A story of obsession, glory, and the wild early days of Ultimate
Frisbee.
David Gessner devoted his twenties to a cultish sport called Ultimate
Frisbee. Like his teammates and rivals, he trained for countless hours,
sacrificing his body and potential career for a chance at fleeting glory
without fortune or fame. His only goal: to win Nationals and go down in
Ultimate history as one of the greatest athletes no one has ever heard
of.
With humor and raw honesty, Gessner explores what it means to devote
one's life to something that many consider ridiculous. Today, Ultimate
is played by millions, but in the 1980s, it was an obscure sport with a
(mostly) undeserved stoner reputation. Its early heroes were as scrappy
as the sport they loved, driven by fierce competition, intense
rivalries, epic parties, and the noble ideals of the Spirit of the
Game.
*
Ultimate Glory* is a portrait of the artist as a young ruffian. Gessner
shares the field and his seemingly insane obsession with a cast of
closely knit, larger-than-life characters. As his sport grows up, so
does he, and eventually he gives up chasing flying discs to pursue a
career as a writer. But he never forgets his love for this misunderstood
sport and the rare sense of purpose he attained as a member of its
priesthood.
