Month completed: July 2008

I love throwing the frisbee around. It is not only great fun, but can also be great exercise.

I had heard about Ultimate Frisbee years ago, had always wanted to give it a go but never got around to it. That is why I put it on the list.

And quietly this goal sat, patiently waiting its turn to be completed.

That was until last week, when the following comment was left on another post by Simon. Here is what he wrote:

Heath,

For goal #171 – head down to Albert Park (south end of the pit straight, near the hockey pavillion) on a Monday night at around 7:00pm. Melbourne Ultimate League Division 2 is played there every week. Ultimate frisbee players are a friendly bunch, so if you get there about 20min early and ask around, someone will have a spot on their team for you!

Simon
(ultimate frisbee player)

Who am I to not take up Simon’s offer? So I dragged my sister Melanie (who had played previously) along last Monday night to give it a go.

We turned up 20 minutes earlier, and found a team that was missing most of their players. The team was called Best Friends, and they were taking on the Melbourne University team. So I jumped on with them, and Mel jumped on with the Melbourne Uni team.

Having not done much research into Ultimate Frisbee (or just Ultimate, as it is known to those in-the-know), I expected a leisurely game involving leisurely throws and minimal jogging, let alone running.

Boy, was I wrong!

The game goes for 80 minutes approximately, and about 70 minutes of that was spent absolutely sprinting my guts out. I have played competitive basketball, football and tennis in the past, as well as competing in cross countries, but this was easily more physically draining than any of those sports.

Here are some shots of me running pretty aimlessly back and forth to get into the play. I am the one in the short black shorts and white t-shirt.

In this photo above you can see my sister Mel (in the black jumper and purple beanie) struggling to keep up my extreme pace.

In the photo below you can see me and my team waiting together for the game to restart.

The game is very similar to Gridiron, and starts with the two teams at opposing end, both trying to get the frisbee to the other end and catching it in their end zone. I won’t go into any more detail than that – you can read more for yourself if you want.

What I can tell you is that Simon was correct when he said everyone is really friendly. We were welcomed with open arms, and one thing I enjoyed at the end of the game was that everyone from both teams got into a huddle, and the two team captains both spoke on behalf of their team, congratulating the other team on a job well done. It was a great way to end a competitive, physical game in the right spirit.

Did the game wear me out? Yes.

Would I do it again? Absolutely.

p.s. It didn’t cost a cent to play. Great exercise, great fun, and no cost. How good is that?!

p.p.s. Thanks again Simon for the tip. Sorry I didn’t get to catch up with you on the night.

p.p.p.s. The photo at the start of the post was a set-up, so that I could get an action shot of myself. It took about five photos before we got one that looked half normal!