Active Since: March, 1996

The history of Oberlin Ultimate begins in 1833 when two young Yankee missionaries arrived at a stump-dotted Ohio clearing thirty-five miles southwest of the village of Cleveland . The Reverend John J. Shipherd and Philo P. Steward, inspired by the example of an Alsatian pastor, John Frederick Oberlin, resolved to found an Ultimate team on the Western frontier "to train handlers, longs and other players for the boundless most desolate playing fields in the West." 

The two set up cones in a clear patch of land. Nearby in a pasture, a herd of Flying Horsecows and a pack of Praying Manti were co-existing peacefully. The Horsecows were munching on some frisbees that had landed nearby, and the Manti, of course, were devouring the males of their species. A crowd of people quickly gathered, discs were thrown, "Seven on the line!" was called, and Ultimate at Oberlin was born. 

Ultimate has been played at Oberlin College for a long time. None of us knows exactly how long, but 25 years sounded like a good number, so there you have it. The men's team is known as The Flying Horsecows, the women's as The Praying Manti. In recent history, both teams have been in the upper echelon of the Central Region. The Manti qualified for Nationals for the first time in 1997.

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» Roster (.pdf)

» Fall 2007 Photo Gallery

WHAT IS ULTIMATE?

Combining the non-stop movement and athletic endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football, a game of Ultimate is played by two seven-player squads with a high-tech plastic disc on a field similar to football. The object of the game is to score by catching a pass in the opponent’s end zone. A player must stop running while in possession of the disc, but may pivot and pass to any of the other receivers on the field. Ultimate is a transition game in which players move quickly from offense to defense on turnovers that occur with a dropped pass, an interception, a pass out of bounds, or when a player is caught holding the disc for more than ten seconds. Ultimate is governed by Spirit of the Game™, a tradition of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the players rather than referees. Ultimate is played in more than 42 countries by hundreds of thousands of men and women, girls and boys.

DEFINITION OF THE SPORT OF ULTIMATE

" What is Ultimate?" as defined by the UPA Board of Directors? The UPA umbrella is broad but does not cover every disc-related sport. The UPA Board of Directors believes that one key factor that defines ultimate is that the players need to be the ones in control, even if it's a professional league, even if there are referees, even if it's played on sand with 4 players to a team. The definition developed by the Board at the 2001 Strategic Planning Meeting is as follows: "Player defined and controlled non-contact team sport played with a flying disc on a playing surface with end zones in which all actions are governed by the 'Spirit of the Game.'"

ULTIMATE IN 10 SIMPLE RULES

1 The Field: A rectangular shape with end zones at each end. A regulation field is 70 yards by 40 yards, with end zones 25 yards deep.
2 Initiate Play: Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective end zone line. The defense throws ("pulls") the disc to the offense. A regulation game has seven players per team.
3 Scoring: Each time the offense completes a pass in the defense's end zone, the offense scores a point. Play is initiated after each score.
4 Movement of the Disc: The disc may be advanced in any direction by completing a pass to a teammate. Players may not run with the disc. The person with the disc ("thrower") has ten seconds to throw the disc. The defender guarding the thrower ("marker") counts out the stall count.
5 Change of Possession: When a pass in not completed (e.g. out of bounds, drop, block, interception), the defense immediately takes possession of the disc and becomes the offense.
6 Substitutions: Players not in the game may replace players in the game after a score and during an injury timeout.
7 Non-contact: No physical contact is allowed between players. Picks and screens are also prohibited. A foul occurs when contact is made.
8 Fouls: When a player initiates contact on another player a foul occurs. When a foul disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the possession was retained. If the player committing the foul disagrees with the foul call, the play is redone.
9 Self-Officiating: Players are responsible for their own foul and line calls. Players resolve their own disputes.
10 Spirit of the Game: Ultimate stresses sportsmanship and fair play. Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of respect between players, adherence to the rules, and the basic joy of play.

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