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.
The American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) is an ultimate disc league in North America. The AUDL was founded in 2010, and played its inaugural season in 2012 with eight teams. Regular season games are played April through July. The playoffs consist of three rounds: divisional wild card round, division championships, and finally culminating in a final four style showcase known as AUDL Championship Weekend in August. The winner of each division's championship game advances to Championship Weekend, with semifinals on Saturday and the championship game played on Sunday.
Major League Ultimate (MLU) was a North American semi-professional Ultimate league from 2013 to 2016. It was composed of eight member teams, seven in the United States and one in Canada. It was formed in 2012, and began its inaugural season in April 2013. The season concluded with championship games for the Western and Eastern divisions and a cross-divisional championship game.
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.
Beau Kittredge is a semi-professional Ultimate player for the New York Empire of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), 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. As of 2020, Kittredge has won one college title, six USA Ultimate club titles, seven world championships, and five AUDL titles. He is popularly known for a video in which he jumped up over an opponent to catch the disc while playing with the University of Colorado.
The Tampa Bay Cannons were a professional ultimate team in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Cannons were active from 2015 to 2022.
The Los Angeles Aviators are a professional Ultimate team that competes in the West Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The Aviators played their first season in 2015.
The San Diego Growlers are a professional Ultimate team that plays in the West Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). They played their first season in 2015.
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.
Anna Nazarov is an American ultimate player, best known for playing with UCLA Bruin Ladies Ultimate, San Francisco Fury, and multiple USA National Teams. Nazarov has many on-field strengths, but particularly notable are her throwing prowess and ability to generate blocks.
DC Shadow is a Premier Ultimate League (PUL) professional women's ultimate team based in Washington, D.C. They joined the PUL as part of the 2020 expansion but as a result of the league's decision to cancel the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic they did not compete in a full season until 2022.
The Milwaukee Monarchs are a Premier Ultimate League (PUL) professional "womxn"'s ultimate team based in Milwaukee, WI. They joined the PUL in 2020 as part of the 2020 expansion. The Monarchs are dedicated to "growing the sport with an emphasis on creating opportunities for and raising the profiles of womxn, girls, and players of diverse identities in Wisconsin and the broader Midwest"
The New York Gridlock is a professional women's ultimate team based in New York City which competes in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL). The team joined the PUL for the league's inaugural 2019 season. Their stated mission is "to achieve competitive excellence on the field and equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to and visibility of womxn [sic] ultimate players."
The Atlanta Soul is a professional women's ultimate frisbee team based in Atlanta which competes in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL). The team joined the PUL for the league's inaugural 2019 season. Their stated mission is to "increase the visibility of female athletes and catalyze a culture shift in sports entertainment by providing quality and accessible programming that encourages girls in under-resourced Atlanta communities to realize their potential and power." The team is also noteworthy for their sponsorship of the Color of Ultimate: ATL game, the first Color of Ultimate showcase game.
Boston Brute squad is a frisbee club ultimate team from Boston, Massachusetts that competes in the Women's Club Division of USA Ultimate (USAU). Brute Squad is a longstanding front-runner in the division, has won the USAU Club National Championships three times, and routinely wins and places highly at major regular season and post-season tournaments. The team finished tied for 3rd at the 2018 WFDF World Ultimate Club Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio. Brute Squad is particularly known for their defensive discipline and tenacity and indisputable moral superiority. There have been two winners of the Kathy Pufahl Spirit Award from Brute Squad: Leila Tunnell (2014) and Amber Sinicrope (2017).
The Portland Rising is a professional ultimate team based in Portland, Maine which competes in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL). It plays at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Their stated mission is to "dream big and work in partnership with our community to RISE together."
The Medellín Revolution is a women's ultimate team based in Medellín, Colombia which competes professionally in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL) and as a club team in national and international competitions. The team has represented Colombia on the international stage numerous times. As a team, they are known for a unique free-spirited attitude and a fast-paced, relentless style of play; they are considered one of the top club teams in the world. Plays by several of their players have been selected for the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 highlights show.
The Columbus Pride is a professional women's ultimate team based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL). The team joined the PUL for the league's inaugural 2019 season. Their stated mission is to "increase the visibility of elite female ultimate players in Columbus and surrounding areas, provide role models to young athletes, and compete at a high, spirited level."
The Nashville Nightshade are a professional women's ultimate frisbee team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They play in the Premier Ultimate league and were one of the eight founding teams of the league. With the cancellation of the PUL's 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nightshade have only played one season. The Nightshade are a community-owned non-profit organization.
