Sportsmanship and Teamwork: The Ultimate Frisbee

When I first heard about the Ultimate Frisbee club at Griffith University, I imagined throwing a disc at the beach. However, it is not that simple of a sport, and I got a better understanding after a chat with the club president, Indyana Zain Horobin.

 

“It is like a combination between American Football and Netball, but replace the ball with a disc,” Indyana explained.

 

He said the disc can only be moved by passing between players, which makes Ultimate a cooperative game. Players score by advancing the disc to the opposing end zone.

 

“Rules are simple yet mastering the disc throwing technique and cooperation between players brings the game to an advance level,” Indyana said.

 

“It is confusing when you first play the sport but you will understand the rules and how it works by the second time and no problems by the third time.”

 

The club is new player friendly and there are training and drills during regular sections to get members to practice in pairs. They make sure everyone experiences the joy of catching a speedy disc midair. “The best feature of Ultimate is the spirit of the game. It is about how well you interact with other players,” Indyana said.

 

“It is a self-referee game, players go through the situation when a foul is called. Sometimes if you cause the foul and you called it, that would be even better spirit.

 

“It feels great when players and the community generally value sportsmanship over winning.”

 

As a non-contact sport, injuries are rare. “It is an addictive sport, it is evenly judged, everyone is super nice and friendly, it is a safe and cheap sport to play.”

 

Indyana welcomes everyone to join the club activity every Wednesday evening at Sharks Junior Rugby Fields. To anyone interested, you can follow the club Facebook page for activity info and discussions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/UniUlty/

 

Written by Enoch Cheng