OCEAN CITY — Ocean City could see a new special event on the beach next summer after Recreation and Parks Committee members recently endorsed an Ultimate Frisbee tournament.
The Recreation and Parks Committee this month reviewed tentative plans for an Ultimate Frisbee tournament on the beach just north of Dorchester Street on Aug. 15-18. Ultimate Frisbee has been around for decades, particularly on college campuses and beaches and parks throughout the country, but its popularity has peaked in recent years. The game features several players on teams competing in a sport that features elements of football, basketball and hockey, for example.
Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department Superintendent Kate Gaddis told committee members the department would like to add an Ultimate Frisbee camp to its growing arsenal of summer camp offerings next year.
“Around 100 yards of beach would be needed away from beachgoers,” she said. “There will be lunch provided at the Beach Patrol headquarters and a couple of swim breaks, so it should be a really nice event for vacationers.”
The Ultimate Frisbee event would take place during the same week as the popular Ocean Swim and SUP events held along the beach each summer.
“It would be a nice complement to the Ocean Swim and SUP events,” she said. “They’re really fired up about Ultimate Frisbee and their community outreach to grow the sport. Our hope is to offer it this summer on the beach.”
Gaddis said the Ultimate Frisbee camp would be run by the department and its private sector partners.
“It’s pretty self-contained,” she said. “The event doesn’t need anything from the town. The directors will handle the instruction and the Recreation and Parks Department will handle the logistics.”
Recreation and Parks Department Director Susan Petito said the department adds new summer camps each year, but because it involves using the beach, she was pitching it to the committee for tentative approval.
“This is something new on the beach,” she said. “If it was a new event at Northside Park, we would just do it.”
Gaddis said expectations for the first-year camp were somewhat guarded.
“It’s a first-year camp,” she said. “If we got 30-40 kids to participate, that would be a good start.”
Councilman Dennis Dare said the resort should endorse more special events on the beaches.
“The beach is our best asset,” he said. “Events like this play to our strengths.”