In the Sixties, an American pizza baker threw a round box to a colleague: the Frisbee was born. At the TU Sports centre, dozens of students prove that Ultimate Frisbee has developed into a genuine sport.
”Becoming an international Frisbee player is much easier than with soccer.”
Like a boxer, Frisbee player André Storm is counted out by his opponent, ‘1..2..3..4’. At ten, the brilliant red disc he holds in his right hand must float through the air once more. Target: the end zone of the TU lawn, resembling an American Football field. ”Come on, cover him well!, Stay with that woman, leave her no room,” the public’s instructions sound just as fanatical as at a professional soccer match and within the lines, men and women run criss-cross all over the place, which isn’t even permitted in korfball.
Playing Frisbee in between umbrellas on the beach is ancient history for the seasoned players competing this Sunday in the fifth round of the national competition. ‘Ultimate Frisbee’ they call their game, in which the floating disc must be caught in the opponents end zone. ”It’s no longer a beach game,” Storm says, a player on the TU team Force Elektro. ”Only last year, I played in Slavia Praha’s soccer stadium in Czech.”
Today, though, he and his five fellow team members have lost their game during extra time. Force Elektro%s chances of winning the Dutch championships only exist theoretically now. ”A terrible pity,” Storm says. ”We began well this season, but due to injuries and absences of three players we can kiss the title goodbye.”
Sportsmanlike
The Dutch Frisbee world has always been small. At the end of the Sixties, the sport crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Legend has it a Californian pizza baker invented the Frisbee while throwing round pizza boxes to his colleagues. Soon afterwards, students discovered the disc, invented rules, and in 1972 the first game was played between university teams in New Brunswick. In the Netherlands a competition also started. At present, twenty five Frisbee clubs battle each other in three divisions.
TU Delft%s discoverer of Frisbee is Ludolf Meester, teacher at the faculty of Information Technology and Systems. ”While staying in America as a student, I came into contact with the sport,” he says. ”Back in Holland, I returned to soccer, but I missed the Frisbee. It’s played much more sportsmanlike than soccer: a referee isn’t even needed, together you decide if a foul has occurred. And after a match, I’m much more tired than after a game of soccer. In the end, I started a Frisbee club myself, at the TU.”
Although Force Electro has existed since 1993, it remains difficult to convince students of the advantages of Frisbee. Despite a information stand on the Owee-market, a free introduction courseand other promotion activities, the number of members fluctuates between twenty and twenty five. ”Most students have always played hockey or soccer, and they won’t suddenly switch to another sport,” Storm explains.
Tactical
On a national level, interest in Frisbee is also decreasing. At its peak polarity, five hundred people played. Currently, the national union has about 250 members. ”Well, actually Frisbee has always been a changeling,” says Michiel Kooreman, who plays for the current national champion, Red Lights Amsterdam. He learned the rules from an American tourist in the Vondelpark. ”With a large group of youngsters we were so deeply moved by the game that we started our own team. During the next fourteen years we hardly attracted any more members.”
Koormans team is experienced. Without too much trouble, they beat their first opponent at the TU Sports centre, Disc Devils from Twente. Using high jumps and low dives the Amsterdam players rummage about for the disc over and over again in the end zone. When Hinderik de Keijzer of Twente leaves the field after half an hour, his shirt is drowned with sweat, but his ego intact. %Everybody says I played a good game. Of course, we didn’t win, but the Red Lights are much better tactically than we are. They let us run considerably today. Although I have given myself more during a game. When I played for the national Dutch team at the world championships, we changed the game after every point. So we could go at full speed every time,” De Keijzer recalls.
Kooreman also plays for the national team. He has competed in big tournaments around the world, paid for by himself % unfortunately % travelling to sports halls and soccer stadiums in Japan, America and Germany. ”It’s also an advantage that so few people play your favourite sport,” Kooreman says. ”If you’re slightly talented, you can be an international within a year. That’s not easily done if you’re a soccer player.”
