Club sport offers some students the ultimate experience 

Ultimate Frisbee is one of the fastest growing sports on college campuses today. Many colleges have ultimate teams at varying levels, and more are still adding ultimate teams and clubs.  

Photo by Sophie Burt ’26

One of the captains of the Saint Michael’s College Ultimate Frisbee team, Nourayer Karakouzian ’24, said one of the things that makes ultimate so special is the people.  

“I think ultimate is fun because of the community. I’ve played in many different places besides St. Mike’s, and everybody is extremely welcoming and is always happy to help,” Karakouzian said. 

Photo by Sophie Burt ’26

Ultimate is a unique sport. In most tournaments, there are no referees. “All the calls are made by the players and are discussed, if need be,” Karakouzian said.  

The Saint Michael’s team is coed. Some of the bigger, more competitive teams often separate genders, Karakouzian said. 

Photo by Sophie Burt ’26

Another unique aspect of ultimate is that players cannot run with the disc. Once you catch the disc, you are permitted three steps before you must stop moving, but players are allowed to pivot and do fake throws, Karakouzian explained. 

Photo by Sophie Burt ’26

Although you cannot run with the disc, Ultimate requires a lot of athleticism.  

 “It’s very similar to soccer in some aspect. You are really looking for the open space and trying to cut through defenders. Most of the time, when you make a hard cut toward the disc you need good acceleration off the ground to get distance from your defender,” Karakouzian said. “You are constantly moving until a penalty is called.”

In professional leagues, Karakouzian said there are some “insane throws and catches.” Karakouzian explained that ultimate frisbee can be very competitive or very relaxed— it just depends on who you are playing with.  

The Saint Michael’s Ultimate team has around 40 people with a rotating 25 people on a daily basis. This fall, they were able to compete in 16 games against teams across New England such as Western New England, Holy Cross, and Plymouth State.