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The greatest sport
By NATALIE TORENTINOS
It isn’t often that throwing a disc can take someone all over the world, but Gabriel Fuzat is quite the aficionado of what he calls “the greatest sport you’ve never heard of.”
An enthusiast for more than a decade since his college years in Arizona, Fuzat is bringing the fun and spontaneous camaraderie of “Ultimate” (Frisbee is a trademarked brand name) to Pearland, hoping to eventually form a league.
Having started an “Ultimate” team in Silverlake last month, interested residents play every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in the field at the corner of Morgan and Southfork, strategically throwing discs among seven-player teams to score in the “endzone.” So far, about 20 people have signed up.
Besides Houston, Fuzat has participated in pickup games throughout Europe, including Italy’s Paganello tournament where he played with a Russian team. He and his wife have played in the Galveston East Beach tournament, one of the oldest Ultimate tournaments in the world at 22 years.
How does one describe Ultimate? According to Fuzat, it’s a combination of football, soccer and basketball, only without a ball. The disc’s weight – 175 grams – is consistent throughout the world.
The game originated in 1968 by a group of high school students in a parking lot – one of them was Joel Silver, famous for producing “The Matrix” film trilogy.
“What I love about the sport is that you have to have someone else involved,” Fuzat says. “You have to pass the Frisbee into the endzone in order to score. It’s a non-contact sport.”
Fuzat, along with teammate Sean McCall, created the Houston Ultimate Community in 2002, teaching the game to all grade levels in local schools. A non-profit organization, HUC helps other ultimate communities earn the same status.
“The organization is really involved,” he says. “It has made community service a major part of the institution. Our main function is to promote a healthy lifestyle through exercise, but we use our leagues and tournaments to help raise money for Houston in general.”
Charities include Habitat for Humanity, the Houston food bank and Toys for Tots.
A personal trainer by trade, Fuzat not only organizes Ultimate games but teaches a warmup/fitness session 30 minutes beforehand. Education about staying healthy is more important than any game score, he says, and so is sportsmanship.
“One of the reasons I believe Ultimate players are so kind is because of one of the founding rules of Ultimate. It is also the reason why Ultimate does not get the respect [or] coverage.”
Fuzat can recall several stories that exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship and nostalgia of the game. At their most recent pickup game in Silverlake, he remembers a couple of kids from the playground wanting to learn how to throw.
“I spoke to their mom to see it if was okay if I could give them a disc. She thought that was great and told me how she used to throw around in the parks of London when she lived over there.
“I think that is another reason why people love the sport. Everyone has a memory of throwing a Frisbee or disc, whether it was on the beach or at camp or wherever. In what other sport can people say they started from a pie tin?”
An enthusiast for more than a decade since his college years in Arizona, Fuzat is bringing the fun and spontaneous camaraderie of “Ultimate” (Frisbee is a trademarked brand name) to Pearland, hoping to eventually form a league.
Having started an “Ultimate” team in Silverlake last month, interested residents play every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in the field at the corner of Morgan and Southfork, strategically throwing discs among seven-player teams to score in the “endzone.” So far, about 20 people have signed up.
Besides Houston, Fuzat has participated in pickup games throughout Europe, including Italy’s Paganello tournament where he played with a Russian team. He and his wife have played in the Galveston East Beach tournament, one of the oldest Ultimate tournaments in the world at 22 years.
How does one describe Ultimate? According to Fuzat, it’s a combination of football, soccer and basketball, only without a ball. The disc’s weight – 175 grams – is consistent throughout the world.
The game originated in 1968 by a group of high school students in a parking lot – one of them was Joel Silver, famous for producing “The Matrix” film trilogy.
“What I love about the sport is that you have to have someone else involved,” Fuzat says. “You have to pass the Frisbee into the endzone in order to score. It’s a non-contact sport.”
Fuzat, along with teammate Sean McCall, created the Houston Ultimate Community in 2002, teaching the game to all grade levels in local schools. A non-profit organization, HUC helps other ultimate communities earn the same status.
“The organization is really involved,” he says. “It has made community service a major part of the institution. Our main function is to promote a healthy lifestyle through exercise, but we use our leagues and tournaments to help raise money for Houston in general.”
Charities include Habitat for Humanity, the Houston food bank and Toys for Tots.
A personal trainer by trade, Fuzat not only organizes Ultimate games but teaches a warmup/fitness session 30 minutes beforehand. Education about staying healthy is more important than any game score, he says, and so is sportsmanship.
“One of the reasons I believe Ultimate players are so kind is because of one of the founding rules of Ultimate. It is also the reason why Ultimate does not get the respect [or] coverage.”
Fuzat can recall several stories that exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship and nostalgia of the game. At their most recent pickup game in Silverlake, he remembers a couple of kids from the playground wanting to learn how to throw.
“I spoke to their mom to see it if was okay if I could give them a disc. She thought that was great and told me how she used to throw around in the parks of London when she lived over there.
“I think that is another reason why people love the sport. Everyone has a memory of throwing a Frisbee or disc, whether it was on the beach or at camp or wherever. In what other sport can people say they started from a pie tin?”
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