Ultimate Frisbee Should Become an Olympic Sport
Ultimate Frisbee has had a bad rep for long enough. Back in the 1968 when the sport was created, it was played mostly by barefoot hippies who liked to partake in "herbal remedies" and "toss the bee around." Sadly, this connotation is still attached to the phrase "Ultimate Frisbee", even though in today's game, this couldn't be further from the truth. As most things that have been around for 40-some years, the sport has changed, even evolved. Now the sport is extremely physically demanding, requiring a training regimen more intense than most professional sports if one wishes to play at the highest level. It requires a unique blend of athleticism, skill, and intellect, as every player is generally required to play every position and understand complex plays, strategies, and field circumstances. Also, it already has a large (and rapidly growing) international presence. Many countries already have a representative team that plays at the World Games every four years, and every two years, several club teams are selected from qualifying countries to play in "Worlds" (2007 in Perth, Australia).
Take a look at this clip of a player making an extremely difficult catch around a very aggressive defender at a recent college tournament game: http://www.ultivillage.com/Ultimate-Frisbee-Videos/Clip-of-the-Day/UBC-vs-UNC-Showcase.html
I can tell you from experience that that play and plays more intense and physical than that happen many, many times during a game, and typically over a tournament weekend, a team will play approximately 5-9 games, depending on how well they do. To learn more about this awesome sport, check out www.upa.org.
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Jason Edelman - 253 days ago
- Sports