2012 SA Ultimate Nationals Flyer
Ultimate players around Southern Africa nothing more need be said about this: Get your amp on!
WFDF World Ultimate Championships 2012 – Sakai, Japan
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) hosts the World Ultimate Championships every four years where countries get to enter their best Ultimate teams in one of up to 5 different divisions: Open, Women’s, Mixed, Masters, and now possibly Women’s Masters. In July 2012 organisers expect up to 60 national teams to enter the next event hosted in the city of Sakai, Japan.
South Africa has been represented at the World Champs since as early as the 1998 event held in Minneapolis, USA. The last Worlds held in 2008 Vancouver, Canada, there was only an Open team from SA where the previous tournament in Finland had a team in 3 divisions: Open, Mixed and Junior’s (Juniors is now a separate event). In 2012 we are again looking to send an Open and Mixed division team. The Open team is being led by the capable duo of Chris Webster and Finn de Haan, both veterans of previous international campaigns. The squad has already been rounded up for a few training sessions and spirits are high. There is much work to be done over the next 7 months but there is a confidence in the air that this SA team is going to cause a few upsets. One of the weaknesses of the previous teams was the lack of unified preparation and goal – usually magnified by picking up stronger international players who play with a different style. This time around the preparation schedule has been set early and incorporates a largely Cape Town based squad which includes a refreshing amount of young blood. Even the international boys in the squad are going to be around for the majority of training, which promises to result in a strong and unified team to represent South Africa.
With the Open division leading the more competitive men astray, the Mixed team has in the past traditionally incorporated the Ultimate crowd that is both enthusiastic and social. These are the men and ladies that aim for the best experience possible which usually involves a play hard and play hard attitude. The rumour on the interweb is that the Mixed team organisers are hoping to have an even thirds split of players from Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal, and the Cape. The difficulty with the Mixed team is recruiting enough women since the rules state that there must be at least 3 persons of each gender on the field for each team.
Being a largely self-sponsored sport, both of these representative squads will need to dig deep into their pockets to get the funds together to make the trip. There are plans in the pipeline to run a few fund raising initiatives to help ease the financial burden and we can definitely use any help and support on offer. If you are interested in finding out more about these international campaigns and how you can help with fundraising or sponsorship then please send an email through to us: contact[at]safda.org.za or wildcard.enterprises [at ]gmail.com
December 10, 2011 | Leave a comment | Permalink
Cape Town Women’s Hat Tournament 2011
** UPDATE**
Due to xmas holidays affecting the sign up, the tournament has been postponed until early 2012. Keep in touch to catch the revised dates!
Hello all!
Cape Town Women’s Ultimate is happy to announce the first of what we hope will be many women’s hat tournaments!! The details will be set once we get a better idea of numbers, but we’re looking to combine skills training with a traditional hat tournament. Two to three skills clinics will be set up between/in parallel to hat games. We will be developping 20-30 minute skills clinics, the topics of which will be determined based on numbers.
When: Saturday, December 17th (that’s a long weekend!), from 10/11am to 4pm
Where: Wynberg Sports Club fields
See attached flyer [ Hat Tourney Invite ] for more information and some sweet pictures of awesome women dominating at Ultimate. Please circulate widely, bring friends and sign up using the link below!!
Sign-up sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArqEE6VWLqVvdFI5Q0JINWtkemJycGdqQWwydGhRWFE
November 17, 2011 | Leave a comment | Permalink
I Heart Rocktober – Durban 2011
The infamous Jozi Rocktober Ultimate tournament did a celebrity tour of Durban this year over the weekend of 15-16th October.
Ultimate teams from around the country descended into KwaZulu Natal with boardshorts and sandals packed, expecting the full brunt of a Durban spring. What they got instead was overcast and windy conditions with slight sprinkle of rain. This did nothing to prevent competitors from showcasing some great Ultimate at the Westville Old Boys club.
The Prawn Bunnies made us all very comfortable by organising awesome food, a Red Bull tent for shade and bean bags to have a nap on, and finally added the Red Bull truck and DJ as motivation to get out of the bean bags when the legs were complaining. The atmosphere was lively and the party on Saturday night good fun with a few hucking and macking contests revving up the crowd. Those that stayed to the end would have seen some impromptu kareoke by a certain Cape Town player.
