Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2015 - (Page 34)

The Ultimate GAME by Wesley Block I STAND CLOSE TO THE SIDELINE, WHERE I CAN SEE EVERY PLAYER ON THE FIELD. THEIR PATHS INTERSECT by Wesley Block IN SEEMINGLY CHAOTIC MOTIONS, BUT AMIDST THE CHAOS, THERE IS ORDER. AS ONE PLAYER MOVES AWAY FROM THE DISC, ANOTHER MOVES CLOSER, PERPETUATING A CONSTANT CYCLE OF CREATING AND FILLING OPEN SPACE. I AM A CUTTER, ONE OF FOUR PLAYERS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVADING DEFENDERS AND CATCHING THE DISC. I GLANCE AT MY DEFENDER AS HE WATCHES THE GAME UNFOLD. BUT HIS ATTENTION SHOULD BE ON ME. I TAKE OFF FOR THE END ZONE IN A FULL SPRINT. M y defender is fast, but it takes him a whole second to react to my sprint. I'm a few yards ahead, and I know I've got him. Twenty yards from the end zone, I raise my hand and look back at my teammate holding the disc. I yell, just in case he doesn't see me. With a flick of the wrist, he sends the disc flying. It's a beautiful throw, flat and straight to me. I prepare to catch it, but out of the corner of my eye, I see my defender run between me and the disc. He's fast-too fast, as it turns out. He can't stop himself and overshoots the disc, barely tipping it with his fingers. The disc begins to wobble, but I've practiced catching wobbly discs. Eyes focused, I track the disc all the way into my hands. I look around to see the four cones that mark the end zone. I'm in the center. Touchdown! Defining the Game I love Ultimate Frisbee. It's not basketball, with huge arenas, screaming fans, and loud buzzers. It's also not golf with its hushed silence. Players don't hit each other like in football, yet the game is physically demanding, requiring players to jump high and run fast for extended periods of time. What really makes Frisbee unique is that it has no referees. Players must be truthful about what happens on the field, demonstrating one of the key principles of the game: honesty. I am somewhat new to Ultimate Frisbee. Although I'd played the game in middle school gym class, I discovered a very different rendition of it when I joined the high school club. The club team played the real version of the sport: more complex, physically intense, and teamwork-intensive. For example, in the version played in many gym classes, players can take three steps while 34 imagine holding the disc, allowing them to advance the disc without having to rely on teamwork. At the first practice, I was surprised to find out how complex and physically demanding the game really is. Positions include handlers, who are the primary throwers; cutters, who run routes to escape from their defenders to try to catch the disc up field; and defenders, who do their best to stop cutters from catching the disc. There is also "the mark," the defender who tries to limit the handler's throwing ability. The rules themselves are pretty basic. Seven players are allowed on the field. The goal is to pass the Frisbee from teammate to teammate until one catches it in the end zone for a point. Players cannot run with the disc, and the handler has only 10 seconds to throw it. If the disc is thrown and not caught by a teammate for any reason (except in the case of a foul), or if the handler fails to throw the disc in the allotted time, a turnover is called and the defense takes possession. Teams typically play to 13 or 15 points. There's also a 90-minute time cap to ensure that the game doesn't run too long. The team that reaches the pre-determined score first, or that is ahead at the time cap, wins. In professional leagues, teams play four 15-minute quarters, with extra time in the event of a tie. In Pursuit of the Perfect Play One of my favorite aspects of Ultimate is the pursuit of the perfect play, that ESPN-worthy highlight. There are three moves a player can make that will set him apart from the rest. The most common of these, a layout, is attempted when the disc is just out of reach of the player trying to catch it. As the disc falls toward the ground, Nov/Dec 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2015

Big Picture
In My Own Words Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns
National Treasure Volunteering at the National Archives
Driving My Future, Exploring the Past The many rewards of genealogy
Past in Focus National History Day
People-Powered Movements Studying revolutions at Phillips Academy Andover
Hooked on History From paleontology to conservation science, four graduate students share their research
This is History My summer at Crow Canyon
The Benefits of Majoring in History
Making History My journey to the inaugural International History Olympiad
Historians in Training The Concord Review Summer Program
The Ultimate Game
In My Own Footsteps Putting my choreography in the spotlight
Selected Opportunities and Resources
Off the Shelf Review of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options Interview with archaeologist Inna Moore
One Step Ahead Be your own priority
Planning Ahead for College Choosing the best college for your major
Students Review: University of Washington
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2015