Favorites » His Blog
-
http://mfile.akamai.com/9192/wmv/cstv.download.akamai.com/9192/cstv_videos/ultimate/0607/061807_upa_championship_women.asx
-
Jul 13, 2007 9:51am
1 review
•http://mfile.akamai.com/9192/wmv/cstv...
-
Ultimate
A newly Influential Sports Culture - 21st Century Style
What is Ultimate? First, it is fair to say that Ultimate is a social game, a 21st Century game, a 21st Century subculture.
In this game, honesty is important. There are no referees. Spirit and fellowship between teams, is highly valued, but the competition nevertheless, is fierce.
This game started small, really small, 40 years ago in the U.S.
In the late `80's, and throughout the 90's, it really grew in North America, especially at American and Canadian Colleges and Universities. It also spread to Europe, Australia, Hong Kong. In fact it is played in organized leagues on all six continents.
This game was technically started by BabyBoomers, but it is the offspring of BabyBoomers, who really took it over, developed it, and made it an important part of the sport and social culture of the tertiary education scene. Now the sport, and the culture that accompanies it, has spread into the secondary school level.
Ultimate is a non-contact team sport. It mixes the best features of sports such as Soccer, Basketball, American Football and Netball into an elegantly simple yet fascinating and demanding game.
To compete at the top level, Ultimate players require a high rate of thought-processing and lots of physical speed, stamina, agility and situational awareness. It is an easy game to learn, because its rules are simple.
Ultimate is played between two teams of seven players on a large rectangular grassed field. A goal is scored when a team completes a pass to a player standing (or more likely running) in the endzone they are attacking. See the two videos referred to below.
The instrument of play is a disc (Frisbee).
The best way to find out the rules is to watch the two videos referred to below.
No physical contact is allowed between players. Picks and screens are also prohibited. A foul occurs when contact is made.
When a foul disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the possession was retained. If the player committing the foul disagrees with the foul call, the play is redone.
Uniquely, players are responsible for their own foul and line calls. Players are expected to resolve their own disputes. This timely modification of sports culture, reflects the importance of self-restraint. The athletes must arbitrate their own calls in the heat of competition using a refined system of rules. "Spirit of the Game" is an important part of this game's culture.
A world championship is held every two years. The next Championship series takes place in Vancouver, Canada, in August, 2008. There will be more than 100 teams, from more than 30 countries. They will compete in Women's, Men's, Co-ed, and other categories.
To see the College Sports TV coverage of the United States 2007 Women's College Ultimate Championship game, played in Ohio, click link at top of this blog (running time: 1 hour and 35 minutes).
To see the College Sports TV coverage of the United States 2007 Men's College Ultimate Championship game, played in Ohio, click here. (running time: 1 hour and 20 minutes).
This sport, as it continues to develop and mature, will strongly influence social values adopted by future generations. It is a sport that will eventually rival football (soccer) in its internationalization, and could very well surpass football in its rate of social participation, gender balance and age balance of participation.
|
Add him as a friend >
