Catch Their Spirit: Utah Wild Fosters Equity in Ultimate Frisbee

Utah Wild brings visibility to women and nonbinary athletes, making no qualms about their power on the ultimate frisbee field. They champion the idea that anybody and every kind of body can find a community to learn skills of collaboration, empathy, grit and teamwork. They can push themselves, push their bodies and push their minds.

Ultimate frisbee, or ultimate, has been around since the ‘50s. It was popularized at the college and recreational levels, with the first professional men’s league forming in 2012. In 2018, calls for equity in women’s professional ultimate prompted interest in starting a team in Utah, especially as the local women’s club team was gaining regional and national success in late 2019. Although the pandemic delayed its launch, it provided valuable time to organize and prepare for the first season, which began in spring 2022.

“There’s a responsibility in the nature of ultimate that I think is really cool and teaches a lot of valuable skills.”

Erica Bindas is the president of the board of directors for Utah Wild. “Our mission is really to advance the visibility, equity and high quality competition for women and non binary players through the sport of ultimate [frisbee],” says Bindas. The organization was founded by six women and nonbinary people who all play sports and understand the importance of getting involved.

Ultimate frisbee is unique in that it’s a self-reporting sport. Players are responsible for calling their own fouls. “If someone calls a foul on you, you are responsible for discussing that with them [and] talking it out,” Bindas says. “Think about, you know, what were my actions? Was I making a safe play? Was I putting my opponent in danger by making that play? There’s a responsibility in the nature of ultimate that I think is really cool and teaches a lot of valuable skills.”

After finishing last in the team’s inaugural season, Utah Wild took second place this past season. Off the field, Utah Wild has partnered with like-minded organizations to promote the sport, attracting a broader fan base and fostering excitement for its future, especially as they look ahead to 2025. They aim to engage communities that aren’t heavily involved in ultimate, particularly focusing on young girls and queer individuals, to showcase the sport and provide role models who encourage continued participation in athletics. By partnering with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters and Stonewall Sports, they host summer camps and clinics that emphasize fun while teaching the basics of ultimate.

“Success looks like a lot of different things. The baseline level of its success, which is certainly not flashy, is just existing,” says Bindas. “We want to make sure that we continue to exist, so that players who are in high school right now have an opportunity to play in the future. Even if it is only a few hundred people coming to games for the first 10 years, the fact that we exist for 10 years is something I’m very proud of.”

“Every year that we continue to operate is a success for both the visibility of ultimate and the visibility of women and nonbinary athletes as well.”

She explained that Utah Wild is a nonprofit run by volunteer and underpaid labor. “It’s no small task to get a lot of dedicated people together to make something happen. Every year that we continue to operate is a success for both the visibility of ultimate and the visibility of women and nonbinary athletes as well,” she says.

Utah Wild is out and proud about their support of women and nonbinary people and are conscious of the fact they operate in a state that puts bans on trans people playing sports, dictates where they can change their clothes and restricts life-saving health care. “It’s really tough to coexist with that sometimes,” says Bindas. “We proudly display LGBTQ flags at our games, and I’m sure there [are] people who see that and walk away. That sucks, but at the end of the day, we’ve always been of the belief that we can’t and shouldn’t be shy about our support for these communities, because they deserve loud and proud support in all aspects.”

Visit their website at utahwildultimate.org/blog.

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