The Ultimate Future of Singapore

11 September 2009

The Ultimate Future of Singapore

The morning of 30th May 2009 was unlike any other. Jurong West Stadium was beaming with participants who were excitedly but yet patiently waiting to test and pitch in their trained skills and techniques to the game they love the most: Ultimate Frisbee.

Ultimate Frisbee is a special and unique game as it famously known for its "Spirit of the Game". Thus, the game demands respect and integrity from each player due to its self-officiating nature. Such characteristics of sportsmanship were evident at the field of the competition as teams worked together to put on a highly competitive play but bearing in mind the rules of the game and the simple joy of play.

Captain briefing	The youngest team in the competiton - Bedok Green Primary School

History was indeed made in the Youth Ultimate Challenge 2009, which was organised by Jurong Green C.C and co –organised by Singapore Frisbeesports (SFS). The venue was provided by Singapore Sports Council (SSC). The competition saw a total of twenty-eight teams participating in the competition. Twenty of them were from the School Division while the remaining eight belonged to the Open Division. The increased participation was encouraging as the competition which was first started in 2005, only had four schools participating.

The adrenalin rush of the competition did not only take place at Jurong West Stadium. Due to the overwhelming response, SFS held the competition in two different areas simultaneously. The preliminary round of the Open Division team was conducted at Jurong Junior College instead.

Unfortunately, the sunny and bright weather that started the day initially were soon clouded by the dark skies. Heavy rain interrupted the competition half way through the preliminary rounds. A change of weather meant a change of plans. Fixtures and duration of game play had to be re-adjusted so as to veer us back into the planned time schedule of the competition. As a result, the officials came to a consensus agreement to remove the quarter-finals from the fixtures and moved on straight to the semi-finals.

However, the sudden change of climate did not dampened the mood of the competition as teams which got through to the semi-finals played to their best to earn their spot in the finals. Teams which did not make it through were seen practicing their throws and brushing up on their techniques. Some teams even conducted a game of Ultimate Frisbee on their own!

SFS representative Xindi presenting Mr Lim a souvenir	The best team in the tournament

The finals started with a bang! The organiser invited Minister Lim Boon Heng from the Prime Minister’s Office to witness the excitement that the finals had to offer. Stakes were raised and the competition got tougher as teams challenged each other to become winners of their respective divisions. It was a pleasure to watch every match as players made swift cuts, performed accurate throws and put on a strategic offence and tight defense.  Best of all, the "Spirit of the Game" that Ultimate Frisbee bears never left the players’ minds and because of that, every team and player was a winner in his or her own ways. What an amazing day it was for Ultimate Frisbee!

Uncle Ra and the PE HODs that co-wrote Frisbeesports Introduction Programme	Uncle Ra and the tournament crew

For more event photos, please add Uncle Ra in your facebook, mresad@hotmail.com.

Results

School Division:
Winner: RJC A
First Runner-up: RJC B
Second Runner-up: Kranji Secondary School A

Open Division:
Winner: Ga-Bish
First Runner-up: Singapore Poly (Disc United)
Second Runner-up: Alphe

All winners received sports gear vouchers from Royal Sporting House.

Written By:
Nurul Syahidah
NTU/NIE Ultimate