Ultimate Frisbee is an unusual sport. For one thing, serious players don't even call it that.

The sport is properly known as "ultimate."

The lack of referees is another difference in this noncontact sport. Players decide how to handle fouls. If they cannot agree, only then is an observer called in.

"It's a very young sport. It was started by the hippie generation in the late '60s and the lighter spirit of that time has stuck," said Stacy Berger, a member of the women's team at the University of California at San Diego.

"The spirit of the game is still very important."

Spokane was visited this weekend by 15 women's and 16 open college ultimate teams for the Ultimate Players Association National College Championships. Stanford University won the open division; UCSD bested Stanford in the women's championship.

More than 700 competitors traveled to Spokane from around the country, some hailing from prestigious academic schools, including Yale University and MIT.

"You don't necessarily have to be fast or tall or big to play ultimate," said Lesli Younger, the Spokane ultimate player who was lead organizer of the tournament. "If you're wily and you can learn the skills, you can play."

The field is similar to a football field, with end zones. The player in possession of the disc may not run. Instead, they pivot, much as basketball players do, until they can pass the disc. Goals must be caught in the end zone. They cannot be run in.

Late in the women's game on Sunday, the crowd groaned when UCSD sophomore Tonya Lenaburg sprinted hard into her end zone, trying to catch up with a disc that was passed deep by a teammate. Lenaburg leapt for the disc, but bellied down on the field empty-handed.

No matter, though. UCSD soon piled up its lead, holding off the Stanford women for a 15-7 win. In ultimate, the first team to reach 15 points wins the game. Games must be won by two points.

Younger watched the final women's game on Sunday at University High School with apparent satisfaction. Saturday's games were held at the Spokane Polo Grounds. Several players praised the polo ground's fields as the best they'd ever played on, she said.

Bringing the national championships to Spokane was a dual effort of the Spokane Regional Sports Commission and the Radio Fliers, a Spokane ultimate club.

The Radio Fliers practices at Franklin Park three times a week. The Tuesday session at 5:30 p.m. focuses on skills and fundamentals. New players are welcome, Younger said.