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Notes
from the North Country
What rich lives we lead in this superior peninsula—no, not in material
things, surely not in bank accounts, but rather that we are privileged
to dwell so close to sparkling lakes, singing rivers, dense forests.
Thanks to the encouragement of Marquette Monthly publisher Pat Ryan-O’Day,
we are going to be allowed to share our journey in this land that we
cherish.
Sometimes we will invite you to saunter along with us to some remote
spot, or a special place very close to town, or on one of many trails
available to us along the lakes and through the forests—those that
come to mind immediately are the Bay de Noc, the Haywire and the North
Country Trail that traverses almost all of our peninsula.
We’ll wander through winter and follow the spring, exult in the
long days of summer and be overwhelmed once again by the riot of autumn.
We may highlight a bit of the history and traditions of this region,
which still lie close to us today. People we’ve met over the years
who add to the unique U.P. may make appearances in these columns.
From time to time, we will point out that beauty and opportunity for
solitude are resources that can be enjoyed without disturbing or consuming.
And that, we, as residents of this wondrous land, have a stake in its
future.
Let’s do the introductions:
Lon for thirty years labored in the vineyard of speech and hearing therapy
at several universities, but longest and most happily at Northern Michigan
University. As a devoted disciple of Henry David Thoreau, he often shared
his interest in the natural world with his students through day-long
escapes from campuses in Michigan, Minnesota and Arizona.
Escaping also from the sometimes-onerous task of creating textbooks
in the field of speech pathology, he wrote about adventures in the outdoors
for various magazines, and more recently in several Upper Peninsula
books. He had the opportunity to develop three interpretive nature trails
in the central U.P.—two of which are still active.
Now, after a swiftly passing twenty years of retirement from the academic
life, he fulfills his duties as a self-appointed inspector of morning
dews, autumnal fragrances and winter silence.
Lynn was trained as a speech and hearing therapist, working in the public
schools of Michigan and Minnesota. After raising two daughters (who
now have outdoor careers and adventures in Alaska and Montana), she
moved into other fields, including emergency medical services planner
for U.P. Health Systems Agency, director of the Marquette County Commission
on Aging, and independent consultant for health, education and human
services projects. She is an enthusiastic flyfisher and especially loves—to
quote John Voelker—“the environs where trout are found, which
are invariably beautiful.”
The U.P. white pine lumbering days came alive for Lynn and her sister
when they revived and expanded their grandfather’s story in the
book Lumberjack, Inside an Era, 100 years after he lived it.
Since 1996, Lynn and Lon have operated North Country Publishing, with
a mission to develop and distribute books about the beauty, history
and humor of the Upper Peninsula.
We lived in the city of Marquette for twenty-nine years; for the past
twelve years home has been a spot in West Branch Township with deep
woods, old fields and a small creek.
So there we are, and here we go. We’ll meet you in this space each
month and hope to hear from Marquette Monthly readers, each of whom
has special experiences and connections that we know we—and others—will
enjoy.
—Lon & Lynn Emerick
Editor’s Note: Comments and suggestions are welcomed at Marquette
Monthly, 810 North Third Street in Marquette or via e-mail at marquettemonthly@charter.net
Frisbee tournament returns to U.P.
For fifty years, they came to do battle in the Upper Peninsula. Every
Fourth of July, the top Guts Frisbee teams in the world would arrive
to compete in the International Frisbee Tournament. (IFT).
Teams fought hard all weekend to win the tournament and gain the honor
of drinking from the Julius T. Nachazel Memorial Cup. The cup, built
from an old tomato juice can and named after an MTU professor, is emblematic
of Guts Frisbee supremacy.
Guts Frisbee is one of the first extreme sports. It was invented and
developed in the U.P. in 1958. Two Healy brothers from Minneapolis brought
a Frisbee to a family picnic in Escanaba, started tossing it around
and by the end of the family picnic the game of Guts Frisbee was invented.
Later that summer, four Healy brothers brought the Frisbee to Eagle
Harbor, started playing the game of Guts and the Invitational Frisbee
Tournament was born. One of the original rules gives an indication that
it was a Fourth of July celebration. Rule 69B stated, “to prevent
injury, all players must play intoxicated.” And though not as religiously
applied as in the early days, the rule has been followed to some degree
over the years. The site for the tournament was the famed George Gipp
Memorial Field.
