Hoosier Hoedown helps demystify ‘Ultimate Frisbee’

This year, the Fourth of July is about more than just fireworks: Bloomington is adding frisbees into the mix.

The seventh annual Hoosier Hoedown takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Karst Farm Park.

Sponsored by the Hoosier Sports Corporation, the program is preparing for the arrival of 15 teams with members coming from all over Indiana and from cities including Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Ohio, and Louisville, Ky.

In addition to a variety of geographical representations, the competition welcomes players with a wide range of skill levels and experience.

For example, Jess Porter, co-captain of her 27-person coed team, will be competing in the Hoosier Hoedown for the sixth time.

Her initial participation was inspired by her love of Ultimate Frisbee, as she also played on the IU women’s team.

But this year, “we got a brand new team started because a bunch of people moved away,” Porter said. “So we threw together a coed team of anyone who stayed and wanted to have some fun.”

Jared Payne, tournament director of the Hoosier Hoedown, also plays on a large team of about 15 people who compete on different club teams. Given their collective experience, their focus is largely on the competitive side of Ultimate Frisbee.

However, Payne said he enjoys helping his teammates enjoy their time on the field.
“I like seeing people have fun when the competition weekend finally arrives,” Payne said.

The Hoosier Hoedown is an important Bloomington event because there aren’t many chances for competitive Ultimate Frisbee in the Bloomington area, Payne said.
“I started the program so that I and others would have a chance to compete in our hometown,” Payne said.

And playing in their hometown gives the players a competitive edge.

“It’s nice to not have to travel, and we kind of take pride in it because it’s our own tournament,” said Jesse Roehm, a member of Payne’s team.

Karst Farm Park consists of multiple soccer fields on which both the Coed Division and Open Division will play. Each field will hold two teams of seven players at a time. Those who attend should expect to see multiple games going on simultaneously.

Once introduced to the sport, especially in college, players learn “a new way to stay in shape and also meet so many great people,” Porter said.

Porter said she hopes the tournament will allow people to learn about a little-known sport.

“A lot of times, people hear ‘Ultimate Frisbee’ and think it’s just people throwing a Frisbee back and forth,” she said. “It actually takes a lot of athletic ability to be good at it. I think the tournament could open people’s eyes to a sport that’s not mainstream.”

To Roehm, its rarity is part of Ultimate Frisbee’s appeal.

“It’s definitely a unique sport that a lot of people are unfamiliar with,” he said. “This is a chance to check out a pretty cool event.”