Guilford’s Ultimate team, Biohazard, is certainly the ultimate team. Just don’t call them ultimate Frisbee players.
Team member Theodore Fetter explained that Frisbee is the brand name of a low-quality disc, and the correct name of the sport is simply Ultimate. He said that calling every disc a Frisbee is “like calling every car a Geo Metro.”
It is uncertain how long Biohazard has existed at Guilford, but it is believed to have started between 13 and 15 years ago. It began as two separate teams, a men’s and a women’s, but later combined into one co-ed team.
Biohazard meets three times a week to practice. Forty-five people are on the team’s meeting list, and at most practices, about 35 different players show up.
This fall, Biohazard will have played over 30 games, and they expect to play 40-50 more in the spring.
“I’m really proud of the people I’m playing with,” Fetter said. He mentioned senior Matt McGuire specifically, saying that at 6’6″ he is “tall by any standards,” enabling him to more easily catch the disc.
Fetter is excited about all of the beginning players, saying that they are all very solid. He said first-years Kathrin Gilbert and Jacob Martin are especially promising.
The game of Ultimate is somewhat similar to many other field sports. There are two teams of seven, and the game begins with each team standing in an end zone. One team “pulls” the disc to the other team, by throwing it as far as they can across the field.
To score, a player must catch the disc in the team’s the end zone. The disc moves across the field via passes, and players have 10 seconds to pass the disc after a catch. Like in basketball, a player with the disc must keep a pivot foot on the ground.
There is no tackling in Ultimate, but players to run up and down the field to catch the disc, often diving to make a catch.
Once the disc touches the ground, possession switches to the other team – even if it’s the other team who knocked the disc to the ground.
“I think lots of people don’t realize that we do lots of running, said senior player Nicci Jaffe. “It requires athletic ability and skills.” She said that she likes the sport because “you can see people you wouldn’t think would play a sport and you wouldn’t think they could run so very fast, but they do.”
Ultimate has no referees. All calls are made by the players based on the “spirit of the game,” which means everyone tries to make honest and accurate calls, to play with dignity, and to respect all players on both teams.
In fact, after each game, most teams create a celebratory song, dance, or cheer for the other team.
At an away game against Elon University’s Ultimate team, Big Red, each team had a humorous pre-game chant.
Elon yelled, “Got the fuel, got the fire, got the hot desire,” and Guilford barked, “We came here to chew bubblegum and get nasty. We’re all out of bubblegum!”
The teams were good-spirited enough to congratulate each other on good plays. At one point during the game, an Elon player said, “Hey Bio, that was awesome defense! Awesome defense, Bio.”
Fetter said that Biohazard “receives a substantial budget from the school”-over $3000 a year for the third year in a row. Fetter was disappointed in the school’s treatment of the team, however. He explained that last year, they sent in their proposals two weeks ahead of time and were supposed to meet with Community Senate, but no one showed up.
“We do everything by the books,” Fetter said. “We want our own official field.” He explained that the current practice field, next to New Garden hall, has several holes that have caused multiple twisted ankles. Fetter also said that Vice President for Enrollment and Campus Life Randy Doss has given them support, telling security to let them play.
The lack of an official playing field doesn’t curb Biohazard members’ enthusiasm.
“I love Ultimate,” said Gilbert. “Sometimes I think it’s dorky how much I love it.”
Biohazard will be participating in three tournaments over the next month: the Witch’s Brew tournament at Davidson College this weekend, The Summit 3 at Berea College in Kentucky next weekend, and the Romp in the Swamp Nov. 20-21 at the University of Tenn. Chattanooga.
To learn more about playing Ultimate at Guilford College, email [email protected].