Hey everyone! My name is Megan and I’m going into my second year as Mixed captain of the Bristol Ultimate Frisbee team. A bit about me: I started out playing more conventional sports like Hockey (10 years) and Volleyball (4 years), but Ultimate, (Frisbee’s official name,) which I joined in 2015, is the one that I have continued since coming to University.
Why is it important for women to play sports?
Other than being a lot of fun, it’s been proven that playing sports has many physical and psychological benefits. For women in particular, sports like Ultimate create a perfect environment for building confidence, raising self-esteem, and making friends!
What is great about Ultimate?
Some of you are definitely thinking “Frisbee? Isn’t that just that plastic disc you toss around in a park?” I can guarantee you it’s not! Have a look at this video to see how intense it can be (probably not for beginners though, don’t worry): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bm2ivi0gYY. You can’t run when you have the disc; however, for your team to score, the disc has to make it the length of the field (similar size to a football field), and be caught in the endzone.
Many people don’t start Ultimate until University. This means that when you join, you won’t stick out like a sore thumb as “that confused person”. That being said, we’ve had girls in our club improve quickly enough to represent Great Britain U20’s at Worlds during their first year, and I was lucky enough to have been selected to represent GB U24’s earlier this summer, alongside many women who started their Ultimate careers at University!
What is great about a co-ed sport?
Ultimate is a unique sport in that you can play in a men’s, women’s, or mixed team (or multiple)! This is true to the highest levels of the sport, not just for fun. In Mixed Ultimate, you’re not split into different roles based on gender, with men and women on the pitch at the same time. Even our club isn’t split into “Men’s Ultimate” and “Women’s Ultimate”, which means you get many opportunities to meet and interact with loads of different people.
Why should freshers join?
If you’re considering starting a sport for the first time, or switching sports to try a new sport, Ultimate is the one for you! We cater to complete beginners, and we offer opportunities to participate or compete at any level that you want, with indoor and outdoor friendlies and tournaments throughout the year. We also offer great socials every week, and we have three social secs this year so that socials also remain a priority.
Admin-y Info
- We’ll be at the fresher’s fair so feel free to come by and have a chat!
- Our give it a go sessions are on the Downs by the water tower on:
- Sunday 29th of September
- Wednesday 2nd of October
- Sunday 6th of October
- Wednesday 9th of October
- We don’t have official tryouts, as everyone is welcome to join. However, we split into first/second teams based on performance throughout the year, and you can easily progress up throughout the year.
- Our membership fee is one of the cheapest for a sports club at £20 for the year!
We would like to thank the Ultimate team for contributing to our Women in Sport Week.