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.
Sports in Canada consist of a wide variety of games. The roots of organized sports in Canada date back to the 1770s, culminating in the development and popularization of the major professional games of ice hockey, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, soccer, football and cricket. Canada's official national sports are ice hockey and lacrosse. Golf, baseball, tennis, skiing, ringette, badminton, cricket, volleyball, cycling, swimming, bowling, rugby union, canoeing, curling, squash, and the study of martial arts are widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels. Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, while the Lou Marsh Trophy is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete by a panel of journalists. There are numerous other Sports Halls of Fame in Canada.
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 New York Empire is an ultimate team in the American Ultimate Disc League based in New York City. The team is in the East Division of the league, and won its first AUDL title in 2019 then its second in 2022 and have won again for the 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 was a professional ultimate disc team, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, which competed in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). It was one of the eight charter teams in the AUDL, having competed in the league's Midwestern Conference since its inception in 2012. Originally based in Lexington, Kentucky, and playing as the Bluegrass Revolution, the Cincinnati Revolution moved to Cincinnati before the 2013 season. They played their home games at Sheakley Athletic Center, at the University of Cincinnati. As The Bluegrass Revolution, they played at Henry Clay High School in Lexington KY.
The Seattle Cascades are a professional ultimate team that competes in the Western Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) with an open roster. They also compete as a mixed squad in various exhibition games. The team is named after the mountain range that runs through the Pacific Northwest and their mascot is a sasquatch (bigfoot) named Casey. The team's stated core values are integrity, community, and athletic excellence.
The Carolina Flyers, formerly the Raleigh Flyers, are a professional ultimate team from Durham, North Carolina playing in the South Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association. The team was founded in 2015. From 2015 through 2018, the Flyers played most of their home games at Crusader Stadium on the campus of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, with some home games at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. In 2019, the team has played home games at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, and other venues. After the 2020 AUDL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team moved their home games to Durham County Stadium beginning in 2021. In 2022, the team announced that it was changing its name to the Carolina Flyers. The team had won the national title once in 2021.
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 American Ultimate Disc League. In July 2015, the Thunderbirds reached the playoffs in their first year of existence and beat the Chicago Wildfire before falling to the Madison Radicals in the divisional final. Standout player Tyler DeGirolamo, who set the AUDL season record with 89 assists in only 11 games played in 2015, was only able to play a few points against the Radicals before withdrawing with an injury.
The Oakland Spiders are a professional ultimate team based in Oakland, California. The Spiders are members of the West Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The team was founded as the San Jose Spiders in 2014 when the league expanded to the west coast, and played under that name until moving to Oakland in 2022. The Spiders won the national championship in their first season and became the first team in AUDL history to win consecutive titles when they defeated the Madison Radicals in the 2015 championship game.
The DC Breeze is an open professional ultimate team based in the District of Columbia, competing in the East Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The team first played in the 2013 season. The Breeze play at Carlini Field.
The 2016 American Ultimate Disc League season was the fifth season for the league. The twenty-six teams were split into four regional divisions, with each team playing a 14-game schedule. The second and third placed teams in each division advanced to a playoff match, with the winners facing the first placed team in their division. The winners of these matches advanced to the AUDL Championship Weekend, which featured semifinals and then a final for the AUDL Championship. The Dallas Roughnecks defeated the Seattle Cascades 33–27 in the final to become the 2016 AUDL Champions.
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 Westlake Chaparral Stadium. 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.
The Nashville NightWatch were a professional ultimate team from Nashville, Tennessee playing in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The team was founded in 2015 and folded after the 2018 season.
The 2019 American Ultimate Disc League season was the eighth season for the league. It began on April 5, 2019, and concluded on August 11, 2019, when the New York Empire defeated the Dallas Roughnecks to earn the team's first title. Ben Jagt of the Empire won his first league MVP award after the season. The season marked Steve Hall's first as league commissioner, and was the first with an all-star game for the league.
The Dallas Legion, formerly the Dallas Roughnecks are a professional ultimate team that competes in the South Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA). Founded in 2015, the team played their first year in the 2016 AUDL season, wherein they won the championship title.
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.
