No Sand in the Chena…The Ultimate Experience.
by Bethany Ray
When most people hear the term Frisbee, one of three things come to mind: dogs, chain-link baskets, or hippies.
Even those who have heard of ultimate rarely recognize the sport as combining the non-stop movement and athletic endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football.
Ultimate is a transition game of seven versus seven that disregards stereotypes and typical conventions of competitive sports in favor of the ultimate spirit of the game.
“So I’ve played a lot of sports. I think that the biggest problem is there’s a lot of angst and anger. In ultimate there’s this idea of the spirit of the game. There are no refs. You call your own fouls,” describes Anchorage Ultimate player John MarcDunaway. “If two people get really intense, duke it out, they end up shaking hands afterward, high-fiving, cheering at the effort the other person puts out. It’s not about them pitted against each other. Everyone’s in it to have a good time.”
Co-host of the Chena Tournament and UAF student Tom Voight continues, “The spirit of the game is a very inclusive idea. It’s getting people to participate in various spirit cheers or games, which to most people is actually what they need. Being ridiculous is a whole lot of fun. You just have to get past the initial shock.”
One of the many appealing aspects of the sport is the inclusive and open-minded nature of those who play. 
Some chose to dress and act to the extreme of eccentricity the sport always, but the range of ultimate opportunities is perhaps as vast as the players.
“Everyone who does anything plays ultimate,” contends Dunaway. “I bet you know someone who plays ultimate. Ultimate is for the people who didn’t fit in soccer in hockey. It’s for the people who don’t want the judgementalness of other sports. They just want to live a more free lifestyle.”
Ultimate offers everything from outdoor winter pick-up games, to summer league, to annual invitational tournaments and international events—all offering a certain quality and dynamic of play, but all satisfying the need to lay it all out. Players from Eagle River, Anchorage, and Fairbanks united Saturday March 20 for Fairbanks’ 4th Annual No Sand in the Chena Tournament as another chance to enjoy a high level of play and the company of individuals of the same mind. Sunshine, moderate temperatures, friends, and fellowship drew these “Ice Road Huckers” for the 1 day tournament.
“Two weeks ago, we drove down from Fairbanks for the first ever FurRisbee Tournament in Anchorage,” said Voight.
“This weekend a couple of cars came up from Anchorage and Eagle River. That’s what frisbee is all about–driving 12 hours to play hard and be with friends.”
But Ultimate Frisbee is more than pick-up games, Monday night league, and intermittent tournaments. The eccentricities of the people who play that game attract a certain type of character—who despite their differences in career and appearance, share a common desire for freedom of expression and what some dub real life.
“In very few other sports do people have the complete disregard for their bodies to lay it all on the line to reach a goal, in ultimate to catch a disk,” reflects Dunaway.
It is this approach that extends beyond a frame of mind into a way of living. The idea of freedom to act without repercussions, the chance to push the extreme of physical limitations invites enthusiasts to indulge in the ultimate pursuit.
Dunaway continues, “The reason that we play ultimate is to get out of the mundane lifestyle that Americans tend to lead. Try to break free from our 9-5 kind of day. I don’t think that’s real life. I think that this is real life. Hanging out with your friends, getting exercise, being out in the cold, doing something that’s hard, really enjoying the outdoors, and doing something more than your cycle. That’s what we are avoiding. That’s why we go to Fairbanks.”
