Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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28 UCW MAY 16-22, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS Cape Fear athletes flock to Ultimate Frisbee by EARL VAUGHAN JR. EARL VAUGHAN JR., Sports Editor. COMMENTS? EarlUCWSports@ gmail.com. 910-364-6638. When Cape Fear athletic director Matt McLean came to assistant football coach Joe Grates with the idea of starting a team in something called Ultimate Frisbee, Grates first thought it was a joke. But when he had an interest meeting and 100 students showed up, he realized there might be something to it. Cape Fear recently completed its first season in a Raleigh-based Ultimate Frisbee league, compil- ing a 9-4 record and finishing fifth place in the 16-team league. Ultimate Frisbee is a hybrid sport that combines elements of football, basketball and soccer accord- ing to Grates. It's played on a field about half the size of a football field and involves advancing a Frisbee down the field and moving it over the goal line to score a single point. Games usually take about 90 minutes to play, and the first team to 15 points is the winner. Moving the Frisbee up and down the field is the complicated part. "Once you catch the disc, you can't run with it,'' Grates said. Just like in basketball, you can be called for traveling, but you are allowed to keep your pivot foot in place and turn while standing on it. You advance the disc with short or long passes to teammates. Another tricky thing is this is a no-contact sport. You can defend and impede the progress of op- posing players, but not by bumping or jostling them around. rowing the disc may be the biggest challenge, Grates said. "ere's two types of throws, backhand and forehand,'' he said. e backhand, or flick, is the tougher of the two. "It's a skill and has to be prac- ticed,'' he said. "It's not as easy as it looks.'' ere are five players per team on the field at a time, no officials. "It's totally self-governed by the kids,'' Grates said. "ey have to resolve disputes on their own. at's kind of the spirit of the game.'' Grates had about 18 players on the team as the season was winding down, and there was quite a mix as far as the types of players. "We've got football players, soccer players, band guys, basketball players and swimmers,'' he said, "guys looking to get a workout and have a good time.'' Grates added the competition offers skill develop- ment in a variety of areas. "It's great agility for foot- ball, soccer and basketball,'' he said. "It's the same kind of skill set with the cuts and movement.'' He also said it provides great conditioning for big guys like Cape Fear football offensive tackle Caleb Krings. "He's deceptively fast, and he's slimmed down playing this, too,'' Grates said. "It's an amazing aerobic workout.'' Krings said he thought the game was a little funny at first but that it's a great way to stay in shape and gives him a sport to play in the spring instead of go- ing home after school. "It's not just going out in the backyard and play- ing,'' he said. "We get out here to stay in shape.'' Trace Cannady, who plays center for the Colt football team, said the game helps him with his foot- work. "e competition is there but it's relaxed,'' he said. He said there's plenty of conditioning because of all the running. Grates said he can attest to the last part. "It's helped me lose 20 pounds,'' he said. Trace Cannady (left) and Caleb Krings (right) The game combines football, basketball and soccer. Cape Fear recently completed its first season in a Raleigh-based Ultimate Frisbee league.