The Greatest Game Rarely Played Puddy. Child Prodigy. Becker the Recker. Boy Genius.
ASU's Diablos are a unique breed of ultimate Frisbee players. When they take the field however, they are as attentive and focused as a disk spiraling through the air en route to the goal.
The Diablos resemble a bunch of cast-offs from the set of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”—a bevy of pizza-delivery guys that, for one night, are stars of the Frisbee gridiron.
Players endure grueling practices to prepare for a big tournament like the one that took place Sunday, April 22. The team advanced to regional competition on May 5 in Scottsdale.
“Everyone on this team plays for the spirit of the game,” team captain Vince Noe said. “There are no referees so it is much like playing a pickup game of one-on-one basketball against your best friend in the driveway.”
Reno, the team’s mascot, waits patiently during practice.
Note the basketball reference. Speed and endurance are an important part of the game. Screens, which basketball players normally set to free up a player for an offensive shot, are not allowed in Ultimate Frisbee. If a screen is set against an opponent, and the opponent calls a foul, the other team takes possession of the Frisbee.
Fierce camaraderie oozes from the team's Web site. With coddling nicknames and “Lord of the Rings” references, these Renaissance men seem more poised for a run at a campus glee club then the physicality of a 90-minute Ultimate Frisbee match.
The Diablos even have a mascot: Reno, the golden mutt, who alertly follows the team around the field during warm-up drills. (Continued on page 2.)
