The ACU Ultimate Frisbee Club team will compete in its first tournament of the semester in Denton on Saturday and Sunday.
The team usually plays in three tournaments in the Dallas area per semester. Team co-captain J. Rodriguez has played for three years and says his favorite part of the club is going to the tournaments.
“Everyone at the tournaments that you compete against are fun,” Rodriguez said. “The game is laid-back, which allows you to interact with more people. It makes it a great atmosphere.”
In the fall semester most of the tournaments are played in club leagues, which are open to anyone who can put a team together. In the spring semester the team competes in a college league, playing other universities’ teams. ACU competes against some of the biggest schools in Texas, including Texas Tech, Texas A&M, University of North Texas and University of Texas.
Most tournaments are two-day tournaments; Saturday is pool play, and Sunday becomes bracket play.
The team practices every Tuesday and Thursday night on the intramural fields and scrimmages on the weekends if they are not playing in a tournament.
The club is composed of around 20 members, and most tournaments are played seven-on-seven. In tournament play, the games are usually played to 13 points, with halftime occurring after one team scores its seventh point. Each team is given one timeout per half with an additional timeout that can be used in either half. Teams are allowed to freely substitute in and out but only after someone scores.
“The game has a real fast pace like soccer,” Rodriguez said. “It takes a lot of precision and skill.”
Clubs can compete in open or mixed tournaments. In open tournaments, any seven people can play at one time, while in mixed tournaments, there is a limit on how many men and women can play.
Sarah Kratzer, club vice president and team co-captain, said she loves to play in mixed tournaments or cheer on the team if she is not playing.
“It is hard because in the open tournaments it is basically all guys, and the game is very fast; however, I still love going to the tournaments, where I can cheer on the team and take pictures and video,” Kratzer said. “We are looking for more girls to join the team so we can start our own team and compete in the girls’ league.”
ACU competes in the south section, and at the end of this semester, the top eight teams from the sectional tournament advance to regionals.
