Last week I was invited to join my friend’s Ultimate Summer League team. Minutes later, I chucked her Frisbee into the river Thames. I’ve double-checked and the invite still stands.
Ultimate is the codified sport of throwing a Frisbee around a field. The rules are a cross between American Football and Netball: you score in end zones, but you can’t travel with the disc and there’s no physical contact allowed.
I’m not sure about the dress-code. I sincerely hope the uniform isn’t also a cross between American Football and Netball. Shoulder pads and short skirts are not a good look on me.
Sartorial considerations aside, I’m really pumped about this. I’ve been casting around (passively) for a team sport to get involved in, and what could be better than spinning disks around a park? (Correct: I have no idea how to spell ‘discs’.)
I’m particularly excited because it means I get to spend more time with my new friend, a former World Championship Ultimate player. She’s so good that she was on the UCL Elite Sportsperson Programme. I know! Now retired, she spends her time writing for an Ultimate magazine and this summer she’s going over to the US to commentate on the European Elite team tour.
Yes, that’s right. In the US, games of Frisbee are TELEVISED. In fact, Ultimate is set to become an Olympic sport sometime in the next 10 years. Could this finally be my shot at a gold medal? No.