x | thought

This February I am leaving for Morocco and I will be spending some time in the Atlas mountains with a friend of mine who teaches at a village school near Amizmiz. Besides climbing some beautiful mountains and learning how to cook Moroccan food I'd like to spend some time teaching the kids how to play ultimate.

That's why I need some help from the Vienna (and surroundings) disc community to help out with old discs. I know most of you have more than 30 disks laying around :) You don't have to sacrifice any of the discs that are hanging on the walls. They can be used but should still be playable. Just imagine the berber children playing with the discs in the wind with a big smile on their faces.

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Why frisbee?

Discs are cheap, and nearly indestructible. I know, they do wear down a bit and street discs can be a little hard on the hands, but they are still playable for a very long time. From discgolf to ultimate frisbee, there are dozen of games that can be played from solo to large teams, suitable for almost any age, and that are playable without the need for extra equipment.

Why Ultimate?

Besides being one of the coolest team sports on the planet, that has a great community around it, a sport that is played on grass, sand, rock, pavement... and in the wind, sun, rain, snow... where you run like hell chasing rotating plastic thingies, it's because of the Spirit. For those who play know exactly what I am talking about, and for those who don't:

Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate unsportsmanlike conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression, belligerent intimidation, intentional infractions, or other 'win-at-all-costs' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players."

Spirit of the Game sets Ultimate apart from other competitive team sports. For over 30 years, Ultimate has flourished, reaching a highly competitive level, without the use of referees.

And it really works. Ultimate rules promote the resolution of conflict through dialogue and in a civil manner. It allows you to learn to be competitive and respectful during play. The ultimate community is like a big family, we only play against each other on the fields, but as soon as the game is over, it's time to party with the other team, and it's always fun.

And if all goes well, in a couple of years we might be visiting the 1st ultimate tournament in the Atlas Mountains :)

cheers!