Bill Text: NJ S1967 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates Ultimate as State sport.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-02-28 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Commerce Committee [S1967 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S1967-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Designates Ultimate as State sport.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act designating Ultimate as the State Sport of New Jersey.
Whereas, The State of New Jersey has a tradition of athletic excellence and innovation; and
Whereas, The sport of Ultimate, also known as Ultimate Frisbee, is among the many sporting competitions engaged in by New Jersey residents at the high school, collegiate, and recreational levels; and
Whereas, Ultimate is a self-officiated, non-contact disc sport played between two teams of seven players, often with mixed genders playing together on the same field, in which the object is to score goals against the other team while maintaining Spirit of the Game; and
Whereas, Spirit of the Game is a set of principals which places the responsibility for fair play on the players - highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play; and
Whereas, In 1967, Joel Silver of Maplewood, New Jersey introduced his idea of Ultimate to the Student Council of Columbia High School in Maplewood; and
Whereas, The first Ultimate game was played at Columbia High School in 1968, followed by the formation of the first Ultimate team at Columbia High School; and
Whereas, Following the first game, New Jersey residents Joel Silver, Bernard "Buzzy" Hellring, and Jon Hines developed the first written set of rules for Ultimate; and
Whereas, The first interscholastic game of Ultimate was played in 1970 between Columbia High School and Millburn High School in Millburn; and
Whereas, The first conference of Ultimate teams was created in 1971, consisting of five New Jersey high schools; and
Whereas, Graduates of the conference formed teams at their respective colleges and universities, including Rutgers University and Princeton University; and
Whereas, The first collegiate Ultimate game was played between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1972; and
Whereas, The Rutgers University Ultimate team won the first Ultimate tournament in 1975 hosted by Yale University; and
Whereas, Ultimate was introduced at the Second World Frisbee Championships held at the Rose Bowl in 1975, thereby aiding the development of the sport throughout United States and abroad; and
Whereas, In 1976 the tournament was expanded and renamed the National Ultimate Frisbee Championship, at which Rutgers once again triumphed; and
Whereas, In 2015, the International Olympic Committee officially recognized Ultimate, paving the way for the sport to be showcased at the Olympics; and
Whereas, Today, millions play the sport across more than 100 countries and are represented by 103 member associations of the World Flying Disc Federation - the international federation for flying disc sports and official member of the International Olympic Committee; and
Whereas, As of 2022, the United States is home to three professional Ultimate leagues - the Premier Ultimate League and the Western Ultimate League which primarily consist of athletes who are women or non-binary, and the American Ultimate Disc League which primarily consists of athletes who are men; and
Whereas, As Ultimate continues to grow and develop, the players upholding the principles and rules of Spirit of the Game are continuously challenged to be aware of the potential for implicit biases when considering and discussing interactions with, and impressions of, other teams as well as their own team; and
Whereas, It is important for New Jersey to recognize the State's historical significance to Ultimate and the shared commitment, between New Jersey and Ultimate Frisbee, to challenging implicit biases for the betterment of our shared community; now, therefore,
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Ultimate is designated as the State sport of New Jersey.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill designates Ultimate as the State sport of New Jersey. This bill recognizes the contribution of New Jersey residents in developing the sport of Ultimate.
Ultimate, also known as Ultimate Frisbee, is a self-officiated, non-contact disc sport played between two teams of even players. The object of the game is to score goals against the other team while maintaining Spirit of the Game. Spirit of the Game is a set of principles that places the responsibility for fair play on the players. These principles encourage highly competitive play but not at the expense of mutual respect between competitors, adherence to agreed-upon rules, and the basic joy of play.
Joel Silver of Maplewood, New Jersey introduced the idea of Ultimate in 1967 at Columbia High School in Maplewood. The first game of Ultimate was played between students of Columbia High School the following year. Mr. Silver, Bernard "Buzzy" Hellring, and Jon Hines then developed the sport's first two sets of rules. As the sport's popularity grew, more early developments in the sport of Ultimate Frisbee soon followed.
New Jersey is home to the most firsts for the sport of Ultimate. Columbia High School and Millburn High School in Millburn competed in the first interscholastic game of Ultimate in 1970. The first collegiate match was played between for Rutgers University and Princeton University in 1972. Rutgers went on to prevail at the first National Collegiate Championships for Ultimate Frisbee in 1975 and won National Ultimate Frisbee Championship in 1976.
In 2015, the International Olympic Committee officially recognized Ultimate, paving the way for the sport to be showcased at the Olympics. Today, millions of people play the sport across more than 100 countries. Players worldwide represented by 103 member associations of the World Flying Disc Federation, an official member of the International Olympic Committee. As of 2022, the United States is home to three professional Ultimate leagues. The premier Ultimate League and the Western Ultimate League primarily consist of athletes who are women or non-binary, while the American Ultimate Disc League primarily consists of athletes who are men.
As the sport of Ultimate continues to grow and develop, the players tasked with upholding the principles and rules of Spirit of the Game are continuously challenged to be aware of the potential for implicit biases when considering and discussing interactions with and impressions of other teams and their own teams. This is especially important given that mixed-gender teams often play together on the same field. This resolution recognizes that it is important for New Jersey to acknowledge the State's historical significance to the sport of Ultimate and the shared commitment of New Jersey and Ultimate to challenging implicit biases for the betterment of our shared communities.
