Jack Ruhl “Rules” the Frisbee Court

Grant Oliphint (back), and Jack Ruhl (front) playing a game of ultimate frisbee.

At Chapman, there is a set of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III sports that compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). There is also a set of competitive club sports. And finally, there is a set of intramural sports and classes, generally considered to be the option for more casual players. 

However, some involved in Chapman’s ultimate frisbee class take it quite seriously.

“When I show up, my first thought is how do my own teammates work, what are their skills, what are their weaknesses,” said junior Jack Ruhl. “Then, I observe the other team: What are they good at, does anyone have good field vision? What do they do and how can I make my team work around that?” 

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, a group of Chapman students compete in an ultimate frisbee class that is offered every semester. While some choose to register the course as pass/no-pass so they don’t have to attend every meeting, there’s a dedicated core group of about 20 students who show up every day, affectionately referring to the class as “The League.” 

“Ultimate” is a cardio-intensive game similar to football, but players aren’t allowed to run while holding a Frisbee. Players pass the disc up the field rapidly, trying to get to the endzone. Whenever it is dropped, the other team gets possession. 

Some of them, like senior Kevin Fitzsimon, had never played ultimate frisbee before taking the class. After semesters of taking the course, they’ve all become quite good. However, Fitzsimon, junior Alex Lyon and senior Ben Oliphint had one answer for the best player in the class.

“A spunky little kid named Jack Ruhl,” Oliphint said.

Ruhl’s fun to watch, by any estimation. He’s incredibly fast, can jump high and rarely misses a catch. He used to wear cleats to class, but he stopped “to try and play less hard.” When asked if he’d ever lost a game, Ruhl paused. 

“I stopped keeping track,” Ruhl said. 

Yet at the end of the day, Ruhl, like the others, simply enjoys having a good time.

“I’d rather lose and have had fun and made an impact on the people around me, than win and everyone think I’m a (expletive),” Ruhl said. 

While some might disagree about the level of commitment the class requires, everyone’s on the same page about one thing: the class is fun. TThe activity carries a certain kind of freeing nostalgia, which isn’t always present in adulthood, Lyon said, Lyon said.

“It’s fun to run around with friends and be stupid sometimes,” Lyon said. “I think we need more of that.”