St. Paul’s Ultimate Frisbee team, the Dire Wolves, won their first game Saturday, Oct. 6, in Baton Rouge, led by moderator Mark Richards, who played Ultimate Frisbee in college.

Richards notes that the game Ultimate Frisbee is quite simple and fun, with the flow of fast break basketball combined with a mixture of other sports.

“(Ultimate Frisbee involves) the hand-eye of basketball, the quickness and endurance of soccer, and is faster than lacrosse,” explains Richards.

The rules of Ultimate Frisbee are simple, but numerous. Each team has seven players on a field, which measures 120′ x 40′ with two 25-yard end zones. A player has ten seconds to throw the disc while their teammate moves to get open. Players do not run with the disc. Ultimate Frisbee is not considered a contact sport.

During off-seasons for other sports, Ultimate Frisbee can be a great way for students to stay in shape and get exercise.

“Anyone who plays soccer, basketball, tennis, or lacrosse should come out and play. It keeps you in shape and hones your cutting skills,” describes Richards.

Ultimate Frisbee is an inexpensive sport, requiring only an official Ultimate disc –175 gram from Ultra-Star– and a pair of basic soccer cleats.

“No helmets or face masks or $100 Air Jordan’s or $200 racquets,” said Richards.

“I like to play Ultimate Frisbee for a lot of reasons: good exercise, it’s entertaining, and it’s not like any sport I’ve ever played before,” explained team member Chandler Shockley.

During the course of the season, the Dire Wolves face a number of teams including Jesuit, Catholic High, Rummel, East Jefferson, Bonnabel, Grace King, North Shore, Redemptorist, Denham Springs, Zachary, Baton Rouge High, Alexandria, Bolton, and others further north.

The team is named for the Dire Wolf, a prehistoric animal that is ten times larger and is not a pack animal like the wolf of today. A Dire Wolf was thought to be able to take down any animal that would get in its way.

As the season continued, SPS held a tournament on Oct. 20 and came in 2^nd place out of seven teams. The tournament was named the Beowulf Classic in memory of former English teacher, Bro. Bill Parsons. The team played six games in one day; each game lasting between an hour and an hour and a half.

“We beat Jesuit, Denham Springs, Baton Rouge High, Redemptorist, lost to Catholic High and in sudden-death overtime to Bolton,” explained Richards.

The Dire Wolves’ fall record currently stands at 6 and 2. The team has games scheduled with Jesuit and will travel to Bolton in December, according to Coach Richards.