More than a dozen years ago I visited Ta Prohm, the famous Tomb Raider temple, with my girlfriend. As we walked along the dirt path that led from the east gate to the temple itself, I became distracted by everything around me: branches hanging from trees that didn’t exist in the United States, tourists from all over the world, bugs that wouldn’t quit flying into my ear. Suddenly my girlfriend grabbed me and used her full 42 kilograms to pull me aside, breaking my stride and making me stumble. I

Fueled by their recent acceptance into the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF), Cambodian Ultimate is looking to grow even more in 2017. After joining the international federation it is only natural that their entrance onto the world scene would be at a major WFDF event. The Cambodians are therefore eyeing Manila and the Asian Oceanic Ultimate and Guts Club Championship (AOUGCC) to make their mark. Cambodia will be sending a mixed team to this prestigious event. 16-17 Cambodian players will be

Back on June 26, 2016, Cambodia held its first ever all-women’s Ultimate clinic. Over 60 women took the field, most never having touched a disc, let alone laying out to catch one in front of a charging defender. Oh how far they’ve come… After that women’s clinic, two of our elder players, Romina de Jong and Sreyda Chan, formed Bee Force, Cambodia’s first women’s ultimate club. They have trained around twice-a-week since the clinic and have improved immensely. Having added on Coach Alli Bukys of

The new multi-national team from Southeast Asia is headed to the US Open, but their journey to get there goes beyond competition. When you peruse the US Open program, one team will stand out. Among American, Japanese, Colombian and other countries’ teams, you will find a one listed as “International.” Though they will hail from at least four countries, speak multiple languages, and will have only played two tournaments together, the Black Widows have found strength in their diversity and have t

I have certain beliefs about athletes. Some of these I have about humans as a whole as well. One of these is that, in general, we don’t take pleasure in each other’s physical pain. As athletes, we try to win. Sometimes that involves hoping that our opponents will fail. That’s sports. Very few of us, in very few situations, wish that our opponents get hurt (to some degree combat sports excluded). Defeating a physically capable opponent usually gives us more pleasure than defeating one who is inca

This was originally titled "From Colonies to Clubs: The Growth of Ultimate in Southern Asia." It follows the history of Ultimate frisbee in Asia with a focus on South and Southeast Asia.