Reporter’s prelude:

Summer is a time for adventure. Vacation from work or school — coupled with favorable weather — creates the perfect combination for trying new things outside. And Central Oregon is a hot spot for summer sports and recreational activities.

The region’s summer playground includes the Deschutes National Forest, the Deschutes River and Smith Rock State Park. This time of year, outdoors aficionados flock to the area for a variety of pursuits, among them golfing, mountain biking, running, kayaking and rock climbing.

For those willing to venture beyond Central Oregon’s staple summer pastimes, dozens of other fair-weather sports and activities await. While trying something new can be intimidating, the potential rewards that come with learning a new skill can be exhilarating.

Over the next few weeks I will be trying some of the region’s more offbeat athletic offerings — some for the first time. If you are new to the area, or unfamiliar with its myriad outdoor opportunities, I hope this series will inform you about what you can do this summer, and how to get started. Even if you are a longtime local resident or outdoor enthusiast, perhaps you will learn something new or decide to give a new sport a chance based on the experiences I will share.

—Elise Gross

Flinging and catching a plastic disc in a grassy park may be a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. But if you have ever watched — or played — Ultimate Frisbee, you know that tossing a disc can also be part of a strenuous sport.

Ultimate, as players today call it, fuses the speed and stamina of soccer and the aerial passing and end-zone scoring of football. But unlike soccer or football, ultimate games are played without the authority of a referee. Instead, the sport is governed by the “Spirit of the Game,” defined by USA Ultimate, the governing body for the sport in the U.S., as a tradition of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the players.

A regulation game of ultimate is played with two opposing teams of seven players each, plus substitutes. Field dimensions are 70 yards from goal line to goal line and 40 yards from sideline to sideline, with end zones that are another 25 yards deep. Teams advance the disc by passing from player to player. Once a player receives the disc, he or she stops running and has 10 seconds to pass it to a teammate.

Passes caught in the end zone result in one point, while dropped or intercepted passes result in a turnover. When a turnover happens, the defense immediately takes possession of the disc and becomes the offense. In a standard game, the first team to score 15 points wins. In tournament play, games often have time restrictions (typically a maximum of 110 minutes) in addition to game totals.

The winning point totals in pickup games vary, and they are typically determined at the beginning of each game. Halftime begins when one team’s score first reaches or exceeds half of the designated game-winning point total.

Bend is home to Bend Ultimate, a coed club open to players of all ages and ability levels. The year-round club is the only one of its kind in Central Oregon (Summit High in Bend sponsors a club ultimate team) and includes more than 40 members in Central Oregon and includes more than 40 members ranging from high school students to baby boomers. Members meet each week for informal pickup games. The club also offers a summer league with weekly games. New players are encouraged to join pickup games to learn basic skills before jumping into league play.

“(Pickup games) are a great place to start,” says club member Aaron Switzer. “They are more social than competitive.”

While Bend Ultimate welcomes players of all physical abilities, newcomers should be prepared to face the demands of the sport, most specifically intermittent sprinting for an extended period of time, says club member Jon Hopper.

“(Ultimate) is exhausting,” says Hopper. “You’re essentially doing sprints, with little breaks in between.”

That intensity, he adds, is what sets ultimate apart from other field sports.

“When you’re out there, your legs are burning and your lungs are pumping,” he says. “There’s a thrill from grabbing the disc and giving it a long pull.” (“Pull” is the term for the throw from one team to the other that starts play at the beginning of a half or after a goal).

Equipment for ultimate is minimal and relatively inexpensive. Discs should be regulation weight; the official weight used for USA Ultimate tournaments is 175 grams. Discs range in price from $10 to $15 and can be found at most sporting goods stores.

In terms of footwear, Bend Ultimate club member Paul Snape recommends wearing soccer cleats instead of conventional sneakers — the cleated shoes offer better traction to help with sudden changes of direction on the field. Lower-end cleats can be found for as little as $20, while nicer models are usually priced closer to $100. Snape also suggests wearing comfortable, moisture-wicking workout clothes that are easy to run in. Bend Ultimate players are encouraged to have both a white shirt and a dark-colored shirt for pickup games, making it easier to distinguish players on each team.