Credit should go to team TnT from Durban and Jack Sparrow from Joburg who competed in their first tournament. The Ultimates showed great spirit and Dabique crossed international borders in the name of disc love. Prawn Bunny used their home field advantage to achieve a great result ahead of the ever challenging Joburg teams. The Cape Town rivalry team was fierce, each one hoping for a good crack at the reigning champs. UCT fought valiently in the semis narrowly missing out, and took out their frustrations on Chilli in the 3rd place playoff. The Long Donkeys showed why they were the defending champs and arrived at the final with annoying ease, using their atheticism to full effect. 1Up had a strong tournament with a good display of old school strategy and cool heads, reaching the final with confidence in spite of some interesting height mismatches and a gusty wind that favoured the Donkeys zone defence.
The final matched up two teams that were as yet unbeaten in the tournament and it could have gone either way. The Donkeys got off to a cracking start with some early break points putting 1Up on the back foot. 1Up finally settled down to give the Pietermaritzburg boys and girls more of a challenge and got stuck into narrowing the points difference. The score evened out and 1Up were gaining momentum when the Donkeys called a few time outs and adjusted their zone. With the time cap approaching 1Up needed to work quickly if they were going to take the win. The teams more or less traded points with the Donkeys leading until the time cap was called and the Long Donkeys took home the trophy for the second year running. Credit to both teams for putting on a good show for the spectators and huge thanks to the tourney organisers for all their efforts, we hope that next years tournament can live up to your standard.
Final Results:
- Long Donkeys (PMB)
- 1Up (CT)
- UCT (hmm… CT)
- Chilli (CT)
- Prawn Bunny (Dbn)
- Ult-Cntl-Del (Jhb)
- Northern Lights (Jhb)
- Dabique (Mozambique)
- Jack Sparrow (Jhb)
- The Ultimates (Polokwane)
- TnT (Dbn)
November 1, 2011 | Leave a comment | Permalink
East London Tournament Review
To those who dwell beyond the borders of the Eastern Cape, East London is a small town. Yet within, promise and opportunity lay in abundance. Virtues ready to be harvested and thrived upon by those willing….
From what started as a handful of people playing with a Frisbee on Nahoon Beach in 2010, grew into a social league of sixty players, two national teams and recently, East London’s first Ultimate Frisbee Tournament which had come to pass over the weekend of the 24th June at Selborne College.
Teams from Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth joined forces with the local teams to bring to East London a truly spirited and competitive tournament. And coupled with our Sponsors – Fresh Lifestyle Properties, Rockstar Energy Drink and Distell Distributors – the tournament became one which would be reminisced amongst fellow Frisbee players until Nationals 2012.
The weekend kicked off with social warm-up games which somewhat still had a competitive slice to it. However, the evening built up to the memorable event – the Night Frisbee match. The time came to show off the freshly imported Night Discs. Excitement filled the air while the flood lights turned off. The moon shone with all its pride while the attached lumo glow sticks on the players challenged that pride. At a glance, the game appeared to be a story written in light. Wisps of blue and orange light danced around the nightly field. The lit disc wove these wisps into magical letters and figures. Poetry to the eye of the beholder….
The sun appeared the following morning with high hopes for the opening games. Passion brewed and competitiveness howled through them all. The weather however, was the only card dealt that didn’t pair up with the expectations of our visitors. Gusts of wind up to 50 knots with heavenly rains (which East London has had its fair share of recently) didn’t spell favourable odds to any team. Yet, with a bit of change in game plan and handling, teams were able to use the wind to their advantage. Unfortunately, a few were left with a wind-swept disadvantage.
Yet, to overcome the gloom and doom of East London weather, a Pulling Challenge was arranged. First prize and second prize came from Distell Distributors and the third from Rockstar Energy Drink. All highly contended for by most players I have to admit – even myself. The first being a Richelieu Brandy Gift Set comprising of a branded wooden box with contents that would make any brandy connoisseur jealous. Two engraved glasses, a bottle wall mount with dispenser and of course, a bottle of Ricky Le Roux himself.
Saturday crept away from the gusting wind, but the evening brought the festivities. Dinner, good music and memories shared from the day’s events were priority among the company. The bar kept a few individuals entertained, especially when all shooters became five rand.
The team from Johannesburg, rightly named Ultitude, with their agility, grace and precision at throwing a disk took first place, winning a cash prize of R2000. Second and third places went to the East London teams – the Hammerheads and Rebels, each receiving R1000 and R500 respectively. Incidentally, the Gambits from P.E had to forfeit due to unforeseen circumstances surrounding a hefty Fines meeting and a party of Decade music at Numbers. The word was that some were left “broken” the next morning. The context is yours to decide, but it’s clear that some people just can’t handle Slum Town.
