A Hands-On Experience: Ultimate Frisbee

Over the course of my Fall semester at the University of Iowa, I have been working on a story about the ever-popular sport of Ultimate Frisbee. I attribute this sport to Dodgeball in the sense that it kind of sprouted up out of nowhere (for me at least) despite having been around for decades.
I - and I'm not alone in thinking this - was under the impression that Dodgeball popularity really took off when the comedy movie starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughan hit the mainstream in 2004. After that everybody wanted to play dodgeball. Kids in my high school formed a team and went to Chicago for a weekend. They even managed to roll their SUV in the ditch and had one of the kids' parents come and give them another SUV to finish the trip.

Ultimate Frisbee is much that way for me too. When I got to Iowa, I knew nothing about it. I thought, wow, college students still play catch with a frisbee. Then I noticed just how many kids were playing and how popular it really was. I still couldn't understand what the draw was so I decided to make it my topic and do some investigating.

In the process, I thought to myself, hey maybe I should try playing Ultimate Frisbee. Just give it a chance and see what it's like. So I managed to get in with some guys in a few pick up games throughout November and I recorded my experiences from each encounter.

For the record, Ultimate Frisbee is pretty much like 7-on-7 flag football, except the game speed is more like soccer. You pass the frisbee and then you get a certain amount of time to get rid of it. If you drop it, it gets intercepted or knocked down, then it's a turnover. The game can be played on any kind of field, usually a soccer or football field, just so long as you have an endzone.

Note- I thought about having pictures taken, but quite frankly I didn't want anybody to have anything embarassing they could pull on me for future references.

November 4th- First day of Ultimate Frisbee. I am a little nervous considering I don't know most of these guys and I will have no idea what I'm doing....check that. I did look up the rules on the internet. Not that I understood what it meant, but it's effort. They hand out A's for that don't they?
After the game- Ow. I didn't realize how much running was involved in Ultimate Frisbee. I always regretted not being able to continue playing soccer after the 3rd grade, but if this is suppose to be easier than soccer then maybe I made a smart choice.

The guys seemed to be okay with my presence there. It could just be that they know what I'm there for and are "dealing" with me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not unathletic...I just can't throw a frisbee. At least not for this game.

November 9th- It's cold, but who cares Iowa beat Penn State last night and I wore shorts to the game. I'm going to work on getting the disc to somebody who can handle it better. I'm also going to wear pants today.

After the game- That went better. I didn't drop too many passes today and actually caught a pass for a score. I also managed to get to know some of the guys a bit better, although they still kinda look at me as an outsider.

November 13th- Back at it again. Today should be a little warmer, so I'm looking forward to that. The one thing I hate about playing in the cold is that my nose acts like I have a cold by the time I'm done. It really is hard to breathe when your nose is full of junk. My basketball coach never understood that. He always thought I was slacking. I just couldn't breathe out of my nose.
Try playing a sport with your nose plugged. There's a difference. Anyways, my goal today is to try and help my team win. So far I am 0-4. We've played more than 4 games, but we've also had enough guys each time that they'd replace people from the losing team. Kinda like how it works with basketball at the Field House.

After the game- Another goal accomplished. I went 1-2 today. No that's not good at all, but a win is a win. I am also starting to get the hang of some of the offensive stuff they do. It's more about creating a path to free a guy up to get him the frisbee as one of the responsibilities of a cutter. I scored a couple more times too. I have to admit, though, I am nowhere near the most athletic person on the field. A lot of those guys are quick and can jump pretty well. They also must be good at football because there have been some pretty amazing catches.
It sounds like next week will be it for me.

November 20th- This is going to be my last game...for now. The guys wanted to get one more game in before Thanksgiving break. It's gonna be chilly, but I'm up for it. My only goal going in is to not get hurt. Of course that's been my goal all along, but since it's the last game there's no need to put anything else at a greater priority.

After the game- My most successful outing. I went 2-1 with my teams today. My ankles are sore of course, but the good news is that I'm injury-free otherwise. It's a good thing they're done too because the ground is getting pretty solid. I hit it a couple times today and it felt more like landing on gravel and dirt than on soft grass. I guess that's what astroturf feels like (maybe I'm wrong on that assumption but oh well).

