Joel Terry, Ultimate Frisbee captain
WHEN I started I couldn't throw a disc at all. It was just this completely new sport; I had no idea at all what was going on. I mainly watched football as a child and had never played Frisbee in my life. In fact, I don't think I’d even heard of Ultimate Frisbee until I saw a video online of an American champion player called Brodie Smith. I was intrigued and decided to try it out for myself.
Growing up I loved playing sports: I played football then I got into refereeing football and recreational cycling. I’ve been playing Frisbee for almost three years now. It took me a while to grasp Frisbee because I had to learn about the different types of throwing techniques and what areas to play. The key is to throw the disc with less power and more spin to keep it controlled and make it go further.
My first competition was tough. It was in Edinburgh and I had to get a bus at 7am to make it on time, I was just told to run into an area and try to catch the disc.
Frisbee is mix-gendered, non-contact and staff referred which makes it a unique sport because players set the rules, even if there are disagreements. Different teams often have different expectations. I’ve noticed that the Scottish teams get very into it and make it more physical. However, we’re all very respectful and contest our disagreements.
There are two main teams Strathclyde and Glasgow University who are at the top in all of the divisions with around 200 players on my team in total. I’m currently the captain of Glasgow University’s Frisbee team. We play top fours at nationals in almost every division going.
There’s also the Glasgow Ultimate team which combines all of the Frisbee players from around Glasgow. They’re very competitive and will be sending a team to play the World Championships in Ohio this summer, so everyone’s prepping for that.
The teams play indoors mostly due to the unpredictable Scottish climate. This makes it slightly different from the typical outdoor games, though, for me outdoors is just so much more enjoyable. The beach is a great to place to play.
If there’s a flat patch of sand, it’s possible to see people diving around which makes excellent photo opportunities, some look like the players are flying around the place. Unfortunately, we don't get to play on the beach a lot but, we send people to Europe to play skim beach ultimate with other teams and the warmth is an added bonus.
There are competitions almost every weekend and I play tournaments during the course of the week. I’ve made loads of friends from all over due to the number of competitions, training, and big social events.
I was even offered the opportunity to play at Nationals but had to decline due to costs. Although the teams are all competitive and our rivalry is well-known with Strathclyde, we’re still good friends at the end of the day.
Visit facebook.com/glasgowuniultimate
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