FIST is the University of Illinois Men's Ultimate club. Club sports at the U of I are student organized, but funded primarily through the university. The U of I pays a great deal of our travel, lodging, tournament and field expenses. Members of the team have to purchase their own uniforms, cleats, discs and other equipment. Our teams travel across the country competing in Ultimate Tournaments, but especially focus on the College Series which takes place during the spring.
Competing with FIST at college tournaments requires players to be "college eligible”, which is; being entered in any degree seeking program at the U of I, and also to be a member of the UPA, or Ultimate Players Association. Every player has 5 years (consecutive from his first season) to compete in the College Series. The team’s goal every season is to attain a bid to compete in the National Tournament.
The team practices most of the year on grass fields at the Complex, (corner of Florida and Lincoln), the Arboretum (corner of Florida and Lincoln) and Huff Field (next to Huff Hall). During the winter months we only practice outside on the weekends and have our weekday practices inside at the Armory.
Members of the team do not only associate with each other during the time of practice and tournaments. The team frequently attends sporting events, parties and other events together during the course of the year. We assist each other with everything from social ssues to homework. Teammates become close friends during their time with FIST.
back to topEvery year the University of Illinois Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Team welcomes a new class of freshmen and transfer students during the 1st semester of the school year. Most new participants have had very little experience with the sport beyond playing “pick-up” games during High School. The team uses the fall semester to introduce its newest members to Ultimate at the University of Illinois. We prepare very hard and look forward to this time of the year.
The team has several events at the beginning of the year to recruit new players, demonstrate basic skills, and begin the teaching process. These events are for players of all skill levels, from new players to transfer students with college experience. You can look for the team at one of the events listed below in order to get in contact with or gain more information about the team.
'06-'07 School Year Dates
We create a contact list with the emails of the people we meet at these events in order to continue to give them information about these and other events. If you wish to be added to the list in order to receive information please contact an individual from the Contacts page and they will get the information to the proper person. We begin sending out emails even before the recruitment events, so give us your email address as early as possible. We will never sell the email list to any third parties, so you have no reason to be concerned about that.
Besides these beginning-of-the-year events, we also recruit during the rest of the school year. Many past players have successfully made the transition to competitive college ultimate midway through the school year.
Few members of the team enter college familiar with competitive Ultimate, but nearly every member has an athletic high school background. Every member of the team loves to compete and looks to Ultimate as their way to remain competitive at the college level. The team uses the fall season to instruct rookies on the basics of the game, and improve the skills of the veterans. By the winter months we begin working on defensive and offensive strategy as a unit. After a few tournaments in the spring the team usually makes a split into A, and B teams. Members of both teams continue to practice together, but compete in the College Series independently.
back to topAre you a high school player looking for a preview of the next step up in competition? Are a current high school senior matriculating at the University of Illinois next school year? Feel free to get in touch with one of our captains about informally attending one of our practices or visiting campus. We'd love to show you what College Ultimate is all about.
back to topThe Illinois Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Team does its best to help in increasing the awareness of Ultimate, as the sport continues to grow throughout the United States and the rest of the world. The members of the team enjoy instructing younger players about the rules and fundamentals of the game they have come to love over their time at the University of Illinois. Though the team typically focuses on instructing its new crop of rookies every year, it also attempts to help with the instruction of High School students or younger players as they get introduced to the game.
The team regularly holds instructional sections for Middle School and High School players both in the Chicago and Champaign-Urbana area. Some sessions are done for free, while other more advanced day long sessions have a fee and serve as a fundraiser for the team. At all events members of the team demonstrate throwing, game play and strategy typical to the college game in hopes of preparing these individuals for their future in the game.
If you are a High School player or coach interested in getting the team to hold an instructional session for you please feel free to contact the President (email is on the “Contacts” page) by email. The team will do its best to work out a session for you, but practices and tournaments will take priority over a clinic. Available dates are not limited to the school year, as even in summer a clinic can be setup.
If you are unsure about the possibility or such an instructional session being the right thing for your group, or have further questions about what such and event would entail please contact us. Though the team may not be able to provide what you are looking for its members have many contacts and resources throughout the Ultimate community that should be able to answer your questions.
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During the summer months, many members of FIST compete in their own local area leagues. Chicago Summer Ultimate League and St. Louis Summer League are just a few of the fine organizations our members return home to.
One of our own, Kyle Betts, is the new commissioner of the Amateur Ultimate Frisbee League (AUFL) for the summer of 2006. Congratulations, Kyle!
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