Twentieth-century sports writer Red Smith, a.k.a. “The Shakespeare of the Press Box,” once referred to 90 feet between bases as “the nearest to perfection that man has yet achieved.” If Alexander Cartwright shared this lofty assessment when he invented the modern baseball field in 1845, he did not show it by renaming the game.
What’s in a name? Plenty. Imagine if Cartwright had dubbed what would become the national pastime: “perfection.”
Evidently, any such restraint never met the founders of Ultimate.
Devised in the Northeast during the late 1960s, Ultimate is played with a disc more commonly known as the Frisbee. The game with the superlative title is a far cry, however, from your father’s foray into hooky on the quad.
In organized Ultimate, two teams of seven compete in games to 15 points, which are tallied by catching the flying disc in the end zone on a field configured much like one for football – thus the moniker, “Frisbee football.” Tackling and running with the disc, however, are no-nos.
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ULTIMATE
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Visit a city park here in Denver on the weekends, and you’re likely to see Ultimate in action. Like most pure forms of outdoor recreation, little in the way of gear is required. However, 2,000 miles from the orange cones at Washington Park, the game is taken both seriously and globally.
Eli Friedman, a 19-year-old student at the University of Colorado, is experiencing the ultimate in Ultimate this week. Friedman was one of 18 boys named to this year’s U.S. junior national team, which has been competing since Monday in the 2006 World Junior Ultimate Championships at Devens, Mass.
The five-day tournament showcases the world’s best junior players in the World Cup of under-20 Ultimate. When I caught up with Friedman by phone Thursday at the 13th biennial event, the United States squad had just won its semifinal match against Columbia, improving its tournament record to 8-0.
“On the men’s side there are eight teams, including the U.S.,” said Friedman as Australia and Canada competed for the right to play the Americans for the title. “And for the past four days we’ve been competing in what’s called ‘pool play.’ So far, we’ve been playing very well. … Tomorrow, we’re advancing to the finals.”
Not a bad showing for a kid who only learned the game a few years ago from some buddies as a sophomore at South Eugene High School in Oregon.
The finals are set for 9 a.m. MDT in Devens. To figure how Friedman fared, visit .
An online exclusive that runs each Friday, examines the memorable, less visible and lighthearted aspects of Colorado’s sports landscape. DenverPost.com sports producer Bryan Boyle can be reached at bboyle@denverpost.com.
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Eli Friedman, No. 7, marks a player from Finland during the U.S. team’s 17-1 victory Monday during pool play at the World Junior Ultimate Championships at Devens, Mass. Friedman is a 19-year-old student at the University of Colorado. |
