Raucous winter sport gives ultimate Frisbee a harder hit
Fresh snow sends students to baseball fields for Lantz Ball at night
Mark Hensch
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Sports
Freshman Parker Fox is undeterred by the sight of his own blood. The victim of an accidental kick the night of Jan. 12, Fox now sports four stitches in his lower lip.
Unaffected by such an injury, he leapt back into the fray that is Lantz Ball - a popular winter sport somewhere between ultimate Frisbee and football.
"There is no holding back in Lantz Ball once some good snow has fallen," Fox said. "More spectacular dives and tackles are possible and you end up feeling like an extreme athlete."
Frequent player Zach Howard, a junior, said Jason Lantz '06 first created Lantz Ball during the winter of 2003-2004. An avid ultimate Frisbee player, Lantz grew tired of suffering through the off season once the first snow hit. One night of particularly deep snow lead Lantz to the idea of letting ultimate Frisbee players run with the Frisbee and tackle each other in the snow. Like clockwork, Frisbee fanatics have been getting rough every winter since.
"Lantz Ball is ultimate Frisbee done in a rugby fashion," Howard said. "It is not for the fainthearted but for those interested in intense competition."
Such contests of speed and strength occur spontaneously with a light-up Frisbee at the baseball fields when the snow is fluffy and the night is old. Howard said most nights feature teams of five or six players tossing discs much like they would in ultimate Frisbee. The difference here, he said, is the ability for players to sprint like cheetahs towards an end zone once the Frisbee has been caught. Given the game's blitzkrieg nature, players often switch between offense and defense many times in the course of a night.
"It is as fun threading through guys into the end zone as it is tackling people," Howard said. "What I personally like best, however, is making a good tackle and bringing someone down hard in the snow."
Despite its pummeling play, both Howard and Fox maintain injuries are rare. Howard said the worse he has seen are bloody noses. Fox said despite splitting his lip during his first game, he is ready for more.
What keeps both coming back is the sport's famous camaraderie. Being a full-contact sport, Lantz Ball is played only by men, though women are welcomed as both spectators and cheering squads. Because of this, Howard said, friendships form from even the most rattling of tackles.
"Lantz Ball is an absolute blast and a great way for guys to bond," Howard said. "When it's 1 a.m., and you are cold, and your body hurts all over, it is still so much fun. It is a great feeling."
Lantz himself agrees. Having not played the sport bearing his name since graduating in 2006, Lantz said the best he can do is reflect on how much fun he had playing it. Despite this, Lantz said the game provided fond memories.
"It is the memories you build doing stuff like this in college that stick with you," Lantz said. "It was a lot of fun, but it was the most memorable because of the guys you play with."
Unaffected by such an injury, he leapt back into the fray that is Lantz Ball - a popular winter sport somewhere between ultimate Frisbee and football.
"There is no holding back in Lantz Ball once some good snow has fallen," Fox said. "More spectacular dives and tackles are possible and you end up feeling like an extreme athlete."
Frequent player Zach Howard, a junior, said Jason Lantz '06 first created Lantz Ball during the winter of 2003-2004. An avid ultimate Frisbee player, Lantz grew tired of suffering through the off season once the first snow hit. One night of particularly deep snow lead Lantz to the idea of letting ultimate Frisbee players run with the Frisbee and tackle each other in the snow. Like clockwork, Frisbee fanatics have been getting rough every winter since.
"Lantz Ball is ultimate Frisbee done in a rugby fashion," Howard said. "It is not for the fainthearted but for those interested in intense competition."
Such contests of speed and strength occur spontaneously with a light-up Frisbee at the baseball fields when the snow is fluffy and the night is old. Howard said most nights feature teams of five or six players tossing discs much like they would in ultimate Frisbee. The difference here, he said, is the ability for players to sprint like cheetahs towards an end zone once the Frisbee has been caught. Given the game's blitzkrieg nature, players often switch between offense and defense many times in the course of a night.
"It is as fun threading through guys into the end zone as it is tackling people," Howard said. "What I personally like best, however, is making a good tackle and bringing someone down hard in the snow."
Despite its pummeling play, both Howard and Fox maintain injuries are rare. Howard said the worse he has seen are bloody noses. Fox said despite splitting his lip during his first game, he is ready for more.
What keeps both coming back is the sport's famous camaraderie. Being a full-contact sport, Lantz Ball is played only by men, though women are welcomed as both spectators and cheering squads. Because of this, Howard said, friendships form from even the most rattling of tackles.
"Lantz Ball is an absolute blast and a great way for guys to bond," Howard said. "When it's 1 a.m., and you are cold, and your body hurts all over, it is still so much fun. It is a great feeling."
Lantz himself agrees. Having not played the sport bearing his name since graduating in 2006, Lantz said the best he can do is reflect on how much fun he had playing it. Despite this, Lantz said the game provided fond memories.
"It is the memories you build doing stuff like this in college that stick with you," Lantz said. "It was a lot of fun, but it was the most memorable because of the guys you play with."
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