Marion hosts Ultimate Frisbee tournament this weekend

MARION - Hundreds of high school and college students from the Midwest are ready to huck it, layout and demonstrate the Spirit of the Game philosophy that governs the sport of Ultimate Frisbee during a weekend tournament in Marion.

The Iowa Hawkeye Ultimate Club hosts the fifth annual Old Capitol Open Ultimate Tournament Saturday and Sunday at the Tuma Sports Complex, 3239 C Avenue Extension, Marion.

The public is invited to catch the action of a sport that combines attributes of football, soccer and basketball.

Men's and women's teams planning to compete in the college tournament are coming from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri and Nebraska. They include teams from Coe and Cornell colleges, University of Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa and Drake University.

Among the high school teams set to compete is Iowa City West High School. All told, 41 teams with more than 800 players and coaches are expected to attend.

'We enjoy coming to OCO each year. This year we are poised for one of our best ever,” said Alex Stumphauzer, a member of the DUC Ultimate Team at Drake University.

A portion of the tournament proceeds fund University of Iowa Ultimate teams. The remainder goes to the Brian Gleason Memorial Fund at the University of Iowa Foundation with the goal of establishing a permanent endowment for team funding.

Ultimate is a sport born in the 1970s with the advent of the Frisbee, and was commonly called Frisbee Football or Ultimate Frisbee. Now known just as Ultimate and governed by a national body - USA Ultimate - the game has grown in sophistication and popularity both on campus and off.

Its fluid motion looks like soccer and the field resembles a football field, but it's played with a disc that is kept in flight. Like in basketball, players are not allowed to 'travel” with the disc and must establish a pivot foot in throwing.

To 'huck” the disc means to throw it long; a 'layout” is an all-in dive for a floating disc; Spirit of the Game is the foundation of the game that has allowed it to be played without referees for many years, although refs have been added at higher levels of play in recent years.

Pool play takes place Saturday with games starting around 8:30 a.m. The tournament concludes Sunday with bracket play starting about the same time.

For more information and a complete schedule of games, visit the tournament website oldcapitolopen.com or contact Liz Malloy at e.malloy@cedar-rapids.org or (319) 286-5698.