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Ultimate game establishes roots in Sooke

Sooke Drop-in Ultimate every Sunday at Sooke Elementary School
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Teminey Beckers invites everyone to Sooke Drop-in Ultimate every Sunday at Sooke Elementary School.

While growing up on Lasqueti Island, Teminey Beckers fell in love with ultimate.

And while ultimate was pretty much the only sport played on the island, Beckers said it fit her lifestyle and was non-competitive.

“I really enjoyed it. I’m not a big fan of other team sports, but for some reason I’ve always enjoyed ultimate,” said the Sooke mother of two.

Once Beckers left Lasqueti Island, she didn’t leave the sport behind. After travelling the world, she began playing it again when she returned to Victoria.

Ultimate, originally known as Ultimate Frisbee, is a no-contact team field sport played with a flying disc. Points are scored by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone.

Other basic rules are that players must not take steps while holding the disc, and interceptions, incomplete passes, and passes out of bounds are turnovers. Rain, wind, or occasionally other adversities can make for a testing match with rapid turnovers, heightening the pressure of play.

Ultimate has resisted empowering any referee with rule enforcement, instead relying on the sportsmanship of players to maintain fair play.

And it’s that aspect of the game that intrigues Beckers.

“I think part of it is the spirit of the game. It feels really focused on community and it’s accessible to a lot of people,” she said.

It’s one of the reason Beckers and close friend Julie Budgen started up Sooke Drop-in Ultimate in Sooke a year ago.

The Sooke program has attracted young families and others to the weekly meet up at Sooke Elementary School. Seven people on each team makes up an official game.

Beckers said the focus is on fun and since it is non-competitive in nature, there is a lot of coaching and encouragement.

“We just try to make it open for everyone,” Beckers said, adding that while the adults are playing ultimate, the children usually play at the school’s playground.

“It does take skill to throw the disc, but people are always encouraging.”

Ultimate Frisbee is played every Sunday at Sooke Elelmentary School at 4 p.m. For more information, please go to the group’s website on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/260502367475144/.