Wednesday, July 9, 1975 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
The Fourth in Marquette...

Page Eleven


..
By AL HRAPSKY
MARQUETTE, Mich. - Here
in Marquette, where beer is
still a quarter a glass, the
Strohs' International Frisbee
Tournament (IFT) is as much
a part of the Fourth of July
celebration as sparklers and
fireworks. Some sixty teams
from around the country gather-
ed to hurl the polyethelene discs
last weekend.
Originating as a picnic at Cop-
per Harbor eighteen years ago,
where a family got together to
drink beer and have a good
time, the tournament in Michi-
gan's Upper Peninsula has de-
veloped into a two day affair,
attracting some 6,500 fans who
consumed some 700 cases of
leer alone.
While tournament director
Jon Davis admits that the
term "international" started
as a sort of "tongue in cheek"
thing, and that the competition
is mainly restricted to Michi-
gan entries, the IFT did at-
tract teams from Canada,
California, Alabama, New Jer-
sey, Indiana, Illinois and New
York.
Among the players participat-
ing in the tournament were
World Men's champion Vic
lalafronte who boasts the
world's largest collection of
Frisbees at over 500, and John
Kirkland, the World Men's dis-
tance champion. The pair toured
the country with the Harlem
Globetrotters last year, putting
«i freestyle demonstrations at
halftime.
Jo Cahow, World Women's
champion from Ann Arbor, and
Monika Lou, Women's distance
cham) also attended.
The Frisbee, which allegedly
started as a sport when Yale
stodents began tossing pie tins
manufactured by the Frisbie
Pie Company in the early
1900's, was first manufactured
by Fred Morrison in 1948 in
plastic form. After several im-
provements by M o r r i s o n,
WHAMO discovered his in-
vention and made him an offer
in 1957 that resulted in the
company's production of some
100 million Frisbees.
Today, with more improve-
ments in design and sophistica-
tion in style, the game has sent
local teams scurrying across
the country to compete in "Guts
Frisbee," "Ultimate Frisbee"
and "Freestyle Frisbee" as well
as other forms of competition.
But the game which arounsed
the most interest in Marquette
was "Guts Frisbee."

Fireworks
" 'Guts' is heavier in the Mid- While the d
west," said Davis, "and it seems velocities, the
to be the game which captures dena are dec
the audience's attention. At the Frisbee's fli
Rose Bowl Frisbee Champion- a second or t
ships last summer before some of error enc
13,000 (fans), 'Guts' seemad to clocking is
excite the crowds the most. ' WHAMO Cor
In "Guts" five players stand will provide
in line arms length apart, equipment at,
crouched over in anxious an- August and
ticipation. Forty feet away one average shou
of their opponents cocks his Following1
'Guts' is heavier in the Midwest
to be the game which captures th
attention. At the Rose Bowl Frisb
ships last summer before some1
'Guts' seemed to excite the crow
-IFT Dire

arm, winds up like a d'tcus
thrower, takes a running start,
and zips the Frisbee as hard as
he can at his opponent. The
object is to drill the plastic plat-
ter past the defenders. The de-
fenders must catch the saucer
with one hand.
After the disc is released, a
member of the receiving squad
will usually tip it up in the tir,
try to recover or snare it, or
prepare to make a diving catch
of another deflection usually
caused by one of his teammates.
Sometimes it takes six -r seven
bobbles to control the Frisbee
and it becomes apparent that
some of the players could double
as jugglers.
If the disc is dropped, the
throwing team scores; if caught,
no points are scored; if too high
or short of the goal (tne de-
fenders), the receiving team
scores. The first team to reach
21 points and a victory margin
of at least two points wins a
game, with a best of 'bree
games winning the mat n.
Although Bud Weesen, gen-
eral manager of Cliff's Ridge
Ski Area where the tourna-
ment took place, claims that
"you're supposed to imbibe a
lot when you compete," the
general competitiveness has
reached the level of other
more popular sports in recent
years, and few of the more
talented teams consume brew
during the games.
The Frisbee, clocked at speeds
of 90 mph by split-second stop-
clocks at the Rose Bowl last
year, moves so quickly that it
whines and is seldom caught on
the first attempt.