Overall, I'd say my experience with Ultimate Frisbee was very eye-opening. I have a newfound respect for the game and I wouldn't mind finding people to play it again. I don't intend to keep working on it to perfect my craft like I do with basketball, but maybe I'll practice tossing a frisbee around more often. I still suck at throwing the dang thing. It's not like I'm throwing a ball with my opposite hand, I can throw a frisbee straight for miles. The problem is you don't want to throw a frisbee straight for miles. The field is only like 70 yards long. Also I never did keep track of how many "trick-throws" I attempted that saw the frisbee land immediately in the ground in front of me. I think I made more people laugh at me in one game than times I had the frisbee in my hands that day.
It was a fun experience and it was nice to meet new people. I am not the most social person in the world. In fact I am very shy when it comes to trying to talk to people, mainly because I am not a smooth talker, but nonetheless I was able to learn about other people's experiences and have a good time. I learned how to play a game I came in knowing almost nothing about. All in all I am glad I decided to investigate the sport of Ultimate Frisbee.

Vikings Hammer Cardinals, 35-14

Minnesota is looking pretty good right now. There was a time there in between the 3rd and 4th quarters that fans may have gotten a little nervous when the Arizona Cardinals cut the lead to 14 after Minnesota posted a 28-0 lead at half. Yet the Vikings settled down and took care of business, picking up a huge win on the road to stay a game ahead of the Chicago Bears in the NFC North division race.

The Vikings dominated in all phases of the game....well except for the passing yardage of course. Kurt Warner has 270 yards passing, 1 TD and 1 INT to lead the Cardinals.

Speaking of which, much-maligned quarterback Tarvaris Jackson got the nod for Minnesota today over the injured Gus Frerotte. Jackson went out and, in my mind, totally redeemed himself with a very solid performance going 11-for-17 for 163 yards and 4 touchdowns. Not bad for his first start since week 2.

Adrian Peterson continued to add to his growing list of accolades with a 28-carry, 165-yard performance. Peterson set franchise records for most 100 yard games in a season (his ninth with today's) and most rushing yards in a single season (1,578) breaking Robert Smith's record set in 2000. Peterson also continues to lead the NFL in total rushing yards. Next week's match-up against Atlanta will be a showdown of the NFL's top two rushers.

The Vikings receivers also had a field day against the Cardinal secondary. Bobby Wade, Sydney Rice, Chestor Taylor and Bernard Berrian all had touchdown receptions. Berrian put the Vikings on the scoreboard first in the 1st quarter when he took an Arizona punt 82 yards to the house and the Vikings never looked back from there.

The Vikings defense really stepped it up today as well. I'll admit I was worried how the secondary would handle Arizona's passing attack, but Minnesota shut the Cardinals out in the first half and that's just the second time that's happened to Arizona this season. Arizona also avoided setting a record for fewest rushing attempts in a game, managing only 43 total yards on the ground on 7 carries.
Chad Greenway and Jarod Allen had strong outings yet again for the stout Vikings' D. Greenway led the team with 7 tackles and Allen had two sacks for yet another multiple sack game this season.

Minnesota has now improved on last year's 8-8 record picking up their ninth win of the season. The Vikings can clinch the NFC North division title with a win over the Atlanta Falcons or a Bears loss next weekend. However, it is easier said than done as Atlanta also boasts a 9-5 record coming from perhaps the toughest division (NFC South) in the NFL. Not only that, but the Vikings close the season against the New York Giants. I would not like the Vikings to be in the position of needing to beat the Giants at the Metrodome in order to not only win the division, but to even make the playoffs all together.
But again, all can be avoided if the Bears would lose to either the Packers or Texans in the final two weeks.

NFC North Recap- week 14

Chicago 23, Jacksonville 10- The Chicago Bears did their part to stay in the NFC North race by knocking down the disappointing Jaguars, who are now 4-9 on the season after a trip to the playoffs last year. Robbie Gould drilled three field goals and Kyle Orton found his groove again going 20-of-34 for 219 yards, 2 TDs, and an interception to pace the Bears. Chicago cannot afford to slip up, however, from here on out. Thursday's game against the New Orleans Saints is a must-win for the Bears if they have any hopes of a. winnning the division and b. making the playoffs.
Next game: New Orleans (7-6) at Chicago (7-6)

Houston 24, Green Bay 21- Kris Brown's 40-yard field goal as time expired may have pushed the Packers right out of playoff contention. At 5-8, Green Bay is essentially out of both the North division race and playoff consideration. The Packers would have to win out and hope for some upsets along the way. Houston put up 549 yards of offense at Lambeau Field including 414 yards and 2 TDs passing from a healthy Matt Schaub. Steve Slaton also rushed for 120 yards to lead the Texans (6-7). Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Grant did what they could to rally against the Texans in the fourth quarter after trailing for most of the game, but it was Houston that would have the last laugh.
Next game: Green Bay (5-8) at Jacksonville (4-9)

