A plastic disc sails through the air and an agile player deftly plucks it out of the air in one fell swoop, to fling it halfway across the field again. The sport that revolves around these ‘flying discs’ is currently the fastest growing sport in the world. To learn about this non-contact sport that is taking Delhi University by storm, DU Beat catches up with a few students of St.Stephen’s College who have constituted ‘Hawabaaz’, an Ultimate Frisbee team.
Dias Mario Antony, a MA student of History and captain of Hawabaaz, is quick to tell us that the sport, though popularly known as ‘Frisbee,’ is officially named ‘Ultimate,’ while ‘Frisbee’ is the name of the flying disc manufactured by the Wham-O toy company. Having watched previous batches of St. Stephens’ College, a group of students came together, resulting in a cohesive team-Hawabaaz that conducts intensive team practices every morning, along with their coach, Suhani Bedi, who plays for the Indian National Ultimate Frisbee team. Hawabaaz has played at tournaments such as the one held by the Ashoka University, with individual players participating at the Hat Tournament 2015, Delhi.
On the skill sets that the sport helps them to pick up, the team stresses upon stamina, endurance and agility. Each member contributes a different skill, forming an efficient team. “At least three female members are required to be a part of every team and there is no discrimination,” says Maria Benny, a second year student. A concept known as the ‘spirit of the game’ ensures that Ultimate is the only sport that is not supervised by a referee. This demands that conflicts are resolved immediately and peacefully on the field, requiring patience on the part of the players. Abi Thampi, a third year student, emphasizes on the stamina that the sport has helped him build. The team concurs- one does not require a certain level of fitness to begin playing the game.
Hawabaaz is hoping to get more students from Delhi University involved in this game that means the world to them.
Featured Image Credits: www.thesportsarmy.com
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