Ultimate game

Mumbai team gear up for a national frisbee tournament

LITTLE did Gaurav
Kelaskar, 20, a cricket lover, know that he would like another game as much as cricket. These days, playing frisbee on Juhu beach has become a weekend ritual. Giving him company are his fellow-members of the Storm Chasers team.
If you think frisbee is just meant to be played at picnics, read on. While worldwide popularly known as Ultimate, this sport is gaining ground in India too; it has already become popular in Ahmedabad, Chennai and Bangalore, and finally caught the fancy of Mumbai8217;s sport enthusiasts.
Every weekend, Mumbai team Storm Chasers, comprising seven youngsters, are seen diving, throwing and catching frisbee at Juhu beach. It is just three months, since Sanal Nair 26 formulated the team and they are all gung-ho about participating in the first biggest national frisbee tournament8212;Chennai Ultimate Frisbee tournament this November at Chennai8217;s Marina beach. The event has 11 teams participating.
Nair, the captain of the team and an event manager at VGC sports, says, 8220;Initially, I thought of just creating awareness of the game and started playing with neighbourhood friends but later on when I came to know about the tournament, we formally created a team and started practising on weekends in the mornings and evenings.8221;
The rules being new and the lack of proper coaching have not deterred the spirit of these 20-something players, but what fascinates them is the duration and the vibrancy around the game. 8220;One of our German friends who play the game taught us the basic rules and we also get guidance from the Delhi team that have a majority of foreigners. The rest we learn from the online videos. Hence we are excited to attend the tournament for better exposure,8221; says Rupesh Desai 24. Anand Nanigadkar 24 who feels that this sport has the scope to become as popular as cricket, he s says, 8220;There is no referee and the constant coordination during the game, strengthens the bond between the two teams and creates a healthy competition.8221;
Initial funding is no problem for the team as there is not much investment. Nair says, 8220;Unlike other games which requires a lot of equipment, this one only has a disc, but it has to be imported. We have now got few frisbees from the USA.8221;
What are their plans for creating more awareness? Nair adds, 8220;To start off, we plan to get more people in the team through word of mouth. We will soon be creating a website and will be designing our jerseys. After the tournament, we plan to promote it on the professional front by tying up with corporate companies.8221;