People often think of Ultimate Frisbee as a way of fulfilling the sport requirement, a sport meant for those incapable of doing anything else. Williston’s team is changing that perception.

Created four years ago by former physics teacher Paul Rutherford, the Ultimate team has ballooned. Today it is so big that it has to be divided into two groups for practice. Ultimate is led by coaches Rivenburgh and Greener, as well as senior captains Cam Ward and Dome Klonggumrai.

Yet the stigma associated with Ultimate still exists. Many believe it’s not even a sport, or claim there’s little physical exertion involved. Ultimate players disagree.

According to Tyler Greenwood 17′, a member of the team, Ultimate is “extremely physically taxing” and “fast-paced.” He says that because a game only ends when one team scores 15 points, so “they [the games] tend to last longer.” Since substitutes can only come in between points, players could be on for “30 seconds or maybe 30 minutes.”

Coach Rivenburgh said Ultimate athletes don’t need approval or validation from those who see the game as a “slacker” sport.

“The Ultimate community does not seek recognition from but those who play and enjoy it,” said Rivenburgh. He went on to say that though Ultimate isn’t recognized by the NCAA as a collegiate sport, games are “as physically active as most sports.”

Rivenburgh makes clear to players that “Ultimate is a varsity sport and that they will be working hard to be their very best.”

Signups this year were high for a number of reasons. For one, the team has had success in years past, which attracted new attention. Rivenburgh also noted that students were looking for something new to try.

A big difference between Ultimate and other sports is in officiating; in Ultimate, there are no referees. Instead, the game is self-called. If the players see a foul, it’s up to them to make the call. That means no blaming the ref when things go sour.

This year, Ultimate will have 15 matches, three of which are tournaments. Last year, they went 6-8 and placed eighth in New England’s.