Hi Ultimate Fans,

Elite-level Ultimate Frisbee comes to Cambridge

The Boston Ultimate Disc Alliance (BUDA) presents Game 1 of the 2008 Ultimate Showcase Series (USS), featuring some of the best Ultimate players in the world, on Friday May 9th, at 7:30 PM at BB&N High School's modern turf field. Full details at www.TheUltimateShowcase.com

Cambridge and Boston teams are vying to win the Mixed Division. Ultimate is one of the only sports in which men and women compete in mixed world championships. The Cambridge team is led by #88 Jim Parinella, who won seven National and three World Ultimate titles with local legendary men's team Death or Glory (aka: "DoG") and rising star #24 Peri Kurshan, from women's national semifinalist, "Brute Squad." Boston is led by skilled throwers #26 Owen Westbrook and #22 Rana Suh along with #12 Adam Sigelman, who had several crowd-pleasing layout blocks in last summer's championship.

 

More than one million people play Ultimate in the United States. In Massachusetts, the number of high school programs has grown from five teams in 2003 to over sixty teams this year.

 

The Ultimate Showcase was developed so local fans can watch the sport played at the highest level. Admission to this event is free. A tax-deductible donation to BUDA to support the development of youth ultimate is suggested.

 

What is Ultimate?

Ultimate is played by two seven-player teams on a 40 x 120 yard playing field. Teams advance a

175g disc (Frisbee) by passing from one player to another. While in possession of the disc, a player

must stop running, but may pivot in any direction, and throw the disc to a teammate. A goal is scored when a player catches the disc in an opponent's end zone. Ultimate combines the non-stop movement

and athletic endurance of soccer, with the aerial passing skills of football.

 

Most importantly, Ultimate stresses sportsmanship and fair play. It is a self-officiated game, so players choose to conduct themselves with a high level of integrity called "Spirit of the Game." The concept of "Spirit of the Game" is written into the rules and is practiced at the highest levels of the sport – from local league play to the World Championships. "Spirit of the Game" is a refreshing alternative to watching mistakes by referees determine who wins NBA and World Cup championships.

 

The Sport of Ultimate Frisbee is Growing Rapidly:

-         The sport is booming, with young players leading the growth. More than 500 college club teams now compete in the USA.

-         Young players are attracted to this sport because everyone on the field is a potential quarterback and receiver. They love the constant action, diving catches and long, high arcing throws. Every high level game has plenty of ESPN highlight-clip caliber plays.

 

Contacts for The Ultimate Showcase:

Mark Goodman, 617-504-1473                 Erik Sebesta, 617-577-7131

MarkGoodman@...                   Erik@...