See you at the next Ultimate gathering.
June 30, 2011 | Leave a comment | Permalink
Mixed Ultimate Nationals 2011 Review
The 2011 South African Mixed Ultimate National Champs took place bewteen 30 April and 2nd May at the Pirates Sports Club in Johannesburg. An unprecedented 16 teams took part in the tournament with a chance to match their skills against teams from across the country and even beyond the border.
The games over the weekend were scheduled to provide the most closely competitive games for all teams throughout the weekend, with a Division 1 including the top 8 seeded teams and the remaining 8 competing in Division 2. Once the Pool stage was completed, the Group stage provided opportunity for all teams to compete for a final place in Division 1.
The competitive standard of Ultimate over the weekend was excellent with very close games across both divisions. The main standouts in Division 2 were ALA who played some highly athletic ultimate that included many dramatic hucks, the Hammerheads from East London who have improved massively in just one year and competed strongly for a top finish in Division 2. Durban’s Prawn Bunnies narrowly missed out on a top 8 finish in a very competitive game against Zebru from Cape Town and went on to win Division 2 in another hotly contested game against the Hammerheads.
Division 1 showcased the highest level Ultimate that Southern Africa has to offer with some solid experience and amazing athelticism on display. Some of the early pool games were good enough to be finals with some fantastic match ups and closely fought games. A few upsets over the course of the weekend kept the tournament interesting and the title winner was still uncertain up until the absolute last few point in the final. Mozambique kept their heads as a small squad with injuries to claim 5th place over the top Jhb team, Ult-Ctrl-Del. The UCT Tigers faced old Cape Town rivals Chilli in the 3rd place playoff, with Chilli using their experience to keep the tireless youth at bay and claim 3rd.
The Long Donkeys from Pietermaritzburg and Khayoba from Cape Town met each other in the final, both with a clean record of wins in the tournament. The Donkeys brought their unconventional and opportunistic style of Ultimate to the final that had them storming through their early games leaving most opponents totally bewildered. Khayoba had also moved through their weekend with a show of intense and athletic play, most notably taking a closely matched win from Chilli in the pools to grab the first seed into Group 2. The two sides battled it out in the final mostly trading points the entire game: the Donkeys zone defence and lightning quick capitalisation of turn overs versus an incredibly disciplined and clinical Khayoba. The threat of the Long Donkeys is so evident when you find yourself standing enveloped in the shadow of a player you’re supposed to stop from throwing the disc, add to this the consistent high release throws in all directions and passes are close to unstoppable. They have a truly enviable collection of height, fitness and speed which they use in every point. The Khayoba patience and accuracy with the disc had them making an incredible amount of successful passes each point to work the disc into the endzone, and with the Donkeys rock solid deep coverage, it was the only way to go. The disc was worked under, over and around the cup, squeezing through holes and finding gaps that would lead to the jailbreak one-two passes up field.
As the teams played into the time cap, it was an unlucky Donkeys turnover that allowed a quick offensive reaction by Khayoba which got them their final point to win and the title of South African Champions for 2011. A fantastic final game to end off a great weekend of Ultimate. Huge thanks and appreciation must go to the organisers of the tournament for keeping things running smoothly all weekend: the co-ordination of games, food, accommodation, lifts, entertainment and prizes all added to the success. We appreciate your efforts at setting the standard so high for the next tournament organisers!
*If you have great photo’s from the tournament then email us (contact[at]safda.org.za) and we will let you know where to send them to be added to the gallery.
Final Standings:
1. Khayoba (Cape Town)
2. Long Donkeys (Pietermaritzburg)
3. Chilli (Cape Town)
4. Ikey Tigers (Cape Town)
5. Mozambique (Maputo)
6. Ult Ctrl Del (Johannesburg)
7. Zebru (Cape Town)
8. Northern Lights (Johannesburg)
9. Prawn Bunnies (Durban)
10. Hammerheads (East London)
11. UCT New Boots (Cape Town)
12. African Leadership Academy (Johannesburg)
13. Voodoo Pirates (Johannesburg)
14. Rebels (East London)
15. Ultimates (Polokwane)
16. Orange Farm (Johannesburg)
May 17, 2011 | Leave a comment | Permalink
East London Ultimate gears up…
Word on the sidelines is that the East London Ultimate scene is growing in leaps and bounds. With their first showing at a national tournament in Cape Town last year, they appear to have returned to their lair with renewed energy to plot ways to take over the Ultimate world.
