Ultimate Frisbee is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation, and its popularity is surging here at Evanston, where there is everything from pick up leagues to our very own Ultimate Frisbee team.

“It’s an up and coming sport that’s growing in numbers around the nation and right here in Evanston,” says Coach Matt Moran.

Although it is considered a club at ETHS, the Ultimate Frisbee team is a competitive sport that plays against teams like New Trier and Highland Park.

“Ultimate Frisbee is different from other sports. It’s a sport where one player can’t carry the team, but everyone needs to work together,” states junior Vanja Radulovic, a Serbian National Ultimate Frisbee team player.

Ultimate Frisbee practices at the field next to the Robert Crown center on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. A typical practice starts off with players warming up by throwing the frisbee back and forth as more players start to arrive to practice. After all the players have arrived, they run around the whole field and do some dynamic stretching, then learn and perfect their skills.

“After playing sports for most of my life, this is the one team where I feel like we are more of a family or group of friends, rather than just a team,” says sophomore Nick Carroll.

It is a low contact sport typically played on a football field with seven players at a time. To win, you have to reach the goal line by passing the frisbee without taking steps to each of your teammates.

“Players are responsible for making their own calls, so they really have to know the game and have good sportsmanship,” Moran says.

The ultimate frisbee team will compete at a major tournament called the Neuqua Knockout Tournament April 22-24 in Joliet.

“It’s one of the largest youth tournaments in the world. There will be 80 teams there from all over the country competing,” Moran explains.

This tournament is a great opportunity for the Ultimate Frisbee team to compete against teams that are not in their league. They will have the chance to play against new teams, which exposes the players to different skill levels.

“Ultimate is still very small in Serbia, there are a total of around six teams,” Radulovic states. “I also collaborate with the owner of 10 million discs to help spread the sport in Europe.”

The team has also had a stunning record in the past. Currently, they are undefeated in their league and last year they placed third place in state.

The team was formed in 2000 by ETHS students, and has flourished ever since. The current team is coed and has about 30 players, although it has been growing in size throughout the year.