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Athletes At The Top Of Their Sport Think Frisbee and you might think of casu- ally tossing the disc around with friends at a park or on the beach. But there's more to the sport—yes, sport—than that. If there's any misconception about ultimate Frisbee, this is it. "The major misconception is that it is an unstructured recreational game," said Tom Crawford, CEO of USA Ultimate, the sport's national governing body. "But there is always an element at the top for compe- tition. Our athletes are as good as any at the top of their sport. They have to have endurance and speed." Though founded in 1968 with plenty of membership growth lead- ing up to its current 35,000+ ath- letes, USA Ultimate is enjoy- ing a lot of "exciting, high-level activity" at the moment, according to Andy Lee, director of marketing and communications. Last year, the sport's international feder- ation was granted recognition by the International Olympic Committee, and USA Ultimate secured a multi-year agree- ment with ESPN to broadcast its college championships and Triple Crown Tour. "The most recent and most important [fact] is that we became a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee," Lee said. "We were voted into the Olympic family." While you won't see ultimate Frisbee athletes suit up just yet for the Olympic Games, Crawford said membership is "a very important first step to a long-termed goal." That first step marked the end of a two-year process that involved a 150-page application and "rigorous" audit of the organization—including its bylaws, economic viability, stabil- ity, board and staff makeup—to ensure its strength as a stable govern- ing body for grass, beach and indoor versions of the sport in the United States. Alongside achieving that milestone, USA Ultimate was invited to partici- pate in the inaugural World Beach Games organized by SportAccord and the Association of National Olympic Committees to be held in 2016. August 2014 32 USOC, ESPN Give Nod To Ultimate Frisbee By Michelle Ryan ULTIMATE Reward SPORT Report ▼ www.sportseventsmagazine.com Photos courtesy of USA Ultimate