For more than a decade, Swanny City Park has regularly played host to a group of folks who come weekly with nothing more than a disc and a few cones – setting up for a fast-paced, fun-filled night of Ultimate Frisbee.
Bobby Hollahan and Maggie Keating are the organizers of the pickup games, in addition to the Moab Ultimate Frisbee annual tournament. Both moved to Moab in 2015 and stumbled upon the games happening when they visited the weekly farmer’s market, which was then held at Swanny.
“I had played Ultimate for many years prior to moving to Moab, but kind of expected the town to be too small to support a pickup game – it turns out it was a pretty robust group of people playing every week,” Hollahan says. Since then, he and Keating have inherited the responsibility of rallying players to join.
Ultimate is a team sport played with a disc, a bit of a cross between soccer, basketball, and football. Players must pass the disc to their teammates, can’t take steps with the disc in their hands, and look to score by reaching the opposite end zone. In Swanny, the field is a condensed version of a traditional size, with cones marking the borders and the end zones.
The group meets twice a week, year round, and welcomes players of all experience. Hollahan calls it a “classic form of freeform ultimate” – not necessarily competitive, but they play hard and have fun. Some players are barefoot, some are in cleats. Hollahan and Keating estimate that 40-50 locals rotate through in a given year. Aside from local regulars, the games occasionally draw visitors who may be in town and looking for some pickup to join – games are posted on a website called PickupUltimate.com.
Some players, like Hollahan, have played ultimate competitively in the past. Others are trying the sport for the first time in Swanny.
“I had barely played before I first started playing when I moved here,” Keating says. “We definitely encourage anyone who’s thinking about joining to come by – there’s no reason to feel intimidated. I had never played a team sport before playing ultimate. Anyone can learn, the rules are very simple – it’s just a great way to get exercise, meet nice people, and it’s a great built-in social outlet.”
“I consider this to be a hugely beginner-friendly game,” Hollahan adds, “The barrier to entry is basically nothing. Historically, we’ve also had a pretty wide age range.”
Jake Gerry, who has been playing in the pickup games for eight years, loves the welcoming and active spirit of the group.
“Moab Ultimate is one of the most open and friendliest ultimate groups in the country,” Gerry says. “And Ultimate Frisbee is the best way to get exercise without realizing it.”
Pickup games are held every Monday and Thursday, and times are posted on the Moab Ultimate Frisbee Facebook page. The games are generally held at 6:30 each week, with occasional variance, and then as the weather cools they eventually shift to their winter venue – playing under the lights at Center Street Ballpark.
The bulk of the work for Hollahan and Keating comes this time of year, as they prepare for their annual fall tournament. For almost the past decade, Moab has been hosting an Ultimate tournament known as the “Fluffernutter.” It’s what’s known as a “hat tournament” – players sign up as individuals rather than as a team, and organizers create the teams to be roughly balanced in skill and experience.
Hollahan estimates that they average around 50 participants, with 35-40 of them being non-Moab locals from the greater region – some come from as far away as Salt Lake City or Albuquerque to participate.
The co-ed tournament this year is being held on November 9, with games played at Old Spanish Trail Arena soccer fields. With full-sized fields and a tournament setting, players can expect more competitive games than they may typically see weekly at Swanny.
Participants will also be able to join a group dinner (catered by Moonflower) and group camp-out, and a bonus beach Frisbee day at Gold Bar Beach on Sunday. And of course, as referenced by the tournament’s name, participants will eat Fluffernutter sandwiches (peanut butter and marshmallow fluff).
Anyone interested in playing Ultimate is encouraged to swing by Swanny Park on Mondays or Thursdays for a 6:30 p.m. game. Those interested in the tournament can check out the Fluffernutter Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1594913987907000, where a signup form will be posted soon.
