Ultimate frisbee Vice President Sam Kimish provides a comprehensive guide to how the sport is played
One of the most frustrating things about playing Ultimate at University is answering the often-repeated question: ÔÇ£What even is Ultimate frisbee?ÔÇØ My go-to response is to compare it to an American football/netball hybrid.
Two teams of seven (or five if youÔÇÖre playing indoors) start at opposite ends of a rectangular field, roughly half the size of a football pitch. At each end is a marked-out end zone not too dissimilar to American football and the two sides attempt to pass the disc to a teammate who can score by catching it in the end zone that they are attacking.
The player in control of play cannot run with the disc, but may pivot on one foot, and possession changes hands when a pass is intercepted or incomplete.
One of the largest differences between Ultimate frisbee and other sports is the lack of referee. The sport relies on the sportsmanship of the players and invoking the ÔÇ£Spirit of the GameÔÇØ (a guide for self-refereeing and behaviour on the pitch) to ensure fair play.
Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players. Teams are often seen congratulating one another on the sidelines and socialising together.
Our University season opened with two beginnersÔÇÖ tournaments in Manchester and Plymouth, where teams made up primarily of first-year students, representing ÔÇÿNo FrillsÔÇÖ, finished first, second, third and seventh in a spectacular start to the year.
An indoor season precedes the outdoor games and, while the indoor format of the game does not normally suit our style of play, we managed to qualify for Division Two Indoor Nationals after beating Varsity rivals Swansea in a captivating, hard-fought game that went right down to the final buzzer and prompted one opposition player to break down in tears.
Division Two Nationals saw a weakened first-team squad still record a series of impressive results over strong opposition, finishing third overall, having beaten eventual winners Warwick in the pool stages.
A strong recruitment drive this year saw extremely large sign-up numbers compared to previous years ÔÇô over 100 members and counting.
Our womenÔÇÖs side has already begun to reap the benefits with an impressive series of wins in a friendly tournament with Swansea University at Pontcanna Fields. Captain Camille Kostov and her team of relatively inexperienced girls continued their outstanding form by qualifying for the WomenÔÇÖs Indoor Nationals in Dudley, despite having to compete with a number of strong teams in what is arguably one of the toughest regions in the country.
This form bodes well for the future of our side with the womenÔÇÖs side of the game being recognised by BUCS from the next academic year onwards.
Over the coming weeks, menÔÇÖs first team captain Kei Matsumoto, a previous GB Under-20 international, will look to the veterans of the side ÔÇô including Mike Walters, currently in his eighth year with the club ÔÇô to help nurture the large contingent of promising freshers as they look towards the outdoor season.
The outdoor format better suits the clubÔÇÖs athletic style of play and, as such, expectations are high with regional qualifiers just around the corner.
Cardiff University Ultimate Frisbee Club train on Tuesday nights from 9pm until 10:30pm on the 3G at Talybont Sports Village and at Pontcanna Fields on Wednesdays from 2pm and on Sundays from 5:30pm until 7pm.  They can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
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