DECORAH, Iowa – Luther College will host one of the first Ultimate Frisbee training and technique camps in the nation June 12-15 for high school students entering grades 10, 11, 12 and 2008 graduates.   The camp will be held on the Luther College athletic fields that were the site of the 2007 and 2008 Ultimate Players Association Central Region Championships. Registration forms are available at http://sportscamps.luther.edu/ultimate.  The cost of the camp depends on the participants’ needs, which can include meals, housing and materials.   Frisbee instructors from around the Midwest will teach sessions each day on Ultimate skills and techniques through drills, practice and games.  Players from the nationally ranked Luther men’s and women’s Ultimate teams will also be on hand to instruct and help participants.  In addition to the instruction during the day, there will be fun activities each evening including Frisbee golf, music and movies. Ultimate Frisbee, called “Ultimate” by players and fans, is one of the fastest growing sports on college campuses across the United States.  The spirit of sportsmanship that is displayed under incredible competitive pressure is what sets the game apart. Ultimate is distinguished by its “spirit of the game” – an honor code that insists on principles of fair play, sportsmanship, and the joy of play. In that spirit, players are responsible for foul and line calls and they resolve their own disputes. This creates a spirit of honesty and respect on the playing field. Luther is a selective four-year college located in northeast Iowa. The college has an enrollment of 2,550 students and offers a liberal arts education leading to the bachelor of arts degree in 60 majors and pre-professional programs. The Ultimate Players Association is a player-run, not-for-profit organization based in Boulder, Colo.  Founded in 1979, UPA is among the first flying disc organizations in the world and is one of the largest, with more than 24,600 members.  For more information about the UPA, visit http://www.upa.org/.

Training Camp for Ultimate Frisbee?  Ha! Ha! Ha!  What’s next?  Training camp for Harry Potter or Lacrosse?    But seriously doesn’t this defeat the whole purpose of “Ultimate” to begin with?  I thought it was supposed to be a non competitive hobby for hippies with too much time on their hands?  And everybody knows that hippies don’t practice to get better at anything in life, never mind practicing something that requires physical exertion.  It’s like against their code or something.       So my question is who would ever go to this camp?  Is it just for kids who suck at sports and were forced to play Ultimate as a last resort?  Regardless, I’d love for like the Varsity football team to show up on the last day of camp and just demolish these kids who have been practicing all week. That should crush their sprits forever.