies for team spirit costume themes and such, is seeing the injuries previously non-athletic hippies who discover ultimate routinely suffer from.
posted by Space Coyote at 6:19 PM on July 24, 2004

It can be a violent game when with many broken bones and injured ankles. Everyone once in a while, somebody will just launch the disk and you'll get a herd of people punching, pushing, fighting, biting, etc for the golden disk. Great times!
posted by jmd82 at 6:28 PM on July 24, 2004

Ultimate rocks. I've seen two of the teams playing in Finland play (Furious George and Prime) and they're simply amazing.

Anyone have links to any video?
posted by dobbs at 6:41 PM on July 24, 2004

There used to be some video on the ultimate handbook, dobbs, linked above. As for violence and broken bones, that tends to happen more at the recreational level, as people with little concept of the flow of the game accidentaly run into each other. In all that ultimate, the only serious injuries I've had are a result of playing lower-level.

I've played against Furious a couple of times. Those guys are incredible athletes.
posted by sauril at 6:46 PM on July 24, 2004

The fun link has a bunch of video clips.
posted by quiet at 6:46 PM on July 24, 2004

it might even improve your career prospects.

I'm not trying to be a wise ass, but I couldn't help but notice that the article about people finding jobs through ultimate was from 2000. It was about dot comers networking through ultimate rather than golf because the established order has been overturned with the advent of the 'new economy' ... those were the days I guess.

from the link:
At Concrete Media, a Website builder based in Chelsea, the CEO, COO, and CKO -- chief knowledge officer -- all played on the same team at Hampshire College. Now they use the terminology of the playing field to motivate employees.

As far as I can tell Concrete Media no longer exists....
posted by crank at 7:34 PM on July 24, 2004

Don't forget the freestyle world championships, also next week and also in Europe (Rimini, Italy). I'll be there competing - say hello if you're in the neighborhood.
posted by neuroshred at 9:35 PM on July 24, 2004

2004 Disc Golf World Championships, Aug 8-14 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA...of all places.

Twenty-five years ago, we used to play Ultimate pick-up games on astroturf at the football stadium at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale(USA). I don't remember any serious injuries and it was great fun!
posted by jaronson at 11:21 PM on July 24, 2004

I just started a new job, and my boss and a couple of his grad students are Ultimate nuts. I guess it's not surprising that the whole sports for people who aren't into "sports" thing is so popular in academia.
posted by Eamon at 9:31 AM on July 25, 2004

I've been playing off and on in the city parks for a few years now. One of the nicest aspects of ultimate as a recreational sport is that players with widely varying skill levels can still participate in the same game. But as in every other sport where you have to run short spurts, ankle and knee injuries are not completely unknown.

Back in the university we had also a "gentlemen's version" of the game, with two additional rules: 1) it is forbidden to run 2) you have to carry an open drink in one hand (usually beer), and gentlemen don't spill their drinks.
posted by ikalliom at 11:28 AM on July 25, 2004

Don't forget the back injuries. I haven't.

Hoping to see a really competitive worlds this year. The GB squad have been improving hugely in the last few years and hopefully will really push the US teams this time around.

And if you want injuries: A friend of mine snapped the ligament in the side of his foot so often that when they opened it up for surgery their was no ligament in there any more, just two little bits attached to the bones at either end. Another friend lost two teeth from a disc in the mouth. Seen broken bones, my Italian friend Michaele broke a leg in a beach game, my friend Paul broke a metatarsal after landing badly, another friend did a thumb the same way, one woman had to go to hospital for shock after having her nose broken by a disc across its bridge (at UK nationals). Know someone who broke both their wrists running into a wall playing indoors and someone who cut 80% of the way into his right upper arm muscles after putting his arm through a glass panel in a door, also playing indoors. For myself: nasty gash on my eyebrow after getting hit in the face with a bongo drum.
posted by biffa at 4:25 PM on July 25, 2004

Way to post this on a weekend when I was away at a tourney.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 6:01 AM on July 28, 2004