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CU-Boulder alumni rank among pro ultimate disc's top players and promoters. Can they take the sport mainstream and big-time?聽

Tryouts for the Austin Sol professional ultimate team were still weeks away last聽November when team owner 笔补迟谤颈肠办听颁丑谤颈蝉迟尘补蝉 (CompSci鈥�01) noticed a聽splashy press release from a rival. The聽Dallas Roughnecks had signed 叠别补耻听碍颈迟迟谤别诲驳别 (Comm ex鈥�09), the game鈥檚聽dominant player 鈥� winner of the fledgling聽American Ultimate Disc League鈥檚聽last two MVP awards.

The league, with 26 teams from coast聽to coast and in Canada, was tooling up聽for its fifth season, but 2016 would be聽the first year for the Dallas and Austin聽squads. They would be instant rivals, playing聽each other four times in a 14-game聽spring and summer season.

An imbalance between the Sol and聽Roughnecks seemed clear from the start.聽Christmas, a longtime player and organizer聽whose club team won the 2014 鈥渕asters鈥澛爐itle for players over age 32, has a day job聽writing software for National Instruments聽in Austin. He鈥檚 financing the Austin聽Sol with no partners and no budget for聽superstars, unlike his deep-pocketed counterpart聽in Dallas, the founder and CEO of聽a multi-state auto services company.

Weeks after Dallas signed Kittredge,聽Christmas could only marvel as Dallas聽did it again 鈥� inking a deal for 闯颈尘尘测听惭颈肠办濒别 (Engr鈥�13), the young phenom who聽had won college player of the year and the聽college club national title at CU-Boulder,聽plus a national title with Boulder鈥檚 open聽club team, Johnny Bravo, all in 2014.聽

(Ultimate, which officially eschews the聽word Frisbee, is organized into recreational聽leagues and college and club divisions, sanctioned聽by Colorado Springs-based USA聽Ultimate. The pro teams are independent聽of USA Ultimate, but draw their players聽from the elite college and open club teams.)

By February, Dallas owner Jim Gerencser聽had assembled what many are calling a聽dream team, with four of the biggest names聽in ultimate on the roster and salaries said to聽be as high as five figures, according to popular聽ultimate websites 鈥� astonishing sums in a league with scant corporate sponsorship聽and a devoted but small fan base.聽

Christmas, who pays his players $25聽a game, faced the prospect of being聽trounced by in-state rival Dallas. But he聽was pumped all the same.聽

鈥淚 definitely thought this was good for聽us,鈥� he said of Dallas鈥� superstar recruits. 鈥淚聽knew I couldn鈥檛 afford the top talent, but聽by Jim getting them I knew I would be聽getting them to Austin twice.鈥�

Still, Christmas was also perplexed. In聽his view, growing a fan base in the early聽years of an upstart pro league means聽creating family entertainment, like what鈥檚聽offered at minor league baseball games,聽not rolling out big stars.聽

鈥淚 feel like they鈥檝e overvalued the effect聽of paying for the best players,鈥� he said in聽February. 鈥淓veryone needs to focus on the聽best possible experience in their city and聽that鈥檚 about more than just winning.鈥澛�

A grueling aerobic game in which players聽run, jump and 鈥済et horizontal鈥� 鈥� dive聽headlong 鈥� while throwing and catching a聽plastic disc, ultimate聽pits seven players at聽a time per team on a聽large field. They score聽points by advancing聽the disc into an end聽zone, as in football.聽

By now, the sport has matured far聽beyond its 1970s cult status on college聽campuses in California and the Northeast,聽where it first emerged as a neo-hippie聽alternative to traditional sports. With聽tens of thousands of players in organized聽leagues, and recent recognition by the International聽Olympic Committee, ultimate聽is now at a crossroads.聽

Among the big questions: How and聽whether a sport that has never attracted聽many spectators can succeed at the聽professional level.

Ultimate has always had a credo of fair聽play, known as the 鈥渟pirit of the game,鈥� at聽its core. That has meant games are played聽without referees, even at the highest levels.聽But the American Ultimate Disc League聽(AUDL) does use referees, which some聽view as part of a broader transformation.聽

鈥淲e鈥檙e starting to pull the better聽athletes into the sport, and the players聽that were there are making the most of聽their athleticism by pushing themselves,鈥澛爏aid Bob Krier, a founding聽player and now coach of Boulder鈥檚聽Johnny Bravo and also coach of the U.S.聽national under-23 men鈥檚 team.聽

These days, the top players are freakishly聽talented athletes of the sort that聽populate the best football and basketball聽teams, though they鈥檙e typically leaner.聽Kittredge and Mickle epitomize the聽type: Tall and ultra-fast with great hands聽and 30-plus-inch vertical leaps.聽Still, despite occasional ESPN appearances聽and highlight videos that can聽generate a million views, ultimate itself聽isn鈥檛 yet mainstream entertainment.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 about ready to be shown to the聽world. It鈥檚 getting there. It鈥檚 close,鈥澛燢ittredge said in a winter interview, after聽moving to Dallas from the San Francisco聽Bay Area. There he鈥檇 led his club team,聽Revolver, to two USA Ultimate fall series聽national championships (and the AUDL鈥檚聽San Jose Spiders to titles also).

