Last week in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic, 84 teams representing 12 countries competed in the Pan American Ultimate (Frisbee) Championships. Included in the field was a team composed of 18 Virgin Islanders from St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix (plus four others from the US and Canada, each having ties to the USVI).
The V.I. team takes its name, the “VI Fever,” from a term for a group of rays. The Fever competed in the Mixed (co-ed) Masters Division, where women must be 30 and older and men must be 33 and older. The age of Fever players ranged from 33 to 62.
Ultimate, formerly known as Ultimate Frisbee, is a relatively new sport that originated in 1968. It is a non-contact team sport played with seven on each side and a flying disc, or frisbee. Similar to football, the teams score by catching the disc in an end zone. The teams attempt to pass the disc down a field without dropping it until reaching the end zone, while the opposing team tries to intercept the passes. The first team to score 15 goals or have the highest score after 90 minutes wins the match. Unlike other team sports, there are no referees or officials, as players are responsible for calling out fouls or violations and resolving any issues on the field.
There is a group of dedicated Ultimate enthusiasts in the USVI, with each island having a core group of players who meet to play regularly. Ultimate began independently on each island, starting with St. John in 1993 when two former players from the Texas A&M Ultimate Club moved to St. John to work at the Maho Bay Campground and began having a weekly pickup game on the Coral Bay ball field. On St. Croix, Ultimate began in the early 1990s in Christiansted, where games often began after 9:00 p.m. under the lights. St. Thomas started playing weekly games in 2013 and now plays on the UVI or Antilles School fields.
Occasionally, the three island teams will travel to one of the islands to compete or join forces to practice as a USVI team. In Cap Cana, the Fever competed against the top-ranked teams from Colombia, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, none of whom had the logistical challenges of assembling players from three separate islands and practicing and strategizing together only limited times.
Nonetheless, although the Fever did not come away with a victory in Cap Cana, all games were extremely competitive and several of the losses were “heartbreaking” close matches.
Ultimate is one of the few team sports that allows athletes to compete into their 50s and beyond (Grand Masters and Great Grand Masters divisions) and requires only a flying disc and a large open field. Someday, the Fever may compete in these divisions, but the U.S. Virgin Islands Ultimate Federation, a registered non-profit in the V.I., is committed to developing the sport amongst youths.
“As a non-contact, self-officiated sport with a strong emphasis on sportsmanship, Ultimate is an activity parents can appreciate and support,” says Federation President Mary Vargo.
The V.I. teams invite the community to play in their weekly pickup games. All islands play mixed co-ed games and welcome all ages and ability levels.
St. John: Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. at the Coral Bay ball field
St. Thomas: Sundays at 4:30 p.m. at Antilles School
St. Croix: Mondays and Thursdays at 5:00 p.m. at Roebuck Industrial Park
Full results for the 2023 Pan American Ultimate Championships are posted at https://results.wfdf.sport/pauc. For more information on Ultimate in the USVI, email usviuf@gmail.com.
Editor’s Note: Ron Vargo is a volunteer for the U.S. Virgin Islands Ultimate Federation.
