The Ultimate Game How a flying disc took Marty Wollner to Japan. LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER ltimate: the best. Ultimate: a flying disk game, originating in New Jersey in 1968, resembling football. Seven players from each team are on the field, pass- ing the disk to score. Unlike football, each player works every position. No referees are involved. The sport is played on the honor system. Returning from the world championships of the World Flying Disk Association in Utsonomia, Japan, Marty Wollner said he had the ul- timate experience. Mr. Wollner, a Livonia resident, had been playing Ultimate for 17 years — since his days at Michigan State University. Having competed in more than 100 tournaments, he decided to visit Japan to observe the U.S. team in the world championships. Fate had other plans. Mr. Wollner's friend, Dr. Dan Hyslop, had been cho- sen to play on the 21-man, five-woman masters team — a group of men and women more than 30 years old. A court date kept him in the United States. Dr. Hyslop had tried to save the life of Loyola University basket- ball star Hank Gathers when he collapsed on the basketball court two years prior. He was not successful and a lawsuit was brought against him. (It was later dismissed.) Dr. Hyslop encouraged Mr. Wollner to go to Japan without him and to fill in for him on the team. He ac- cepted. An 18-hour plane ride lat- er, Mr. Wollner found him- self in Japan with disk players representing Aus- tralia, New Zealand, Cana- da, Japan, Chinese-Taipai (Taiwan), Sweden, Finland, England, Germany and Switzerland. Posters and banners an- nouncing the tournament decorated Utsonomia. Open- ing ceremonies included a performance by the Shi- royama Nishi Children's Drum Band and speeches by the tournament director and the mayor. The mayor end- ed his address with the words, "Let the disk be the symbol of world peace." "I knew this was not going to be like any tournament in my 17 years of Ultimate. It was far beyond anything I could have dreamed," Mr. Wollner said "There was so much ca- maraderie on the field," Mr. Wollner said. "We played Japanese and American teams pose the Taiwanese team. They didn't speak a word of Eng- lish and we didn't speak any Chinese. But it never was a problem. We had the game in common." The U.S. team captured the championship in a game against Germany. The final score was 18-4, with Mr. Wollner catching the game- winning goal. When writing of his expe- rience in Japan for the Ulti- mate Players Association, Mr. Wollner said, "When I