This is the ultimate: teams of seven players on a side passing a flying disc up and down and across a huge outdoor field, trying for one of their players to catch it in the end zone for a score.
It was a beautiful if frosty November Saturday morning in North Huntingdon at the sprawling Turner Valley Soccer Complex, where the Steel City Showdown annual (since 2013) tournament attracted 19 teams — seven of them from district high schools and a dozen from colleges as far away as Ohio State and Princeton.
And some of the high school teams played college teams Saturday, when teams played four or five 75-minute games over the course of a very long day with a LOT of running and a lot of snacks.
The action continues for the college teams starting at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Ultimate is fast and finesse and super inclusive, and many of the teams have fine chants and cheers.
For the schedule and more, visit https://pittsburgh-ultimate.org/e/2024-steel-city-showdown.
Bob, a feature writer and editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is currently on strike and serving as interim editor of the Pittsburgh Union Progress. Contact him at bbatz@unionprogress.com.
