If I were to ask you what the most overlooked sport in the United States is, what would you say?

Lacrosse?

Hockey?

Perhaps golf?

I'd say ultimate. Not because of my participation for the better part of 6 years or because I've captained at two different universities. I'd say ultimate, because you didn't even think of it.

Ultimate (often referred to as Ultimate Frisbee, Ultimate Disc, or just Frisbee) is a fast paced, high endurance, fringe activity characterized by sportsmanship, affordability, and monster plays comparable to the best NFL, MLB, and NBA highlights. It has been featured numerous times on Sports Center Top 10, has given rise to a professional league in the form of the AUDL, and is played by an estimated 7 million people in over 80 countries. This is compared to just under 1.8 million across 72 nations for ice hockey, a loosely estimated 2.2 million in 71 countries for American Football, and a floundering international lacrosse association that is led by the sport's approximately 773,000 participants in the United States and Canada. All around, ultimate is quickly becoming the alt-sport of choice due to its flexibility, affordability, and low rate of injury among players at the entry level. Unfortunately, respect is something which many ultimate players find hard to come by.

This is an issue which exacerbates a continuing problem for the ultimate community and its attempt at establishing legitimacy. Attempting to shrug the old stereotypical hippies on the quad mentality most people associate with the fringe sport is something the community at large has attempted for the better part of two decades, but is regularly set back by incidents such as a nude point played by University of Oregon's A and B teams in the Spring of 2009. When asked about the teams' actions, then co-captain Dusty Becker defended the action as, "just kind of a hippie, ultimate thing ." (Seattle Times) Continued party tournaments mixed with incompetence and benign neglect of a national governing body in the form of USA Ultimate make it difficult for anybody to take this sport seriously.

But that hasn't kept people from trying.

Since 2005, we have seen the creation of four ultimate-specific scholarship sources in the United States in addition to several endowments established to help college teams and players offset the costs of a 7 tournament, 15,000 mile season. Two scholarships are linked to former national champions (Pitt En Sabah Nur and UNC Darkside) and limit maximum reward to $1,500 while a third, found at Winona State University, is a memorial scholarship which has yet to be used by a single student. The fourth, and final, scholarship source is one which I benefit from: the Ohio Valley University SCUF Niche Scholarship.

Though I don't feel it is my place to disclose the amount that I or my teammates receive from the scholarship, the fact is every member who plays for SCUF receives anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000 per academic year, with a maximum scholarship amount of $9,500. The scholarship is administered by the club team coach, Andrew Moore, based on academic need, ultimate related abilities assessed during an individual tryout with the team, and willingness to commit to team practice and game schedules. In addition to the scholarship, the team's travel, competitive, and uniform expenses are generously funded by the OVU College of Business, headed by Dr. Dan Blair.

When asked about their time with SCUF and the opportunity they are afforded as members of the Ohio Valley team, players ranging from fourth-year students to the team's first female rookie had nothing but positive things to say.

"By being a part of this team, every individual has been willing to help me improve so I could be the best I could be. There is never a day that I don't want to attend practice because I enjoy improving my skills and being a part of this family."

-- Marisha Morris

In addition to team bonding, SCUF has enjoyed success against USAU Club, D-I, and D-III teams during its short existence, posting three winning seasons in the program's first three years of competition. Entering the Spring 2017 season, the team is breaking into the USAU College Series as it looks to attend the D-III Midwestern Invite in Fair Oaks, IN, the weekend of March 18-19. The single tournament season will be accompanied by recruitment efforts by team leadership at Junior Terminus, the Indy Invite, and Neuqua Knockout during the high school ultimate season this spring. Though 2017 has yet to start for the team, the school and team leadership are actively looking to the future.

In short, the scholarship is a unique, first of its kind funding source for students who opted for the niche sport in high school and junior college. As a previous member of two other USAU College teams through my short career (University of Kentucky KULT and SIUe Ultimate E-Ville), I can say with certainty that there's definitely something in the water at OVU. The team is composed of top tier athletes who not only compete with heart I haven't seen before outside of the top college programs, but are committed to improving themselves and each other. I highly recommend that people who are serious about raising the bar when it comes to our sport take a look at this team and opportunity.

For more information on the university and the SCUF scholarship, please visit the OVU Website.