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Ultimate frisbee and the Horseshoe have enjoyed a successful marriage BY GABRIELLE SINCLAIR THE GAMECOCK JL’ 1 tanning, pelting each other wifHtter balloons and snowballs, or partaking in the pinnacle of college staples: Ultimate Frisbee. Popularized in TV and film as the pastime for hip pies and stoners, Ultimate Frisbee originated in the late ’60s in a New Jersey high school. By 1975, orga nized tournaments were beginning to be held on col lege campuses around the country. Second-year business student Charlie Mather, who’s been playing since the eighth grade, said he was drawn to the “spirit,” the good sportsmanship, in a game which uses no referees and relies on players to make calls. “Everybody’s out to have fun,” Mather said. “It’s \ not like you’re going out there and trash talking each other.” Frisbees come in different sizes, but must be 175 grams (“An ultimate Ultimate Frisbee,” Mathers said.) and cones are suggested to mark off bound aries, but sidewalks can work just as well. The goal of Ultimate is simple: score more points than the other team, and, if possible, prevent the oth er team from scoring at all. There are two teams, each with seven people, and, a la football, one team kicks off — throws off — the Frisbee to the other team. That team then tries to work the Frisbee to the other side while the other tries to intercept. Once the Frisbee is caught, fhe player cannot move his or her feet and must throw to a teammate. ketball-like variety of strategies and formations, including man-to-man Players standing in the mid e poppers,” run to get to an open Finally, “the deep people” look to make the cuts (see glossary) for -£-ipl ar fes sional leagues m Europe and some near professional club leagues in the UnitadStSresTisnot a sport. “It involves all the different aspects of a sport," second-year media arts student Mark Foil said, including “physical exertion, competition between two or more participants, skill and proficiency.” For a noncontact sport. Ultimate Frisbee has more than its share of war stories. Foil has collided with everything from people to iron fenc ing to a brick wall on Davis Field. “It's amazing what grabbing onto a cement/brick wall, as you fly over it,will do to your arms,” he said. “I went inside and had a few of my me up and then returned to the game.” gpgRMRpiEroin the social perks of the game, Ultimate requires some sig nificant physical effort. Cross-country coaches have been known to use the game in training because there’s so much running involved. “A good team only stops running when a point is scored and are switching sides,” said Foil, who is co-captain of the Preston Ultimate JF serveu. Foil, who has played in snow, rain, lightning and “a bit of hail,” said the adrenaline can be habit forming. “It is almost like a disease,” he said. “I will drop most anything to get the chance to play a game and have done so in the past.”, ( Foil compared the Horseshoe to NASCAR’s Darlington for Ultimate Frisbee players. “The playing field is crisscrossed with brick walkways that threaten any un-shoed foot and the integrity of any unsure step,” he said. “The trees lining the area offer adequate shade but also provide ammuni tion for the squirrels and litter the area with limbs and nuts.” Anyone who’s interested in the sport should get out there and try it, Mathers said, and might want to invest in catching and throwing prac tice. “When you have that down you’re pretty much ready,” he said. ^ Like anything worth doing well, Ultimate Frisbee requires practice ' and dedication. Ultimately, though, it’s important to keep the spirit alive. “If you find yourself getting angry at yourself or anyone else, you are taking it way too seriously,” Foil said. “All you need is a good-size group of people, and just start and let the fun happen.” ' *■ * Ultimate Dictionary Ultimate Frisbee carrys its own unique brand of lingo to the sport. ultimate • frisbee air bounce n: a backhand or forehand throw that is aimed slightly downward, but is buoyed by a cushion of air. backhand n: a standard throw; right-handed player places thumb on top of disc, curls fingers underneath, extends arm to left side of body. bid n: an impressive (but failing) diving attempt to catch the frisbee. Often used in a positive way, ex. “Nice bid” blade n: a forehand throw that goes high in the air and curves left; an extreme version of the reverse curve. clog v: to prevent good cuts by standing in the way of your team mates. cut n: a run by a receiver to shake his defender, deep n: a receiver who cuts for hucks. hack n: & foul. SOURCE: WWW.ULTIMATEHANDBOOK.COM