Ms. Savage says that Mr. Gerics circled her team's huddle, hurling obscenities. She also says the ECU players were abusive on the field. UPA head observer Vic Kahmi says more-powerful judges also might deter recklessness. Mr. Kahmi says he recently witnessed a game in Princeton, N.J., where a North Carolina college player dived for a flying disk he had no chance of catching and crashed into the intended receiver, dislocating the poor fellow's shoulder. When played as designed, ultimate frisbee combines speed, grace and powerful hurling with a grueling pace.
Possession switches when the disk is intercepted, thrown out of bounds or touches the ground.
Tackling, running with the disk or stripping it away aren't allowed during matches, which typically are played to a score of 15 or 21 and last about 90 minutes. Leagues are springing up in such places as Denver and Los Angeles, adding to established groups in Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C., Boston and elsewhere. With so many talented athletes, top tournaments like one in Fredericksburg, Va., earlier this month include more pirouetting throws than a season at Shea Stadium. But the lack of referees also slows games. A match between a Carnegie Mellon University alumni team and the We Smoke Weed squad from New York featured as much negotiation as scoring.