If football, basketball and baseball stand out on the sports map like major municipalities, Ultimate is often seen as a small-town diversion, a rest area just off the interstate, a quick stop for snacks.

Somewhere along the line, young athletes began to redraw the map.

Demanding athleticism at the highest levels and touting a spirit-of-the-game ethic of sportsmanship at its core, Ultimate has quickly become a destination unto itself.

Evidence of the lure of top-flight athletes to the sport is reflected in the recent Under-16 Youth Club Championship nabbed in dramatic fashion by the Triangle-based "One Huck Wonder" squad, which included several Chapel Hill standouts.

Also competing in the YCC tournament held on Aug. 13-14 in Blaine, Minn., was the Triangle's co-ed U19 squad, "Graveyard of the Atlantic," which finished fifth in its division.

Both teams featured a roster of players selected from the Triangle Youth Ultimate Summer League.

League vice president Jennifer Waldrup, who co-coached the U16 team to the national title, said she has seen a rise in athleticism in Ultimate play.

"The whole mission behind the Triangle Youth Ultimate League was to make Ultimate a destination and not just part of the journey -- a resort for people who say, 'Well, I can't play football, so I guess I'll just do this,'" Waldrup explained. "I've played Ultimate over the years with so many people who've never played a field sport or even a team sport before and they've been highly successful."

Heidi Aycock, the mother of U19 player Jonathan Aycock said it was validating to see Ultimate flourish.

"Jonathan could've probably played basketball," she said, "and several players could be playing soccer. When kids who could've been playing a different sport decide to play ultimate, that's a vindication."

Ultimate Frisbee scoring is achieved when players advance a flying disk downfield and into their end zone demonstrating skills akin to those demanded by basketball, football and soccer. A Spirit of the Game ethic truly sets Ultimate apart from other sports, however. As such, players referee their own games and sportsmanship is paramount.

While TYUL governs both high school club and summer league play, the two YCC teams featured standout performers trained specifically for the national YCC tournament held August 13 and 14, sponsored by USA Ultimate ( www.usaultimate.org).

The mixed U19 Graveyard of the Atlantic squad married the TYUL's "riDISCulous" and "Queen Anne's Revenge" teams to produce a tourney-ready contender. Idaho's "Sabotage" squad proved to be tough competition, however, dashing the locals' hopes 13-3 in a quarterfinal match.

The final game pitted One Huck Wonder against the same Seattle team they'd narrowly defeated the previous day.

"(Seattle) was the other strongest team in the tournament," said Jeff Mateer, the father of standout Chapel Hill player Kevin Mateer.

The younger Mateer started off scoring with a pass to Marc Rovner and the locals settled into a pattern of shorter, safer tosses and stifling defense by Nathan Kwon.

The resilient Doughboys scored three quick goals late to tie the match at double game point, 9-9.

But just when the locals needed a boost, sideline support arrived from the eliminated U19 squad, who showed up with big numbers and big noise.

"They U19's came over and were like an eight player on the (seven-man) team -- they were so supportive," Aycock said. "They were fantastic."

The tandem of Eli Miller and Sol Yanuck improvised for a dramatic game winner.

"Eli and I had played together a lot," Yanuck said, "and ...we reverted back to plays we'd used tons of times in other games."

While the team was elated, the win came as no surprise.

"The coaches told us that if we kept our heads together and played the way we had in the game before, we'd have no problem," Kevin Mateer said. "We're coached to play really crazy physically while remaining really calm mentally and focused on the game."

That style left One Huck Wonder joyous but exhausted.

"When the adrenalin of winning wore off, I pretty much walked to the sideline to lie down," Yanuck said. "I didn't get up for awhile."

As is traditional after games, the teams then joined in a circle honoring everyone's play, an aspect of Ultimate that Graveyard of the Atlantic player Johanna Rose Lipscomb found rare in athletics.

"It's nice to know that Ultimate isn't just about winning a game but rather about having fun and experiencing an awesome sport with awesome people," Lipscomb said. "That's one of the reasons I love this sport so much."

With 10 of the 17 members of the One Huck Wonders' roster graduating to U19 play next year after a year of school league play, the future remains bright for locals in YCC tournament play.

"It's a big step up," Oskardmay said. "By the time we're all leaving high school, I think the U19's will have a really good team."

"Our first year, TYUL had 65 athletes; we're around 300 now," Waldrup said. "In school leagues last year, we had 13 teams and we'll expect to see 21 high school teams this year. It's huge."

Apparently, no longer are athletes whizzing past Ultimate Frisbee on the road to athleticism and sportsmanship. On the map to fitness and fun, the popularity of this destination is certainly soaring.

For more information on Ultimate clinics, summer leagues and school clubs visit www.tyul.org.