Professional ultimate frisbee players visit Adventures Plus

Was it the swift summer breeze or the ‘windchill’ that made the morning so cool for Adventures Plus students at Brookside Elementary School? On August 18, athletes from the men’s ultimate frisbee team, the Minnesota Wind Chill, took to the field behind the school to guest-coach and show off their ‘ultimate’ talent.

Professional athletes Nathan De Morgan and Ellis Newhouse spent several hours outside working with the students and teaching them basic frisbee skills. The two also shared their passion for the game, a fast-paced, non-contact sport played with a flying disc. The purpose is to score points by catching the disc in the opposing team’s end zone.

“We’re doing lots of camps and visits with younger kids trying to introduce them to frisbee and get them excited about playing frisbee.”  Said De Morgan, a Utah resident and Minnesota college student.

 “I think really the biggest goal is for them to realize that throwing frisbees and playing frisbee is just a good time,” said Newhouse. “We’re not really trying to teach them anything crazy right now. We just hope that they go home and tell their parents that they are excited about frisbee and maybe come to a game.”

Turns out, their efforts were a success. When asked about her experience, soon-to-be sixth-grader Lizzy Wensits said, “I didn’t know that throwing a frisbee could be an actual sport and that you could do it so cleanly and smoothly and then catch it and then throw it. It’s just a lot of teamwork, and it’s super cool.”

It wasn’t just Lizzy having a great time; her peers had a blast learning different catching techniques, testing their abilities, and cheering each other on, even getting Adventures Plus staff involved in the fun.

The Minnesota Wind Chill is part of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) and plays home games at Sea Foam Stadium on the campus of Concordia University, St. Paul. Learn more about the team at www.windchillultimate.com. The team will also have a booth in the Fan Central building at the Minnesota State Fair.

View a photo album from the Minnesota Wind Chill visit.

Watch a video of the "cool" experience!