Get in the game

Ultimate Frisbee lands in Houlton
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
There’s a new game in town.
It’s a game we’ve all played since we were children. It knows no age limit and can be played by everyone no matter what shape you may be in.    It’s Frisbee.
Each Sunday through the months of May (or whenever the snow has melted) to November, a group gets together at either the small soccer field at Houlton High School or at the “Just For Kids” soccer field to play “Ultimate Frisbee.”
Ultimate Frisbee doesn’t require any special equipment — all that is needed is a Frisbee or flying disc — and it doesn’t cost to play and it is open to individuals or families.
“It’s pretty new here,” said Chris Rines, an organizer of the league who has actively played Ultimate Frisbee for 10 years. “It is gaining popularity though.”
When playing the game, players may not even realize all of the skills they are putting together on the field.
“It’s a lot of mechanics from soccer, football and basketball,” explained Rines. “However, there is a very quick learning curve. A lot of people think throwing is the hardest part because they don’t throw straight or far or have trouble catching; but, that is not too big to worry about. The most difficult part is learning to run around in the field finding an open spot.
“The game itself is really simple,” added Rines. “You just have to be synchronized with everyone else.”
The object of the game is to score a “goal, like a touchdown in football.”
Each team is divided into 7-on-7 (on the national level) or as evenly as possible depending on how many show up. There is a disc flip, much like a coin toss, that determines who pulls or receives the Frisbee and who starts on each side.
“It’s like a kickoff in football,” Rines added.
The puller — person throwing the Frisbee — sends it out and when it lands, the person who picks it up is the handler. The handler, who is stationary, throws to a receiver and the team keeps moving the disc forward. Once you catch the disc, you must stop as quickly as possible. Players cannot run with the Frisbee. The opposing team will play defense — like being guarded in basketball — to prevent a pass. There is a time limit of 10 seconds to pass the disc after receiving it.
“If the disc is knocked out of the air or a defender catches it, it is a turnover,” said Rines. “The play turns around. You go back and forth until a goal is scored.”
In the professional leagues, the game is played under a time limit. But, in the club and college national level, and even here in Houlton, since it’s a club sport, the score is accumulated through points. Halftime is designated when a team scores seven points. A game is done when a team reaches 13 points. In a championship game, for a team to win, it must reach 15 points.
“The longest we’ve played to get a full 13 points was an hour and 20 minutes,” Rines said.
During the game there are no officials.
“It is all self-officiated except for the professionals,” explained Rines. “Even at the major events, there are no referees. The national organization wants to really make sure everyone who plays knows it is about the spirit of the game. Everyone is on the honor system.”
This summer, the club members participated in a recreational league. There were three teams made up of five people that ran for six weeks.
“It went really well,” said Rines.
Anywhere from 10 to 20 people play Ultimate Frisbee in Houlton — from children, teens to adults.
“There is no age requirement,” said Rines. “We’ve had kids as young as 6 play. We are not going 100 percent. We are making the game fun for them and letting them learn.”
On the other end of the age spectrum, Rines has competed against people in their 50s and 60s who still play.
“The best turnout we ever had at an event here in Houlton was 33 people,” said Rines. “The highest number of unique individuals that have come out is well into the 50s.”
Club members include: Wade Goetsch, Julia Lunn, Chris Morin, Brandon LaBlond, Chris Bond and his children, Connor and Ben Grant, Sam Holmes, David Ngo, Tim Glatter and Rines.
“We’ve played in a lot of different fields around town,” Rines said. “We’ve played in the field next to the DHHS, behind Southside School and even in Hodgdon. We play all over the place.”
Ultimate Frisbee games are played at various times during the summer. The game, location and time are listed on Facebook under the Ultimate Houlton group or page. The club season runs from early spring into fall. Currently, the Ultimate Houlton group’s page has 104 likes on Facebook. It can be found at www.facebook.com/ultimatehoulton.
“Given the sport and the area, that is quite a few likes for us,” Rines added. “Next year we plan on expanding the league. This year was successful and we were able to teach the sport to others. Hopefully,
we can get enough people to play 7-on-7. We have a lot of creative people and a lot of great ideas to work on over the winter, we are all looking forward to next season.”
To find out more about Ultimate Frisbee, check out Ultimate Houlton’s Facebook group or page. For more information, e-mail Rines at Christopher.rines@countypt.com.
“It’s very fun and very addicting,” Rines added.