Ultimate Frisbee's amazing flying disk. Photos: Wang Zi/GT and Omar Pandoli

Seven on seven, a vigorous group of hurlers, men and women, line up face to face on the grass pitch, ready to strike; sweat rolls down their faces under the scorching sun. The white disk goes up in the air and the battle begins. "Nice catch! You just missed a major clash, Go for it, go!" the players shout. Eager to clench the white disk, a guy flies horizontally and clashes with a girl jumping high. Teammates sighed from the sidelines as he landed hard on his chest and she left the field staggering in visible pain. Ultimate Frisbee is fast and furious, a combination of speed, strong tossing and style. Passing is the only way the Frisbee can be moved; there's no contact or referee; the fierce squads bend only to the "Spirit of the Game," a blend of self-refereeing and fair play unique to Ultimate Frisbee. 

"Many people still think of ultimate frisbee as a beach game or something you play with your dog; people really need to watch a game and even try it to understand how competitive and intense it is physically," said Leigh Bloomberg, 23, from the US, who started playing in Beijing about a year ago. "One has to be in good shape and in terms of body movements is unique and takes practice because throwing a disk doesn't come naturally, is something you've never done before," said Bloomberg, adding that the sports can be frustrating in the beginning for somebody who starts from scratch. Bloomberg followed her boyfriend to Beijing Ultimate. "After a long week at the office it is really nice to get out, do some exercise and get some fresh air," said the player.

"It's rough and exciting; it combines the main skills of basketball with the movement and strategy of rugby, and you have to run fast," said Wang Bin, 25, gasping. "I've made lots of friends since I joined the group three years ago and it's really great to see that although foreigners were the ambassadors of Frisbee in town, more and more Chinese players are joining our lines."

"No contact is allowed and we must grab and take the plastic disc into each other's end-zone to score 13 points," explained Nina Helmke, 29, from Germany. "I had no idea of the rules or a sense of strategy to play offense or defense," she said, adding that the first contact with the spors was tough even for somebody who went to the gym regularly. "I've never been part of a sports team before and this group is a nice community in and out of the field. After the games we go out to for food and drinks, this is one of the coolest crowds to hang out with."

Once upon a summer

A fleet of about 30 white discs flies over the green at a sports complex in Shunyi as the 5th annual Beijing Ultimate Summer League (BUSL), themed "Once upon a Summer in Beijing," kicked off last Saturday. For the next six weeks, with an extended final week for a 3rd-place game and finals, Beijing Ultimate will get together every Saturday starting with a beginners/intermediate clinic and hat tournament. The final is Aug 13th.

"We're about 100 players now, we have all nationalities, and we're roughly between the ages of 22 and 45," explained Anthony Tao, one of the organizers. "Beijing has had four to five teams playing regularly for the past two years: Big Brother is Beijing's premiere club team; Bazinga started last year and there are two Chinese teams Hangtime and Bang. Air Kazak, mostly students that attend Minzu University, also plays, but they're off for the summer."

"We're mostly expats, but plenty of Chinese players as well; we're are from all walks of life, including diplomats, journalists, consultants, teachers, students, vagabonds … but none of it matters when we're on the field: we're just Ultimate players." Tao was born in Beijing but moved to the US when he was five and a half. He's been playing ultimate Frisbee every week for nine years, since high school, he said. Tao co-organizes the local league with Alicia Lui since he returned to Beijing in 2008. "The summer league and China Nationals tournament highlight the growth, development and achievements of Ultimate Frisbee in China and of local Chinese players," Tao added.