A game of non-stop movement and athletic endurance is catching on at Chatelech Secondary.
Chat's new ultimate team is 2-2 in North Shore league play and 3-2 overall this season. Chat played its latest game at home last Friday and dropped a 13-5 decision to Rockridge.
Chat has two league games left today (April 29) in North Vancouver against Windsor and plays host to West Vancouver on May 6.
"It's a new team, mostly made up of junior players (Grades 8 to 10)," said coach Jamie Mani.
Ultimate is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. It was invented in 1967 by a group of students at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J. The first official rules of the game were recorded in 1970. Ultimate is played in more than 42 countries by hundreds of thousands of men and women, boys and girls. "It's such a non-stop action sport," Mani said. "That was one of the things that really appealed to me. Plus it's co-ed and open to all kids of different skill levels."Ultimate combines the passing skills of football with the endurance of soccer. Two seven-player squads play ultimate with a plastic disc on a field similar to football. The object of the game is to score by catching a pass in the opponent's end zone. A player must stop running while in possession of the disc, but may pivot and pass to any of the other receivers on the field."Players move quickly from offence to defence on turnovers when the disc is dropped, knocked down or intercepted," Mani added.
The game is also unique in that it is self-refereed.
"Another aspect that I like is the sportsmanship aspect," Mani said. "The concept of spirit of the game is integrated into the basic philosophy of the sport. It's not a win-at-all-costs attitude."
Mani said he's excited by the play of this year's team and is hopeful they can finish the season strong and make the playoffs.
