Ultimate Frisbee As Part Of PE Subject?

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Brunei-Muara - The Brunei Adventure Recreation Association (Bara) hopes to introduce Ultimate Frisbee (also known as Ultimate) to schools nationwide, as part of their Physical Education subject. Izad Majid, an Ultimate Frisbee player and Pengiran Anak Puteri (PAP) Hjh Masna Secondary School teacher, said that only three schools, PAP Hjh Masna Secondary School, Pengiran Isteri Hjh Mariam Secondary School in Serasa (SMPIHM) and Katok Sixth Form Centre (PTE Katok) currently support Ultimate Frisbee through clubs or part of their physical education. "It has been quite successful for schools despite not having a high number of students taking part in it," he said. "In my school there are more or less 18 students in the Ultimate Frisbee Club and even so, that is a good number for a good start." Izad said that Bara's Ultimate Frisbee team proposed the idea of including the sport in the Ministry of Education's Co-Curriculum Education Department in early January this year, but the ministry postponed the implementation to end of this year. Izad said that the proposal was to introduce and train teachers from various schools on Ultimate Frisbee as an activity that can be taught to students for physical education or youth clubs that would eventually develop into an interschool competition. "I was quite disappointed with the move to postpone the introduction of Ultimate by the ministry as there are some teachers out there who personally would like to learn how to play and get involve themselves." He added that the early introduction and involvement of Ultimate Frisbee at his school and PTE Katok was because Izad had a teacher and student who already knew how to play, thereby sharing their experience and knowledge of the sport to the schools. Since The Brunei Times last spoke with Ultimate Frisbee player Sheikh Mohd Radzi DP Sheikh Adnan earlier this year, he mentioned that he hoped for more residents.

He said that there has been a lot of progress for Ultimate in the Sultanate especially in Kuala Belait where an individual named Hj Abdul Halim Hussin, a member Bara's Ultimate Frisbee, who started it there and has now assembled two teams. Sheikh Mohd Radzi mentioned that the Ultimate Frisbee team recently had a tournament last July at the Brunei Shell Recreational Field, Seria which involved four teams in Brunei and one team from neighbouring Miri. First introduced by Bara in March 2009, Ultimate Frisbee has since attracted the interest of a small group of loyal followers and players who hope to develop the sport at the local level to compete with other countries. Ultimate Frisbee is a non-contact sport that was established in the 1960s, but only made its way to Brunei some time in March 2009, when the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport supported Bara to invite Douglas Ladner, an American expert in Ultimate frisbee. Ultimate is usually played preferably on a wide open space and is similar to a rugby pitch with scoring zones. There is no referee and it runs by "spirit of the game', which focuses on the relationship shared among the players for the passion and respect of the game. The Brunei Ultimate Frisbee team usually carry out their practice and training sessions three times a week at Jerudong Park. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times