andersonbowen.comBLOG

When Phil & I told people we were moving to Africa, invariably their first reaction was: there isn’t much Ultimate in Uganda, huh? A reaction only topped in frequency by people saying to Phil: not too much snow for skiing in Uganda, huh? Well, yesterday I played Ultimate in Uganda. So, still no snow, but there is Ultimate.

For those who are interested, there’s a pick-up game every Sunday night 5-7pm on the rugby pitch behind the Game at Lugogo Mall. The pitch is tucked back behind all of the soccer fields. People show up around 5 to start throwing and the game usually gets started around 5:45 or 6 with people trickling in all the way until 7. Don’t worry about footwear – cleats, running shoes, and barefoot all qualify. Even though we had the space to set up a regulation size field, we played on a field that was probably 50 yards x 30 yards with 10 yard endzones. I guess it’s a Ugandan Ultimate tradition to play with 10 yard endzones regardless of field size or space.

Last night we had 21 people playing. Can you believe it? 21 people…we don’t even get that many players to organized summer practices for some club teams in the States. I went expecting all ex-pats, but was happy to see that more than half of those playing were actually Ugandans: 1 teenage girl (so cool!), 1 player from the Ugandan national rugby team, 2 12-year-old boys, 3 former basketball players, plus a couple of obvious athletes who’ve found their way to the game some way or another. Throws were good, field organization somewhat chaotic, and athletic ability pretty high. The dump and the force aren’t really known strategies, but it isn’t an amoeba offense. By the end of the game I’d felt like I’d played Ultimate and felt good about it.

I went to the game somewhat sheepishly because when I spoke to Queenie (the guy who organizes the games) on the phone he mentioned that I shouldn’t worry about skill level or how much I’d played because the game was welcome to all levels of experience. I was afraid of showing up to the game as that all-too-well-known pompous college/club player that acts as the know-it-all at Tuesday pick-up and tries to show everyone “how it’s really done.” So, I tried to find something non-Ultimate-y to wear…do I not own any athletic clothes that don’t shout Ultimate? In the end I settled on my Flo (Edmonton/Calgary…Kier help me out here…women’s team) jersey – it doesn’t actually say Ultimate or frisbee or team or anything on it, so I thought it was a safe bet. Not totally safe, as it turned out.

There were 2 ex-pat college players at the game, one plays at Davidson and the other at University College London. They were entertaining and obviously in the beginning stages of their Ultimate obsessions talking about the most competitive games they’d ever watched – Columbus college nationals and Paganello finals, respectively – and all the cool tournaments they’d played in. You know that habit of 1-upping each other that newly introduced Ultimate players have? Yep, it was like that.

Anyway, I was standing on the sidelines with the Davidson kid and he said it looked like I’d been playing for a while. Following is our conversation, as best I can remember it…

Your husband plays, too?
Yes, but he’s at home tonight recuperating from the last couple of days.
Who does he play for?
Sub-Zero.
That’s…a…­nationals team. (mouth agape)
Yes.
Do you play for a club team too?
I played for Riot last season.
Seattle Riot? (mouth even further agape)
Yes.
Have I seen you on UltiVillage? (uttered in a whisper of amazement)
Maybe, I don’t know.
Where’d your husband go to college?
Carleton.
(speechless) Where’d you go to college?
Carleton.
(eyes wide) Wow.

The psuedo-celebrity that happens in the ultimate community has always been funny to me. We play in this really small community and your “status” is based on what team you play for, where you went to college, the tournaments you’ve won. I’d love for some anthropology scholar to do research on the ultimate community…investigate the social structure, hierarchies, status levels, mating circles… 101paige 101ultimate