The Daily Tar Heel Wednesday, March 18, 19875
Frisbee finally flies
into the sports world
Dy ANGELA HAMPTON
Staff Writer
It flies through the air with the
greatest of ease.
Some smart fellow, realizing
the popularity and fun of Frisbee
throwing, has traded in his trapeze
for one of those colorful flying
discs, just as his fellow Frisbee
throwers have done since 1947,
when the first Frisbee evolved.
This was a couple of years after
W.R. Frisbie bought a small bak
ery. Empty pie and cookie tins
from the Frisbie Co. made excellent
throwing devices or at least so
Yale students thought. "Frisbie"
even became the popular call to
warn a catcher that a tin was com
ing his way.
Who would have guessed that a
bunch of college students throwing
empty pie tins around would result
in both a national pastime and a
serious sport of which there are
over two dozen varieties?
Walter Frederick Morrison
deserves credit for the Frisbee as
. the world knows it today. Trying to
prosper from the wave of UFO
sightings in 1948, Morrison made
the first plastic Frisbee, shaped
much like a flying saucer. As a mat
ter of fact, Morrison's plastic disc
and modern day Frisbees still
resemble the original pie tins. How
ever, the tucked under lip of today's
Frisbee enhances stability.
Today, there are more than 500
club teams and more than 250 col
lege teams that play Ultimate Fris
bee during a season that usually
starts in mid-September and ends at
Thanksgiving.
For such a small and simple
looking object, an extensive vocab
ulary has formed around the flying
disc. Take, for example, the ever
specific and often tricky procedures
for throwing and catching Frisbees,
steps that might baffle amateurs
(i.e. beachgoers). In his book "Fris
bee," Standi E.D. Johnson names
five basic grips and four catches,
including the BTB (behind-the-back)
catch and the BTL (between-the-legs)
catch. And that's not all;
these basic grips and catches don't
include all of those used by more
advanced players for greater style
and control.
Frisbee terminology has not been
the only facet of Frisbeedom to
expand. When plastic revolution
ized the Frisbee industry and added
to the disc's popularity in the 1960s,
the sport took off. Isolated tourna
ments began, and in the 1960s the
International Frisbee Association
was founded. The 1FA sponsors the
most popular tournament in dis
cdom, the International Frisbee
Tournament, which was first held
in 1958 and still goes on every 4th
of July weekend in Escanaba,
Mich.
Tournaments, now played on
both the national and international
levels, usually include games like
Guts and Ultimate Frisbee and var
ious individual categories of compe
tition. Accuracy, distance and frees
tyle events for all ages, sexes and
even canines are common today.
And every year the field of players
(and dogs) increases.
A formal tournament for dogs is
now part of Frisbee tradition. This
canine event is officially known as
the Ashley Whippet Invitational,
after the first truly extraordinary
dog of talent. He could jump 9 feet
in the air to catch a Frisbee. "Catch
and fetch" competition was first
included in the world champion
ships in 1975.
Dogbee competition involves one
human and one dog. The object is
for the pair to complete as many
throws and catches as possible in a
two-minute time span. The throws
must cover at least 15 yards and the
pooch receives extra points if all
four paws are off the ground during
a catch.
Over 24 Frisbee games without
canine participation now exist, and
probably the oldest is known as
Guts Frisbee. Players say Guts is
also the most popular tournament
game. Five people usually play on a
team, each playing left wing, left
whip, center, right whip or right
wing. Team Guts is played on a 15-by-10-yard
field. Teams score
points by throwing a Frisbee, with
out being intercepted, at least eight
feet above the ground through a 30
foot goal space on the opponent's
side.
The game begins with a coin (or
Frisbee) toss for the desired goal.
The key to Guts, the players say, is
a team's ability to scramble or back
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each other's catches, because a team
loses possession of the Frisbee if it
touches the ground.
Then there's Ultimate. Ultimate
Frisbee is more of a field game than
Guts because of its larger playing
area and emphasis on strategic
passing. Ultimate is played on a
field 60 yards long, with 40-yard-wide
goal lines. Two teams of any
number of members (usually seven
in organized games) try to pass the
Frisbee to teammates on the inside
of the opponent's end zone. What's
the catch? Players cannot run with
the Frisbee. Twenty-one points
wins the game.
The Rochester, N. Y., Frisbee
Club plays Double Disc Court.
Two discs are in play at all times
and the two players try to drop the
discs in their opponent's court with
out touching court lines or foul
boundaries.
How do players score? For stop
ping a disc within the opponent's
court, a player gains one point. If a
disc touches out-of-bound areas in
flight or isn't caught by a player's
opponent, he loses a point. And if a
player touches both discs simul
taneously, then his opponent gets a
point.
According to Stancil's book,
some Frisbee games are more pop
ular as street pick-up games than as
official tournament games. Street
Frisbee is one such game that is
derived from a culmination of keep
away and dodge ball.
