If you’ve never heard the terms cut, layout, flick, hammer, huck, flow, or pull in relation to a spring sport, that is soon about to change.
These terms are commonplace in describing various skills in the world of ultimate (formerly known as ultimate frisbee), which is set to become BFA Fairfax’s newest varsity sport during the 2018-19 school year. The Fairfax School Board voted at their January meeting to add the sport which, according to the Wall Street Journal “combines speed, grace, and powerful hurling at a grueling pace.”
In November 2017, the Vermont Principals Association unanimously approved ultimate as a varsity sport, making Vermont the first state in the nation to do so. Although it will be Fairfax’s newest offering in the school’s lineup of Varsity sports, ultimate is by no means new to the BFA Fairfax school community. BFA has fielded both boys and girls club teams for over a decade, garnering multiple Vermont state championships, as well as a girl’s national ranking in 2016. Over the years, ultimate has possessed some of the highest participation numbers of any co-curricular offering at BFA Fairfax, and the decision to attain full varsity status should only serve to maintain, if not boost those numbers.
What is ultimate? As a basic description, ultimate is played by teams of seven on a slightly smaller field than a football field. Teams score by passing a disc down the field with the intent of one of their own players catching it in the end zone. If the disc is dropped, possession goes to the other team. What makes ultimate unique is that it is non-contact, and officiated by the players themselves, even at the World Championship level. Responsibility for fair play is on the players, which is a valuable life skill unique to this exciting new sport.
The spring of 2018 will be as busy as ever for our ultimate club at BFA Fairfax. However, this final spring as a club will surely be one of increased excitement as our teams gear up to don BFA Fairfax maroon and white as our school’s newest varsity sport in 2019!
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