Ultimate Frisbee is a sport different than any: it has no referee or coach that shouts orders from the sidelines. It is a game for the players, by the players, and depends greatly on the ability of the team to perform. Ultimate Frisbee is misunderstood a lot. Upon hearing “Ultimate Frisbee”, most people think about throwing a plastic disk to their dog, which then will proceed to bring it back. Others are just plain confused, not knowing what it is at all, especially in the case of the local Turkish people here in Istanbul. So I decided to interview a man, a great player, and the co-starter of Ultimate Frisbee in Turkey: Coach Ken Jacobs.
Most coaches give you a very thrilling story of how someone he looked up to introduced him to the sport, and how he felt destined to play, nothing short of a “wow” effect. However, Coach’s story wasn’t full of thrill; it was a rather straight-forward story about how he was introduced, and although it wasn’t the type of story that gave me an adrenaline rush, I could see that he loved the sport. He first started playing in high school and went on to play in college, coaching at workshops and playing in clubs around New England after graduating. “I liked how the sport was player-driven”, he says, “It had great overarching values such as fair play that help improve a player’s sportsmanship”.
Ultimate Frisbee was first introduced in 2006, started by Andrew H--------, and I-- alum. “He asked me to help him coach, and I started helping him out”, says Coach Jacobs. The first team, Turk Kasi (meaning Muscle of Turkey), was formed. They have been to 3 international tournaments since, two in Switzerland and one in Germany. The results of Ultimate Frisbee on the players’ can be shown towards the attitude that they have towards each other. While playing against them in a friendly game (Turk Kasi vs. I-- Frisbee Team), I saw that they supported one another, and, although we lost, they showed the good sportsmanship that is key to being a good Ultimate Frisbee player.
Coach Jacobs has left Turk Kasi, and has started recruiting another team in Caddebostan, where he frequently meets to practice Ultimate Frisbee. However, he faces a challenge that any growing sport faces: not being known. The biggest challenges are getting people to understand the athleticism that is required for the game. Ultimate Frisbee is a very pushing game that requires the highest level of sportsmanship, especially as the game has no referee to call fouls. Another challenge he faces is finding a place to play, as large open spaces are hard to find in Istanbul. “All we need is a Frisbee, some cones, and some land. Then we’re set to go.”
The future holds a lot for Ultimate Frisbee, as the first International Hat Tournament, a friendly gathering on teams to play Frisbee, will begin this spring, accompanied by the start of a Ultimate Players Association (UPA) office opening in Turkey. “I wish that Ultimate Frisbee would grow in Turkey”, Coach Jacobs says, “Especially among the youth”. He really enjoys playing, and getting to know the players better. “Ultimate's been a real part of my life; a great way to make friends and become a part of the community. It's been neat to go overseas and find that it's grown to basically anywhere, but it's nice to find acceptance by other players, forming a global community."
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