In Street Frisbee, two teams of
any number of players try to "dead
stop" the Frisbee behind the oppo
nents' goal without their catching it.
Street curbs make boundary lines,
and goal lines (street cracks) are 10
to 15 yards apart. A successful stop
merits one point and the game ends
at 21 points.
In 1974, the International Frisbee
Association introduced "The Fris
bee Game," also called Netbee. It is
a field game, like Ultimate. But
unlike Ultimate, it emphasizes stra
tegic short-term passes without the
running Ultimate requires, even
though the fields are the same size.
Usually, there are six players on a
team, including a goalie who
defends an 8-by-15 foot goal cage.
Players score by landing their Fris
bee in the opponent's cage.
A goal cage is divided into three
sections, with those on the outside
being two yards smaller in length
than the one in the center. Conse
quently, goals made within the
smaller areas of the goal count five ,
points and those in the middle area
score three points. Any throwing
style is allowed iri Netbee, as long
as the throw moves a team across
midfield nearer to the opponent's
goal. Once on the opponent's side,
a team has 30 seconds to make a
shot on the goal. If unsuccessful,
the team must retreat to its side.
Among the many flying disc
games, several are devoted solely to
style. These have become very pop
ular within the last 10 years as the
trend has moved towards style and
grace in Frisbee competition,
according to Stancil.
For example, Trick Catch, better
known among serious Frisbee play
ers as the Millersville Game, origi
nated in (you guessed it) Millers
ville, Pa. It features two players,
one Frisbee and two ground circles
six feet in diameter placed 25 yards
apart. One player stands within
each circle and players throw the
Frisbee back and forth, each trying
to make as complicated a catch as
possible.
Each player attempts to force his
opponent to catch the Frisbee out
side of his circle and thus forfeit
three points.
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UNC-Notre Dame Thursday I
Feeling at home at Al Lang
ST, PETERSBURG, Fla. Last
Saturday, in their first meeting since
the 1 986 World Series, the New York
Mets and the Boston Red Sox
squared off before a sellout crowd
at Al Lang Stadium. Squared off,
that is, quite literally.
It wasn't a full-scale brawl by any
stretch of the imagination. But there
were some intramural fireworks,
thanks to an Al Nipper pitch which
plunked Mets star Darryl Straw
berry on the back. Strawberry took
a few menacing steps toward the
mound, put on his best I'm-baaaad-man-don't-mess-with-me
grimace
and presumably expressed to Nipper
his displeasure at the incident.
The two teams leaped from their
respective dugouts and there was a
short period of amicable anarchy.
Amicable because no punches were
thrown and no one was tackled.
Mostly the players milled around,
resembling a flock of pigeons
angered by a hurried pedestrian.
Eventually, order was restored.
Strawberry sauntered down to first
base, and the fans were able to enter
again the elysian world of spring
training baseball. The Red Sox,
incidentally won 7-2. The score
didn't really matter, though. The
people shouting "Let's Go Mets" and
all the Boston fans jeering Straw
berry could not disturb the sense
that, for the moment, winning and
losing were secondary concerns. It
Theatrical people to get
outdoor opportunity
By MARTY MICHAELS
Staff Writer
Aspiring performers will have an
opportunity to try for summer
theater work when the Institute of
Outdoor Drama conducts regional
auditions on campus Saturday.
These auditions, co-sponsored by the
drama department, serve as a
dynamic forum for bringing theater
companies and performers together.
Actors, singers, dancers, and tech
nicians are provided the rare chance
of being seen by 18 outdoor drama
companies in a single day in a
centralized location.
Outdoor theater with its amphi
theater setting offers artists an
unconventional environment in
which to develop dramatic skills and
techniques. Ruth Fletcher, an under
graduate drama student, said she is
excited about the opportunity to
audition. "Many people don't realize
what a great experience outdoor
drama is," she said. "I think this type
of theater presents a tremendous
challenge. Actors must be able to
project and create on a large scale.
For example, an actor in The Lost
Colony' production at Manteo must
be able to project out to 2,000 or
3,000 people in the outdoors without
accoustical equipment."
For these reasons, outdoor theater
is unusual. Sound, special effects and
lighting all require state-of-the-art
technology to achieve an effortless
impression. Fletcher added that
outdoor theater provides a chance
to work with professional actors.
"The lead roles are always chosen
carefully from a professional cast,"
she said.
Sara Bass, another UNC student
who will audition, is also impressed
with the logistics of the audition. "It's
wonderful because it gets everyone
in one place," she said. "All the
artistic directors are seated in ba
sically one place and can screen
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James Surowiedd
On Spring Training
was March and it was Florida, and
that meant baseball for baseball's
sake.
The Mets-Sox scuffle was thus
rather stunning. Brawls are unheard
of in spring training. This one,
though, had strong roots in the past.
