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ULTIMATE GOOD TIMES: Emerald Coast Frisbee game flourishes (PHOTOS)
For Destin area residents who are interested in playing an organized sport, the perfect combination of competition and fun can be found in the game of ultimate.
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The Emerald Coast Ultimate Club (ECUC), or the Emerald Coast Storm Surge, has been gathering rain or shine, every week for eight years. They regularly practice at Morgan Sports Complex on Tuesday nights between 7 and 9 p.m.
Organized in 2002 by Curt Malan, of Fort Walton Beach, the club has really gained energy since 2005.
“It is definitely a social environment,” said Fort Walton Beach resident, Andy Tenhover, one of the club’s organizers. “We welcome girls, guys and families.”
Ultimate, or ultimate Frisbee, is a limited-contact sport played with a flying disc. Players move the disc up the field through a series of passes and once the disc is caught, the player must stop and use one pivot foot, like basketball, to find a way to pass the disc on. Points are scored when a player catches the disc in the opposing end zone, similar to American football.
The sport was created in 1968 by Joel Silver, at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J., and has become extremely popular on college campuses and in communities in the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast.
Tenhover moved to the area from Cleveleand, Ohio, where he had played pick-up games. He started playing in college at The Ohio State University.
“A lot of the people who come out are transplants,” said Tenhover. “We also have a lot of high schoolers.”
The ECUC invites everyone from the area to come experience the game. They even have vacationers, who are in town for a week, show up on occasion, looking for more unique Destin experiences.
“All ages are welcome,” said Malan. “Just bring $3 to help pay for the lights, a light shirt, a dark shirt, your own water and cleats, if you have them.”
ECUC is forming a league through the city of Destin. For more information email a.p.tenhover@gmail.com or visit the ECUC facebook page.
