Cumberlands Ultimate Team to Compete in Kentucky Tournament

The newest rendition of the University of the Cumberlands Ultimate Team is ready to compete in the “Beard of Zeus” tournament in Berea, Ky. on Feb. 12 to help gather support for the growing sport.

            Ultimate, or sometimes called Ultimate Frisbee, is a sport of growing popularity around the world and is starting to regain a little attention on the Cumberland campus. The school has been lacking any kind organized group of players for two years until the 2010 fall semester. The Adventure Club, the school organization that funds the Ultimate activities, competed in its first traveling tournament in Falmouth, Ky. last fall according to faculty sponsor Chris Sexton.

            Sexton, a former student at UC and current admissions counselor on campus, has taken the role of coach, mentor, and player for the team and hopes to build popularity for the sports. Sexton says, “The great thing about Ultimate is that it’s a game that is dedicated to the ‘Spirit of the Game’. There are no officials, just players who love to compete honestly. It’s a great environment that we can admire as a Christian school.”

            The opportunity to compete at a high level is abundant with the upcoming tournament this month. This tournament has a scheduled 10 teams competing that include somewhat larger schools such as Eastern Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, and even the University of Louisville. UC is expected to take 15-20 players to compete for the two-day tourney.

            Chris Dillon, a sophomore at UC and a cutter on the Ultimate team, has been playing the game for six years since starting with his local high school Christian group in Springboro, Ohio. “The whole thing is just so fun like most would expect a sport to be, but the thing about Ultimate is that it has such a friendly environment. It’s very laid-back but you still get that competitive edge, not to mention all that running is great exercise,” said Dillon.

            The team usually has over 20 current and former students play throughout the year but hopes to get more to start traveling to the tournaments. “The sport is about fun so we are open to any of the students who want to play. I’d recommend it to anybody,” said Sexton.