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Frisbee a stress reducer

Servicemembers flock to Olympia Ultimate Frisbee League

Ultimate Frisbee features elements of soccer and football. Photo by Michael Santana

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One of the fastest growing sports in the world, Ultimate Frisbee is played in more than 42 countries by hundreds of thousands of people, according to the Ultimate Player's Association.

To play, seven players line up at the end zones at either end of a rectangular field.  Next, one team throws a plastic disc or Frisbee to the other team, and they try to score by throwing the Frisbee through their opponent's end zone.

"Ultimate is a game that combines high aerobics like soccer," said Michael Santana, an Olympia attorney who helps coordinate a local league. "It is also like football because you score into an end zone."

Developed in 1968, the sport of Ultimate is a game of constant movement and athletic endurance. The Olympia Frisbee League, which was formed in 2003, is held outdoors in the spring and fall and indoors during the winter.  The spring session comprises six teams of 10 men and five women, ages 16 to 50.

"There are all sorts of people who play Ultimate Frisbee," Santana said.  "Frisbee is something that a lot of professionals play because you learn about it in college.  About 95 percent of the players have a college education."

Capt. Brandon Barker, a physician assistant who works in a clinic on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, began playing in the league after he returned from a deployment to Iraq last October.  He started playing Frisbee while at Fort Rucker and continued to play Frisbee during his deployment.

"In the military, Frisbee is like everything else," Barker said. "Some people spend a lot of time in the gym because it is a good stress reducer.  Ultimate is the same way."

Barker enjoys Ultimate because it is fast-paced and competitive.

"When you play you get pretty tired, but it keeps you physically fit," he said. "You are always on the move."

Staff Sgt. Chris Apgar, a U.S. Marine who is assigned to the 4th Landing Support Battalion at JBLM, started playing Ultimate Frisbee in 2002 in California.  Since then he started his own team while stationed at Cherry Point, N.C.  He searched online and found the team in Olympia, which he joined upon arriving at JBLM.  He also would like to start some pickup games at JBLM.

"Ultimate is a fun sport all around," Apgar said. "It defines true sportsmanship because people make their own calls.  I like the spirit of the game.  The people who play are usually laid-back and chilled."

Santana was drawn to the game for several reasons.  For starters, he likes that the game is co-ed and non-contact.  He also likes the physical exertion involved in the game.

"Ultimate is a very high-speed game, so it is a challenge," he said.

However, his favorite part is the cheer at the end of the game.  When a game ends, the teams think of a song to cheer the other team.

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