Ultimate Frisbee: Not just a throwaway hobby

It’s 1976. The Eagles release Hotel California, it’s three years before Thatcher and two proud parents welcome (baby) Baby Spice. At Warwick University, a new import from America is taking root – Ultimate Frisbee. Thirty-five years later, and only Hotel California can really claim to still have the popularity and success of the Warwick Bears.

‘Ultimate’ is a possession-based, fast-paced, non-contact team sport which is played by thousands of people globally. At its highest level, the game requires an almost unparalleled combination of stamina, agility and speed. During a 90 minute outdoor game, the average player will run around four miles at a dead sprint; a weekend tournament is a marathon effort.

Yet over the course of one weekend tournament, seven games are played and twenty-eight miles later, many teams still don’t want to leave. The beauty of the game is that new players require none of these skills, but will quickly develop them all. Ultimate is the fastest growing sport in UK and US schools, and a professional league of the best players is being established in America later this year.

In general, there are three forms of the game. Outdoors, for mud lovers, is 7-on-7 on a 100m pitch with long games in variable conditions. Indoors, for technical whizzes, is smaller, faster and windless, 5-on-5. Then there’s Beach Ultimate which, with the ability to run drastically curtailed on sand, involves spectacular superman dives to save each play.

The Warwick Bears largely play indoors and outdoors (have you seen the local beaches? They’re not exactly local), and field Open, Mixed and Women’s teams. Open teams are just that, open to both genders, while mixed teams have to maintain at least three members of each gender on the field; women’s is just that – ladies only.

So those are the rules, and that’s the game. But what about those crazy cats in 1976, I hear you cry? Well, excuse your outburst in the library and read on. Warwick hosts an annual, indoor tournament in January: Warwick Indoors, or WIndoors. Players who graduated over twenty years ago still return to compete, socialise, and meet the newcomers to the game. It is a wonderful welcome to the history of the sport at Warwick for the new players, and a chance to see experienced players and glean vital tips.

This rich tradition and history of the sport at Warwick manifests itself in the staggering number of alumni and spin-off teams. Mostly named for (admittedly terrible) Bear-based puns, these spinoffs are more CSI: Miami than Joey. The last few years have produced Bear Code, Bear Knuckle, Bear Force One, Bear Minimum and Bear Cavalry, some of which are among the most successful teams in the country. Bear Cavalry are currently dominating the Mixed club national circuit, and have won every Mixed event they have ever entered, including three national tour events.

Individual ex-Bear players have also gone on to do great things. The Great Britain Open team finished second in the European Championships, with two ex-Bears on the roster. Four ex-Bears also played for the Great Britain Mixed U23 team, captained by the 2010-11 Warwick Sportsman of the Year, James Freeman, and took home gold. Great Britain Mixed, composed almost wholly of former Bears, also put in a strong performance in the World Beach Championships.

But enough about history. It’s not 1976. The Eagles broke up (and reformed), Thatcher became Prime Minister and Spice World… happened. The Bears have gone from strength to strength, and this year’s WIndoors was no exception.

Of the 24 teams, 16 were formed primarily of ex- or current Bears. It’s no understatement to say that many teams were already aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each other.

Despite the strong showing of the competition, with teams from Birmingham, Norwich and Leicester, WIndoors was another triumph for the Bears teams with the current Bears first team placing third, behind an alumni team in second. However, it was an amalgamated team of recent Bears captains, five of whom play for the strongest club in the country, which stole the tournament. Warwick was able to field six current teams in this tournament, showing that Ultimate is as strong now as it ever was.

The developing skills and excellent work ethic of these teams, many of whom included new or inexperienced players, points to a very bright future for the oldest European Ultimate team.

That the recent Bears teams have produced so many international players and that the current Bears team can compete on equal footing with these teams is a credit to the long history of professional standards, continued development of players and team building atmosphere at the club.

Outside of the competitive tournaments, the Bears have a flourishing social calendar with many regular visits to Leamington, Coventry and campus for socials. Karaoke, disc golf, bowling, team meals and film socials complement regular circling and nights out.

Training is Wednesdays on the Varsity Pitch from 2-4pm, and Fridays from 3-5pm in the Main Sports Hall. Women’s only training is Mondays from 3-4pm in the Main Sports Hall.

_If you are interested in joining the club then please contact the President Mark Jones. All are welcome to the training sessions, and more information on the Warwick Bears can be found on the website www.warwickbears.co.uk or search on Warwick Sport._