People in Fredericton are falling in love with ultimate frisbee, and students at St. Thomas University are no exception.
First-year STU student Book Sadprasid began playing when she was in Grade 10 at Leo Hayes High School. It was new to her school, and she wanted to play.
“I attended practice and fell in love with it,” she said. “It’s a fun sport, and I get to interact with many people and make new friends. There are lots of opportunities for this sport in Fredericton.”
Active Fredericton offers summer 7-on-7 and 5-on-5 ultimate programs and a 5-on-5 league from September to November. It is a limited-contact team field sport played with a flying disc, or frisbee. To score points, players must huck the disc to a teammate at the opposite end of a rectangular field. Players aren’t allowed to take steps when holding the disc.
As for joining, Sadprasid said she attended tryouts for one league, where she had to make the cut and work on defense. However, she said she would simply show up for practice while playing in high school.
“I like everything about it,” she said. “I like that it makes me feel alive when I play.”
Third-year STU student Mike Irvine plays on a frequent basis in an ultimate league in Moncton, near his hometown of Riverview. He said it’s easy to join and most leagues welcome new players.
“More players make the sport better,” he said. “There are no tryouts for a recreational league; however, there is a competitive league where there can be tryouts. For newcomers, you just show up at any age.”
Irvine likes the exercise provided by playing ultimate frisbee, and he said players call their own fouls.
“My favourite part would be that experienced players are always there to give pointers about the game.”
St. Thomas education student Michael Valk is one of those experienced players. He said the leagues offered in Fredericton are fun, competitive and social, all at the same time.
“They’re open for all ability and experience levels,” said Valk. “Spawn, Fredericton’s mixed competitive team, runs open practices year-round for players looking for a more competitive playing environment.”
Valk said Fredericton’s programs are unique because they are open to players with any ability or skill level, and there are few tryouts.
“Many ultimate players are passionate about the sport and want to share it with others.”
