UA support strong at frisbee game


By Devin Walker
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday, January 23, 2006

Frisbees were flying high Friday night as the UA men's Ultimate Frisbee team soared past the ASU Diablos during the first scrimmage of the year.

Despite the cold weather, more than 150 Frisbee fanatics were drawn to Murphy Stadium to watch the UA Sunburn's A-squad trounce ASU 15-5.

Mark Berry, coach of the Sunburn Ultimate Frisbee team, said the goal for the night was to raise more awareness about the team.

"We're trying to get people to come out and learn to appreciate the game," Berry said.

The team also used the event to recruit top high school players who are interested in playing for UA, Berry said.

"Pretty much anywhere in the United States there is a tournament every weekend," Barry said. "It's a huge college game."

Chialvo Federico, team captain and a language, reading and culture graduate student, said he was surprised at the event's level of success.

"It surprised me. We had more of a turnout than a lot of other club sports," Federico said. "There was a large response from the community as well."

The UA squad also played well and looked a lot better than ASU, Federico said.

"We were in much better shape than the team we played against," Federico said. "We had better people to handle the Frisbee (than ASU)."

While many in the crowd were from Tucson, some parents of players crossed state lines to come watch the event.

Larry and Gretchen Cox, whose son made the A-team as a freshman, made the trip from San Diego to watch Friday's season debut.

"We look forward to going to games," Larry Cox said. "We're also planning to travel to Santa Barbara and Las Vegas."

The game is a non-contact sport played on a rectangular field with teams of seven competing to throw a disc into the end zone for points.

Because they are not traditionally refereed, games rely on the spirit of sportsmanship to ensure fair play.

The Sunburn has a busy schedule this spring, with trips scheduled to California, Texas and Louisiana.

In two weeks the team will go to Santa Barbara to compete against some of the nation's top-ranked teams, and it will compete at nationals in May.

Sunburn practices weekly at Menlo Park, 1100 W. Fresno St., and at Bear Down Field, north of Arizona Stadium.

Last year Sunburn finished No. 4 in the Western region and No. 36 in the nation.