Sports

SPUltimateGame416/400

Cole Donat

The Frisbee Game

Ultimate Frisbee is not technically a sport. Under the Columbia High School (CHS) guidelines Ultimate Frisbee, or ‘Ultimate’ as it is referred to for copyright purposes, is a club activity. On the evening of May 31st, the players on the Columbia Ultimate Frisbee team made a powerful argument that a club can be more than an official sport. CHS varsity ultimate played  their longtime rival team Westfield in what many thought to be their final game of the season- the state championships. Unlike the usually sparse bleachers that a football or lacrosse game will barely fill, the spectators for ultimate came in droves, filling the stands end to end. They did not leave disappointed. “I’m not really a sporty person, but the one game I go out to see- this game- is the best sports event all year” said Lewis Busch-Vogel, ‘19.

Westfield went off to a strong start, and by halftime had a 7-2 lead on Columbia. “They were in our heads, and Westfield tries to get in your head. That’s how they play.” said Jack Abramson, ‘19, and a player on the CHS team. A catchphrase around the ultimate field is ‘[explicative] Westfield’, due to their psychologically destructive and frustrating style. “[explicative] Westfield”, said Abramson. However, CHS showed as much mental endurance as they did physical and maintained an optimistic attitude. Dominating the field after the halftime break, CHS scored steadily to make the score 12-12. Tied at match point and running out of time, Westfield attempted to call out a time out and run down the clock, but failed due to technical violations. The tie held long enough to keep spectators on the edge of their seats.

After an astounding comeback from a point deficit of five, and a tie at 12-12, Ben Harris, ‘19, scored to win the game for CHS 13-12. In the ultimate lexicon, the phrase “Universe Point” is used to describe a tie at 12-12, where it only takes one point to win the game. “I think that they call it that because it feels so important” said Abramson. Whenever a universe point occurs, spectators are sure to be on their feet. The game ended on a movie-worthy note after the field was rushed by fans.

Ultimate was invented at Columbia High School, there is a plaque in the senior lot commemorating where the first games were played. CHS does not usually take significant pride in many sports, we don’t have a state winning football team or a tennis team to rival Newark Academy. CHS Ultimate made it further this year than many official sports, maybe it deserves more recognition than just a club.

Photo Credit: William Padilla