The Men's Ultimate Frisbee Club at ASU is open to University students to try one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States.
USA Ultimate membership has increased by 300% since 2003, signaling the sport's growth. Assistant coach Mark Mendelevitz describes the sport as football with a Frisbee.
"Everyone's a quarterback and a receiver and a cornerback," Mendelevitz said. "While you need to develop a lot of the throwing and a lot of, we call it disc reading, right? You kind of read the ball as it flies through. You read the disc as it flies through the air. A lot of work as a cornerback, a lot of foot movement, and defensive awareness is a strong carryover."
Mendelevitz is a professional player who's played for San Diego and Florida teams. A few Sun Devil ultimate players are also rostered on the Las Vegas professional team.
"There's a tryout that's announced and the community knows about it because community channels and again, adult members," Mendelevitz said. "Then we kind of passed that on to say, hey, sophomore, junior ... why don't you come to this pro tryout. It's a good experience. And then you might even strike gold and make it."
Ultimate's barrier to entry is very low because of its simple rules and setup. All you need is a Frisbee and a field.
According to USA Ultimate, the sport features two teams of seven players on a football field passing the Frisbee down the field until a player catches the Frisbee in the end zone. Players cannot run with the Frisbee.
Though the thought of Ultimate Frisbee may conjure memories of elementary and high school P.E. class, the adult Ultimate Frisbee community is growing every year. Captain Braden Distel, a senior studying interdisciplinary studies, started playing Ultimate Frisbee in his freshman year of college.
"I got into Frisbee, actually, because it was one of the only sports that was playing during the COVID lockdown my freshman year," Distel said. "There were school regulations that didn't allow certain clubs to meet. But I met people just out there playing and getting some exercise in on the fields. Then I met club players from there."
Many students try out for the Ultimate team because of their experience playing in elementary school. However, some students have been playing with the adult community for years.
"I used to play pickup with my dad when I was in high school," said captain Alex Van Der Geest, a student studying interdisiplinary studies. "My second semester at ASU, I saw the guys playing at the SDFC fields and went over. They told me to come back the next day with cleats on."
Many students, alumni and community members play in pickup leagues around the Valley. Van Der Geest said the community schedules weekly play times.
"There's a lot of different communities," Van Der Geest said. "Some of them are competitive and some are super casual, there's a group that goes out and plays during lunch on Fridays between shifts (and) early Saturday mornings."
Distel said Ultimate teams are sanctioned through USA Ultimate, the organization that sanctions ASU. The Sun Devils compete in the Desert Conference and Southwest region. The team will play alongside GCU in the regional championship on April 26 and 27 in Bakersfield, California.
"I'm going to say there are 300 different teams across the country that'll play," Distel said. "They get ranked in a regular season from January through March, and then you'll play a postseason series with your region, and there will be a conference championship where you can qualify for a regional championship and then qualify for a national championship."
As more teams are sanctioned and Ultimate Frisbee continues to grow, more athletes of all ages will take the field. Ultimate Frisbee makes a place for athletes like Mendelevitz.
"It's a great sport," Mendelevitz said. "I'm 34, I'm an engineer, I'm a professional, but Frisbee is still my life. I think it's a great balance of athleticism and teamwork, and all the positive things of sport without losing yourself."
Edited by Jack Barron, Sophia Braccio and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at Gbarberi@asu.edu and follow @Giobarberio1 on X.
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Giovanni is a sophomore studying history. This is his third semester with The State Press.
