Frisbee Fun

Have you ever found yourself unsure of where to start when looking into Carleton’s fun characteristics and culture? Say no more! If there’s one thing you should know about Carleton, it’s the frisbee obsession. From traditions to competitive ultimate teams, Carleton has it all when it comes to frisbee. Personally, before I came here, I wasn’t really sold on the whole frisbee thing. At least… I wasn’t until last week (more about that in a second).

My only prior experience with frisbee has been the typical gym class game of ultimate frisbee, and that wasn’t exactly my favorite. I attribute that to my lack of hand-eye coordination (and participation). When I discovered that Carleton had a whole “frisbee thing,” I wasn’t opposed; still, I wasn’t exactly psyched.

Trying frisbee!

While the frisbee toss during New Student Week was fun to see as everyone threw their frisbee into the air, I thought that my frisbee usage would stop there. Only recently did I get my official Class of 2025 Carleton frisbee back from the person who grabbed it during the initial toss, and (I’m sorry to admit) I threw it into the back of my closet.

I had assumed that maybe somewhere down the road I would pick up a disc or two, but the first term of my freshman year? I never would have predicted it. In high school I did nordic skiing, soccer, and track, and I have to admit I’ve been missing the “team game” portion of soccer. When my friend Audrey suggested that we learn how to play frisbee with a couple of our friends on actual ultimate teams, I begrudgingly decided to try it.

I… like frisbee?!

We headed down to Bell Field to give it a shot so that we wouldn’t be seen by the general public in case our aim was really bad. There, we learned a couple of simple throws, and what can I say? I’m kind of an expert now (okay, that’s not true in any capacity). Either way, I’m on my way to knowing the ins and outs of ultimate frisbee.

In case you didn’t catch it the first time, here’s a newsflash: this sport is so incredibly fun. I can’t exactly say that I’m participating in ~the official sport~ because I currently just play with my friends. Still, the possibility of me trying out (if I ever figure out how to throw in the correct direction) is getting better with every toss.

Right now, I play with a group of friends once or twice a week when we have free time, and it has been awesome! The past week or so has been a bit tense as we near the end of the term, but running after a flying plastic circle while your hands are frozen seems to do the trick when it comes to reducing stress.

Competitive frisbee at Carleton

Carleton has six ultimate frisbee teams: CUT, Syzygy, Chop, Eclipse, Karls, and Nova. CUT and Syzygy are the two Division I teams on campus, while the others are Division III (that’s pretty much all I know about them). Not to brag or anything, but our ultimate teams are pretty good; we have even had multiple national champions.

If you’re looking to impress some of the players with the frisbee lingo, I asked one of my CUT friends to give me a rundown of typical frisbee phrases. Here are the basics:

• “The Mark”: the person guarding the offense player holding the disk
• “Vert Stack”: an offensive formation where five of the players line up vertically in the middle of the field between the person with the disc and the end zone
• “Cutter”: an offensive player whose primary job is to catch the disc and gain yards
• “Handler”: an offensive player whose primary job is to throw the frisbee
• “Banana Cut”: (something you never want to do apparently) where the active cutter does not make a sharp cut and instead runs around in an arc in order to get the frisbee

If you’re a frisbee pro or just getting started, there’s a place for you here if you want to play competitively.

Hannah is a freshman interested in Political Science and learning as much as she can about whatever she can. Born and raised in Minnesota, she considers herself somewhat of an expert on MN winters. She can’t wait for ice skating on the Bald Spot and Nordic skiing in the Arb, along with exploring all of the other amazing opportunities and activities on campus! When Hannah isn’t in class, she can be found reading, running for the Carleton Track team, watching TikToks, and tutoring with the Northfield Read and Counts Program. Meet the other bloggers!