Since we had no plans for Wednesday afternoon, we decided to check out a lunch time pick-up game in LA. We drove to a nearby park and met up with a group of guys who work together and play Ultimate four days a week on their lunch break.

The game was extremely relaxed: no cleats, no strict rules, and no clearly defined end zones or sidelines. Everyone could throw and catch proficiently, but the point of the game is not to be competitive. It’s just an outlet for a group of co-workers to take an hour out of their day to get together and toss a disc around.

Despite the fact that most of these guys work together, they leave the door open for anyone that wants to join. About a week ago, two young boys decided to seize the opportunity. 15-year old Evan and 11-year old Ryan are brothers who live across the street from where this pick-up game is played. The guys who run the game allowed them to play and both Evan and Ryan have gotten pretty good. We talked to them for a while about how they can become more involved with the sport and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them turn into very strong Ultimate players. Thanks to Neal Hanke and Rob Mattison for helping make their day!

We really enjoyed seeing Ultimate exist at such a casual level. It’s not often you find a group of people who play together for fun on their lunch break. It’s even more awesome that these guys are helping two young kids learn the sport. That’s the thing about this game: No matter your age, experience, or ability level, you can always find a game and a group of people to fit in with.