UNLV’s Red Army marches on

Ricky Campbell

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 | 11:59 p.m.

Some people don't know what Ultimate Frisbee is. Other people, however, wouldn't spend their time doing anything but playing the game.

UNLV's club Frisbee team hasn't been around too long, but is looking for their chance to shine.

The team, which has a short history of only five years, is trying to get more players and promotion around the campus for next semester. President Brian Uran believes the sport is growing, but needs more support.

"Frisbee more of a lesser known sport, nobody really knows about it," said Uran. "When [people] ask me what sport I play and I tell them 'ultimate Frisbee,' nobody really knows what it is. In Las Vegas we're trying to get this sport out there so a lot of people can play whether it be the college level or the club level."

The rule known around collegiate Frisbee is to name the team different than the mascot chosen by the university or college. To Uran, the nature of Ultimate Frisbee is rebellious and for that rebellion to stick, the team has to come up with their name.

According to Uran, the Red Army decided on its name during the first practice when everyone showed up wearing red and it seemed appropriate to be rebellious by naming the team after the communist military. They now sport red and white jerseys with a picture of Stalin and the hammer and sickle.

Ultimate Frisbee is popular among college students, since it ties in the days of throwing the disc around with friends in the park to the fast pace running and passing of soccer.

Uran says he explains it as "Frisbee football."

"It's Frisbee football, but there's not contact involved and there's a lot more running involved than football," he said. "Compare that to soccer or some of the foot work to basketball. That's my bread and butter what I'm trying to explain the sport."

Some guys don't need the sport explained. One of the team members, Anthony Carvalaho, has played with the Red Army for two years and loves the game.

To him, the promotion of ultimate Frisbee starts locally.

"Going to high schools is probably one of the biggest ways," Carvalaho said. "They're young. So if we can get them to come to Las Vegas, we can just recruit from our home crowd."

Carvalaho, or "A.C." to his teammates, believes his love for the game comes from the adrenaline of stretching out for the disc and making a big play.

A.C. says that rush is part of his branding.

"Laying out and diving for the disc is one of my favorites," he said. "That's what I'm known for I think. Going the extra mile to get the disc."

And going the extra mile is what it will take for the Red Army to compete further next year. The team won't lose any players this year and hopes to have yet another great season.

Like many club sports at UNLV, ultimate Frisbee has to raise their own money for travel expenses and uniforms, besides what the university gives to them.

"The school gives us $400 a year and rest of it is out of player pocket," Uran said. "We hardly do any fundraising, because I can hardly get enough people together one night for a practice, let alone another night for fundraising event."

The team is made up of roughly 15 UNLV students, who pay out of pocket on trips for food and gas. The team doesn't have an 'official' coach, but Uran placed a volunteer head coach in the mix to help them out.

Ken Kriwanek, who's the first head coach in Red Army history, is a friend of Uran's and doesn't receive pay. He coaches to help the team out.

"He's played Frisbee a lot longer than almost everybody else out here," said Uran. "He likes to travel with us to tournaments and there's not so much strict rules when you must be a college kid. So he was a natural choice for me."

Campbell is a UNLV undergraduate in the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies. He can be reached at [email protected].