Athletes prepare for U.S National GUTS Frisbee Championship

MARQUETTE — The U.S. National GUTS Frisbee tournament will be hosted at Tourist Park. The sport has its roots in the Keweenaw Peninsula, which had tournaments back in the 1950’s and eventually expanded in the following two decades, all the way into the 21st century.

“It became a very popular sport with tournament sizes up to 60 teams. Marquette actually originated the national championship in 1976. This is actually the 40th anniversary of the first National GUTS Frisbee tournament held here in Marquette,” tournament director Kurt Lahtinen said.

This year’s installment will feature 16 teams from across the Midwest. Admission is free and the players are hoping for as big a crowd as they can get to see some GUTS Frisbee action.

“This is one of the ultimate spectator sports because you sit right on the sidelines during the actual game itself. Crowds are anywhere usually from 200 to 500 people. Back in the heyday, there used to thousands that would show up and we’re looking to hopefully return to those numbers here in the coming years,” said assistant tournament director Adam Holloway.

The tournament will begin tomorrow at 10 a.m. and will continue throughout the weekend.