Southern Women's Pics & Tales



Near 100 women gather on Clapham Common for a London Women's Skills Day
hosted by Iceni and Bliss, October 15th 2005




Alia Ayub makes a bid on a wayward Bliss disc, Women's Tour II Final, 2005
How did I get into Frisbee? Having never touched a flying disc at school, I boldly decided to sign up for my University team, Thrown, during my first year [Kings College London]. My disc skills were abysmal and I realised very soon that Frisbee involved too much of one thing, running! My first tourney was the Indoors Mixed held in the UEA in Norwich and we had a blast. I decided to keep with the sport even if my legs were telling me otherwise. So I went, along with Jen (our women’s captain), to the invaluable Women’s Skills day held in Clapham. The day gave us the opportunity to learn from Iceni the proper techniques involved in hucking, cutting, laying out and different plays such as Junk and Iso. Having never played on a women-only team, it was a new insight into how we can play a different game from men! [read full report]




The first time the GB women’s team ever beat Sweden. This was the semi-finals are Europeans in 2003 and we won in sudden death 15-14 after trailing 7-13. The photo is of Tara Jewell catching the winning final score (in the background) and the pitch invasion that followed by the rest of the GB squad. (Aura Mackenzie)




Jools from Swift makes a high grab against Nice Bristols, Women's Tour II 2005 - Photo by Tom Styles

It's addictive.
The adrenalin rush you get when you do something that feels spectacular on the Ultimate pitch. That layout, that grab, that perfect outside-in sidearm throw around the defender to your man in the end-zone, or simply finding yourself completely free at a crucial point in the game. You have to feel it to understand, and once you do you will just keep coming back for more.
'Bob' Alize - Squaws/Mohawks/Brighton




Claire Hussey - Bliss - winds up for a huck against Iceni in the final of Women's Tour II, 2005 - Photo by Tom Styles




Women’s ultimate is a crowd pleaser! Photo of Iceni (white) vs Bliss (red) at Women’s Tour 2 2005




A very happy Iceni team, after beating Bliss in the final of Women's Tour II, 2005 - Photo by Tom Styles

Nicole Roberts from Electric Mayhem gets a D against Bridget Brown from Haze (Loughborough), Mixed Tour II 2005

Leah Towne, Women on the Verge, World Ultimate Club Championships, Women's final, Vancouver 1997

It was on the beach in a women's ultimate game where we had taken the lead, and decided to keep it by continuing as strong as we could. We were in the cap, having already scored one point, and just needing one more to seal the game. We only had two players upfield, myself and Bryony from Discuits (Reading). I made a cut downfield, and free of my man received the disc. Bryony was also sprinting downfield free of her man so I threw it ahead to her, on her side of the pitch before continuing my sprint to the endzone. I had barely overtaken Bryony on my way to the endzone and she had put a slightly curvy outside in throw that was speeding towards the endzone. If I had time to think I'd have thought that it would trail off ahead of me, but somehow I accelerated (on sand!) towards the endzone and the escaping disc, and as it was crossing my path ahead of me, I literally threw myself at it, taking off with both arms outstretched reaching towards the sides of the disc, and magically I clasped it perfectly with both hands at the same time and held it in awe for a split second before I landed with a face-full of sand.
I vaguely remember some cheering and having to dig the sand out of my ears afterwards, but the crystal clear moment was the split second, when I was flying through the air clasping that disc.
'Bob' Alize - Squaws/Mohawks/Brighton




A great layout D bid by Canada in during their victory against Finland in the World Championships Final, Finland 2004 - Photo by Juha Kankaanpää


  

(left) Mellissa Warren (GB Women) getting a D against Japan at Worlds 2004

(right) Maggie Rawlings (Iceni) throwing the break-force flick against Beth Rougier (Nice Bristols) at an All-Stars event on Clapham Common, November 2004


  

(left) Tara Jewell, Bliss (blue), takes a gravity-defyingly high grab against Athletico (Finland) in the World Ultimate Club Championships, St Andrews 1999

(right) Katey Forth, Bliss (in blue, laying out); Susanna Simpanen, Athletico (catching), World Ultimate Club Championships, St Andrews 1999

Women Ultimate players from around the south gather on Clapham Common for a Skills Day, March 2005


Thanks to Tom Styles, Jon Hope and Richard Shortridge for some of these photos.