World Record? Uhhh...Go, Yeah!?

My college pal, Jerry just sent me this article about what has been goin' on at my Alma Mater. I guess, go Beloit, go? Right?

SAT., APR 8, 2006 - 9:09 PM
Beloit College students go for Ultimate Frisbee record
GENA KITNER gkittner@madison.com
BELOIT -- About 30 Beloit College students have played Ultimate Frisbee through rain, hail, cold and even a bit of sun since Thursday ? and they plan to continue until 7 tonight in an effort to break the world record for the longest continuous Ultimate Frisbee game.

"We've seen all four seasons," said Alex Tillett-Saks, a Beloit College junior and one of the event organizers.

But despite the conditions, "everyone' remaining in really good spirits," he said Saturday as the group entered its 42nd hour.

The current Guinness world record is 70 hours and 14 seconds and the students' plan is to make it to 72 straight hours of Ultimate Frisbee.

The object in Ultimate Frisbee is to score by catching a Frisbee pass in the opponent's end zone. A player must stop running while in possession of the disc but can pivot and pass to any of the other receivers on the field.

The players are divided into two teams and play in shifts, said Nick Wolf, a Beloit College junior who also helped organize the event. The teams have a detailed record of every point to verify the statistics for the record book, he said.

The students are playing at Karris Field, which because of the rain resembled more of a mud pit than a field. As of Saturday afternoon, the group had played about 25 games, some better than others.

"You can't really run in the mud," Tillett-Saks said.

Amy Buechler, a sophomore at Beloit College, said she had never played Ultimate Frisbee until this weekend.

Why get involved now?

"Glory," she said.

Buechler was on the field Saturday after playing for 13 straight hours Friday.

"It's fun when everybody's really tired," she said. Although she got a break to sleep, she said it's hard to relax.

"When you're falling asleep you're thinking about Frisbee."

According to the Ultimate Player's Association Web site, about 100,000 people play Ultimate Frisbee in the United States.

Gabe Stader-Brown, a Beloit College junior, is an experienced Ultimate Frisbee player who tries to get involved in any Frisbee event he can.

To prepare for the nonstop Frisbee action, he ate healthier and drank more water in the weeks leading up to the event. But nothing could prepare him for the rain, hail and freezing temperatures early on.

"It seems like the weather is out to get us," he said.

As part of the event, organizers hoped to raise money for the Merrill Community Center, a nonprofit agency in Beloit's inner city.

Although no money had been raised as of Saturday afternoon, organizers hope the event raises awareness for the community center.

"We think it's great," said Princess Snyder, program director at the Merrill Community Center. "I know that they think about us when they do community service."