Ultimate Firsbee is a growing sport in Ireland, especially on the university scene. Most third-level institutions in the country now have at least one team – and DCU is no different.
DCU Ultimate – known on the circuit as ‘Captain Huck’ – has just completed its eleventh year as a club and has 40 active members. The DCU Ultimate team is one of the most active clubs in the university. They compete in the Intervarsity League, as well as the two main annual open club tournaments, the Siege of Limerick, the Cork Open – and events in the UK.
The relatively easy-to-understand rules of Ultimate make it very accessible to newcomers. Ultimate is played with a flying disc and, much like American Football, players must receive the disc from a teammate while in the end zone.
Captain of the DCU Ultimate team, Brian David Henderson spoke to The College View about what drew him to Ultimate and the sport’s increasing popularity. “The reason I love Ultimate has changed a bit over time. I originally started playing because it was fun, relaxing and just a good laugh. However, now I love the competitive, more athletic side of the sport.
“Ultimate has become an exceptionally competitive sport in Ireland. There are a number of club teams as well as university sides. I can imagine that would surprise a lot of people but, the thing is, people love playing it. Everyone who learns the game loves it. Most people enjoy winning, so naturally they just start playing a bit more competitively to make sure they win,” he said.
DCU Ultimate finished seventh in the Intervarsity this year after a disappointing loss to NUI Maynooth. Despite not winning anything this season, Henderson, who represents the Irish Ultimate team along with fellow DCU students Ross Andreucetti, Declan Grogan and Estelle Murchan, Colm Bowden and James Darcy, believes the year was an excellent success for the team.
“This season was a great success. We are set to lose a large player base this year as a lot of the team are in their final year. However, we recruited a lot of new members to the side which was the main goal when we started back in October.”
This recruitment of new players has set the DCU side up nicely for a successful campaign beginning in October.
Ruaidhrí Croke
Image Credit: Jen Cooper
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