During Game 7 of the Series,
Strawberry sealed New York's
remarkable comeback victory by
redirecting a Nipper pitch over the
fence. He then symbolically kicked
Boston in the, teeth by embarking on
an interminable trot around the
bases. If there are such things as the
baseball gods, knocking down
Strawberry was the only way to
appease them.
But such considerations are better
left behind until Opening Day.
Saturday's battle is useful as an
introduction to spring training only
as a counterpoint. For the prevailing
mood during these four weeks in
March is not competitive. There is
rather a giddiness and freedom about
the game which is exhilarating.
The exhilaration can be felt in Al
Lang Stadium, which is home not
just to the Mets but also to the St.
Louis Cardinals. It used to be called
through the performers. You dont
have to send resumes and portfolios
around to various locations. Here
you know exactly what to expect and
what roles are filled. It's exciting
you meet all kinds of other actors
from all over the Southeast area."
Employment at outdoor summer
theater locations usually entails a
nine to 12 week commitment. Com
panies may then offer various other
productions, workshops, and credit
programs.
Actors will be expected to perform
a one-minute prepared monologue
-at general auditions, then may
perform a second at callback inter
views. Singers are asked to prepare
two numbers with music, and
dancers will be given exercises and
modern choreography of increasing
difficulty.
Interested performers should com
plete audition applications by con
tacting the Institute of Outdoor
Drama in 202 Graham Memorial
052A as soon as possible.
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Al Lang Field, and that name was
far more appropriate for the cozy
park than stadium, a word which
always seems to carry with it the
connotations of massive and distant
and, somehow, football. The two
best places in the world to watch
baseball, after all, are Fenway Park
and Wrigley Field, and there is nary
a stadium among them.
Al Lang is a great park in its own
right. Resting on the waterfront,
with the Gulf breezes blowing out,
it can be a power hitter's dream. The
outfield fence is a dark green,
undecorated by the signs which cover
the walls of the Texas Rangers' home
field. The color makes hitting there
a pleasure, as does a huge back
ground wall just behind the center
field, fence. Friday, Cardinals out
fielder Andy Van Slyke ripped a 425
foot shot off that wall. ' "
But the park's greatness does not
derive from the way it looks. Where
it resembles Fenway is in spirit.
There is a gentility about the ushers,
a pleasing lack of sophistication
about the vendors. Even the scalpers
seem less hardened than their major
league counterparts.
The vendors are a story in them
selves. One beer salesman, who to
be honest could hardly be called
genteel, comes dressed each day in
UNC Athlete
Although the caption over this
regualar little feature of ours reads:
"UNC Athlete of the Week," this one.
is a little different. WeVe been out
of circulation for a spell, so today
we present our annual "UNC Athlete
of the Break" award.
By now you've looked at the
picture and seen Al Palacio of the
UNC wrestling team staring back.
Here's what he did to earn this
prestigious award:
1) he became only the third
grappler in ACC history to win four
conference titles.
2) he set an ACC record for most
wins in a season with 40.
3) he's basically a real nice guy.
Honorable mention goes to Dave
Fuhrmann and Johan Boakes of the
track team, both of whom earned.
All-America honors at the recent
NCAA Indoor Championships.
SKceessftil college
grailiiatps
tiaveaunl&iriii
appearance.
Dress for success.
Enroll in the Army Reserve Officers Training
Corps, and you could graduate with the
privilege of wearing the proud gold bars of a
second lieutenant as well as a cap and gown.
Army ROTC is the college elective that gives
you an opportunity to learn, and practice,
management skills. Experience leadership
styles and motivational techniques. And gain
the self-confidence that can spell success in
any career, civilian or military.
Start that career w ith the advantages only
Army ROTC can give you.Talk to your
Professor of Military Science, today.
Call Captain Frank Dillard toll
free at 1 -800-222-9 1 84 to find
about Army opportunities at
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Field
the visiting team's uniform. Another
never fails to fill the ballpark with
the reassuring cries of "Peanuts and
popcorn!"
The best, though, is Tommy
Walton, an elderly black man with
white hair and the self-described
world's greatest salesman. Tommy
sells "ice-cold" hot dogs but adver
tises watermelon and fried chicken.
The fans love him, though, because
he sings, ranging from "The Side
walks of New York" to "Old Man
River." And of course he always has
"Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
ready, regardless of whether it's the
seventh inning or not.
It all sounds rather frivolous, and
perhaps it is. Certainly it is difficult
to be serious while watching nine
Mets toss a baseball at each other
with their gloves.
But for a baseball fan, there is a
marvelous security in spring training.
Everything is familiar, except per
haps for some of the names. The
figures loping across the green field
and throwing easily in the bullpen,
reawakening the memories of last
fall, prefigure the rebirth the world
experiences in the spring. And sitting
in the grandstand on a sunny day,
watching a young prospect stroke a
double into the gap, you know that
vou are. in some sense, home.
of the Week
Al Palacio
. . . takes fourth title
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