In the Sixties, an American pizza baker threw a round box to a colleague: the Frisbee was born. At the TU Sports centre, dozens of students prove that Ultimate Frisbee has developed into a genuine sport. ”Becoming an international Frisbee player is much easier than with soccer.”
Like a boxer, Frisbee player André Storm is counted out by his opponent, ‘1..2..3..4’. At ten, the brilliant red disc he holds in his right hand must float through the air once more. Target: the end zone of the TU lawn, resembling an American Football field. ”Come on, cover him well!, Stay with that woman, leave her no room,” the public’s instructions sound just as fanatical as at a professional soccer match and within the lines, men and women run criss-cross all over the place, which isn’t even permitted in korfball.
Playing Frisbee in between umbrellas on the beach is ancient history for the seasoned players competing this Sunday in the fifth round of the national competition. ‘Ultimate Frisbee’ they call their game, in which the floating disc must be caught in the opponents end zone. ”It’s no longer a beach game,” Storm says, a player on the TU team Force Elektro. ”Only last year, I played in Slavia Praha’s soccer stadium in Czech.”
Today, though, he and his five fellow team members have lost their game during extra time. Force Elektro%s chances of winning the Dutch championships only exist theoretically now. ”A terrible pity,” Storm says. ”We began well this season, but due to injuries and absences of three players we can kiss the title goodbye.”
Sportsmanlike
The Dutch Frisbee world has always been small. At the end of the Sixties, the sport crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Legend has it a Californian pizza baker invented the Frisbee while throwing round pizza boxes to his colleagues. Soon afterwards, students discovered the disc, invented rules, and in 1972 the first game was played between university teams in New Brunswick. In the Netherlands a competition also started. At present, twenty five Frisbee clubs battle each other in three divisions.
TU Delft%s discoverer of Frisbee is Ludolf Meester, teacher at the faculty of Information Technology and Systems. ”While staying in America as a student, I came into contact with the sport,” he says. ”Back in Holland, I returned to soccer, but I missed the Frisbee. It’s played much more sportsmanlike than soccer: a referee isn’t even needed, together you decide if a foul has occurred. And after a match, I’m much more tired than after a game of soccer. In the end, I started a Frisbee club myself, at the TU.”
Although Force Electro has existed since 1993, it remains difficult to convince students of the advantages of Frisbee. Despite a information stand on the Owee-market, a free introduction courseand other promotion activities, the number of members fluctuates between twenty and twenty five. ”Most students have always played hockey or soccer, and they won’t suddenly switch to another sport,” Storm explains.
Tactical
On a national level, interest in Frisbee is also decreasing. At its peak polarity, five hundred people played. Currently, the national union has about 250 members. ”Well, actually Frisbee has always been a changeling,” says Michiel Kooreman, who plays for the current national champion, Red Lights Amsterdam. He learned the rules from an American tourist in the Vondelpark. ”With a large group of youngsters we were so deeply moved by the game that we started our own team. During the next fourteen years we hardly attracted any more members.”
Koormans team is experienced. Without too much trouble, they beat their first opponent at the TU Sports centre, Disc Devils from Twente. Using high jumps and low dives the Amsterdam players rummage about for the disc over and over again in the end zone. When Hinderik de Keijzer of Twente leaves the field after half an hour, his shirt is drowned with sweat, but his ego intact. %Everybody says I played a good game. Of course, we didn’t win, but the Red Lights are much better tactically than we are. They let us run considerably today. Although I have given myself more during a game. When I played for the national Dutch team at the world championships, we changed the game after every point. So we could go at full speed every time,” De Keijzer recalls.
Kooreman also plays for the national team. He has competed in big tournaments around the world, paid for by himself % unfortunately % travelling to sports halls and soccer stadiums in Japan, America and Germany. ”It’s also an advantage that so few people play your favourite sport,” Kooreman says. ”If you’re slightly talented, you can be an international within a year. That’s not easily done if you’re a soccer player.”
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