My turn

I had last played ultimate six years ago, when I was in high school. Once a week during the winter months, my track coach would organize ultimate games for the distance squad as a form of cross-training. The informal, coed games were a welcome change from speed intervals and long runs.

While my ultimate skills were never honed on a competitive level, I gained an appreciation for the sport’s fast pace and emphasis on teamwork. Nevertheless, I stopped playing ultimate during my college years, partly because my small university did not have a team.

My chance to get reacquainted with the sport came two weeks ago, when I joined Bend Ultimate for an evening pickup game in Bend’s Sawyer Park.

When I arrived at the park, a couple of players were sitting on a shady patch of grass, lacing up their cleats and sipping from water bottles. It was close to 6 p.m., but the temperature was still in the mid-80s.

Before the pickup game, I practiced throwing and catching the disc with several club members. I struggled to catch the disc with one hand until Hopper suggested I try the two-handed “pancake catch” (see “Quick Tips”). I found this method much easier, as I was able to tightly sandwich the disc between my hands, which reduced my chance of dropping it.

I was also given several pointers on game strategy.

Snape taught me an offensive play called the “vertical stack,” which he calls a “key component” of ultimate. The stack is characterized by a line of players perpendicular to the goal line. Players in the stack make cuts (sudden sprints) toward or away from the handler (passer) in an effort to get open and receive the disc.

Finally, I learned about man-to-man defense, in which each person on the defending team matches up with a member of the opposite team and tries to prevent that player from catching or throwing the disc.

After my brief tutorial, I put my newly acquired knowledge to use during the game.

In ultimate, each point begins with both teams lining up on their respective goal lines. The defense then pulls (throws) the disc to the offense and the game is underway.

To start, I guarded a woman on the other team as she darted around the field. I found it difficult to guard someone without always knowing who had the disc.

Then my teammate, Justin Wray, gave me some advice: “Don’t turn your back to the disc.” From then on, I relied on my peripheral vision to keep an eye on the disc while guarding my opponent, thus allowing me to anticipate where my player would run.

While playing offense, I relied on verbal cues from my teammates — like “Go deep!” — to tell me where to go. As a former collegiate runner, I loved sprinting down the entire field to wait for the disc near the end zone.

By halftime, I felt thirsty and fatigued. I had played the entire hourlong first half (we played to seven points each half) and was not accustomed to so much sprinting. I decided to rest on the sidelines for part of the second half, which also lasted close to an hour.

In all, the pickup game provided me with an exciting and fun return to ultimate. Despite dropping the disc several times during the game, I felt welcomed and encouraged by the club members. The best part: I woke up sore the next morning.

I guess that means I worked hard.

If you play

Quick tips: The essentials

1. Use two hands.

To catch a disc securely, Bend Ultimate member Jon Hopper recommends the “pancake catch.” To start, place your hands parallel to each other in front of your body, one above the other, with your top palm facing down and your bottom palm facing up. When the disc is directly between your hands, clap them together to sandwich the disc.

“It’s the safest (method),” says Hopper.

2. Flick the wrist.

When throwing, put some spin on the disc by flicking your wrist. A disc thrown without enough spin — or rotation — will wobble in the air, says Hopper. To practice, he suggests placing the elbow of your throwing arm against your torso when releasing the disc.

“Throw from your forearm and wrist, not your elbow,” says Hopper.

3. Master the backhand.

The backhand, says Bend Ultimate member Justin Wray, “is the most stable, easiest throw to learn.” To practice, find a partner and stand roughly 15 feet apart, shoulders facing each other.

“If you throw with your right hand, plant your left foot and step with your right foot across your body’s midline,” he says.

At the same time, Wray says, draw your throwing arm across your body from the left to right (for right-handers) to build the disc’s velocity. As your arm straightens out, release the disc to your partner with a flick of the wrist.

Bend Ultimate

Pickup games

Season: Year-round, weather permitting. Fields and times vary.

Weekly: 5:30 p.m. Sundays at Harmon Park in Bend

Cost: free

Bend Ultimate City League games

Season: July 10-Aug. 14, 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Big Sky Sports Complex in Bend

Cost: $10

League registration available online

For information on field times, clinics and other events:

Website: www.bendultimate.com

Email: bendultimate@gmail.com