The Sandlot Ultimate Frisbee crew has only three rules: always watch the Frisbee, never dive and hustle, have heart, have fun, but don't keep score.
And it works.
What started three years ago, with two students tossing a Frisbee back and forth in Lot 59 after class, has transformed into an all-out game every Thursday night.
Players arrive just before 9:30 p.m. to a well-lit parking lot. They only hope there won't be a car on their playing field, located just west of Packard Stadium. The white parking space lines on the black pavement form the field's boundaries.
The group draws an average of 30 players each week. They've even had as many as 80 come out to play, according to the crew's co-founder, Joe Sotelo, a religious studies senior.
On a recent night, laughing and joking could be heard from both sides. There were players using advanced tossing techniques called "hammer throws" and there were players haphazardly flinging the Frisbee to a nearby partner.
"Even if you're not good at sports, you're hanging out with cool people and it's a great way to meet people who go to ASU," says Matt Ballentine, a business administration senior who was playing.
While rules change depending on whom you play with, Sotelo says the group goes by basic Ultimate Frisbee rules.
There are two teams and one Frisbee. The team that starts with the Frisbee yells "Ultimate" and then one person chucks the disc down field to the opposing team. The object is to pass the disc to teammates as you make your way down the field to the goal line, which is similar to football. Once a player catches the Frisbee, they can't take any more steps. The disc can also be intercepted by being knocked out of the air or being caught by a player from the opposite team. If the Frisbee is dropped, possession goes to the other team.
"It's a unique sport," says Christea Hering, an environmental studies junior at Hawaii Pacific University.
"It's a fun way to run around and meet people. It's not your typical ball sport."
Hering says she was invited to play by some of the people from church. It was her first night playing.
Sotelo says as the group grew, many players asked if they would be moving to a grassy field instead.
After discussing moving to a park in Mesa, they decided to stay in Lot 59 so more students on ASU's campus could play.
"We don't need fancy fields," says Sotelo. "We're the Sandlot kids."
The group also looked into playing on the Student Recreational Center's fields, but the lights turned off too early for the group, which typically plays until 11:30 p.m..
Sotelo says he first started playing the game in his high school's P.E. class and then he started throwing the Frisbee around with a friend.
The game has remained fun because it's not overly competitive and most people are just out for a good time, Sotelo says.
Since their games began three years ago, there haven't been a lot of serious injuries, according to Sotelo, but the occasional mishaps do happen.
"We don't get hurt often, but I do have a few fun scars," he says, lifting up an elbow and a shin.
One time he did dive for a Frisbee and wound up with a large "strawberry" on his back.
"I openly broke rule number two," he says with a laugh.
Players call out "pole" when the Frisbee gets a little too close to one of the light poles in the parking lot and "Rio" if the disc is getting close to the fence near Rio Salado Parkway.
"Car" is yelled out only once when a lone car decides to slowly try to make its way through the middle of the playing field.
Al Porteous, a communications senior, says he's been playing with the group for the last three years.
Because "we don't keep score...everyone goes away a winner," Porteous says.
They've never been penalized for playing in the parking lot, Sotelo says.
"I love 59, it's our home," says Sotelo "It took us in when no one else would."
Reach the reporter at jennifer.girardin@asu.edu.
