Ultimate

Ultimate (or Ultimate Frisbee, as it is sometimes called) is the sport that gets all of my athletic attention. I used to play lacrosse and rugby (and everything else) but I got my eighth concussion and had to quit contact sports. I have since found Ultimate, and I love it. This page amasses everything I know about the game. Most, if not all of this was taught to me by the players of the Toronto Ulimate Club. Some of the more notable teachers are John Harris, Sebastien Millette and Monica Kerr, as they got to me early enough to stave off bad habits before they could get entrenched. Specific tips or strategies will be given their proper attribution if I can remember it, and if I forget you, email me and we'll fix it.

One of the things that makes this game so great is an innovation called "the Spirit of the Game". The essence of this rule, which is the primary rule in Ultimate, is that you must play with integrity and respect for yourself and others. I have played sports where the whole point is to see what you are able to get away with. In Ultimate there is the possibility that an unprincipled player could do whatever they want, but such actions may well result in people refusing to play with them--sometimes immediately and sometimes after others have noted their behavior and decided that it is unacceptable. Still, in the majority of cases the fact that there are no referees and you are expected to make an honourable call makes for a game of tremendous sportsmanship. John Harris, as mentioned above, is the quintessential ambassador of spirit and he has taught me and countless others the value of spirit on the field, and in any conversation with him you realize that this sense of integrity and fair play is something that he carries with him off the field.