Ultimate Ultimate Frisbee

The sun spins heat into the atmosphere, a dry breeze sweeps by your face, and you inhale, eyes squinting. As you open your sight to the day that bursts forth in immaculate brightness, you wonder what to do with this beautiful time that blesses you each instant you sit in its glory. A whirring noise catches your ears, and what happens? A Frisbee catches your glance. An idea strikes - Ultimate Frisbee!

Materials:

Of course you'll need yourself, some good catchers and defensive players on your end (of all ages and of all sizes; now don't discount the shorter players because they tend to be fleet footed and a wildly defensive troupe). It doesn't much matter the size of each team, just so long as each side has the same amount of players (but, remember - the more that play, the more chaos and fun that ensues).

So, gather at least ten cones, or whatever markers you can find (can be bases or gloves), and make sure the length of your field is a good thirty to fifty yards long. Mark off center field with two cones (markers) on each width end, and mark out the goal boxes with four cones each, forming a rectangle on each opposing end. This is where the Frisbee is caught for points.

Also, if you want to get really stylish with the game, you can pick up the titled "Ultimate Ultimate Frisbee" at your local store.

And, you might want to harvest some pennies while you're at it (you know, the jerseys with different colors so you can differentiate between teammates).

And, what's the vital ingredient to this game? It is the love of the game, and the determination for the win. This is a sport where countless underdogs strive to contain professional teams, and this is the sport where heart wins it all.

Now, after we've established cone-geometrics and underdog glory, make sure you have some water, Gatorade, or some refreshing popsicles for this summer's day. Oh, and an audience always makes for a fun crowd, so pull on your sneakers, get muddy, and hone your Ultimate Frisbee skills.

Step-by-step:

First, you and the opposing captain will have to pick teams. After this, comes the "Rock-paper-scissor duel" or any way the captains select which team throws the Frisbee first. Personally, the best two out of three "Rock-paper-scissors duel" dominates all selection processes because of the quibbling that ensues. However you choose to play the game, stay focused . . . remember - paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and cherry bomb beats them all.

Thirdly, comes the lineup of champions. If you are on the team receiving the glorified Ultimate Frisbee, make your team line up in a uniform manner; some teams favor the tall-short approach, maximizing potential hang time in the back with its taller teammates (because the usual first throw of the game tends to fly far back into "No man's land"). Or, the team can line up based on erratic and random patterns, known as the "Randomocity" factor. This works just as well. Now, if you are on the team throwing the Frisbee, make sure your thrower has a wicked fling because the idea of the game is to keep the other team running. Then, place your fastest people in the front lines and your taller people somewhere in-betwixt them and cones of the goal line.

Finally, yell, "Ultimaaaaaaaate!" And, this is the thrower's cue to launch the Frisbee through the thick heat of summer and into enemy lines. After the chaotic call of the Ultimate Frisbee, everyone races forward into nemesis territory, battling to keep the other team from advancing the Frisbee within three steps (when a person catches a Frisbee from another team, they are only allowed three steps to move, and if the person surpasses this movement, the Frisbee turns over to the opposing team). Thus, jumping, flailing arms, sprinting wildly, and distractions are all a bang up way to keep the opposing team from scoring (double or triple teaming, depending on the size of the masses, conquers many a professional foe).

Remember, the lines that you created with the cones (the width markers) are boundaries, so if someone catches a Frisbee outside these boundaries, the Frisbee goes to the opposing team. Another thing: if you are defending, you can swat, block, intercept, or receive the Frisbee at any opportune moment, giving your team possession of the Frisbee.

Finally, score by lobbing the Frisbee over your goal line and into the rectangular section marked off on the opposite end of the field. By succeeding in this, you become the Ultimate Frisbee Ultimate Champions, tallying up a point for every time this results.

So, next time the Frisbee whizzes by, whistling the tune of summer in your ear, pick up that floppy disk and make a game out of it. One thing's for certain - the best friend of summer days is watching the sun set behind the backdrop of an Ultimate Frisbee game.