What Happens When a Disc Hits a Bird? story by kevin underhill photos by kat britten comic by miriam tingle


Ultimate was the first and only non-refereed sport I had ever played. I played hockey, soccer and baseball growing up so I was used to officials controlling the game. And then I encountered observers. I always wondered what drove people to become observers. It is a thankless job. They tirelessly run the field taking no points off, only to get berated by players when calls don’t fall their way.


Some players love observers, some hate them and they are always in the centre of controversy during a big game. My notions of observers were fairly limited until I spent a whole tournament with “Team Orange.”


At CUC 2015, I was lucky enough to get a behind the scenes look at what observers are like off the field. I shared rooms, car rides, lunches, dinners and drinks with them. You’ll never be bored if there is an observer around.


They are among the most dedicated and passionate contributors to the Ultimate community. This I can say with absolute certainty. If you think observers go back to the hotel bar and argue about rules and calls, then you are absolutely right. Observers are always on the clock. From morning rules quizzes to finalizing the observer


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schedule at 2 a.m. the night before competition, Team Orange is constantly on the job.


Observing attracts a certain type of person. They are smart, dedicated and meticulous, to a fault sometimes. And they love to argue. The arguments I witnessed— from what to do when a disc hits a bird to giving TMFs to teammates for fighting each other, were an endless source of entertainment.


The commitment to training, positioning, knowing the rules, delivering the calls requires about as much training as it does to play at the top level. Observers are professionals and they take their craft very seriously.


As players, we only see the on-field presence. As we all know, that can go one of two ways and someone will have an opinion of the observers that is probably more fitting for a Youtube comment section.


Next time you play with observers, don’t just cast them aside as rules-nerds who aren’t good enough to play. Thank them because they are helping Ultimate grow in Canada one disc-hitting-a-bird at a time.


Ultimate Canada Magazine - www.canadianultimate.com


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