2008 Woodie Awards
Ultimate Frisbee glides into Chico with style
By: Thomas Lawrence
Issue date: 10/29/08 Section: Sports
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See video of the 10th anniversary Fall Ultimate Classic at the bottom of this page
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Flannel shirts, trucker hats and alumni saturated the intramural fields at Chico State on Saturday and Sunday, celebrating the 10th anniversary Fall Ultimate Classic in Chico.
From Portland, Ore., to Santa Barbara, an array of club teams migrated to Chico for the ultimate Frisbee tourney to have some fun in the abnormally warm October sun and prove their worth against the West Coast's best.
Ultimate Frisbee includes several complex throws, including the backhand, the flick, the hammer and the "scoober" - which refers to scuba diving, said Chico State B-squad member Wyatt Yip. Touches on the passes include low release and high releases, with outside-in and inside-out angles.
There are three key elements that set apart success in Frisbee from success in other mainstream sports: experience, timing and heart, Yip said.
One of the highlights of the weekend, as always, was the game between current Chico State teams and the alumni.
The alumni took their younger counterparts to school, which is becoming a trend.
Ryan Watson, a fifth-year senior at Chico State and one of the captains of the A-squad, confirmed that the alumni had beaten them for the "fourth year in a row - that sucks."
Watson, though, seemed more concerned with soaking it all in.
"I think the atmosphere is a lot more spirited," Watson said, comparing ultimate Frisbee to conventional intercollegiate sports.
Chico State entered the tournament with five teams: alumni for men and women, the A and B men's teams and the women's group.
The women were competitive but finished ninth, and the men's B-team was constantly overmatched, losing every game.
The men's A-team played well, finishing sixth of 20 teams.
It was the alumni teams, though, that stole the show.
The women's alumni team took home the championship Sunday in a win against the University of Oregon alumni.
As the late afternoon turned into evening, the Chico State men's alumni took on the Humboldt State alumni in the title match.
The full personality of the weekend was felt with the respective teams' cheers permeating the air, adding intensity and humor in a bizarre mingling of the two senses.
"Cheech and Chong! Like my bong, I'm gonna smoke it all day long!" the Humboldt crew bellowed.
As for Chico State players, they simply paid homage to the great masculine hero Chuck Norris, shouting his name in unison. Ryan Montgomery, a recent graduate of Chico State, said his team rotates between male heroes for its chants and has often honored David Hasselhoff.
The competition went down to the wire before Humboldt won in overtime 15-13.
The fun and games weren't all on the field this weekend.
In the middle of the championship, one Humboldt alumnus squatted behind the sideline, on the edge of vomiting - his face as hot pink as the pseudo-skirt he was wearing.
"Too much booze? … running?" a teammate asked.
"Both," he said.
Thomas Lawrence can be reached at
tlawrence@theorion.com
10th anniversary Fall Ultimate ClassicVideo by Juan Aguilar
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