Great organisation and a healthy development of the sport at high school level means that these enthusiasts are planning for the future of the sport. They even have a tournament scheduled for June with a winners purse of R2000… more than likely a first in SA. Huge kudo’s to ELUF and we look forward to seeing you in Jozi for Nationals 2011!
Read the EL newsletter here: ELUF_newsletter_april2011_lowres
April 21, 2011 | Leave a comment | Permalink
Mixed Ultimate Nationals Approaches
The energy on Ultimate pitches around South Africa is buzzing as Nationals Fever takes a hold of the various communities. The biggest disc sports tournament in Southern Africa is scheduled for the long weekend at the end of April… just 4 weeks away.
Hosted in Johannesburg at the Sandton Sports Club, this promises to be a weekend of great Highveld weather and unique Jozi style fun. With a rumoured 12 teams from around (and just outside) South Africa travelling into the bustling financial capital of SA, it also promises to be a weekend of epic Ultimate.
An unprecedented 5 teams from Cape Town are travelling to Jhb to fight it out for the honour of Mixed Ultimate Champs, looking to upset the Jhb teams on their own turf. Those ever-intimidating contenders from the steamy KZN province will surely be frothing at the chance to grip their big hands around that tiny little trophy. The outsiders are always the dark horse in these tournaments and we hope that the Moz team brings their A-game. Of course the Jozi contingent will be grinning while the rest pant and wheeze in the oxygen-poor air, while also knowing where the pot holes are in the fields and which gritty patches to avoid laying out in.
This year also boasts the first ever Womens Nationals tournament which will be held on the morning of Saturday 30 April, proving that ladies Ultimate in SA is moving from strength to strength.
So to all competitors, start practicing that game face because this year is going to be hotly contested at all levels. And to all others, get down to the Sandton Sports Club to watch the all the grass stained action take place.
March 31, 2011 | Leave a comment | Permalink
I Heart Durban Tournament Review
The I <3 DBN Ultimate Hat Tournament 2010 took place on December 11 & 12 at the Westville Old Boys Sports Club in Westville, South Africa. Sixty Six players from Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Angola came together for a full weekend of Fs: Frisbee, Fun, Friendship, and a Freaking good time!
The 66 players were divided into 6 teams of evenly matched skill and experience. Special care was taken to ensure gender and geographical distribution as well. Hat Tournaments are unique in that they allow individuals to play with new people, learn new skills, and make new friends.
The festivities began on Friday, December 10th at the Westville Old Boys Sports Club. Players arrived to register and collect their player packs. Every player attending the tournament was given an I <3 DBN team shirt, an I <3 DBN water bottle, a Durban Ultimate messenger-style bag, some goodies from Red Bull, as well as sweeties and a poncho, in case it rained. The weather reports threatened torrential downpours, but the I <3 DBN committee held thumbs rather tightly in the hopes that the rain would pass them by.
Perhaps the best part (aside from the epic Ultimate) about tournaments is the reunions they provide. Friday night was not only about registration, it was about seeing old friends, reminiscing about the last tournament, and making plans for this one. It was also the moment when the team lists were revealed. Neal and Robin, the I <3 DBN tournament directors, had spent hours and hours working on the teams to ensure that they were entirely even (see the story of that adventure here). Needless to say, it was a huge relief when players looked at the lists and confidently proclaimed, “With a team like this, there is no way we can lose!”
Full of the joys of friendship, we took an early night to prepare for the long day ahead. Games would start on Saturday at 8am and continue until 5:15pm. Each team would play 4 games of 75 minutes each, totaling in 5 full hours of Ultimate. It would be a long day.
The broader schedule of the tournament included a preliminary round robin followed by an elimination round. In other words, each team would play every other (aka: 5 games) and then engage in the elimination, which would provide another 1 or 2 games. The teams would play 4 round-robin games on Saturday, and on Sunday would complete the round-robin and also play their final matches.
On Saturday, each team played two games before lunch and two after. During our lunch break, an exhibition game was held. Boys from Streetwise (Durban Ultimate’s main development site, a home for street children in Pinetown) played a 5-a-side game with members of the Westville community and Durban Ultimate players. Durban Ultimate has always known how talented the street boys are, but it was utterly refreshing for the rest of the Ultimate community to learn this as well. The boys were heralded as star players, which, hopefully, increased their confidence and love for the game. The boys have now gone home for the holidays, but we look forward to visiting with the boys again and hearing their thoughts on their game.
