Frisbee is the game you play on the beach in summer with friends, a dog and a few cold beers. Not to be confused with Ultimate Frisbee: that's a fast-paced, high-energy, = competitive sport.
That's what they'll tell you at Westlake Girls High School, anyway. The Shore school's first team recently
competed at the first national tournament for high schools in Tauranga, winning the Spirit Award for sportsmanship.
Alex Hatley, a teacher who took it up at university in her home country, Canada, introduced the Westlake girls to the sport. A former NZ representative, Hatley coaches the school team.
"The spirit of the game is a huge component, a part that a lot of people like. You can also travel anywhere in the world and join a team," she says.
The girls are so keen that they organise games every weekend on the school grounds.
Originating in America (see panel), ultimate frisbee is strong in Canada, Japan and Australia. NZ has a small but growing following of around 700 social players and 300 who compete.
"We do have a small player base, but it has doubled in the past three to four years. We are punching above our weight in terms of world rankings - we are currently seventh out of 21," says Shane Vuletich of NZ Ultimate Frisbee.
Next up is the first Auckland high schools tournament in October. Organisers hope around seven teams will enter. The Westlake girls look forward to improving on their Tauranga effort.
"You have to learn about all kinds of different throws, about cutting into space," says team member Polly Davison.
"It's like netball in that you can't run with the disc and you have to defend the other players. It's really fast and really fun."
