Building an International Ultimate Community
by Amanda Berens
What can be better than ultimate on the patchy fields of grass and clay of central Texas? How about an ultimate game on the tropical and exotic beach of Boracay Island, Philipines or in the shadow of a hacienda 10 minutes from the zócalo of a historic Mexican colonial town. International ultimate was first introduced to me by Gary Breaux- the US Ambassador to Mexican Ultimate -and it's stuck ever since.
My husband, Scott, and I have played tournaments in Canada, France, Turkey, Italy, Australia, the Philippines, and Mexico. Though I'd love to go into more detail about the culmination of all things awesome in this world - frisbees, friends, culture, travel, good food, new languages - instead the focus of my article will be on what I've learned from these international ultimate experiences. How we can learn from their strengths to improve our ultimate community and how our accomplishments can help them in return.
The International Experience
The two places Scott and I have spent the most time are the Philippines (3 months, 2 tournaments) and Mexico (in total 6 weeks, 5 tournaments). Similarities between the two countries include 300+ years of Spanish rule, incredibly friendly and hospitable people, El Día de los Muertos and other such holidays, and their undying enthusiasm for Ultimate Frisbee. Mexican tournaments are not for the shy or introverted. They include a 1.5 hour comida y siesta where people can relax, eat and socialize. Mexicans are incredibly passionate about the game and even a simple flick throw to the open side in a pool-play game can give way to a field rush and chest bumps.
Filipino players are very much into fitness and cross-training. When they are not playing Ultimate they are climbing, surfing, or kite-boarding. They also throw world-class tournaments and proactively invite all their regional rivals, as well as UPA teams. Manila Spirits, which took place in November of 2009, included teams from the US, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Tiawan, Vietnam, and Singapore. What can be better other than an actual WFDF Worlds tournament?
In both cultures ultimate is a family affair and aunts play with nephews, brothers play with sisters, and fathers play with sons. And I am not talking just in league or pick-up games, I mean the entire club season. It is arguable that the Philippines and Mexico have the best individual under 18 players out there- multiple lay-out Ds per game and picture-perfect break mark throws against players literally twice their size (the particular players I am talking about will be playing Open at Club Worlds in Prague).
Showing enthusiasm for small successes, re-prioritizing the community and after-game team and inter-team bonding, and an openness to new and outside players are all things I’ve learned from playing Ultimate in Mexico and the Philippines.
Growth Opportunities
I am impressed by the level of play both countries have reached so far, but there are areas I have noticed that could be improved in order for these countries to launch themselves into the US-Canada-Japan level of ultimate.
Both countries have room to strengthen their central governing body. They have UPA equivalents, which do an excellent job of running tournaments and leagues, but they can improve their outreach to smaller cities, women and universities. Both countries have people that play on university-based teams and compete in club tournaments, but they do not have a college series like we do. This eliminates the more fostering environment of college-level play and throws brand new players in alongside 10-year veterans. A college series starting with just one or two tournaments a year should be a high priority (although some would argue the emphasis should be on high-school development instead), as well as more avenues for women players to learn and grow.
Both countries have experimented with women's leagues, tournaments and clinics and while the effort does not go unnoticed, the idea has not stuck. It seems like women players continually drift in and out of co-ed and all-women options with out much true autonomy. I would love to see women from these countries create committees focused purely on developing a women's division, however, I know they have many cultural barriers to overcome as well as the general evolution that needs to occur in their national governing body.
Taking an Active Role
In general, exposure to different organizational structures and styles of play of is beneficial to all involved. Players from Sockeye and Riot have a sort of partnership with the Colombian teams and they’ve been sending players down to run clinics and play in tournaments over the last couple of years. This partnership paid off with Colombian women's, men's, and juniors' teams all making it to the quarterfinals of the World Ultimate Championships held in Vancouver in 2008.
We can fairly easily send Austin teams (as Austin player Gary has organized in the past) to tournaments in San Luis Potosi or Querétaro, Mexico (less than a two hour flight, often cheaper than flying domestically) for a cultural and Ultimate knowledge exchange. Also, we should be proactive about encouraging international teams to come to Celebracion, Centex, Shootout, and Sectionals/Regionals (Mexico is technically in our Section/Region). If an international team does get to come, we should do everything we can to make them feel welcomed and limit the financial burden of their visit.
If you are in for an adventure and want to combine your favorite sporting activity with your love for traveling, please contact Gary Breaux (breauxgary @ aol.com) or me (amandanberens @ gmail.com), you never know where we’ll be headed next.
Amanda Berens has been playing ultimate for almost 10 years. She captained Lady Marmalade/ Melee in 2002 and 2003, an Austin club women's team in 2004, and Showdown for their 2007 and 2008 seasons. Amanda has played in the semifinals of the College National Championships and the Quarterfinals of the Club National Championships. She played with an Atlanta club team, Ozone, at Club Worlds in Perth, Australia in 2007 and with the Mexican National Team at the Worlds Ultimate Championships in Vancouver, Canada in 2008.
Aside from ultimate, Amanda and her husband Scott love traveling and outdoor sports. They took a one year leave of absence from work last year which took them on a nine month adventure across Asia, Europe and Mexico.
