When Peter Morey arrived in Hernando County last fall to accept a new position, he saw an opportunity to bring the game he has grown to love. A pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Spring Hill, Morey started up an ultimate frisbee group that plays at Anderson Snow Sports Complex Tuesday and Thursday evenings at approximately 6:30-8:30 p.m.
“I’ve always played ultimate frisbee and I came to realize there was no group here,” Morey said. “I started putting flyers out in the area and it just kind of grew that way.” The group now draws roughly 20-30 people of various ages, genders and experience levels. At the moment the group simply plays “pick-up” games, making it an informal competition. The goals are just to come out and enjoy the experience.
“What I love best about the sport is that it’s really focused on relationships and really focused on building camaraderie,” Morey said. The Sarasota native began playing while attending Florida Southern and hasn’t stopped since. Morey noted that cost to partake in ultimate frisbee is extremely low. He enjoys what he called the spirit of the game. Players are required to call fouls on themselves and since there are no officials all disputes have to be worked out by communicating.
It’s through communication, by word of mouth, that the group’s numbers began to rise, drawing some college-level talent. Mike Roth, 22, graduated from Central High before moving on to play for the USF men’s team. A few years ago he was part of a group that included 150 people but eventually dissipated. When he learned about the new local group shortly after his college graduation, he jumped at the opportunity. “The thing about ultimate, you don’t have to be the smartest player, the most skilled,” Roth said. “What most people don’t know is that ultimate is the third-most commonly played sport in college. You can be anybody out there on the field and that works. You’ve just got to be able to catch the frisbee and throw it to someone else.” Roth has been attempting to get the Hernando County YMCA to start a league. Morey wouldn’t mind seeing things become more organized and would like to start youth clinics, but said there are no plans at this time.
“We’re looking for people to come on out and we’re looking for people to experience the sport and see if you enjoy it,” said Morey, who added that this is not a faith-based group. “Build yourself, build character, build strength and build friendships. That’s what frisbee is all about.” Anyone looking for information on the group can contact Morey at pastorpetermorey@gmail.com.
