Every Tuesday in March, the fields behind Rembrandt Hall on Hillcrest’s sports campus were dotted with athletes, from residences to day houses, faculty houses to societies. They all came together for the single purpose of playing American-style football with a flat disc; also known as a frisbee.
Ultimate Frisbee, an official sport housed in TuksSport that is also recognised by the International Olympic Committee, is gaining great exposure amongst the students of UP. The management team behind Ultimate Frisbee at the university, in collaboration with the Student Sport Committee, hosted both matches and training sessions to give students a taste of the skill and competition one can experience in this growing sport. The training sessions led by the Tuks Thunderbirds, UP’s official Ultimate Frisbee team, took place every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 18:00 to 20:00 at the field behind Rembrandt Hall. The turnout for these events reflected the keen interest of students who were willing to learn and hungry to win the March league.
So, how does it work?
Well, Ultimate Frisbee is a 7-a-side no-contact sport that resembles a mix between American football and netball. It is also one of the only sports that is self-officiated. That’s right – no referees! Just good old honour, integrity and sportsmanship from the players themselves. The objective of the game is to move the frisbee from your team’s side of the football-sized field (as in Premier league, PSL, UEFA – you know, the real football) to the opposition’s side. A team scores points by catching the disc in the opposition’s end zone and then play resets. The sport is most commonly played in mixed teams, which in the case of this year’s league, afforded many of the RAG partnerships a lekker couples’ activity to build more cohesion before RAG Sports.
The Ultimate Frisbee league played this March consisted of three rounds, taking place each Tuesday. Unfortunately, the first round rained out due to a heavy storm. However, these damp conditions did not dampen the spirits of the players who pitched for the remaining Tuesdays with their game faces on. Ultimately, the league was filled with down-the-line dashes, nimble fingers making catches in the end zone and tons of fun and spirit! The results of the mixed and men’s teams for the league were as follows:
Mixed Teams Results
- Morula Legae x House Khutso x Commercii
- OP Village
- Medley 2
- Erica x Mopane 2
- House Ukuthula x House Mags
- Medley 1
- Blossoms Delight x Vividus
- Erica x Mopane 1
- House Tau x Madelief
- House Tau x Vividus
Men’s Teams Results
- The Tower
- Blossoms Delight
- Dregeana
- Mopane
Congratulations to the winners of the internal league and a major shoutout to the Ultimate Frisbee management team for all the effort they have put into growing this sport! PDBY looks forward to seeing more fun and major growth of Ultimate Frisbee.
