It's not the biggest ultimate tournament to hit Vancouver during the summer season, but the winning team can lay claim to being the best in the city.

"There are bragging rights--the top team in the league even if not all the teams come out," said Craig Woods, the co-ordinator of the Vancouver Ultimate League.

The Champions Tournament draws from 240 Vancouver teams across eight different divisions, each with a distinct degree of experience, athletic ability and competitive drive. The two highest tiers will combine to vie for top spot while the lower six will merge into two other groups for the weekend competition.

As Woods explains, players and teams that would not meet during the league's regular season can finally have it out on the field.

"You get to play with teams of a different calibre without getting spanked," he said.

The league formed in 1986 and surged in popularity with significant growth through the mid-1990s when the number of teams grew more than tenfold. In 1990 there were a dozen teams and by 2000, that number grew to 190.

The Seven Deadly Spins formed in 2003, joined the highest division a few years later and have maintained a tight grip on their position near the top of the field.

Assistant team captain Cory Reid said the Deadly Spins, 8-0 this season, have captured the Division 1 pennant multiple times but lost this year to up-and-coming rivals Top Gun, a group that met through UBC recreational play.

Movie names, puns and heroic spoofs for a team name, such as Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go, is a staple of ultimate leagues around North America.

Teams deserve their creative reputation for adopting names that defy linguistic convention and sometimes parameters of taste. Teams in Vancouver include: And Then, She Ate The Banana; Nuke The Fridge; Debbie Discs Dallas; and Norfolk-n-Goo.

Ultimate is played with a lightweight disk like a Frisbee, and teams advance up the field by strategically throwing the disk between players, who must stay stationary in place once they catch a pass.

The rivalry between Deadly Spins and Top Gun only intensified this week when the upstart defeated the more established Spins for the Monday night Division 1 title. They face off again this weekend at the championship tournament. "We want to defend the title," said Reid.

Even as the friendly rivalry mounts, the league championship pits teams against those they don't frequently play, meaning new contests begin between competitors.

Butting against a slew of teams the Deadly Spins have never played only strengthens the group, said Reid.

The Division 1 and 2 teams play more effective zone defence, throw better and tend to compete with a higher intensity.

The rivalries remain friendly and fierce.

mstewart@vancourier.com