Get Your Frisbee On

Alright, alright...we know "Ultimate" isn't the best name for a sport. Especially one that was invented by hippie stoners. So yeah, we do get a lot of flak for what it's called--one of our friends even insists on calling it "just OK frisbee". But Ultimate is actually one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and China is no exception to that rule. Hong Kong and Shanghai have held annual tournaments for years now, but since the first National tournament was held in Beijing two years ago, local-run tournaments have been popping up in Kunming, Tianjin, and Ningbo.

Given the sport's origins and the easygoing personalities of its founding fathers, the rules of Ultimate are, unsurprisingly, pretty simple. Seven players aside, one frisbee, two endzones. Run to get the disc, stop running when you have it in your hands. Get it in the endzone and you score a point. Get it? Got it? Good.

So if you're reading this and thinking, man, I could dominate in that sport, come down and show us your stuff at the first-annual Ningbo Hat Tournament. Teams will be drawn at random at the start of the event, so beginners and veterans alike have been invited to join the 80-odd others who will be heading over from all corners of China. Got questions? Get at the organizers via email.

And if that still doesn't sell you on it, maybe the Shanghai Ultimate Players Association's (SUPA) Party Bus will. Take a trip over the world's longest bridge and up to Ningbo for the weekend with fellow Frisbee freaks, and enjoy an impromptu weekend in the sun and out of town.

When: March 28-29
Where: University of Nottingham, Ningbo
Cost: RMB200 (RMB100 for beginners) Tournament fee includes frisbee, food, drink and hotel accomodation. An additional RMB200 gets you on the party bus.
Party Bus Reservations: Contact Mary at 139 1614 2615 or email her.