SURREY — One of the most common toys you can find at a park or beach in the summer is a Frisbee.
Slinging a disc around is an activity that is synonymous with sunshine.
Ultimate Frisbee has quickly flown its way into the public eye with tournaments played on a regular basis, including a high school provincial championship.
The Surrey Ultimate League has been around since 2006 and started with four teams.
Today, the league has tripled that number.
Supreet Malhi is in charge of community growth and development for the league, and he says the number of people participating in the sport has skyrocketed.
There are around 250 people who just play in the summer league, he said, but many more who come out and play at the drop-in recreational practices as well.
Unlike other team sports, Malhi said that ultimate puts much more emphasis on teamwork and less so on the vicious side of sports.
He also said the game is run on a player's spirit for the game.
"The atmosphere is what really draws a lot of people in and keeps people in. That's how I kind of got into ultimate," Malhi said.
"Because of the spirit of the game, a lot of people who get involved in ultimate are immediately a part of the community because there is no real animosity," he said.
"The competitive edge is there, but it's not the same as other sports. You're playing because you love the sport."
Ultimate is a game that can be called a non-contact version of rugby with the exceptions of running with the disc and the ability to passing it forwards and backwards.
Teams of seven players play against each other in an attempt to get the disc to the opponent's end zone.
Players who possess the Frisbee may not run, but their teammates can to get open for a pass.
The offensive team loses possession of the disc if they drop the Frisbee, it gets knocked down or caught by an opposing player or if a catch is made out of bounds.
If the offensive team makes it to the other side of the field and into their opponent's end zone, they are awarded a point.
The game is played on a soccer pitch that is cut in half vertically, so approximately on a 100x35-metre field.
Surrey Ultimate League is the only official league in Surrey.
There is one covering Metro Vancouver, that has been around since 1986 and has over 400 teams, but games and practices take place in Vancouver.
The summer league season generally runs from Mother's Day to Labour Day, but drop-in practices are available every Sunday from February to December.
The Surrey league is hoping to expand by another four teams for next season.Surrey Ultimate (Surreyultimate.ca) is a non-profit organization that is completely run by volunteers.
GETTING STARTED
THE GEAR
There are very few pieces of equipment needed to play ultimate. Eight cones to set the end zones and a Frisbee are all that is needed. Malhi also recommends wearing a pair of cleats.
WHERE TO PLAY
Currently, the Surrey Ultimate League holds their drop-in practices at Martha Currie Elementary (5811 184th St., Surrey) on Sundays. It costs a toonie to play.
"There are a lot of experienced, talented players that are more than happy to teach the sport," Malhi said about the drop-ins.