Park City’s ultimate frisbee’s ultimate goal

Monday and Thursday nights' ultimate frisbee players at Matt Knoop Park. Photo: Jared Connors

PARK CITY, Utah. — As sports professionals halfway around the globe debate as to how many Japanese spectators should be allowed to attend their Games, Jared Connor would be happy to have a few more people attend his ultimate frisbee games. It’s a regular pickup game for which he said they, “don’t have enough participation to form a league with multiple teams competing for the summer season. I hope we can get there but so far it’s only been a two-team affair”.

“We usually have around 12 players but we’re really hoping we get more involved so we can turn this great game into a regular event with multiple teams of all skill levels,” said Connor, the organizer.

Last night was their third game. They play Monday and Thursday nights at 7 pm at Matt Knoop Park. “We welcome everyone,” said Connor. The game ranges from age 8, Abigail Connors visiting from Arizona for the summer, to Hudson Webber and Zeke Riemer both age 11, year-round PC residents, to people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and climbing. Some of the regulars include Jackie Baum an all-star frisbee player who moved to PC about a year ago after getting her graduate degree at the University of Washington.

The athletes also include Kerry Burns a father of two local residents, who owns his own window cleaning business who, as Connor puts it, “should probably be playing point guard for the Jazz.” Local youth football coach and IT executive Mike Riemer and local and community advocate Windsor Holland Barnett, are also enjoying playing ultimate frisbee.

Connor said, “People can show up, contact me through Facebook or check the park city community forum for event information. Before heading up here for the summer I wanted to get involved in a game. Someone suggested I post on Facebook so for the first time in my life I created a Facebook account just so I could shout out to people about a game! The first night, last Thursday was cold and windy. I was really nervous about people showing but much to my surprise we had a great game that night and got to know our core group of players.”

They play for a couple of hours each time and typically mix the teams up to keep it friendly. Last night the team lead by Jackie won the first round and they, “got so carried away in the game and live music coming over from the community garden, we forgot what the score was,” said Connor.

 Ultimate frisbee

The Park is named after Matthew Knoop, a beloved local who graduated from Park City High School and played his favorite sport of soccer at Utah State University for one year before passing away in 2008.

Matt Knoop Park