These days the top players are freakishly talented athletes.聽

Most teams in the AUDL are breaking聽even or losing money. Adding to the聽challenge of growth, there鈥檚 a newer rival聽league called Major League Ultimate in聽eight cities. In the near term, Christmas聽said, ultimate would like to reach the level聽of professional lacrosse, which attracts a聽few thousand fans to a typical game.聽

鈥淚t still needs to be figured out how exactly聽to capture fans,鈥� said Kittredge, 鈥渂ut聽the fans that did show up had a good time.鈥澛�

He added, 鈥淎s far as legitimately growing聽the sport, we need some smart people聽that know how to do that.鈥澛�

Christmas is one of the smart people聽trying to take the game mainstream. He聽was a hard-working player who, by his own聽account, made the most of his athletic聽talent. And today he鈥檚 a hardworking, pragmatic organizer and team owner driven by聽a love of the sport.聽

鈥淎t some point in my life I had the聽ability to do something that meant a lot to me,鈥� said Christmas, 35. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to be a believer to get in on the ground floor.鈥澛�

Christmas grew up in Boulder, the son聽of two engineers. He played ultimate in聽his final three semesters but never joined聽the elite CU college squad, Mamabird.聽It was as a computer science graduate聽student at the University of Texas that he聽emerged as a top collegiate scorer, on a聽team that made it to nationals.

Now married with children ages 5 and聽7, Christmas has spent years organizing聽recreational leagues and clubs in Austin.聽He bought the rights to a local AUDL聽team several years ago for $10,000, far聽less than today鈥檚 entry price.聽

He hired a well-regarded coach to聽assemble the team of 26 players and run聽the show on the field, and he avoids the聽temptation to meddle: 鈥淚 certainly want to,聽but I don鈥檛 think that should be my role.鈥�

Off the field, Christmas directs the聽show, writing checks, even greeting fans聽at the gate. In all, he expects to spend聽$100,000 in the first season and hopes to聽see $50,000 in revenue, including support聽from at least one corporate sponsor.聽

Kittredge, naturally, believes the Dallas聽effort to pay for big-name players is a聽winning formula, along with the other trappings of family entertainment.聽

鈥淵ou get one, you get the other,鈥� he said.聽鈥淚f you make the competition better, it聽becomes a prettier sport to watch.鈥澛�

Kittredge and Mickle, co-captains of the聽Dallas Roughnecks, are both on the U.S.聽national team that will compete for the聽world title this summer, and both led CU聽Boulder鈥檚 Mamabird team to national titles,聽ten years apart, in 2004 and 2014.聽

Kittredge, now 33 and the author聽of several 聽children鈥檚 books, arrived in聽Boulder in the early 2000s as a free聽spirit after growing up in Fairbanks,聽Alaska, and traveling for a couple of聽years after high school.聽

鈥淗e was a freakish athlete,鈥� said聽Bob Krier, then the CU鈥檚 club team鈥檚聽assistant coach. 鈥淲e were like, 鈥榃ho is聽this guy, he just walked out of the Alaska聽wilderness?鈥� He was still raw with his聽throwing ability鈥�he didn鈥檛 like to show聽that he was working hard.鈥�

But Kittredge did work hard, making聽himself an all-around player.聽

鈥淗e鈥檚 stillthe biggest聽game-changer,鈥澛爏aid Krier, whose聽U.S. under-23聽team won the聽world championship in England last聽year. 鈥淵ou have to account for him聽every time he鈥檚 on the field. 鈥� If you try聽to cover him one-on-one, he鈥檚 going to聽beat you by seven steps deep.鈥澛�

Mickle, 24, made a name in the sport聽as a CU freshman. A powerful thrower聽and cunning receiver, he was a top-5聽finisher in college player of the year balloting聽an unprecedented three times, and聽was a standout on the summer 鈥淣exGen鈥澛燼ll-star tour. (He also toured with a聽cancer-awareness nonprofit, Early Recognition聽is Critical, or ERIC, founded by聽Dallas owner Gerencser, whose son, Eric,聽is a cancer survivor.)

Mickle has additional sources of appeal聽also, according to the Johnny Bravo聽website: 鈥淰acillates between clean-cut聽and long locks, has been seen around聽town from time to time with facial hair,聽confusing fans who have come to fall in聽love with his boyish charm.鈥澛�

Both Mickle and Kittredge are聽steeped in the CU tradition of serious聽training and discipline.

鈥淚t鈥檚 treated like a sport rather than an聽activity,鈥� Krier said. 鈥淲e spent as much聽time in the weight room and on the聽track as any D1 team. 鈥�That passes on聽to the next generation.鈥�

So the pieces are in place for AUDL to聽succeed, and Colorado may get in on the聽action. The Boulder-Denver AUDL territory聽has an ownership group 鈥� led by聽CU alums 鈥� but hasn鈥檛 formed a team聽yet because of the distance from other聽teams, Krier said.聽

Back in Texas, the season opened for聽the Austin Sol with an April 2 game at聽Dallas, followed by a Roughnecks visit聽to Austin on April 9. Dallas took both聽games, as expected, in tallies of 30-18 and聽29-18. Still, the Sol attracted a healthy聽crowd of 1,300 at its home opener.聽

鈥淲e had a ton of people who had never聽seen ultimate before,鈥� Christmas said聽afterward, including hundreds of kids聽who might become lifelong ultimate fans聽鈥� or, just maybe, players.聽