The weather on Saturday was outrageous. Seriously, we had all possible seasons: blazing hot and humid sun, blustering wind, and pouring rain. We try to accommodate everyone’s needs in Durban.
At the end of the day on Saturday, after four rounds of preliminary play, the standings were as follows:
| WIN | LOSS | |
| Dingane | IIII | |
| Solomon | III | I |
| Mpande | III | I |
| Shaka | II | II |
| Cetshwayo | IIII | |
| Goodwill | IIII |
Saturday night provided an epic party at the Durban beachfront at the Durban Lifesaving Club, a beautiful second story building on the promenade with indoor bars and dance floors, and outdoor patios overlooking the ocean.
The party kicked off at 7pm with a pounding DJ complete with party lights. Hot Debonair’s pizza was served at 7:30pm and people chowed until they could not consume anymore.
The highlight of the party was a bunny piñata (an homage to the Prawn Bunnies), which players took turns attempting to smash. When the piñata broke, Ultimate players dove onto the floor to collect as much candy as possible. It was almost like a 5 year old’s birthday party. After the piñata was destroyed, the dance floor opened up, and people got their groove on. The party fizzled out around 11pm, and players returned home to rest up for the next big day of Ultimate.
It was quite funny how the end of the round-robin worked out. The final games in the round robin mirrored what the first round of elimination would be. In that way, the morning’s first games could have been played as mere warm-ups for the second games. Although some teams claimed to be “taking it easy,” all of the games were highly contested matches, where all players put their broken bodies on the line.
In the end, Dingane beat Shaka to secure 1st place, Mpande beat Solomon to take 2nd, and Cetshwayo beat Goodwill to take 5th, leaving the standings as follows:
| WIN | LOSS | RANK | |
| Dingane | IIIII | 1 | |
| Solomon | III | II | 3 |
| Mpande | IIII | I | 2 |
| Shaka | II | III | 4 |
| Cetshwayo | I | IIII | 5 |
| Goodwill | IIIII | 6 |
The semi-finals were then played, with Dingane taking on Shaka again, while Solomon challenged Mpande.
Both Shaka and Solomon dug deep and were able to beat their opponents. Whereas Solomon ran away with their game, winning 15-10, the game between Shaka and Dingane came down to the final point. The scores were tied as time was called, meaning that one remaining point would be played; the winner of this point would be the winner of the game. Dingane started with possession, but a nasty gust of wind sent the disc off-target, causing a turnover. Shaka was able to quickly capitalize on this unlucky error, scoring one last point, winning the game, and thus advancing into the final. The undefeated Dingane had fallen.
The 5th vs. 6th playoff game was just as intense as all the other games. Goodwill and Cetshwayo put more on the line than their bodies; they put their money. Throughout the weekend, I <3 DBN engaged in a Charity Challenge and raised money for CHOC, the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa. The team who raised the most money for charity would win a prize. Goodwill and Cetshwayo decided that whichever team won their 5th place game would also win the charity money from both teams. Although Goodwill began the game with a wide lead, Cetshwayo came back in the end to win the game, thus securing 5th place and a large sum of money to donate to charity.
Utterly exhausted, Mpande and Dingane opted not to play “regular” Ultimate for their 3rd place game, but instead played a rousing game of Social, wherein they soaked each other in water, followed by a competitive game of team Rock-Paper-Scissors. From these games, Mpande emerged victorious.
Finally, it was time for the final.
Shaka, in yellow, and Solomon, in white, began their game with a full house of spectators watching. The music was pumping from the Red Bull van (that had generously been on site all weekend to keep the vibe going with cool tunes), and if it was raining, the players did not even notice.
Shaka came away with a fast lead, scoring five points in quick succession. But Solomon would not be so easily taken. Solomon scored three unanswered points, bringing them close to the lead. The game continued with the teams exchanging points, which kept the score close and the game tense. Despite being a highly competitive final, the game remained very spirited, just as the rest of the tournament had been. And of course, what is an Ultimate final without a streaker? Many thanks to Dylan for fulfilling this little bit of tradition.
