Frisbee clung to the chest a glance over the shoulder is made, then a fake out step to the right followed by a 180 degree pivot to the left and a strong right foot lunge leaves the defender off balance. Arm comes back and extends in one beautiful motion, allowing the frisbee to soar over the heads of many across the field. The familiar woosh is heard by the receiver and they sprint to the end zone not letting the disk out of sight. As the frisbee descents and the defender comes near a power step is made by the receiver and they fly up snatching the frisbee from the sky and bringing it back down to earth. The point has been made and the defender says “nice job” with a smile before proceeding to his team’s side of the field to start another play.

The high intense sport, ultimate frisbee, is not only known for how fun it is but also how well respected players are with one another on the field. It is for reasons like this that sophomores Jacob Ploeger, and Erik Atwell set out to start a new ultimate frisbee team last school year. Both boys came from Kealing and were unsure of how many people they could get to join but now with about 14 players now on their team they plan on having a good spring season.

“Last year we won spring league because everyone else went to state. This year we are seventh overall and lose to teams by such a small margin that if we had more players or endurance we could beat those teams so this year’s goal is make it top five at spring league and top 10 at state,” Ploeger said.

The team is still looking for new players to help them improve more and more.

“Ultimate is a fun game and we are open to all players; if you are athletic and have time we would love for you to come out and play even if you barely know how to play we will teach you and you will get better and have a fun experience while you are at it,” Ploeger said. “We are a fun team always enjoying ourselves and others and we would love to see many other participants to grow our team.”

Ploeger himself has been playing the sport for years and found a love for it.

“When I was a little kid I had neighbors who taught me how to play so I joined a club team in the third grade and haven’t stopped playing since then. This was my first real sport I loved even though I have played over seven sports,” Ploeger said.

Because Ploeger had been playing ultimate for years by now so he, alongside others, was able to teach newcomers about the sport.

“At first when I started to play I would get pretty frustrated because I was really bad at it and it made me feel like I wanted to quit but my friend Will Hongman kept me from quitting,” sophomore Erick Rodriguez said.

Hongman would spend every lunch period for about thirty minutes to help Rodriguez improve.

“He taught me that it is not about strength because most people think it is. It’s more about your posture and the technique than how hard you throw,” Rodriguez said.

And while it may take a while to learn a new throw some ultimate players love that there is so many different ways to play.

“I enjoy ultimate because it is so unique since all of the techniques of all the throws are different. There is always more to learn. Also the community around the sport is really friendly but the games still remain competitive,” Atwell said.

The sport is a very respectful one and most teams are known for their level of respect on and off the field.

“It is self refereed and played by the spirit of the game rules. When I play I always have a good attitude and a smile on my face unless the other team is being bad sports and being disrespectful,” Ploeger said.

The Bowie team not only carries themselves as respectful for the rules and the other teams when they play but they also give each other a more enhanced experience because of it.

“I feel energized and happy when I play ultimate mostly because the dynamic of the game needs people who are not only competitive but also spirited,” Atwell said.

UPDATE: Since this story has been written, the team has gone on to