Ultimate, originally known as ultimate frisbee, is a non-contact team sport played with a disc flung by hand. Ultimate was developed in 1968 by Joel Silver in Maplewood, New Jersey. Although ultimate resembles many traditional sports in its athletic requirements, it is unlike most sports due to its focus on self-officiating, even at the highest levels of competition. The term "frisbee" is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company, and thus the sport is not formally called "ultimate Frisbee", though this name is still in common casual use. Points are scored by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone. Other basic rules are that players must not take steps while holding the disc, and interceptions, incomplete passes, and passes out of bounds are turnovers. Rain, wind, or occasionally other adversities can make for a testing match with rapid turnovers, heightening the pressure of play.
Flying disc sports are sports or games played with discs, often called by the trademarked name Frisbees. Ultimate and disc golf are sports with substantial international followings.
Canadian Ultimate Championships (CUC) is an annual Ultimate Frisbee tournament organized by Ultimate Canada and the player association of the city where the championships are held. Until 2016, all divisions were hosted in the same location. Beginning in 2016 the mixed divisions have been held as a separate event.
Ultimate Canada is a not-for-profit organization that serves as the governing body of the sport of Ultimate in Canada. It runs the Canadian Ultimate Championships (CUC) and Canadian University Ultimate Championship (CUUC) series.
The Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA), formerly the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), is a professional ultimate disc league that consists of 24 teams divided between the South, Central, East, and West divisions. The UFA is located in North America. Each UFA season has 12 regular season games which run from April to July. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the top three teams from every division advance to the playoffs, a single elimination tournament that culminates in a final four style showcase known as the UFA Championship Weekend, which is contested in late August over two days.
The Philadelphia Spinners were a professional ultimate team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were founded in 2012 by Katrel Kelly and David Fitzgerald as a team in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), but then moved to Major League Ultimate (MLU) in 2013. They played in the MLU until the league was suspended in 2016. The team played in various stadiums throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
The Philadelphia Phoenix is a professional ultimate team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a member of the East Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA). The Phoenix are currently owned and operated by Main Line Today's "Woman on The Move" Christina Lee Chung, MD, FAAD. From 2020 to 2021 the team competed in the Atlantic Division. The Phoenix home field is located on the campus of Neumann University.
The New York Empire is an ultimate team in the Ultimate Frisbee Association based in New York City. The team is in the East Division of the league, and won its first title in 2019, its second in 2022 and its third title in 2023. The Empire played its first season in 2013.
The 2012 American Ultimate Disc League season was the first season for the league. Each team was scheduled to play a 16-game schedule. The Philadelphia Spinners won the championship over the Indianapolis AlleyCats at the Pontiac Silverdome. After the season all but three teams left or folded.
The Cincinnati Revolution were a professional ultimate disc team based in Cincinnati, Ohio who competed in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), now known as the Ultimate Frisbee Association, from 2012 to 2016. The Revolution played in the AUDL's Western Division in 2012 and in the Midwestern/Midwest Division from 2013 until their dissolution in 2016. They played their home games as the Bluegrass Revolution in 2012 at Henry Clay High School's Jack Bell Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, and as the Cincinnati Revolution from 2013 to 2016 at the University of Cincinnati's Sheakley Athletics Center.
The Madison Radicals are a semi-professional ultimate team that competes in the Central Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association. The Radicals play their home games at Breese Stevens Field in downtown Madison. Since the team's inception in 2013, they have won five regular season divisional titles in eight seasons. After losing in the AUDL championship games in 2013 and 2015, the Radicals claimed its first championship in 2018. Madison also hosted AUDL Championship Weekends in 2016, 2018 and 2022, winning the championship in 2018.
The Pittsburgh Thunderbirds are a professional ultimate team that competes in the Central Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association. They play their home games at Highmark Stadium, a soccer stadium in Pittsburgh's Station Square.
The Chicago Union is a professional ultimate team that competes in the Central Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association. The team was originally branded as the Windy City Wildfire. In their first year, the Wildfire had the best record in the then-Midwest Division and qualified for the playoffs in its first three seasons. They play home games at Martin Stadium on the campus of Northwestern University.
The Austin Sol is a professional ultimate team from Austin, Texas playing in the South Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association. The team was founded in 2016, and played its first match on April 2, 2016. The Sol play their home games at The Pitch. The owner and general manager of the Sol is Patrick Christmas, the head coach is Steven Naji, and the assistant general manager is Ryan Purcell.
The Atlanta Hustle is a professional ultimate frisbee franchise based out of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. They compete as one of 25 teams in the Ultimate Frisbee Association, playing in the league's South Division.
Beau Kittredge is a former Ultimate player, author, illustrator, and mobile video game entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the greatest Ultimate players of all time, noted for his top-end speed and athleticism. Kittredge won one college title, six USA Ultimate club titles, seven world championships, and five AUDL titles. He also won the AUDL Most Valuable Player award twice. He is popularly known for a video in which he jumped over an opponent to catch the disc while playing with the University of Colorado.
The Premier Ultimate League (PUL) is a professional women's ultimate disc league that formed in 2019. The mission of the PUL is "to achieve equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to the sport for, and visibility of women, transgender, intersex, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid people through high-quality competition, leadership experiences, and community partnerships". The league strives for gender, racial, and economic diversity in the sport of ultimate frisbee. PUL players are paid $40 per league game.
The Salt Lake Shred are a professional ultimate disc team based in Salt Lake City, Utah who compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association's (UFA) West Division. They play their home games at Zions Bank Stadium, a soccer stadium in Herriman, Utah.
The Colorado Summit are a professional ultimate disc team based in Golden, Colorado who compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association's (UFA) West Division. They play their home games at the Colorado School of Mines' Marv Kay Stadium.
