Six high schools competed in the D.C. State Ultimate Championships on Saturday, vying for the top spot in a sport that’s growing — if still relatively rare — among high schools in the city. The Jackson-Reed High School Tigers eventually claimed victory, winning four grueling games of ultimate frisbee in driving rain and cold spring weather.

But even as students got soaked through, they relished the competition and their chance to play in the championship tournament.

“It’s kind of like a community thing, so everyone’s in on it,” says Will Paxson, a junior at Washington Latin Public Charter School, during a break between games. “It’s fast paced, it’s casual, there’s no referees.”

The Latin Lions ended the day as semi-finalists, losing to the Jackson-Reed Tigers — the top team in D.C., with a nationally recognized program. In the other semi-final, the DC International School Dragons beat the School Without Walls Flightless Bird Squad in an exciting back-and-forth game that the Dragons won in sudden death, colloquially known as “universe point” in ultimate. It was the first time the DC State Athletic Association-organized tournament had taken place since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the last two iterations.

Jackson-Reed player Tamir Hill-Marshall throws to a teammate in the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championship finals game against DC International, at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Players from Jackson-Reed run on the field in celebration after winning the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championships finals against DC International School, at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Jackson-Reed players gather for a photo after winning the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championship finals, at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

School Without Walls player Julius Cohen looks for a pass while being marked by Washington Latin player Will Paxson, during the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championships at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Jackson-Reed player Margot Nissen throws a cross field pass in the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championship finals game against DC International, at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Washington Latin player Juliette Warga, lower left, cheers with teammates at the end of half time in a game against the School Without Walls, during the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championships at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Washington Latin players huddle with coaches on the field during a timeout, while School Without Walls players gather under tents, at the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championships at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

School Without Walls players and coaches react on the sideline during a semi-final game against DC International, during the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championships at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Jackson-Reed and Washington Latin players high-five after a DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championship semi-finals game, at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Jackson-Reed player Tamir Hill-Marshall throws to a teammate in the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championship finals game against DC International, at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Players from Jackson-Reed run on the field in celebration after winning the DCSAA High School State Ultimate Championships finals against DC International School, at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

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The Washington region is a hotbed for youth ultimate talent, with players developing on dozens of girls, boys, and mixed teams at schools around the area. There are also numerous youth camps and leagues for kids of all ages and genders, and higher-level traveling club teams with tryouts for top-tier talent. Recently, local club teams have won national ultimate championships in the mixed under-20 division in 2015 and 2016, and in the boy’s under-20 division in 2018.

Especially at youth levels, the game has been growing rapidly across the country as kids and parents are drawn to the competitive but welcoming environment. In 2003 there were fewer than 1,500 youth players in the entire country registered with USA Ultimate, the sport’s governing body in America. By 2019 that number had increased to more than 15,000, with the total number of registered players across all age groups increasing three-fold in the same period to nearly 62,000.

Describing the sport, 17-year-old Paxson continues, “on the field it’s not a lot of trash talk or anything like that, only on occasion. It’s mostly just compliments, like I’m out there and … I’m like ‘nice throw man.’ Then they return the favor. It’s real fun.”

Ultimate is played on a field similar to football but narrower, with a large central area of play and two end zones on either side. The goal is to catch the disc in the endzone to score, with teammates passing the disc up the field. Like basketball or hockey, open play is free flowing and the disc can be turned over to the defense on certain violations, or if a pass goes out of bounds or is incomplete. But unlike some similar sports, ultimate is noncontact, which opens up the game to a broader player pool by attracting people looking for alternatives to sports that involve tackling or other types of heavy physical contact.

What really differentiates ultimate from other sports is that players officiate the game themselves, without referees. At the youth level, coaches only step in to consult on rules as disputes are settled through discussion on the field.

“There’s an overall good vibe, no trash talking and everyone wants to cheer for each other, but at the end of the day you still want to win the game,” explains Kadin Nuri, a junior playing for the Dragons. He picked up the sport earlier this year, having been recruited by his friends off the basketball and soccer teams as a strong athlete. He described himself as great at running and jumping, but says he’s also still working on his throws and “catching in traffic.”

