Spirit of the Game

When you play Ultimate, you will hear a lot about spirit of the game. It means different things to different people but all Ultimate players will agree that spirit is an important aspect of the game and is essential to ensuring the game works as a self-refereed sport.
 
RESPECT
At its core, spirit of the game is about respecting your opponents and the rules. This ensures that everyone on the field has a good time.
 
THE ESSENTIALS
Spirit of the game has inspired some hilarious moments, but being silly is not a requirement for Ultimate. What is required is that you honour the five points below. They are essential rules that every Ultimate player must follow no matter what level you are playing at.
 

SPIRIT SCORES

After every game, when captains submit game scores to OCUA, they also answer a few questions to provide a "spirit score" for their opponent. The OCUA Spirit Scoring System is a modified version of the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) system, customized to be more suitable for an ongoing league (the WFDF system is more suitable for tournaments).
 
Captains assess the other team in four categories using a 10-point scale in the following areas: 
  • Encouraging others through positive attitude
  • Rules Knowledge & Use (Fair play through observance of the Rules): Players understood the rules, or were willing to learn them. They shared their rules knowledge respectfully. They were willing to believe calls were made in good faith. Disagreements were handled quickly and not escalated into arguments. The captain helped resolve disputes (if any).
  • Emotional Self-Regulation
  • Safe & Clean Play (Avoiding injuries and body contact): Players avoided fouling, contact and dangerous plays. The captain addressed concerns about dangerous players on their team. All players exhibited good sportsmanship.
  • Respectful Communication: They communicated without derogatory or aggressive language. They complimented us on our good plays. The captain was approachable. They were willing to clarify any misunderstandings on the sideline. They left an overall positive impression during the game, and after the game.