The world of ultimate Frisbee has finally found its way to Madison College. After a year of trying to get a club team started, now President Tyler Charles finally has the club up and running.
In a city that is ultimate crazy, the sport is still vastly unknown.
“If people have free time and they’re bored, this is something to do. At least try out. A lot of people don’t really know about ultimate Frisbee, and once they actually see games, they’re like ‘Oh my goodness, this is awesome.’” said Charles.
The Madison Ultimate Frisbee Association’s (MUFA) participation increases every year. In the 2010 summer league, 2,867 players participated on 145 teams as compared to the 3,721 players on 188 teams this past summer.
The majority of participants are in their mid to late 20s with little ultimate experience outside of MUFA, in other words a stereotypical college student.
The college’s Ultimate Frisbee Club was inactive, so Charles said he decided, “We need to get this thing going. Every college needs a Frisbee team.”
Unlike most colleges that have two teams, one for men and one for women, the club at Madison College is co-ed.
As of now, the Club practices every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Burr Jones Park on East Washington Ave, but the times for fall practices are flexible in case a majority of the members are not able to attend practice.
While the number of players needed to play ultimate is only seven, most teams carry anywhere from 20-28 players depending on the league. Early estimates put club membership between eight and 14 members so far.
“It’s awesome. It’s a great way to stay in shape, and you meet a lot of great people,” Charles said about playing ultimate.
“I think it’s really easy to get involved and the people you meet, there’s plenty of good advice and a wide range of talent, so you can learn a lot of new things, and you can definitely match up with people the same skill level as you,” he said.
If you are interested in joining the Ultimate Frisbee Club at Madison College, contact Tyler Charles at [email protected] or call/text him at (207) 604-0171.
In addition to annual summer leagues, MUFA also has spring and fall leagues open to all ages and skill levels. To join a MUFA league or find out about pickup games around Madison visit www.mufa.org