HISTORY
The beginning of Ultimate at Bates is clouded in myth. Initially there was a game played by Bates students similar to Ultimate during the late '50s. Perhaps this was the true beginning of Ultimate? A few Bates students would toss around a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer tray as a Frisbee. Eventually rules and end zones were introduced to there new game (Bates Magazine 1999). However, Ultimate faded away and disappeared from the Bates campus.
Ultimate reemerged at Bates during the '80s with official recognition by the college of the Ultimate Frisbee club in 1981. The team was known as the Bates (Frisbee) Masters and was regarded as a counter-culture group by the athletic department. Practices were held on a field that was where the Olin Arts center is today. Another place they played was the "field" surrounded by Commons, the Library, the Grey Cage and the Bill. In the winter, the pickup players moved into the Grey Cage which had a dirt floor at the time. The spirit of Bates Ultimate was relaxed and fun. Occasionally they would play against Bowdoin and Colby.
Bates' "formal" Ultimate career began in 1992. The Crack Babies tentatively existed until 1995. In 1995 with few returning Crack Babies, Bates Ultimate decided to take on the new name Discoboles from the Greek statue of the Olympic discus thrower in his stance. That was also the year of the inaugural NESCRACK Invitational Tournament hosted by Bates College. In its first year there were only 4 teams, but NESCRACK developed and eventually played host to teams from all over Maine and New Hampshire. The changing facade of Bates Ultimate was not over yet. In 1996 the team changed its name to Big Fat Yak. The final name change occurred in 1998 to Orange Whip.
