Ultimate passion

Kasheef Sasi Abdullah will not let anything get in the way of his passion for ultimate frisbee. Three operations on his right leg? No problem. Take on several part-time jobs so that he can afford to join overseas events? You bet.

He said: “I got a job as soon as I figured that if I wanted to play more ultimate, I have to travel and I’d need money for that.

“Everything ultimate-related was funded by my part-time job. I had a weekly allowance back in the day but none of that was for ultimate frisbee. It was more for meals in school and to go home.”

He picked up the sport in 2010 while at Temasek Polytechnic and, a year later, got into the national team.

He worked as an errand runner, a salesman and a waiter to earn extra cash and estimates that, in the past decade, he has spent over $25,000 on the sport, covering expenses such as airfares, accommodation, equipment, jerseys and gym memberships.

The digital marketing manager, 29, has torn his meniscus twice and his anterior cruciate ligament once but refuses to walk away from the sport. Such dedication is not uncommon.

His national teammate Alicia Chua, who has played ultimate for 12 years, went to train and compete with amateur Taiwanese club Whisby Nation between 2013 and 2016 just to expose herself to different styles of play.

As she was still based in Singapore, she would fly at least five times a year, spending more than $6,000 on these trips annually.

For her and Kasheef, ultimate was their first foray into competitive sport. Both wanted to try something new in polytechnic and were drawn to the uniqueness of ultimate, one of the few mixed gender sports.

It is also a self-officiated game, meaning players have to act as their own referees to solve disputes in matches.

In the seven-a-side game, which originated in the United States, play is advanced through completed passes. Any incompletions, whether from bad throws, drops, blocks or interceptions, results in a turnover of possession.

• IF YOU WANT TO TAKE UP ULTIMATE FRISBEE

• WHO

  About 5,000 players across Singapore.

  HOW

  Join the ActiveSG Flying Disc Club Nights or pick-up games. All sessions have been put on hold owing to the coronavirus. Get updates from the various groups on social media tinyurl.com/y2s9xzvc or e-mail contact.upas@gmail.com

  WHERE

  Various ActiveSG Stadiums, public parks

  COST

  $10 per month

  ACTIVITIES

  Drills, matches

There are two end zones at each side of a playing field – about the size of eight basketball courts – and a point is scored when one team catches the disc in the opponent’s end zone.

Part of their longevity is the close bonds they have forged with those in the local and international community. Kasheef said: “The community is so tight in Singapore and in Asia, so much so that even if you’re not going to a country for ultimate, someone (who recognises you from a tournament) knows about it, they’ll offer to bring you around town.”

Locally, there are social sessions called “pickups” that anyone from beginners to elite players can join and could attract up to 60 players.

From about three a week in the mid-2000s, this increased to seven before the pandemic halted all these informal games.

One of Chua’s highlights was competing at the 2019 Asia-Oceanic Beach Ultimate Championships in Shirahama, Japan, where the women’s team made it to the semi-finals. This is a 5v5 variant of the sport played on sand instead of a field.

The 32-year-old said: “When you play in so many international tournaments, you just keep trying to attain a different level. That was a great learning experience because beach ultimate is very different. Your tactics, the way you cut and run is very different.”

Singapore has also been successful in other major events.

In 2019, the Republic’s ultimate team claimed a bronze medal, their first podium finish at the World Under-24 Ultimate Championship, the most prominent competition for college-age students.

The local community has grown significantly over the years, with about 5,000 people playing the sport – up from about 20 at the outset in 1999. Yet there are still many obstacles that hinder the development of the local fraternity.

As the Ultimate Players Association (Singapore) is not recognised as a national sports association by Sport Singapore, it does not qualify for the sports science and funding offered by the national agency.

Most players are largely self-funded and this leads to a high attrition rate.

Chua, a researcher, said: “If you don’t have the financial capabilities, you’ll be left out from a lot of tournaments. We’ve had many promising players who were unable to fund themselves.”

Securing a suitable place to train and play is also not easy. A night session requires floodlights and some venues charge about $250 for a two-hour booking.

Some students resort to playing on basketball courts, which can sometimes lead to injuries especially when players attempt a layout – a move where they dive to get the disc.

Both Chua and Kasheef agreed there is huge potential for the sport. The latter said: “If ultimate frisbee had more support, we would see a bigger rise in terms of competitiveness, pool of players, tournaments and facilities.”