double-elimin
petition, thef
down to eigh
of the quintet
half out of
were reduce
spectators.
In a heat
Library Bar
ton dealt ti
ABX Air Ac
17-21, 21-11,
crowd's deli
brary, last3
bee "Guts"
fered one lo
tournament
ination, an
necessary to
pion.
But the Ac
tion, came or
ers and star
19, 21-15.
For their
were aware
Julius T. Na
phy made ou
a retired Mi
sor, who ha
Copper Coun
petition since
champions fr
an all expen
Rose Bowl C
in August.
Ann Arbor
the Humbly
pions of the1
Library 21-15
finals. Chuc
"Humblies"
had been fou
they finished
disappointed.
"We didn'
Schultz sai

and Frisbee
isc travels a: high on spirit alone."
clockings in Pasa- Ann Arbor's female rendition
eiving because the of the Humblies lost the cham-
ght lasts scarcely pionship to the Library Bar
wo and the margin women in the final showdown.
ountered in hand John Kirkland from Allston,
too large. The Massachusetts won the Men's
poration however, Accuracy contest. In accuracy,
electronic timing the Frisbee must be tossed
the Rose Bowl this through a hula-hoop about forty
a more accurate feet away.
ld result. Locals, Carol Washburn and
the first day of Jim Hoes took the Women's and
tNt;iLtithhhittt0iat Children's accuracy titles re-
,...... spectively.
and it seems In the distance, Joe Essnan
, fWelston, Ohio playing for the
he audience's, Berkley, California entry threw
ee Champion- the platter 289 feet while de-
fending champion Monika Lou
13,OOO (fans), also from Berkley repeated in
'ds the most. the Women's distance with a
toss of 219 feet.
ctor Jon Davis Several of the contestants
gave a demonstration of "Ulti-
"."-t~ra:">-': ::;." mate Frisbee" which is a com-
ation "Guts" com- bination of football, soccer and
field was narrowed basketball. Eight man teams
t teams and most compete against each other
is who had entered and try to score touchdowns
whim and novelty by passing the Frisbee back
d to beer drinking and forth until they cross each
other's goal. The players are
ed comeback, the allowed three steps.
team from hough- "Ultimate" started on the east
he Troy, Michigan coast in a New Jersey high
es their first loss school and is rapidly gaining
21-18, much to the potularity on college campuses.
ght. Since tle Li- Dr. Stancil E. D. Johnson,
year's World Fris- author of "Frisbee, a praction-
champs had suf- er's manual and definitive
ss earlier and the treatise," commented on the
was double-elim- future of the young sport.
extra match was "I think that there will be
decide the cham- a natural progression where
neople will realize that Frisbee
es, facing elimina- is valuable, rewarding and
n with strong fling- worthwhile.
nina to prevail 21- It's a good sport for women
also because they can compete
victory the Aces on a level with the men. Ttiy
ded the coveted might not be able to throw it as
ichazel Cup, a tro- far or as hard as the men, but
t of two tin cans by they can compete easier than
chigan Tech profes- they could in a sport like base-
s been involved in ball or football."
itry Frisbee com- Although the IFT, which ac-
its inception. The cording to Johnson is considered
'om Troy also won "the" tournament by Frisbee
se paid trip to the devoutees, has shifted around
hampionships later the Upper Peninsula over the
years, it appears to have found
a's own contingent, a home in Marquette. Next year
Magnificent Cham- the tournament will be making
Universe fell to the its third consecutive appear-
, 21-18 in the semi- ance in the U.P.'s largest city

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Open 11 a.m. Mon.-Sat.
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k Schultz of the
said that their goal
rth place and since
third, they weren't
t have the talent,"
a, "so we cruised

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