Frisbees Flying at the ‘Ultimate’ Championship : Blustery Weather Doesn’t Dampen Spirit of Teams

Mention the words “national championship” to San Diego sports fans and most will envision the boisterous crowd filling L.A’s Coliseum today for the USC-Notre Dame showdown.

But there’s another national championship being decided this Thanksgiving weekend, in Ocean Beach, and the hearty players darting around Robb Field are fighting for more than the right to call themselves No. 1.

They’re out to win some Frisbees.

“The winner of the tournament will receive Frisbees from Wham-O, (the flying disc manufacturer) custom-made, that will bear the winning team’s logo,” said Jim Herrick, a tournament organizer for the ninth annual National Ultimate Frisbee Championships.

Finals on Sunday

Twelve men’s teams and eight women’s teams from across the nation survived regional contests involving more than 500 teams to earn the privilege to gather in San Diego for Ultimate’s ultimate event. The tournament began Friday, continues today and concludes with the finals on Sunday.

The game, which was first played 20 years ago in a high school playground in Maplewood, N.J., has the non-stop action of soccer and showcases acrobatic dives and fast-paced tosses up and down a football-like field.

Seven-member teams take the field and advance the flying disc with rapid passes. The object of the game is to score goals by passing the disc from teammate to teammate until a pass is caught in the opponent’s end zone. An incomplete pass--either an errant toss or a blocked throw--places the Frisbee in the opponents’ hands who immediately begin a race to the other end of the field.

Using offensive moves like the “hammer throw”--a Frisbee tossed upside down--and the “blade”--an angled, side-arm maneuver to evade defenders--teams with colorful names such as New Jersey’s Cool Momma Seven and the Miami Refugees threw the Frisbee in gusty, rainy weather Friday.

Such conditions apparently didn’t help four-time defending women’s champion, the Santa Barbara Lady Condors, who were upset, 15-7, by the Boston Smithereens.

Weather Dandy for Bostonians

The few spectators who braved the cold stood along the sidelines with their arms wrapped around them. Many wore hats; others, who clutched blankets, sat in lawn chairs.

But the Smithereens thought the conditions were just dandy.

“This is perfect weather to play in,” said Smithereen Susan (Sport) Siegrist, who danced around in celebration with mud caked on her knees. “This is just like playing at home for us.”

“I think the teams who play in Southern California sunshine may have some trouble with this, but we love it!” said teammate Patty Pez. Less hearty souls should be relieved: as Friday’s storm moves southeast, San Diegans can expect plenty of sunshine this weekend with temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 degrees, forecasters said.

Although most organizers of athletic events worry about low spectator turnout, Herrick didn’t seem bothered by the attendance figures.

In time, Herrick said, Ultimate may challenge football for television viewers.

“The game really lends itself to television coverage,” Herrick said. “It’s really fast-paced, there are some incredible catches, and after each goal there’s a good break for commercial time. ESPN (the cable sports network) has already televised a couple of major games.”

The game, which is sanctioned by the 6,000-member Ultimate Players Assn., has gained popularity in Europe and Japan, Herrick said. In fact, the World Championship was held this year in Leuven, Belgium, Herrick said.

But like any other sport that matures and loses its amateur innocence, the game of Ultimate may lose some of its unique aspects, Herrick said.

Ultimate is played without referees. Even at international competition, the games are self-officiated.

“In baseball, if a fielder traps a ball, he’ll do everything possible to convince the umpire that he caught it cleanly,” Herrick said. “In Ultimate, a player is obliged to say honestly if he scooped it.”

Nowadays, Herrick said players can request “observers” to settle disputed calls.

With the national championship on the line and custom-made Frisbees at stake, Herrick said, “It could get ugly out here this weekend.”