For many people, Ultimate is just a game with a disc played on college and high school campuses. That’s changing, however, and Chicago is on the ground floor.
Chicago’s American Ultimate Disc League team is the Wildfire. They were founded in 2013; this season is the team’s third in the league.
There are four divisions (Midwest, East, South and West) and 25 teams in the AUDL; the Wildfire won the Midwest in 2013 and lost in their first postseason game last season.
“There are things we can control like strategy, tactics, personnel and then we can set goals from there,” first-year Wildfire player Brett Matzuka said. “We set goals to help reach our aspirations, which is to win the division, and expectations are a function of those aspirations.”
The core players on the Wildfire last season are on the team again in 2015, including two-time league MVP and co-captain Jonathan Helton. Co-captain A.J. Nelson also returns; he led the team in goals in 2014.
With a first-year coach in Chris Ashbrook, new assistant coach/player Mike Shiel and several roster additions, the team is working to adjust to all the changes.
“We’re excited about the makeup of this team,” majority owner Steve Gordon said. “We added more athletic players that are younger and hungry. This season the team has more potential and the sky’s the limit.”
The Wildfire split their home games between Lane Tech Stadium in Chicago and Benedictine University in Lisle. About 600 fans show up to each game.
“The atmosphere is positive, energetic,” Gordon said. “The demographics are a lot of youth under 18 or [adults age] 18 to 30. It’s a fun crowd.”
The guiding principle of Ultimate is known as the “Spirit of the Game.” There are referees on the field at the professional level (while there are not at other levels). If a referee misses a call, it’s the player’s responsibility to call the foul or overrule the call. A foul results in an automatic turnover.
“The intent at the pro level is integrity, it’s a player’s call,” Gordon said. “This happens frequently, not at every game, but pretty close. Games are tied with a minute to go and a player comes over saying the disc hit the ground first. It’s the heat of the moment and you see that’s the way they approach the game.”
Emily Brown is a RedEye special contributor. @enbrown10
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