Surat Ultimate Open ‘17

Ishaan Banerji, Class of 2019

Over the last weekend, Ashoka Hammerheads, the Ultimate Frisbee team, participated in a national tournament in Surat, called Surat Ultimate Open, one of the four tournaments of the year-long UPAI(Ultimate Players’ Association of India) tour. The tournament was conducted on the 17th, 18th and 19th of November, at Fountainhead School in Surat, along with grounds all across the city.

26 teams from all over the country convened in Surat for the tournament, with 3 teams from Delhi, namely Hammerheads, GK Mad, and Stray Dogs in Sweaters(yes, the names in the Ultimate community are weird). The tournament ended with a dazzling final between the India U24 team, that is preparing for a tournament in Perth, Australia, and Jumbish, a team from Surat itself. The match was liberally peppered with all-out layouts, some insane skies, and some of the best throws one might ever see.

The Hammerheads started with a seeding of 17, and over the course of the tournament, reached 14. Having reached the highest seed of any team in Division 2(17 downwards), Hammerheads also won the Division 2 award. The team also came close to winning the Most Spirited Team award, ending the tournament as second on the list. The team consisted of 17 players, 11 men and 6 women, and was overall the best team that Ashoka has put up in the last couple of years, and with Ahmadabad Ultimate Open coming up in a couple of months, hopefully they go further and further.