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Guts Frisbee |
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Written by Charles Eshbach
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Most of us have spent a summer afternoon in the park tossing around a frisbee. Attempting to catch it with one finger or make a behind the back grab. Its a very leisurely game that everyone can enjoy on a warm summer’s day. Over fifty years ago some brothers decided to take this picnic past-time to the next level. Guts Frisbee is born.
Imagine a standard game of dodgeball. Two teams lined up at a certain distance apart, 14 meters in this case, but replace the rubber balls with a single 110 gram flying disc. Now, rather than trying to dodge this high velocity disc your goal is to deflect it, hit it, or grab it with whatever body part you can. The challenge for you and your team is to make a clean one handed catch before the disc hits the ground. This is easier said than done because although the opposition has to throw a catchable disc, they are not going to go easy on you or your fragile fingers. Discs have been known to travel up to 75 mph. A point is scored when a team fails to catch a throw, or a throw is illegal, or uncatchable. This back and forth keeps going until one team reaches 21.
The International Frisbee Tournament (IFT) is held over the July 4th weekend. Teams from all over the world will gather in Hancock to compete for the coveted Julius T. Nachazel trophy emblematic of Guts Frisbee supremacy.
In 1958 at a family picnic in Eagle Harbor the Healy brothers invented and perfected the game that has been played in the U.P. every year since. The popularity of the game steadily grew. The character of Guts as a game fits well in the culture of the Keweenaw. Standing up to a challenge with a bit of recklessness yet relying on someone to get your back or take the initial hit. This is not a foreign concept to a native yooper. In the late seventies Guts reached a new height in popularity. Under the leadership of Jon Davis (aka Jumbo Jon) and with help from radio man Bob Olson the tournament attendance rose to more than 10,000 people with 60 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams participating. Today the USGPA sponsors tournaments all over the country, with teams from all over the globe.
Experience the original extreme sport this year as the competition heats up over the Forth of July weekend. Come out to the Hancock Driving Park to see the action. To find out more about Guts Frisbee go to: www.gutsfrisbee.com.
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