Frisbee was the activity of the summer for many RHS students, so to continue playing during the school year, senior Timmy Toussaint created RHSa�� first Ultimate Frisbee Club.

The club consists of approximately 25 upperclassmen boys, but all grades are welcome to participate. Toussaint recruited senior Zack Zweig to help him lead the team as co-president. All club members are required to pay a small fee for uniforms, Frisbees and the field permit.

While Toussaint started planning over the summer, the organization and school approval were not tackled until school began on Aug. 27. English teacher Sean Pang agreed to sponsor the club and school Business Administrator Patricia Gamage granted the club’s approval. “We’re as official as Ski Club and Fishing Club,” said Toussaint. “We do not have to pay the extracurricular activity (ECA) fee [and] … we are not liable for the injuries of the players.”

Toussaint and Zweig quickly contacted other Montgomery County schools to organize ultimate Frisbee games for the fall season. To prepare for these games, the club practices every Wednesday at Wood Middle School. During these practices, the Frisbee Club members work on communication and teamwork to build the foundation for a strong club and a winning team.

As for expectations, other high schools in the county, such as Montgomery Blair, Paint Branch and Winston Churchill have students participating in already existing ultimate Frisbee clubs that play in non-school related tournaments year round. While Montgomery County competition is fierce, the determination of the growing RHS team will take the county by surprise. “I am very excited; with all our hard work, our team will be very successful this year,” said senior Danny Donelly.

Ultimate Frisbee only has a few main rules, but they can get very specific. Only seven players can play on the field at one time, and players can only be substituted after a score or during an injury time-out. Players may not run with the disk and players only have 10 seconds to throw the disk before it is turned over to the other team. The game is also self-officiated, meaning the players take responsibility for their fouls and always show sportsmanship.

Pang agreed to sponsor the club because of his firm belief that clubs are a fundamental part of high school. Not only are they a fun way to be a part of the school, but creating clubs gives students the opportunity to pursue something that they are passionate about with the added support of the school.