On Sunday, Villanova Main Line Men’s Ultimate hosted a home scrimmage against Drexel University on the soccer fields on West Campus beating their opponents in two consecutive games. Although the team has existed since the 1980s, not much is known about the sport, itself, or the organization, including their two-time East Pennsylvania Conference championships from 2017 and 2018. The sport itself has a fascinating history dating back to the 1960s as a child of the American counterculture movement. 

“I always have a lot of fun playing frisbee with the team,” said Bo Spinnler, President of Villanova Main Line Men’s Ultimate and one of the team captains. “It was nice to be able to host a team like Drexel and get to experiment and refine our strategies and systems.” 

Noah George, a sophomore, comments similarly.

“We usually only play other teams during tournaments, so it was a great opportunity to play against a section rival in a non-competitive environment,” George said. “I think both teams had a lot of fun and I hope we can do it again soon.”

Once understood, following a game is simple. Beginning with a pull, the defense throws the disc to the offense to commence play on a rectangular field with two endzones. To score, the offense must catch a pass in the defense’s endzone. Teams switch directions after every goal, and the next point begins with the ‘pull’ by the team that just scored. The disc moves up and down the field via passes from player to player. Movement of the disc changes if a pass is intercepted, the disc falls to the ground or is knocked down by a member of the defense.

Although crowd support was minimal, Men’s Ultimate brought the energy themselves, acting as their own cheering squads, during pulls, especially. The beginning of the two-round crusade against Drexel began with a sway-like huddle and the rhythmic chanting of “El Camino,” in reference to the infamous Chevrolet vehicle—station wagon in the front, pickup truck in the back. Other team traditions include the announcing of a pull: as the disc is released into the air, the team shouts, “main,” concluding with “line” as the disc is caught by the offense. It seemed like a fun and creative way to bring energy, but keep every player off the field, especially, involved in the game.  

From a spectator perspective, Ultimate combines many aspects of different popular, professional games, including American football, soccer, and basketball. The element of communication, while important for all sports, is incredibly and intensely crucial for Ultimate. From the sidelines, players egged on their own teammates to talk to each other. Each play requires careful consideration of strategy, coordination, and trust in one another. 

The collective sentiment from the team is that Ultimate should gain popularity amongst athletic supporters on campus and notoriety as a legitimate club team. 

“If people know what it really is, not just tossing a disc around,” sophomore player Ryan Kryscnski says, “then it would be appreciated more. [It] has all the action we love in sports: tons of emotion, athleticism, amazing displays of skill, and tight, dramatic contests between teams.” 

More attendance at home scrimmages and tournaments, along with following the team on social media can help increase crowd support and provide the sport with the attention it deserves.