The final score was Shaka 15 to Solomon 12. Shaka had come from 4th place, after losing most of their games in the round robin, to win the tournament. One player commented that it was a great testament to the evenness of the teams that a losing team on Saturday could come back and win everything on Sunday.
The final standings for the tournament were:
| 1 | Shaka |
| 2 | Solomon |
| 3 | Mpande |
| 4 | Dingane |
| 5 | Cetshwayo |
| 6 | Goodwill |
The prize-giving ceremony awarded Trevor and Marlise as MVPS, and Teena Sebastian and new Durban player Matt Cavanaugh for their epic layouts. Dylan was awarded a prize for streaking, and not to be outdone, Mike W and Nic took off all their clothes and chased Robin around the field before catching her and rubbing themselves all over her. Needless to say, it was a traumatizing experience. Cetshwayo was awarded the spirit prize for their incredible spirit, and Shaka was recognized for winning the tournament.
The Charity Challenge raised nearly R2200 for CHOC, with Shaka raising a whopping R913 and thus winning the charity prize.
After all was said and done, players said farewell and departed towards home. Those who did not have to leave so soon, stayed behind for an impromptu Bring & Braai at the Westville Old Boys Sports Club.
At the end of the day, the I <3 DBN Ultimate Hat Tournament 2010 was a resounding success. Hopefully, it proved that Durban really can do more than sing and dance, and they can especially organize incredible tournaments. Ideally, the I <3 DBN becomes an annual event.
The I <3 DBN team would like to thank our sponsors, friends, and associates once more for their amazing support:
Red Bull, for the free drinks, the music, the party, and the wiiiiiiiings.
The Westville Old Boys Sports Club, for the venue.
Pam, for her delicious food.
nologo, for sponsoring the party’s DJ.
The Durban Lifesaving Club, for the awesome party venue.
Debonair’s pizza for the chow, and the gift cards.
The Rotary Club of Westville, for lifting our development players to their exhibition game.
December 16, 2010 | Leave a comment | Permalink
First South African Womens Ultimate Tournament
Check out the summary of the first ever South African Ultimate tournament that was held alongside Rocktober in Jo’burg in.. well.. October…
November 10, 2010 | Leave a comment | Permalink
Women-only training sessions take off in Cape Town
It’s often intimidating for new players to get involved in Ultimate –Cape Town in particular attracts a lot of high level players from overseas that come here for a semester abroad. This is especially true for women. While Ultimate is in theory a co-ed sport, in practice, many women find themselves being consistently looked off by their male teammates. This can be frustrating at best, and at worst, a reason to stop playing Ultimate altogether!
In an effort to bridge the skills-gap between male and female players, Cape Town has started running weekly women-only training sessions that focus on welcoming new faces and introducing them to the sport. Eager to capitalize on the excitement and success of the first ever Women’s Tournament at Rocktober, Cape Town ladies have shown up en masse for the trainings, held at Wynberg Sports Club on Mondays from 6pm to 7pm.
Combining over 20 years of playing experience in the competitive North American and European Ultimate leagues, Sam Fothergill, Colleen Haley and Anne Maftei have put together a comprehensive training schedule that will enable players of all levels to develop their skills and learn new techniques. The first four training sessions covered the basics: throwing, cutting, marking/forcing the thrower and defence on the cutter. Each session begins with 20 minutes of warm-up and dynamic stretching, followed by a short talk and demonstration of the topic of the week. The ladies then go through a few drills to practice what they have learned, and end with a 7-on-7 scrimmage. At each session, the women are also introduced to a “Rule of the Day”, in an effort to empower women to be more vocal on the field when a foul or violation occurs.
With the response being overwhelmingly positive so far (14+ ladies per training!), the coaches have started planning for future training sessions that will continue well into 2011. The focus will turn towards perfecting throwing skills, handler and cutter positioning, offensive and defensive strategies, endzone tactics and laying out. In order to keep things exciting, and to encourage transfer of knowledge and skills between veteran players and beginners, guest coaches from Chilli and Khayoba will be leading certain training sessions.
For more information about these training sessions, please contact Anne Maftei at anne.maftei@gmail.com or Sam Fothergill at samfstevec@hotmail.com. To sign up on the CT Women’s Ultimate mailing list, please contact Colleen Haley at colleen.e.haley@gmail.com.
November 10, 2010 | Leave a comment | Permalink
I <3 Durban Tournament 2010
Great news! The Durban crew have got themselves together and are organising their first ever national tournament for December 11&12 2010. Check out the official page on their website: durbanultimate.co.za/hat2010
If the Prawn Bunnies are running the show then this tournament will be a ton of fun. Get yourselves out there and support the KZN effort!
