6.02.2006

Is Ultimate Frisbee a No-Contact Sport?

Nope. Not for me at least.
Ultimate Frisbee, for those of you who are so unfortunate as to have never played it, is a variation on a game of American football played with a Frisbee disc. The object is to pass the disc forward, backward, or sideways down the field and into the end zone for a touchdown. The catch is that when you have the disc you cannot move. If the disc touches the ground, the other team immediately takes possession. Because of this game's versatility, ease of play, and relative safety, it is extremely popular with many colleges and youth programs. It is the "official sport" of TeenPact. However, I found out the hard way on Memorial Day evening that Ultimate is not really a no-contact sport. At least it isn't when you are:
  • Playing at night
  • With a Disc Golf disc instead of an Ultimate Frisbee
  • On wet grass
  • On a small field
  • With 11-year-old girls who don't know how to throw a Frisbee
As my team advanced up the 10-or-so meter field, one of my sister's friends caught my pass and found herself blocked by another player. So, she decided to pass it to me. We were playing with a disc golf putter. Not only is this disc much harder to catch, but it also weighs between a quarter and a half a pound and is much more compact than a traditional frisbee. And, it was thrown at six feet in the air from only a few yards away at a speed that I didn't know the girl possessed. And I am six feet - and three inches - which places my eye level at approximately six feet in the air. Needless to say, I ended up in the Emergency room at 2 AM the day after Memorial Day with blurred vision, a bleeding face, a black eye, difficulty focusing or moving my eye, and a really bad headache. Plus sensitivity to light in both eyes and a host of other minor aches and pains - including the whiplash I got when the impacting frisbee made my neck snap back and threw me to the ground. One word: Ouch. Just a little update on the life of David S. MacMillan III....
Despite my aching head, I will be making a few more posts in the near future. They will tackle such tough subjects and questions as:
  • Do angels "live" in time or eternity?
  • Why this unscientific rebuttal is really quite absurd and depressing.
  • The Final Solution to the illegal immigration problem - you?
  • The discussion over my last post.
One thought to leave you with. So many high-level theologians are saying today that "The Gospel needs to be more relevant to the culture today." This is patently absurd. But hey! I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Here's relevant:
Yo: REPENT!
In Him, David S. MacMillan III

4 comments:

Silas said...

My brother broke my dad's leg playing ultimate frisbee.... so thats two examples.

Anonymous said...

LOL! (about the relevant gospel).

Ultimate Frisbee is the BEST game ever! And you're right - it isn't non-contact. My brother ran me over recently and that hurt!

Camille said...

Ouch! And I thought getting hit in the nose two weeks in a row was bad!

Shepherd said...

"Yo: Repent!"
That is just what I need! I have been wondering why I haven't been getting through to people, now I know why. lol.
There is a Christian Rap group named "Gospel Gangsta's", If that aint relevance for you, I don't know what is.

Man David, that is terrible about your ultimite frisbee experience. I am probably no better at throwing a frisbee than the 11 year old girls you were playing with, so I probably shouldn't. Hope that your injuries don't last. Dare I say: "Get well soon"?

See you soon David, (the 8th!)
~Shepherd Ahlers