Beach Ultimate is a team sport practiced by men and women of all ages. Teams consist of 5 players. The objective of the game is to catch the Frisbee (from now on referred to as 'disc') in the endzone of the opponent (like in American Football) to score a point.
It is not allowed to run with the disc in hand. The player in possession of the disc establishes a pivot foot (like in basketball) and throws to a teammate.
Defense is like basketball as well: defenders try and stay close to the offenders and block the disc. Once a disc in intercepted or touches the ground the teams switch from defense to offense and visa versa.
Physical contact is considered a foul. When a player is fouled he/she will call 'Foul' and the play stops. If the opponent agrees, the fouled-upon player gets the disc and the play continues. If not, the disc goes back to the thrower. Because Beach Ultimate revolves around fair play, personal responsibility and respect for the opponent, there are NO REFEREES. Even at World Championships there are no referees.
Hence the name Ultimate. It asks the ultimate in fair play and respect for your opponent to be able to play this physically challenging sport without a referee. Stamina, speed, jumping and diving are all involved, but off course not at all levels. Having fun with the disc and working together as a team is the most important thing.
Sound like fun! Interested in holding your own Beach Ultimate Tournament or event. It's never been easier, thanks to the efforts of BULA. Click the logo to the right to find out how BULA can help you to get started and promote your event the BULA way.
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We have been approached by many federations already asking for information about the next World Championships of Beach Ultimate. Today we launched a preliminary website with the most important information that players and teams will need. In the next few weeks we will turn this website into the site it needs to be with player registration, links to online scoring and videos, etc... Stay tuned.
I just finished a great trip: Beach Ultimate in Kilyos (Turkey) followed by Beach Ultimate in Odessa (Ukraine) and then Kiev. Wonderful!
In Kilyos I visited the BULA BUTT with Jonathan Potts, the WFDF President. In terms of the number of teams, it was not a success. However, I know that a seed was planted and that our visit was good for the growth of the sport in Turkey.
The people that were there were wonderful and extremely hospitable. Levent Akis is a great organizer who can get things done. He has an Ultimate video clip in Turkish cinema's, he introduced us to the heads of the Turkish Olympic Committee, we taught kids the game in a football stadium, etc... Together with the local Ultimate community of about 100 players who do other promotions, Turkey can expect some good growth these coming years.
Next stop: Odessa (Ukraine). Again, the hospitality of Beach Ultimate players is amazing. Ivan, a young local talent, showed me around the city, and I attended several trainings on the local beaches. Great city, great people, great food. Loved every minute of it.
Last stop: Kiev Hat Tournament. Or better Kiev HOT tournament. Pfew! Between 35-40 degrees Celsius every day. But what a great tournament! Kiev has some of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. The beach where we played is on a river bank with a great view of the city. You have to cross the river in small row boats that take a maximum of six people. Great level of play, two divisions with 16 teams each. Dima did a great organization and arranged 15 minutes of rain just before an exciting finals started. You can't get any better.
Beach Ultimate is growing... that is for sure. Take advantage of it! Visit new places, meet new people, and make new friendships while laying out on the beach! Life is short and Beach Ultimate is amazing!
Last week I mentioned that Beach Ultimate in the US will have its own group of people organizing and growing the sport. Now I found out that the LA beach league has become the favorite league in Los Angeles.
People all year round say that they love the league and can't wait for it to start up again. In fact, players biggest complaint is that the league is too short! The organizers squeeze it in between the fall series and Christmas when everyone gets busy.
Last year they had 18 teams, and it was a fun and exciting season. This year they are adding a youth league. I'm guessing that the league is going to grow enormously. Luckily, they have a giant beach in Santa Monica :-)
In preparation for the masses, they are having two clinic days. One on Aug 1st and the other a few weeks before the league. The clinics will be separated for women, youth and men.
