Cumberland’s Cole Moore developed a passion for the sport of Ultimate while playing at the youth level and then in the Maine High School League. He has gone on to play for the University of Maine club team and for Boston Glory of the American Ultimate Disc League.

Now Moore, 22, is about to embark on his biggest thrill in the sport. He’ll be playing for the U.S. mixed Ultimate team in the U-24 World Championships, which begin Sunday in Nottingham, England, and run through next Saturday.

“It’s incredible. One of my biggest dreams was getting to the top level in the game, and playing for Team U.S.,” Moore said. “I come from Maine, which isn’t one of the largest contributors to teams like these, and only a handful of players have ever come out of Maine and made a team like this. It’s very validating.”

Moore is one of three Maine athletes who will compete at the championships. Cape Elizabeth’s Calvin Stoughton and Norway’s Nate Buchholz will be playing for the U-24 men’s team, also in Nottingham. It’s the largest contingent of Mainers ever to compete at the international tourney.

Ultimate is played with a flying disc. The 7-on-7 games are on fields 70 yards long by 40 yards wide, with end zones 20 yards deep. Possession of the flying disc can change quickly. While players do have primary positions, they have to be versatile enough to be able to throw, catch and defend.

Though played internationally, Ultimate is not an Olympic sport, having applied for and been turned down for inclusion in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The U-24 division of the World Championships, for players 24 and younger, held mixed and men’s championships in 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2019. The U.S. teams went undefeated and won the gold medal each year in both divisions. Other Ultimate players from Maine who competed at the World Championships are Portland’s Ben Horrisberger, who played for the U-20 men’s team last year, and Falmouth’s Chloe Rowse, who played for the U-24 women in 2015. Falmouth’s Sarah Sparks was an alternate on the U-20 women’s team in 2014.

Ultimate has been on the rise in Maine over the past decade, but the selection of Moore, Stoughton and Buchholz to the U-24 teams is part of what has been a banner year for the sport in the state. Tess Dolan of Wellesley College and Oliver Kraft of Colorado College, both from Cape Elizabeth, were selected as collegiate Division III Players of the Year in Ultimate.

“It’s a huge deal,” said Tom Stoughton, Calvin’s dad and the president of Maine Ultimate, which oversees the state’s youth Ultimate programs. “All of these kids coming from Maine, it’s unbelievable for a teeny little state that’s on the older side.”

Calvin Stoughton, a graduate of Cape Elizabeth High, and Buchholz, who went to Nashoba Regional High in Bolton, Massachusetts, didn’t play together until college but they’ve been teammates since. Stoughton and Buchholz, both entering their final years at the University of Colorado, play for the school’s Ultimate team and for the Colorado Summit of the semi-professional American Ultimate Disc League.

“We have some chemistry,” said Stoughton, 23. “We’ve played together a lot. I know certain throws that he’s always looking for, so I’ll change my cuts when I see him with the disc to a spot that I know he can throw to. … He’s probably the best defender I’ve played with. He’s so smart, with the way he thinks about defensive positioning and the way he analyzes the field.”

Buchholz, 22, is impressed by Stoughton’s athleticism.

“Calvin’s an incredible player, and very physically gifted,” he said. “His quickness and explosiveness, in terms of running and jumping, are off the charts. … He’s a very special player.”

MAKING THE CUT

USA Ultimate arranged tryouts in San Diego and Atlanta for its U-24 national teams, and sent out 208 invitations – 104 men and 104 women – from nearly 400 applications. Buchholz and Stoughton were invited to try out in California, and were among the 72 players from both sites who made the cut.

“It means a lot to me. I grew up playing Frisbee. … As soon as I found out there were worlds teams, I knew it was something I wanted to be able to do,” Stoughton said. “I love pushing myself to be able to be the best player I can be. It’s been a dream for a while.”

Buchholz said he’s eager to see how other countries play.

“It’s an honor to be part of the team and represent the nation,” he said. “All of my competition up to this point has been within the United States. … I’m just excited to see where the sport is globally.”

MAINE’S PROFILE TAKING OFF

Moore played club Ultimate at the University of Maine before graduating this spring, and since 2021 has played for the Boston Glory and the Boston-based DiG team, a USA Ultimate club team.

Moore used to feel out of place on those teams. He doesn’t anymore.

“I started as one of the worst players on the team, but I got to practice with some of the best players in New England,” he said. “Those players and playing opportunities have grown me into one of the best players in this division.”

Tom Stoughton coached against Moore when he attended Greely High, and then coached him on the Maine Youth Club Championship team that competed at the U-17 championships in Minnesota in 2016.

“He’s not the tallest guy, but he may be one of the fastest,” Tom Stoughton said. “His ability to generate speed on his throws and his closing speed is incredible. … His throwing ability is great. He can hit any point on the field.”

Tom Stoughton also praised Moore’s ability to draw national attention while playing at UMaine.

“(The University of Colorado) is a big Ultimate program. … (UMaine) has a program, but it doesn’t have anywhere near the national prestige,” he said. “For Cole to be able to earn a spot on a worlds team, it’s just amazing.”

If these spots on the national teams are any indication, however, Maine’s Ultimate presence could be growing.

“All the Maine Ultimate supporters put in a lot of work … and pushed really hard to get our youth teams involved in a lot of tournaments,” Moore said. “We have such a steep trajectory. We started not too long ago, and we’re already creating players that are competing at the highest level.

“I think it’s not too far in the future that we’ll see Maine as one of the leading programs in the country for both youth development and having a high-level Ultimate scene.”

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