By Ahmed Wafi
GOMBAK, 5 April 2016: The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)s ultimate Frisbee team or more commonly known as the Ultimustangs is preparing for the Grizzly Open, one of the biggest Ultimate Frisbee tournaments in Malaysia. The tournament will take place from 30 April until 2 May at the Setia Alam Football Field in Setia Alam.
A number of different varsity teams will compete in the said tournament and will also feature a number of international teams.
The Grizzly Open is hosted by the CareBears, one of the most well known Ultimate Frisbee teams in Malaysia, named after the popular cartoon programme.
Ultimate Frisbee is not a very well known sport among the general public but it is a fast growing sport due to its fun-spirited natured and uniqueness. The game basically combines the rules of frisbee with 7s rugby and netball but without the contact. In fact, contact is prohibited in the sports and one peculiar rule of the sport is the absence of a referee. If one player feels that another player had fouled him, the two will discuss it among themselves without outside interference. A typical game will go one for 60 minutes and substitutions are unlimited.
The Ultimustangs have only been around for a little over a year but they have come a long way since their establishment in early 2015. They have been active in many open tournaments and are in good spirits ahead of the Grizzly Open at the end of April.
Captain of the Ultimustangs, Luqman Sabardin commented on the team development that œIndividual development has been massive but were still struggling on the team chemistry because its hard to achieve.
The enthusiastic captain stressed on the importance of team chemistry because its not a one man sport.
Luqman was also grateful towards the IIUM Sports Development Centre (SDC) for guiding them and helping them grow as a sports person although financial assistance was minimal.
The 22-year-old skipper also encouraged all to join the Ultimustangs. œWe play everyday but trained four times a week so just come join us!
œOur main goal is to have fun he added.
If any IIUM students have nothing to do during the evenings do try and give Ultimate Frisbee a go. The place to be is the Mahallah Ali football field or the Female Sports Complex Hockey pitch.***