Now that Beach Ultimate is recognized by the WFDF, I see things are going to change: Japan will probably send a team to Italy next year, and so will many other countries traditionally absent at the World Championships of Beach Ultimate (WCBU).
The other big change is that national federations now have to make a decision whether to allow for a separate national organization, or incorporate Beach Ultimate as a part of their flying disc federation?
In the US, BUUS is being prepared by the organizers of the US Beach Ultimate teams that went to the WCBU's in Portugal and Brazil. They have gotten the initial okay from USA Ultimate.
Many countries might opt for the option to bring Beach and Grass Ultimate in the same federation. Time will tell. In the meantime, Portugal is the only country in the world that only has a Beach Ultimate Federation. No grass :-)
Interesting and fun times ahead...
If anyone want to help out shape Beach Ultimate's future, let me know.
I hardly can wait to go to Kiev and play at the 7th Kiev Beach Hat Tournament. Kiev is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, with a lot of interesting sights. The beach is "Dovbychka" - on a uninhabited island (the Kiev nudist resort) in Kiev with perfect soft sand and the peaceful cool river Dnieper near.
The tournament is organized by players from two teams: Dyki Krali and Gigolo (who took the Paganello Spirit in 2009) and they are expecting more than 250 Frisbee players from Ukraine, Russia, Belorussia and other countries.
The good news is that you don't need visa's to get in. Furthermore there are some low cost airlines that can get you there and the organization speaks English. They offered to be your guides and meet you, help you get settled in, and get you to the tournament.
Sounds like a great place to play Beach Ultimate to me :-) Want to join me?
Last Saturday Matt Kass, Representative Director for BULA Japan, and I were at the the World Ultimate Club Championships in Prague and attended the WFDF Congress to defend BULA's motion to get Beach Ultimate recognized as an official sport.
This is what happened:
The WFDF had been too late submitting all the motions to its members. According to the WFDF bylaws they needed to do this 60 days before the congress starts. BULA was on time with our motion to the WFDF (75 days before congress starts) but the WFDF was late in sending it out. So, to try to rectify it, the WFDF submitted a motion to Congress to accept the submission of motions that were submitted too late.
The US and Canada had problems with some of the motions and with the fact that the WFDF didn't follow their own rules. So they decided to publicly show their discontent with the WFDF by voting against the motion to allow the late motions. This meant that we could have gone home almost immediately.
Fortunately Jonathan Potts, the WFDF President, suggested that congress would discuss the motions during the meeting and do a non-binding straw poll to see what the direction of the votes would be. In about a month or two a binding electronic vote will take place and those results count. This idea was accepted, albeit somewhat reluctantly, by the US and Canada.
In total 9 motions were voted on and the Beach Ultimate motion was the only motion that did not have any votes against or abstains. Beach Ultimate as an official sport was "passed" by 26 votes for, 0 against, 0 abstains!
Again, this is not 100% official yet, but the fact that Japan, US, and Canada voted for the decision is a huge win for Beach Ultimate. I honestly don't see any problems laying ahead of us now. Whooohoooo! :-)
Next steps will be to organize a hugely successful World Championships of Beach Ultimate in Italy next year and getting Beach Ultimate included in the World Beach Games that will be organized by SportAccord at the end of 2012.
On Saturday morning the WFDF will hold its congress in Prague where the World Ultimate Club Championships will be held. Representatives of all the countries will vote on the motion.
I know we have the support of many countries already but there is one possible obstacle: the WFDF was late in submitting the motion to its members. To rectify this they submitted a motion to congress to accept all motions that were submitted late. If that motion is not accepted all our efforts have been for nothing. Let's hope it doesn't turn out that way.
It never ceases to amaze me where Beach Ultimate can be played: indoor, on market squares, in the desert, and in the woods. No matter where it is played, it is always fun and tough to play.
The 4th éditions of ''La P'tite vite du capitaine'' in Gaspe, Quebec (Canada) is no exception. This great tournament that features great music and drums and will be held on the 21st and 22nd of august.
