Quietly training away in the sports centre, or all the way out on a pitch in Santry, is a group of friends that all have one thing in common: a love for ultimate frisbee. Dublin University Ultimate Frisbee Club (DUUFC), Trinity’s ultimate frisbee club, comes together three times a week to improve their throws, tactics, and endurance, but most importantly, to have fun. They’re one of the smaller sports clubs of the university, but they are not to be overlooked. The club PRO’s Stephen Dawkins and Ailne Dineen as well as club member Jessica Chambers, sat down with The University Times to talk about what makes a successful Ultimate Frisbee team.
Ultimate frisbee, or “Ultimate”, was established in the US in the 1960s. The game consists of a frisbee being passed between teammates, with points scored for catching the frisbee in the opponent’s end-zone. There are no referees, instead the players officiate themselves, calling their own fouls. DUUFC was founded in 1995 and it is the oldest “Ultimate” club in Ireland.
The club has a lot of pedigree, having won six open outdoor intervarsity titles since its foundation. Added to that are multiple indoor intervarsity titles and the titles of the women’s team. The women’s team won the indoor intervarsity title for 6 years running between 2006 and 2012 and they came 3rd last year. The club recently added to their long list of successes by beating the University College Cork (UCC) in a jaw-clenching men’s indoor intervarsity final.
The club consists of between 40-50 active members, which allows for a total of two men’s squads and one women’s squad. In order to grow as a team both in comradery and athleticism, the club meets three times a week to train. They train in the sports centre on Mondays for one and a half hours and on Wednesdays they train for two hours in Santry for the outdoor competitions. They also have an hours mixed training session on Thursdays. The full time coaching staff currently consists of former student Jen Kwan and there will be a new addition to the coaching staff coming next term. Some of the team-members have recently been encouraged by Kwan to start a new fitness plan in addition to training sessions. This plan is being revised by a professional physiotherapist, ensuring that DUUFC only gets the best and most effective training.
The club recently added to their long list of successes by beating the University College Cork (UCC) in a jaw-clenching men’s indoor intervarsity final
It is voluntary commitment like this that is at the heart of DUUFC’s success. Many of the team-members have represented Ireland in international ultimate frisbee competitions, and their experience is further reason for the club’s success. They are a vital asset to the team because of their ability as players, but they also readily share their knowledge of the game with less experienced members. The contributions of such players are an aid for the coaching staff and guidance from such players is crucial to the development of new players.
There are seven intervarsity tournaments in total per year, and most of the training sessions are geared at preparing for these tournaments. There are also regular non-league tournaments to ensure that the players get in-game experience. While Ultimate Frisbee is a leisure activity at its core, the tournaments do get quite competitive, and they are anything but a walk in the park. The intensity of the tournaments and the frequency of training ensure that, although the sport does not require a massively high standard of athleticism, being part of the team will inevitably improve your physical fitness.
The fact that DUUFC competes both indoors and outdoors means that the players have a wide range of different skills. Milo Simpson, a student from UC Santa Cruz speaking to The University Times, stated that he was incredibly impressed with the number of different throws that the players at Trinity can do. Simpson plays for a team in the US and his experience of DUUFC has been a very positive one. He commented on the spirit of the game in Trinity, saying that it was one of the things that struck him most about DUUFC. Because the game is self-officiated, matters concerning fouls can often get quite heated and there are often arguments. However, in DUUFC, good sportsmanship is one of the core-values, and Simpson was very impressed with the team’s ability to play with a level head.
Dawkins has even spent Christmas with a visiting student that he met on the team
Technical ability, fitness and good sportsmanship are some of the contributing factors to the success of DUUFC. But the comradery of the players is what truly holds the team together. Kate Boylan, the former captain of the women’s squad, speaking to The University Times, said that “the sense of community within the club is just brilliant, you’re always going to be running into friends in all parts of the campus as a member of the team”. And this is no lie. Sitting on the couches in the Arts Block with the two PROs and one other player soon turned into a fully-fledged team meeting. Every couple of minutes there would be more members of the club walking by and they were all enthusiastic to tell me of their experience in DUUFC.
Dawkins said that on the team he met multiple people who were in the years above him in his course. Because of the welcoming nature of the team, they were all willing to give him advice on his course, and membership in DUUFC has not just contributed to Dawkin’s social and sporting life but has also positively impacted his performance in his course. The social aspect of DUUFC even surpasses the confinements of Trinity. During the weekend intervarsity competitions, there are opportunities to meet and befriend the players from other universities. Furthermore, the welcoming nature of the club has attracted many visiting students to join, and friendships reaching overseas have been formed. Dawkins has even spent Christmas with a visiting student that he met on the team.
DUUFC is a unique sports club. It provides its players with competition, it challenges them athletically and improves their fitness, but most of all it gives them an unforgettable social experience. It provides the opportunity to form friendships with people, not just in Trinity, but from universities all over the country. Members will be able to learn the ins and outs of Ultimate Frisbee from some of the best players that Ireland has to offer, and they might even get the chance to represent Ireland on the international stage. DUUFC is one of Trinity’s many small sport clubs, but its tight-knit teams and their ambition and commitment are the reason for its many past successes, and they are sure to provide more of the same in the future.