hammer n: an overhead throw with a forehand grip in which the frisbee is relesed at an angle so that it flattens out and flies upside -jjp down. '4$* handler n: one of a team’s primary throwers, high release n : a backhand throw held and released over the thrower’s head; very difficult to block. —***' Frisbee huck n:alongthrow; equivalent to a bomb in foot- Team. | 1 ball. Ultimates’s offi swlll n: a bad throw. jr cial rules include limits on how long one can hold the ' Frisbee before throwing and regu lations on defense, though in regular pick-up games they are not necessarily ob /; '■ | ’ : ... p ' . pp. President Sorensen and his wife live among the students in their house on the Horseshoe PHOTO BY GABmEUE I SINCLAIR/THE GAMECOCK Donna Sorensen greets vlstltors to her home on the Horses ho^fgg£ BY JENNIFER FREEMAN THE GAMECOCK The first thing you notice is a table in the foyer displaying art from USC students. Up the winding staircase to your left is a chair that was custom built specifically for the pope on his visit to USC. Drift into the second-floor re ception room and see the intricate wallpaper, tiles and furniture, each with its own story. The President’s House is more than a home, it’s an exhibit. Donna Sorensen, wife of USC President Andrew Sorensen, said uni versity presidents who don’t live on campus among the students don’t know what they’re missing. “They just have no idea,” she said. “There is a great feeling of com munity that comes from living on campus.” The home is used for social events, small receptions, Student Government inductions and USC Showcase, not to mention a holiday brunch wherein about 1,300 visitors get a chance to wander through the house. Sorensen said tnat tne nest part ot living on tne Horseshoe is the closeness they have to the students, and that the house is “perfect for the needs of the pres ident. “There isn’t anything I want that we don’t have.” Before the Sorensens came to USC, President John Palms lived in the house. When the Sorensens came to USC in fall 2002 when the house was in need of ex tensive renovations. The ceilings and walls needed maintenance, wirings needed replacement and there was no central climate control. For the first year and a half of Andrew Sorensen’s tenure, he and his wife lived at 1801 Pendleton St. un til they moved into the Horseshoe residence in November 2003. For most of USC’s history, the president’s house was at the site currently occupied by the McKissick Museum. Built in 1807, this house was the fourth build ing to be built on the South Carolina College campus, and the architecture influenced the design of later buildings. Jonathan Maxcy, the first president of ySC, was the first resident of this two-story, Federal-Style brick home. During the Civil War the house was occupied by Confederate troops and was converted to be used as a hospital. In 1846, at the height of his popularity, Daniel Webster visited USC and gave a speech on the steps of President William C. Preston’s home. In 1899 William Jennings Bryan also spoke on the steps of the president’s house, “extolling the virtues of good character, public service and dedication.” Former USC President William Currell was the building’s final resident during his 1914-1922 term. His successor, William D. Melton, refused to live in the president 's house as it had been allowed to fall into disrepair and instead lived at 1602 Pendleton St. From 1923 to 1936 the former president’s house was used for class rooms and office space. The newly established School of Journalism, the Office of Campus Publications, the Registrar’s Office, the Office of the Dean of Women, the Personnel Bureau and the Alumni Office oc cupied this building during the transition period for the president’s house. After leaving the house on the Horseshoe, all of USC’s presidents lived just a few blocks from campus. School of Journalism dean J. Rion McKissick lived in the building that was to become the current presi dent’s residence. When McKissick became the university president in 1936, he and his board condemned the former president’s house and the offices there were relocated to Thorn well College and the Student Union in Flinn Hall. The condemned building was finally demolished in 1940 to make room for the University Library, now the McKissick Museum. | In 1951, USC President Donald Russell decided it was time for the * president to return to campus and so, with his own money, transformed a then-women’s residence hall duplex into a home for his family. sinclair/the gamecock The first-floor library, with a view to the garden, houses many artifacts of USC anc. South Carolina history. I