Ultimate Frisbee club group flies into WMU

By Zeke Trezevant
Western Herald

Are you a former athlete looking for a place to release that competitive drive or a regular student looking for something fun to do in your free time?

Either way, Western Michigan University’s men’s club Ultimate Frisbee team, Dark Horse, is what you’re looking for. From superstars to wash-ups, everyone is invited to join.

Ultimate Frisbee is America‘s fastest growing sport. Some statistics show the sport to have had 4.9 million players as of 2008. It’s a sport that incorporates many other sports into it.

For you soccer junkies, Ultimate players are constantly on the move, much like players on the soccer field.

This is a sport that takes great conditioning. Soccer and Ultimate  are also similar in the way players pass to each other.

Basketball fans can see the similarities in the way defense is played.

Defenders in both sports have to shuffle their feet to be in good position. Basketball and Ultimate require “the same athleticism,” Dark Horse team captain and cutter, Mark Worsfold said.

Similarities are also apparent in the way a person guards the handler, it’s a lot like man-to-man defense on the point guard.

Ultimate is also similar to basketball in the sense that a player can only take enough steps to bring them to a stop once they catch the Frisbee. If a player takes more steps than is deemed necessary, they may have a travel called on them.

Football fanatics will love the way defense is played in Ultimate. Basically, Ultimate is seven-on-seven with a Frisbee.

In other words, no linemen, just the quarterback and skill positions. In Ultimate, they are called the handler and the cutter(s).

As a person who loves defense in football, seeing defensive highlights of Ultimate get my blood pumping.

The players can change up defensive schemes just like in football. From man-to-man defense to running a zone defense, defenders can break up a pass in Ultimate just like corner backs and safeties can in football.

Ultimate has steadily grown in numbers, especially at WMU. The increase in players has allowed Dark Horse to go to “more exotic places,” cutter Thomas Afton said.

The tournaments have sites such as Baton Rouge, La., and Saint Louis, Mo. For those of you who are looking for something to do in the winter months, there is a tournament during spring break.

This past year, Dark Horse played their spring break tournament in Savannah, Ga. Worsfold said he enjoyed the tournament because it “breaks up the [college] routine.” With more people expected to join this year, the locations will be even more impressive.

After placing fourth in the state of Michigan, Dark Horse plans not only to have more members, but also to take the club sport to new heights.

According to Worsfold and Afton, Dark Horse will be holding nightly pick-up games where potential players are invited to come out and experience the game in person.

No commitment is necessary.

Nightly pick-up will be taking place everyday during Welcome Week at 7 p.m. at the Intramural Fields.

During the season, practices take place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The first practice is Sept. 8 which will also take place at the Intramural Fields.

So, if you aren’t able to make it to one of the nightly pick-ups, stop by and check Dark Horse out during the season.

The first game will take place on Sept. 2 against the Eastern Michigan University Fighting Hellfish at 5 p.m.

Worsfold and Afton said the team is calling this their Showcase Game, so come on out and support Dark Horse.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Aug 29 2010. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com