The SB Ultimate Frisbee Club Prepares for January

SB Flow, Santa Barbara’s ultimate frisbee league, is preparing for an upcoming competition in Santa Monica Beach called “Beach of Dreams,” where schools and clubs from San Diego to the Bay Area compete in a bracket-type tournament.

Ultimate Frisbee is typically seven on seven with two teams on opposite ends of the field, similar to a football field. It starts out with one team throwing a frisbee across the whole field, and then the team that gets it has to work their way down to the end zone to score a point. One of the most important rules of the game is that you can only move while not holding the frisbee. According to Jim Ragetz, coach of the Santa Barbara ultimate frisbee club, “it’s like basketball that way, you have to pivot with it.” 

A turnover is when the frisbee touches the floor, flies out of bounds, or an opposing player catches it. Then the opposing team starts from wherever the turnover took place. Some rules depend on the tournament. For example, the game may be timed, or according to Coach Jim, “Some tournaments do it [scoring] by time, usually it’s by points. I’d say the most common is something like 13 points, maybe 15 points.” The final element is the place they play, as Beach or regular Ultimate. Beach Ultimate, which is four on four and played until time runs out.

The SB Ultimate club has been practicing for the Santa Monica tournament under the leadership of Coach Ryan Cey. Here is what a regular practice would look like under his coaching: first, the players warm up by jogging around the field and stretching. Then, they do catching and throwing drills. Secondly, they will do one or two kinds of strategy drills/plays. And finally, they will finish the day scrimmaging.

Three players on the team were asked about their favorite moment on the team so far, and they said, “There are a few moments, but so far it’s been when we play against Cate and Dunn […], which are nearby private schools.” Another player answered, “Stuff like team dinners, and it’s just coming back from the summer.” When asked about when they started playing Ultimate, they said, “So, both of my parents played, and they’ve been playing for a long time. I’ve been throwing since I was like two years old.” They also answered, “In 7th grade, I joined the junior high team. And in 8th grade, I joined the high school team. And like, that just kind of doubled the fun.”

If you would like to join the team, go to their website sbyouthultimate.org or come to one of their many practices from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.