“It’s been pretty hard with the wet and rainy weather conditions,” he says, “I’ve had a couple of nice plays, but I think I can do more on offense.”

Unlike other sports like basketball or soccer, young ultimate players often have open access to connect and learn from the best players in the game, many of whom are actively coaching and training area youth teams.

Three active professionals help coach the School Without Walls program. Coaches David Shields and Gabe Webster both play for the DC Breeze in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), while coach Becca Arbacher plays for the DC Shadow in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL). At championship winning Jackson-Reed, Kelly Ross is a Co-Head Coach of the girl’s team and one of Arbacher’s teammates on Shadow.

Coach Gabe Webster instructs a player on how to best hold a disc while throwing during a School Without Walls ultimate practice at West Potomac Park, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Ada Silverman catches a pass during a School Without Walls ultimate practice at West Potomac Park, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Players applaud after practice while giving each other positive feed back at the end of a School Without Walls ultimate practice at West Potomac Park, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Marc Serebrisky catches a pass during a School Without Walls ultimate practice at West Potomac Park, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Coach Gabe Webster speaks with players in a team huddle during a School Without Walls ultimate practice at West Potomac Park, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Coach David Shields drills with players during a School Without Walls ultimate practice at West Potomac Park, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Ryden Pahang catches a pass during a School Without Walls ultimate practice at West Potomac Park, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Coach Gabe Webster instructs a player on how to best hold a disc while throwing during a School Without Walls ultimate practice at West Potomac Park, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

Ada Silverman catches a pass during a School Without Walls ultimate practice at West Potomac Park, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Graeme Sloan for DCist)

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“Frisbee kind of almost dominates at our school,” says Maximilian Eller, a sophomore on the School Without Walls Flightless Bird Squad, playing his first year of organized ultimate. “At recess we always play frisbee and that’s how I got into it.”

Coming out of the pandemic there was a lot of enthusiasm about restarting the School Without Walls ultimate team—coaches even had to create an A-team and a B-team (both mixed-gender) because of the huge turnout.

When Coach Webster, now 34-years-old, was in high school, he says he thought frisbee was kind of a “weird hippie club” that he didn’t want to join. Now he says the sport is growing because kids see their favorite players competing in the AUDL and the PUL, and can follow the sport closely online where big plays go viral and there is a strong community presence. Ultimate highlights even pop up on ESPN SportsCenter on a regular basis. “Kids know that ultimate is a sport, and when they see athletic plays it makes them want to do it too,” Webster says.

“It’s so different from when I grew up. There was no AUDL when I was young, and I didn’t play until college because I didn’t know that it was really a sport.”

Eller says that “It definitely helps,” having coaches who play at the highest level. “Because they have a very good insight on everything, they can always give you tips on anything.” Teammate Daniel McFarlane agrees, saying that it’s “crazy” that Coach Shields is a defensive leader on the Breeze while also coaching their high school team.

“You only get as good as you think is possible,” explains Coach Webster, adding that it’s “amazing” that players like Arbacher and her teammates on the Shadow, as well as his own Breeze teammates “are so unselfish with their time.”

Juliette Warga, a senior from Washington Latin, says she wants more diversity in the sport and hopes to play “against teams from across the city” in future tournaments. This year, every team participating at the championship tournament came from a school in Northwest, representative of the sport’s struggle to diversify. She adds that “it’s so exciting” to see boys and girls playing together, “it’s a really valuable way to play ultimate.”

Wargas’ teammate Will Paxson says their team takes “pride in our female players. And they show out every game. I love to see it, it’s such an amazing thing having a true co-ed team.” He agrees about wanting to play against a larger field of teams.

”I would love to see it like basketball,” where there are local leagues and a “bunch of teams in the playoffs with a bracket” for the state championship.“It’s very fun, don’t get me wrong, but I would like to see a lot of other teams so it’s more competitive and more fun for everyone.”