The general public tends to favor traditional sports such as soccer and hockey, so other sports are often set aside despite the entertainment and excitement they offer. To share their passion and help promote the underappreciated sport to UTM students, students Grace Yuen, Katrina Lum and Kenny Xiao established a new ultimate Frisbee club in combination with their already successful intramural team.
The Ultimate Frisbee Club is a unique experience that no other athletic and recreation-based club at UTM can recreate. It offers plenty of variety to all participants: Not only do students play the game itself, but they also partake in many fun-filled events and develop a healthy lifestyle. Xiao believes that the clubs unique ability to combine elements of fun, competition and exercise is what separates the club from others at UTM, many of which tend to hold few events throughout the year.
Students should expect to be very active throughout the year, once or twice a week. Both Katrina and I are out there on the field rain or shine, said Xiao. As long as youre interested in coming out, we will be there. Participants should expect not only a club but a competitive league that plays weekly against other teams at U of T.
Since the clubs induction, the intramural team has become dedicated to incorporating fun activities into their weekly regime to encourage new students to join. This also gives newcomers a chance to meet others and make new friends.
On October 19, the club hopes to host the first ever glow-in-the-dark ultimate Frisbee game specifically for students within the club. And on October 31, the team will play a Halloween match at 11:30 a.m., where both players and fans alike will dress up in Halloween costumes. UFC organizers also hope to organize a Christmas party to show their appreciation to those who have helped solidify the clubs existence at UTM.
Club President Grace Yuen specifically wants to reach out to students who have no experience, previous knowledge or initial appreciation for the sport so students do not feel discouraged or embarrassed to join the club. Yuen admits that she has not been in the sport for very long.
A lot of people dont really know what ultimate Frisbee is, said Yuen. The sport is not shown on TV, so we wanted to promote the sport here at our school. Its actually really fun and you dont have to be really good to play with us. In fact, I never played ultimate Frisbee until I joined the team this year.
The team has been very successful despite the clubs relaxed approach to the game. In the winter term of the 2008/2009 academic school year, the team won the division 2 championship. This year, the team continued their successful ways, winning both of their games thus far with the score of 15-5 in game 1 and 15-13 in game 2. Its next game is against the skilled School of Graduate Studies team—likely a very tight match.
Although many students may not know the premise of the game, coach Katrina Kim insists that the game is simple and easy to pick up.
There are seven people on each team (four men and three women). The goal is to score points by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone. You cant run with the disc, said Kim.
The game begins with one team tossing the Frisbee to the other side, similar to the kick off in football. Once someone catches the disc, the player must come to a stop and plant one foot as a pivot until they throw the disc to another player. The player has ten seconds to pass the disc and this stall count must be announced and counted down by a defensive player within ten feet of the offensive player in possession of the disc. If the ten seconds expire without passing the disc, possession transfers to the other team. The same occurs when the disc is thrown out-of-bounds, dropped on reception or during possession, or if the pass is either blocked, intercepted or not caught.
Many feel the best part of ultimate Frisbee is that the game is self-governed. No referees or officials are required and the players are able to compete freely.
For more information on the club and intramural team, contact Grace Yuen at grayce@utmsu.ca. If youre interested on following the teams progress, scores and schedules can be found at uoftintramurals.ca/sports.
Meeting times for the club are on Mondays and Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the South Field.
