At Kenyon College, both Ultimate teams – SERF and Blu-Ray – qualified for Division III College Nationals in 2021 in both the men's and women’s divisions.
Going back even further, starting in 1942, a precursor game to Ultimate was played at Kenyon, using cake tins instead of plastic discs for gameplay.
Martha Gregory, Kenyon Class of 2010, played Ultimate at Kenyon around the time that a separate women’s team, formerly Ransom and now Blu-Ray, was founded. Hazel Crowley and Megan Briggerman took charge in this effort, even if some people such as Gregory were hesitant at first about moving away from playing mixed-gender Ultimate.
“I had gotten so used to playing with the men, I didn't feel like we needed a women's team,” Gregory said. “Megan and Hazel helped me realize that my own skill set was going to benefit, it would be fun, and most importantly it was going to change the program's culture and create a space for women athletes who wanted to play Ultimate.”
The team is also inclusive to non-binary and gender non-conforming players.
Currently the highest levels of club Ultimate feature a men's, women's and mixed-gender division. There are also multiple semi-pro leagues, most prominently the AUDL, which is for male-identifying players, and the Premier Ultimate League (PUL), which has women and non-binary players. ESPN broadcasts have also shown live games from club and college championships. Further visibility has come in the form of exhibition games during NFL halftime shows and prominent features of highlights on ESPN’s tiktok page. Additionally, the high-profile influencer Marquees Bronwlee, who is a Columbia High School and Howe School at Stevens Institute of Technology alum, professional Ultimate player and YouTuber, was recently featured by ESPN in a short video about how he balances his professional and Ultimate careers.
While there is not a major Ultimate community in Knox County at the moment, beyond the Kenyon teams, nearby Columbus has many playing options on offer.
“The Ultimate scene in Columbus is growing and evolving really quickly,” said Gregory, who played for the PUL’s Columbus Pride in the league’s inaugural season in 2019. “There are really great people working and playing in that community.”
In addition to the Pride, there are a few high-level mixed club teams in the area, most prominently the Columbus Cocktails who made Club Nationals in 2019. The Columbus Ultimate Disc Association also organizes various Ultimate-related activities in the area, including a very successful summer league.
As a sport, Ultimate is still in its infancy. It has seen measurable growth in popularity, skill level and geographic reach in recent years. Ultimate leadership admits there is still much work to be done in the sport, particularly in tackling issues of gender and racial equity, both issues that Gregory and others in the community care a lot about.
“I feel very strongly that because Ultimate has shown itself as a sport that is willing to evolve, it has a good chance of continuing the work of reimagining itself into a more equitable, safe environment for a wider range of players,” she said. "With this evolution, Ultimate should continue to thrive both locally and nationally, with the next generation of players having the potential to take the game to even greater heights."
While league play or casual and rec league play are miniminal in Knox County outside Kenyon College, all it takes to play are an acquantance with the rules, familiarity with throwing a Frisbee, a field of play (preferably grassy or community park-like) that is 70 yards long and 40 yards wide with 20-yard end zones, and seven players per side who don't mind diving to save a play or score on a throw in the end zone.
