CHENNAI: A recent Facebook post by Decathlon Sports India on supporting the national frisbee team during one of their camps at Covelong beach caught our attention. While it’s common to spot youngsters playing the game for fun on the beach, the sport has become a serious business in recent times. The hunt for a national team of frisbee players to represent India at the Asia-Oceanic Beach Ultimate Championship in Japan began last September.
The selection process was divided into preliminary and final stages in every city. Three selectors out of which two were common for all the cities went around shortlisting players from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa, West Bengal, Surat, and Lucknow.
By the end of October, a team comprising 10 women and nine men in age categories from 17-38 were selected. Out of the lot 12-13 were from Chennai. “Frisbee has an active scene in the southern parts of India. Considering Chennai has a great coastline — all the other city members assemble here for practice. The team is trained by head coach Udaya Kumar — the one who coached our Indian team for the World Championships of Beach Ultimate held in France in 2017.
We have three assistant coaches, one nutritionist and a fitness specialist. From November we’ve been organising camps for the selected players to meet up for three days. The schedule includes morning and evening sessions of games, along with fun activities for them to bond. This is an opportunity for them to come together, explore their strengths and weaknesses, and practice,” said Ravikrishna Vijayakumar, who is the manager of the team. He is also a member of a frisbee group called Airborne.
Their first camp was held in November and they plan to have one on a monthly basis. One such camp was held last weekend at Covelong surfing point. “Most of the players come from middle income family. They take off from their regular jobs and practice.
Irrespective of who is available the practice sessions go on,” said Ravi. We’re told this is the first time the team would be playing on the beach, which otherwise would be grass. “Ten years back there were hardly two to three frisbee clubs in the city. Right now we have 90 clubs all over the country. We’ve gone past those days when it was seen as a fun sport.
The game needs exposure. Explaining the rules and standards of the sport is challenging. However, given the financial support and training, these kids can go places,” he said. Their next camp is expected to be in April. The Championship will be held from June 13-16 in Japan. To sponsor mail ravi@indiaultimate.org