Ultimate Catches on in the ROK

BUSAN, South Korea -- Since its creation in the late 1960s, ultimate (formerly known as ultimate frisbee) has promoted sportsmanship and community. Busan Ultimate carries this tradition forward and actively recruits people with various levels of skill and experience. Our games are a cross section of those who have never played organized sports, those with experience and those who have just been pulled onto the field because they looked curious. It truly embodies the best of a transient lifestyle.

Ultimate could be your new best friend if you’re looking for a way to socialize, be active or try something different. We’ve got an eclectic group of people from all over the world (including many native Koreans), many of whom enjoy ultimate as a lifestyle, whereas others simply fancy it as the best way to sweat out their vices.

If you’re interested in casual pickup or something more structured, there’s no shortage of opportunities to get your disc on. You can find impromptu games on the beach mid-week during the summer, or regularly scheduled action at Namcheon Elementary School on Sunday evenings throughout the year.

Currently, Busan has three teams that compete in the Republic of Korea Ultimate league. Seasons run once in the spring and once in the fall. Each season lasts about two months and games are usually played on Sundays. It was only two years ago when we struggled to field one team, but thanks to the stewards of our sport, participation has gone through the roof. This coming fall, we’re aiming to add a fourth team, which will bring the Busan contribution up to more than 50 people. There will be as many as 18 teams from nine cities playing for the Golden Tiger trophy in November.

If you’re entirely unfamiliar with the sport, the basics are fairly straightforward: you can play with as few as four people on each team, usually on grass or turf. (But the beach is also popular since you can make gratuitous bids for the disc without melting your skin!) A standard lineup has two teams with seven people per side who face off on an American football-style field. To get started, the rules are simple: run, catch the disc, stop running and then pass the disc into the endzone to score a point. There’s more to it than just that, but you can learn at your own pace. Besides, our community knows a few things about teaching.

If you're new to Busan and know you want to get involved, registration for the ROKU (Republic of Korea Ultimate) social league closes on July 15. You can visit the league web page at www.rokultimate.com or reach out to the Busan Ultimate Facebook group for more information.

If you’re interested in joining Busan Ultimate, send a message to the Busan Ultimate Facebook group to get started and you’ll be able to get detailed information about dates and times.

< National Maritime Museum to Open July 9th < Read More > Kim Yuna to Compete in Sochi >