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UCF disc team advances to regionals
Jake Bridges
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News

The UCF A-team, Dogs of War, ranked No. 24 in the nation by the Ultimate Players Association, was only defeated once in the Florida Sectional Tournament by the University of Florida. UF is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation by UPA, which is similar to the AP poll in NCAA college football.

UCF's B-team, Havoc, finished seventh in the tournament.

Because of its top three finish, Dogs of War will advance to the Atlantic Coast Regionals in Statesboro, Ga., with UF and either Florida State University or the UF B-team. This third-place game was postponed due to lightning in the Orlando area and will be made up soon in Lake City.

The sport, called "ultimate," is played with two teams of seven players trying to pass the disc into an end zone.

"It's similar to basketball in the way turnovers are done but similar to soccer in the way you move up and down the field," said Steve Schade, vice president of the club Ultimate Frisbee at UCF and a Dogs of War team member. "It's a great deal of running."

Ultimate is a relatively new sport. The UPA was established in 1979, but it has gained increasing popularity, especially on college campuses.

The UPA's Web site boasts collegiate-level participants from Florida all the way to Alaska. The UPA Web site also displays links to youth and regular club teams.

Dogs of War compete in one of the most competitive of the collegiate regions. As Bumgarner said, the Atlantic Coast region is a place for the elite. Dogs of War will be matched against top-tier competition such as No. 1 UF, No. 15 North Carolina University, No. 17 North Carolina State University, No. 25 University of North Carolina-Wilmington and No. 32 Georgia Tech.

Schade said he knows the team will have to overachieve at the tournament in order to advance to College Nationals in Boulder, Colo., which a UCF team has never done before.

"We have our work cut out for us. It's [possible], but we have to play a great tournament," he said. "Last year, we ended up fifth at regionals. This year, I think we have just as good a shot as we did last year. Our team is probably just as strong, we have the same coach and a bunch of the same players."

Dogs of War team member Daniel Bumgarner and teammate Bill Igar said the team is doing well for having only been a team for about five years. Bumgarner and Igar were responsible for starting the club, and have seen it grow rapidly with current coach Shane Steward.

"When he started coaching us, we were maybe No. 170 in the nation, so he has lifted us up to No. 24," Schade said. "He has done an outstanding job with our program. We are still trying to get our name on the map. We are not elite yet, but we are a very good club."

Though they don't consider themselves elite, the team at UCF has made a splash on the ultimate scene. It has garnered spots in two invite-only tournaments at the University of Texas and Stanford University.

Other than those two tournaments, the UCF team also competes regularly in the Trouble in Vegas Tournament and the College Terminus Tournament, held in Atlanta.

Locally, popularity for the sport on campus has increased. This semester, Bumgarner said, about 50 to 60 new students came out for the club's early practices. However, the large time commitment deters some students, Schade said.

The increased popularity was the main reason that a B-team, Havoc, was able to start last year.

"This is really our B-team's first year as a true competitive club," Schade said. "They have captains, and they have some hierarchy."

Both Dogs of War and Havoc continue to grow every year, and members said they hope that this expansion will only continue with time.

Schade, who will serve as Sports Club president next year, has plans to put clips of the team in action on the UCF orientation video to spark interest. Also, Bumgarner and Igar said they are always recruiting during the orientation ice cream social at their team's table.

"If you want to take your game to the next level, we are always out here," Schade said. "You can come out, and we will be happy to teach you the game."

For more information, visit the team's Web site at www.ultimateucf.com.