October 29, 2010 | Leave a comment | Permalink
South African Ultimate National Championships 2010
The 9th South African Ultimate National Championship was held recently in Bergvliet, Cape Town on the 1st and 2nd of May.
Cape Town’s Chilli were crowned the champions as they held off the Long Donkeys from Pietermaritzburg by 12 points to 11 in a highly competitive final. It was a thrilling climax to an amazing tournament, which saw 12 teams, from seven different cities, playing Ultimate over three days. Chilli went into the tournament as defending champions having previously won the tournament in 2008 and 2009 but they were certainly not outright favourites.
Speaking ahead of the event double nationals winner Keren Middlekoop commented: “At previous Nationals you always had the feeling that there was one team who wanted it more and which had worked harder than all the other sides. But this year there are a whole lot of teams who want it.”
The 12 teams were broken into two pool of six with the top four from each pool going through to the quarters and the bottom four getting to contest the plate.
Pool play saw some interesting upsets with both Stellenbosch and Cape Town Universities managing to score narrow wins over Ultitude, the second seeds in Pool A.
Meanwhile Pool B proved the tougher of the two groups with Saturday nights showcase game between Khayoba and Long Donkeys one of the highlights of the tournament. The Pietermaritzburg outfit ran out winners in a tight contest to top the group and hold their seed, while Khayoba finished second and Mozswati placed third.
Khayoba’s second placed finish in Pool play meant that the two giants of Cape Town Ultimate, Chilli and Khayoba were destined to meet in the semi-finals. It was a rematch of the recent Summer League final between the two sides and it was much anticipated.
Khayoba started well and at 7-4 they were one away from the half and sitting on a comfortable lead. But Chilli are nothing if not experienced and after a well used time-out and a couple of big plays from their first-choice defensive line, Chilli fought back to claim the half on the back of four unanswered points.
The second half was equally tense and it eventually came down to sudden death with Chilli banging the disc into the endzone to complete a famous win, seconds after Khayoba had turned the disc over at the other end looking to complete matters with a hammer pass.
In the other semi Donkey’s comfortably overcame Mozswati and so the 2010 final was to be a repeat of the 2009 final. In fact such has been the dominance of these two teams that the last three major finals in South African tournament play has seen these two sides clash.
Long Donkeys are a big and physical side, packed with former professional basketball players with a penchant for zone defence. Chilli on the other hand are a team of throwers who like to work the spaces and take the options given to them.
Thus the final was a real see-saw affair. The lead changed hands several times and both sides came to the party with some superb play. Chilli’s Jack Marsh did well to curtail the Donkey’s game with his sensational aerial prowess while at the other end Lauren Bluck, Rob Skelton and Robbie Bitting gave Chilli a scoring edge.
Once again it came down to sudden death and once again Chilli looked to be dead and buried as Donkeys threw a pass into the endzone. But handler Jenna Larsen was perfectly positioned to intercept the potential score. She immediately launched an attack and seconds later it was Chilli who were celebrating a third consecutive title.
Speaking after the game Chilli captain Ant Pascoe said, “This was definitely the toughest and the most meaningful of all our titles. We didn’t play our best but we played for each other.”
Player/coach Chris Webster, who has now won the title four times added, “It feels great beating teams that expect to beat you; teams that want it as much as you do.”
“That was definitely our best result as a team yet. I am very happy about it.”
*Many thanks to Ant Pascoe for the article and photo contributions.
September 28, 2010 | Leave a comment | Permalink
Pimp my SAFDA
A brand new SAFDA website and logo has been in the workshop for some time and finally it is here and ready to roll out.
We hope that all disc sports enthusiasts from all over Southern Africa will enjoy the website and use it to stay updated on whats happening in the world of disc sports. You are welcome to submit your news and photos to be published, as well as browse our database to find a tournament, game or course to play when visiting a new area.
We will keep you updated on the developments on the international scene with World Flying Disc Federation events and rules, as well as hopefully posting a few articles and links to help with coaching, training or community development.
Be sure to sign up to the Forum and help grow the online community by participating in discussions and polls on all disc related topics.
See you there
Admin
September 16, 2010 | Leave a comment | Permalink
Welcome to the new SAFDA website!
Slideshow
Oncoming events