What does it mean for Minnesota?- Chicago's win didn't help the Vikings out any, but fortunately Minnesota took care of business on their own end with a 20-16 win over the Detroit Lions. Green Bay is pretty much done and more than likely will be after this week regardless whether they win or lose. Minnesota can actually clinch the NFC North division title this Sunday, but it's gonna take a loss from the Bears on Thursday to do so.
A Chicago loss to the Saints coupled with a Vikings win over the surging Arizona Cardinals could clinch the division title for Minnesota and assure them of their first playoff berth since 2004. This scenario stems from the two teams' records in NFC play. Chicago can still tie Minnesota at 4-2 in the division with a win over Green Bay, but the tiebreaker will be the conference records and a Bears loss will make it impossible for the Bears to catch up.
Of course the only thing the Vikings should be worried about is going to Arizona and taking care of business against a tough Cardinal team led by a potential MVP candidate in Kurt Warner. Minnesota could also extract some revenge for what the Cardinals did to the Vikings in 2003 when the Cardinals robbed the Vikings of a playoff berth on the last play of the last game of the season.

Vikings survive second scare from Lions

People just don't understand it. Being a life-long Vikings fan, I know what to expect from both the Vikings and the opponent they're playing. This is regardless of who is coaching or playing throughout the years, because they come and go, but for some reason it's just that franchise name that resounds with fans. It's what makes rivalries so great. People come and go but great rivalries live on because of the names and the traditions.

A few more traditions were upheld again today.

The Minnesota Vikings narrowly clipped the Detroit Lions 20-16 as usual, and the Detroit Lions lost a game. They go hand-in-hand, but losing has become a tradition for Detroit so I thought I'd at least bring it up.
The Lions are now 0-13 and are looking even more likely to become the first team to go 0-16 in NFL history. The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished 0-14 and own the monikor of worst team ever, but the Lions could eclipse them in the final three weeks of play.

Meanwhile, the NFC North division-leading Vikings improve to 8-5 now having won seven of their last nine games including a huge win last Sunday night against the Chicago Bears.
Green Bay lost to Houston so that almost undoubtedly eliminates them from playoff contention. I'll go into that later.

I knew from the start, and I was even telling people, that the Lions would challenge the Vikings. The Vikings' players even knew it would be a tough game. Even though Minnesota has now won 19 of its last 22 meeting with the Lions, it was going to be a tough game. Detroit traditionally plays Minnesota close win or lose no matter the record.

Not only that, but give Detroit credit. This is a team that is staring a winless season right in the face and they are not quitting. They tried to te best of their ability to win this football game today. Other teams could just roll over and accept being a loser. At least Detroit wants to go down fighting.

Minnesota was just the better-equipped team when it came down to it.

Game notes:

Gus Frerotte left late in the second quarter with an injury to his back putting Tarvaris Jackson, who originally was the Vikings' starter heading into the season, back into the spotlight. Jackson shined when he needed to especially in the fourth quarter with Minnesota trailing 13-10.
Frerotte finished 7-of-10 for 70 yards and two interceptions.

Jackson and Adrian Peterson helped march the Vikings down the field and the drive was capped off by a dump pass from Jackson to Visanthe Shiancoe for an 11-yard touchdown with 11:22 to go in the fourth to take the lead. Following a Ryan Longwell field goal that made it a four-point game, the Vikings' defense did the rest.

Jackson finished 8-of-10 for 105 yards and a TD, while Adrian Peterson eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the eighth time this year running for 102 yards on 23 carries. Chestor Taylor had 27 yards and a rushing TD as well.

The Williams Wall (Kevin and Pat- again no relation) was allowed to play against the Lions after a judge lifted the four-game suspension placed on them and four other NFL players earlier this week for taking a banned diuretic. Whether or not the Williams' will still be suspended is still to be determined and could even be slapped on them during the playoffs should the Vikings make it in.

Also of note, things got a little chippy early in the game when Gosder Cherilus of the Lions O-line went low on Vikings' defensive end Jarod Allen and injured his knee. Cherilus' hit was legal but it was a cheap shot nonetheless. The next play Moran Norris took a swing at Napolean Harris of the Vikings and Norris was ejected.
Allen was out for a short while but returned to finish with 5 tackles and two sacks proving that he is one of the toughest defensive ends in the game.