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International Student Takes up Frisbee in Moscow
Ultimate Frisbee differs from other team sports, because it is more a way of life than a distraction. Frisbee games take place almost every weekend somewhere in Russia. The HSE Ultimate team entered their first competition in 2010. Nobody expected them to succeed. Today they are looking forward to the next championship.
In the beginning, like most people, Manon Coyne thought that ‘Frisbee’ was just a disc that you could throw on the beach and have fun trying to catch, but without any skill it becomes boring very fast. In fact, the sport works exactly the same way as others, has the same number of detailed rules, the same competitive spirit, the same international organization with federations and international games, only much less history and duration, and therefore much less popularity. But this is exactly what makes it far more interesting.
A member of the Russian Ultimate team Vladimir Kotschkin said to Manon once, ‘I hope now you’ve seen what I was talking about, you’ve begun to understand the details and how to act in critical moments of the game. Take a lesson now, there’s no need to wait for years.’ Ultimate Frisbee took Manon on a journey of 600km, to two days of games, training, discussions, supporting, drinking, and swallowing Russian language and Russian culture nonstop. The night train for free, a lot of sweat, not enough air, delicious pizzas, not enough sleep and a wonderful city covered with snow.
‘There is a lot to do to develop Ultimate in Russia but also in France and in the rest of the world. There’s a huge number of people just waiting to learn about it. I am really thankful to my HSE Ultimate team for introducing me to the sport, to its people and to its events. I think that it’s a sport where a lot is happening, even though very few people are aware of it. It isn’t only about one game and celebrating in the changing rooms,’ – exclaims Manon with shining eyes.
Manon loved playing Outside Ultimate with HSE in Vladimir when she had only trained twice in her life. The HSE Ultimate team taught her the rules and tactics. She enjoyed playing Inside Ultimate in Belgorod this winter, because she felt like she knew them and was a part of the team.
‘Try and just come to training for fun and be part of an adventure you don’t expect,’ says Manon Coyne. Next time you try to catch a disc maybe you will catch the spirit of the game.
If you want to join the HSE Ultimate Frisbee Club, contact:
Denis Migunov, +7-916-005-0101
information in Vkontakte group (in Russian):
http://vkontakte.ru/hse_ultimate
http://vk.com/hse_ultimate_fan
If you have any questions regarding sports at the HSE - contact Konstantin Borodich at konstantin.borodich@gmail.com
Source: online student magazine Read Square. Check the site for more articles on various issues or to contact the editorial team to become a contributor.