Although it has only existed for 43 years, ultimate frisbee has become one of the "fastest growing sports in the U.S.," as stated by the organization USA Ultimate.
Since the formation of the Ultimate Players Associate in 1979, college, women's, mixed, masters and youth divisions have been introduced around the country--accumulating more than 30,000 members as of last year.
Ultimate has become popular among college students, Auburn University included.
Though the season doesn't officially begin until spring, the high-energy sport still keeps students like Katie Cuson, junior in applied-mathematics, occupied.
"It's not really an official intramural sport, but it's more of a club sport," Cuson said. "We're considered a club team. We travel to other states and play different colleges."
The Auburn team calls themselves the "Tiger Lillies."
In previous months, the team has traveled to Arkansas, Tallahassee, Huntsville, Gainesville, Georgia, Texas and Tuscaloosa for competitions and tournaments.
"Georgia has a really good team," Cuson said. "So does Georgia Tech and Emory. The University of Alabama just got a women's team last year, and they're actually pretty good for being a first-year team. It's exciting."
Auburn's ultimate frisbee team is part of the Gulf Coast section, which includes Alabama, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Tulane University.
"We play those teams fairly often," Cuson said.
In the off-season, Cuson and her teammates are already working toward having a successful turnout.
"We're trying to go to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras tournament," Cuson said. "Hopefully, if we have enough money, it'll happen."
The team received $1,000 from the Auburn Recreation Department and according to Cuson, if they become an approved SGA organization, they get even more for their team.
Until then, they'll focus on practicing and recruiting strong teammates.
"A lot of girls sign up and then don't come," Cuson said. "That, or they'll come for a couple days and then just stop showing up."
Next year's competing team will feature eight veterans and one graduate student from the University of Georgia.
"I expect to have a total of at least 15 girls," Cuson said.
Cuson is eager to find walk-ons that are easily coachable and willing to learn.
"The more the merrier," said senior Anna Jenkins, also a dedicated Tiger Lilly and co-captain. "If you can't play, we'll teach you--no experience necessary."
Cuson and Jenkins feel a lack of experience keeps more women from signing up.
"A lot of people are really intimidated because they think if they can't throw the frisbee, then they can't play," Cuson said. "The hardest part is learning to throw the frisbee. If you throw every day for two weeks, you'll be fine."
Ultimate frisbee requires a great deal of athleticism and endurance. All of the Tiger Lillies come from some kind of athletic background.
"People don't think of it as a sport," Cuson said. "They should come and try and play and see how tired they get. The cardio is immensely harder than what people think. You need stamina and speed."
For those unfamiliar with the game, ultimate frisbee is played with two seven-player squads and a specialized 175-gram disc on a field.
The objective of the game is to score and accumulate points by catching a pass in the opponent's end zone.
The idea is similar to football, but most ultimate players argue that it resembles soccer.
"Even if you don't have to play the whole game, you're still sprinting a ton," Jenkins said. "You need hand-eye coordination to be able to catch the disc. It's also really, really hot, so you need to be used to running around. Sometimes, it's really cold and wet."
Adaption is only part of the game. Players must also learn to be patient and flexible.
Teamwork and supporting one another is a priority of the Tiger Lillies.
"If it's not thundering or lightning, we're playing," Cuson said.
Though it's specified as a no-contact sport, if players aren't careful they can suffer abrasions, concussions and even broken bones.
Despite its popularity, Cuson said people have mixed opinions about the sport.
"They'll say, 'Oh, it's just a hippie sport--let's smoke weed and play ultimate,' but that's what it was like in the '80s," Cuson said. "It's chill, but not that chill. It's definitely come a long way."
The Auburn Women's Ultimate Frisbee club will be available Wednesday and Thursday of next week on the Haley concourse from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. for those who are interested in joining or learning more about the sport.
"We try and stay in good spirits just to be a good example for other teams that are looking at us when we're wearing the Auburn name," Jenkins said. "We have a lot of fun together."
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