Guts Frisbee is a sport where two five-person teams stand forty-five
feet apart and one team (offense) attempts to throw the Frisbee through
the other team (defense).
If they are successful, they score a point. The defensive team tries
to catch the Frisbee, and if they do, there is no point scored.
A clean catch can be made with only one hand and never trapped or touch
two parts of a player’s body. One point is awarded for a bad throw.
Teams play to twenty-one points to win.
Sound easy? Wait until you see a player throw a Frisbee like a baseball
pitcher, with the speed of the disc reaching upwards of seventy-five
miles per hour, or watch a defensive player snatch a Frisbee going that
fast out of the air with one hand. It’s among the most exciting
seconds in sports.
From 1958 on, the Healy brothers won the IFT for nine years in a row.
During that streak, they began to send out flyers for more publicity
to get the tournament to grow.
In 1968, a team came from California to win the IFT and the game of
Guts became known beyond the U.P.
In 1970, “Jumbo Jon” Davis became tournament director. In
1971, a team from Chicago won the IFT and suddenly the sport began to
grow. Teams practiced and took the game seriously.
By the mid 1970s, with Jumbo Jon’s organizational and promotional
ideas, the IFT drew sixty men’s teams, twelve women’s teams
and more than 5,000 spectators. During those years, the Library Bar
of Houghton, coincidently owned by Davis, won three IFTs and brought
the title back to the U.P.
During the ’80s and early ’90s, the growth of Guts Frisbee
remained strong. Teams from California, the Detroit area, mid-Michigan,
Marquette and Houghton all had teams that won the IFT and drank from
the cup.
Right about that time Guts Frisbee began to catch on around the world.
In 1988 and 1992, Team USA Guts went to Norway and Japan, respectively,
where they captured the World Fly Disc Federation (WFDF) Guts Frisbee
World Championships. That ignited the game of Guts worldwide. Teams
developed in Japan, Taiwan, England, Sweden and Canada. And to this
day, Guts is played on many college campuses in Taiwan and Japan.
During the late ’90s, Guts began to downsize in the Midwest, but
starting around 2003, there has been a new burst in Guts Frisbee as
the game is recognized as one of the original Extreme Sports.
The IFTs always have been held in the Upper Peninsula. Cities including
Eagle Harbor, Calumet, Copper Harbor, Atlantic Mine, Marquette, Hancock,
Hubbell, Baraga, Lake Linden and Chassell each has hosted an IFT.
During the mid ’70s, the two IFTs held in Marquette were estimated
to draw more than 10,000 spectators for the two-day event.
It will be no different this year as Hancock hosts the fiftieth anniversary
IFT. The tournament will be held on June 30 and July 1 at the Hancock
Driving Park in Hancock. The tournament will run from 10:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m.
Tournament organizers expect at least twenty-five teams, including two
teams from Japan, said Dan Thornton, one of the tournament directors.
One of the Japanese teams is the reigning world champion. Thornton said
the IFT is the Super Bowl of Guts Frisbee. Teams from Finland, Taiwan,
Australia, England and Germany also have been invited.
Thornton said the competition should be fierce, with at least ten teams
capable of winning. In addition, Thornton said teams from the Guts Frisbee
glory days will reunite in honor of the anniversary.
Local teams from Marquette will include two-time U.S. Champions, the
Queen City Flyers, the former IFT winners, Where Da Go, the Bud Light
team and Hot Knives.
The weekend-long celebration will kick off Friday night with a player’s
party at the American Legion in Hancock. The weekend also will include
a swap meet for people to trade Frisbees, buttons and shirts from previous
tournaments.
On Saturday night, there will be a banquet at Michigan Tech University’s
Wadsworth Hall to induct a new class into the Guts Frisbee Hall of Fame.
For details, visit www.gutsfrisbee.com
Any new local players who are interested in learning Guts Frisbee, can
call Buck Buchanan at 227-2297.
—Buck Buchanan
Editor’s Note: Buck Buchanan was inducted into the Guts Frisbee
Hall of Fame in 2005.
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