The tournament is in an idyllic framework: a 5 km sand beach, a festive atmosphere and the typical warm welcome of Gaspe Coast people... On the menu during that weekend: competitive matches, music and drinks on the beach, Gallic supper, and party with musicians on Saturday night.
If you want to say no to offshore oil drilling, yes to clean energy, take notice:
Hands Across the Sand is a movement made of people of all walks of life and crosses political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, and fishing industry.
You can make a symbolic gesture to show you support by going to your beach on June 26 at 11 AM in your time zone. Form lines in the sand and at 12:00, join hands.
If you like soccer and the World Cup, you can combine 2 goals together. A great idea from Louis Eisenberg (tarheel@gmail.com).
As a fundraiser for Ultimate Peace and a way to make the World Cup more exciting she is running a World Cup pool with half of each person's $20 entry fee going to Ultimate Peace.
If you're a soccer fan, please join the pool and/or pass along the info to your friends and teammates! The full details are here: http://world-cup-pool.webhop.net
The key points:
$20 to enter
Half of the money supports a very worthy cause promoting peace in the Middle East: Ultimate Peace
The other half of the money goes to the top finishers (winner gets 80%, 2nd place 15%, 3rd place 5%)
You can update your picks throughout the tournament
To register and for more info, click here and submit your entry fee (PayPal or check) by the night of Thursday, June 10th
The land of the 'Bula Spirit' and home to some of the friendliest people on the planet, small wonders that Fiji remains firmly fixed in place as one of Australia's favourite overseas destinations.
Offering perfect weather all year-round , this sun-kissed, azure-sea surrounded collection of more than 300 volcanic islands and coral atolls and its famously smiling open hearted people table the perfect 'across the board' holiday solution.
Fiji truly offers something for everyone - from romantic hideaways to fun-filled family holidays, from lush, luxury island resorts to boutique cruising and a huge range of soft adventure activities.
'Bula' is a unique concept, it can't be faxed or emailed or sent by messenger. 'Bula' can only be experienced from hand to hand, eye to eye, heart to heart, 'Bula to Bula' - and only in Fiji. It is what sets Fiji apart from the rest of the world.
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It sounds like Fiji should be BULA's headquarters... I am in! :-)
Over the years there have been various companies that tried to compete with Discraft. Daredevil discs is one of them. They are "UPA approved" but I have no idea how successful they have been. I think that for most Ultimate players, if the price is almost the same and the disc is almost the same, they will still stick to Discraft. I know I do.
But what if the price drops significantly?
This might be a good option for poorer countries, players, or organizers who don't want to risk a large investment.
Now there is a alternative.
YiKunSports (www.yikunsports.com) has a new Ultimate disc made in China. I had the opportunity to test their new version last week (hot from the press) and I must say I was impressed. I didn't notice a difference with the Discraft disc. It was stable, same hardness/softness, and all-in-all a good disc.
Not extremely cheap, but still $2-3 per disc cheaper than Discraft (pricelist). Something to consider...
Every year BULA plants Beach Ultimate seeds around the world to help the sport grow. It does so by organizing one special Beach Ultimate tournament per year in an area that has potential.
This year the Beach Ultimate Traveling Tournament (BUTT) is going to Turkey 30 July - 1 Aug. The tournament will be held on the beach of Kemer (close to Anatlya). The organizers had already submitted a great bid to host the World Championships of Beach Ultimate in 2011 and although they couldn't beat the amazing bid from Lignano the BULA organization was extremely impressed with their bid and gladly awarded the BUTT to Turkey this year.
Clearly a lot of work has gone into a new WFDF website dedicated to the rules of Ultimate. With hyperlinks that show the difference with UPA rules, official interpretations, scenarios, quizzes, videos, and lot of other goodies. It is truly an amazing website.
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May his spirit live forever! 1970-2010 
