Over two
decades ago, she was an Ultimate Frisbee team member at the
University of Utah in the USA. Marriage may have brought her across
the globe to India/Goa in 1998, but Melanie Chowgule’s love for the
game remained a dormant dream until she got a chance visit the Panjim
gymkhana. “I was accompanying my children to the gym and was
surprised to see this sport being played there,” recalls Melanie.
“Apparently, the game has been played in Goa for the past 18 years
and today we have a qualitied national team ‘Gnash’ which has
about 30 members with players ranging from as young as nine to as old
as 42,” avers Melanie who has been playing with the team for over a
year now. Their presence on Facebook ‘Gnash Ultimate Frisbee Goa’
already has a huge following.
Passion, skill
and prior experience stood Melanie in good stead at the national
selections by the Ultimate Players’ Association of India, where
she, along with two other players from Goa, was selected to represent
the Indian National Team at
the World Ultimate and Guts Championship (WUGC) in London, that will
be held in in June this year. “We
are elated,” says Melanie who will participate in the Mixed Team.
“Three of us from Goa have been selected – Tejas Shevde U-19 (boys)
from Margao; Apurva Kothari (men’s masters team) from Parra and
myself,” she explains.
Although a
relatively new sport in India, Melanie is amazed at the pace at which
it is picking up here. This is authenticated by the fact that India
is deputing five teams to participate in the WUGC – the Men’s Open
Team, Mixed Team, Masters Team and U-19 (to be played in July in
Poland) and for the first time ever a Women’s Team.
Now as Melanie
picks up pace, training strenuously in fitness with trainer Sunil
Karmalkar, she’s aware of the challenges that lie ahead, not only
for her but for the sport at large in India, which she laments lacks
proper playing fields. “In Panjim, we play on the cricket pitch at
the moment. In Bangalore we have to travel for over two hours to
reach the field,” she says hoping that the government will come
forward to support this sport which is on an upward trend in India.
“Every other
month I travel to different venues like Bangalore, Chennai and so on
to practice the game with other members of the mixed team. Goa’s
turn is in May,” elaborates Melanie who is proud to have on her
team some members who were featured in the film Ultimate. “These
are people who live in the slums and yet have proved their calibre in
the game. The game can be played by anyone,” maintains Melanie
whose own three children are proving their mettle in the sport.
BOX
Ultimate
Frisbee
Ultimate
is an exciting, non-contact team sport, played by thousands world
over
with a flying disc (frisbee).
It mixes the best features of the
sports
such as Soccer, Basketball, American Football and Netball into an
elegantly simple yet fascinating and demanding game.
It is played on a football size ground.
It’s
a
fast-paced game, demanding its players to develop razor sharp
throwing skills and immense stamina and agility. It is recognised
by the IWGA
(International World Games Association),
all of the UK Sports Councils and the Australian Sports Commission.
Ultimate
is the only IOC
(International Olympic Committee)
recognised
sport to be self-officiating and promoting
Spirit Of The Game (SOTG).
