July 30--Many people have tossed around a Frisbee with friends at some point, but a lot of them probably think of it as casual recreation rather than an organized sport. A group of people in State College have discovered that Frisbee can be athletic and competitive as well as social.

Ultimate (also called ultimate Frisbee), is a limited-contact team sport played with a 175-gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby. Players may only move one foot while holding the disc.

Brian Rowan, a teacher at Centre Learning Community Charter School, said that State College has become a hot spot for "ultimate" with opportunities for players at the novice through advanced levels.

The State College Ultimate League, of which Rowan is a member, will host its 14th annual championship at 1 p.m. Sunday on Penn State's West Campus fields.

The State College Ultimate League has grown from a loosely organized league in 1997 to a structured 12-team league with more than 200 players drafted in May. Teams squared off against each other every Thursday evening throughout the summer, and every team makes the playoffs. A three-day playoff concludes on Sunday with the semifinals, finals and a league picnic. At the picnic, awards will be given out to the championship teams in addition to the most improved team and team with the best spirit.

The awards conclude with the presentation of The Spirit of the Game Award, given to the man and woman who best represent the values of ultimate Frisbee: dedication, sportsmanship and fair play.

According to the Sporting Good Manufacturing Association, ultimate was the second-fastest growing sport in the U.S. in the past five years, with about 5 million participants in 2009, and is seeing about 10 to 20 percent more players each year. There are a couple of reasons for the sport's growing popularity, said Mike Duffey, commissioner of the State College Ultimate League.

"First, ultimate is a relatively young sport, having gotten started in 1968," he wrote in an e-mail. "Second, it is a very inexpensive sport. All you need is some kind of field, something to mark the field (you can even use trees), a Frisbee, which costs about $10, and people!"

Competitive ultimate is played with a complete set of rules, Duffey added, but many people enjoy playing a very simple version of the game. The State College league welcomes players of all ages and experience levels, and the experienced players help the newcomers figure out what is going on, fit in and have fun.

"Virtually everyone can find a way to have a good time," he wrote. "Some people are more interested in the fitness, some in the competition, and some in the fun."

Pickup ultimate games will continue through the fall at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and 1 p.m. Sundays at the State College Area High School community fields. For more information, visit www.statecollegediscports.org. Stephanie Koons writes this weekly column featuring news and happenings in the Centre Region. Contact her at 235- 3927 or skoons@centredaily.com.

-----



To see more of The Centre Daily Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.centredaily.com.

Copyright (c) 2010, Centre Daily Times, State College, Pa.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail services@mctinfoservices.com, or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544).

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.