Currier Island is the namesake fictional country of a national team playing ultimate frisbee.
The "country" has participated in all World Beach Ultimate tournaments since 2004.
In WCBU2015 (world national beach tournament 2015) in Dubai, Currier Island sent five teams in the divisions: mixed, masters open, masters mixed, masters women and grand masters [1]
Currier Island is an ultimate frisbee team that began as a fictional island nation created by Ivan Cestero and Minh Le. In the Fall of 2004, the first World Champions Beach Ultimate (sport) was held in Figuiera de Foz, Portugal. In order to play in the tournament, players needed to be on the official roster of a country's team. The United States roster was already filled. In order to play in the tournament, Cestero and Le (who played ultimate together at Dartmouth College) along with other Dartmouth class of '01 alums (Michael Holmes, Christopher Taylor, Craig Davis, and Michael Gallagher), decided to create a fictional island nation to represent.
Le wrote a letter to the head of the WCBU as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs for Currier Island, stating that the tournament would not be a true world championship if Currier Island was not invited to compete. Together, Cestero and Le convinced the tournament directors to allow Currier Island into the tournament.
Shortly thereafter, the tournament directors replied to Le and Cestero inquiring as to the geographic location of Currier Island, as they were unable to find it online or on any maps. Le and Cestero admitted that the island was fictitious, but the tournament committee decided to allow Currier Island to compete as an international pick-up team. It was decided that at every WCBU tournament from then on, an international team would be allowed to play under the flag of Currier Island.
The inaugural Currier Island team consisted of players from the U.S., Hungary, Austria, and South Africa. After a week-long training camp in Tarifa, Currier Island beat countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, and Finland to finish 10th in the first annual World Beach Championships. [2]
The Currier Island team has continued to play in beach ultimate tournaments around the world, including Paganello in Italy, Boracay Open in the Philippines, and Wildwood in New Jersey.
While Currier Island can compete, not being a real country they can't play in the Knockout stages of tournaments. The first time the rule had to be used was in 2015 in Dubai, where one of the divisions had a Currier Island team winning a place in the knock out bracket
A frisbee, also called a flying disc or simply a disc, is a gliding toy or sporting item generally made of injection-molded plastic and roughly 20 to 25 centimetres in diameter with a pronounced lip. It is used recreationally and competitively for throwing and catching, as in flying disc games. The shape of the disc is an airfoil in cross-section which allows it to fly by reducing the drag and increasing lift as it moves through the air, compared to a flat plate. Spinning the disc imparts a stabilizing gyroscopic force, allowing it to be both aimed with accuracy and thrown for distance.
Ultimate frisbee is a non-contact team sport played with a disc flung by hand. Ultimate was developed in 1968 by Joel Silver in Maplewood, New Jersey. Although ultimate resembles many traditional sports in its athletic requirements, it is unlike most sports due to its focus on self-officiating, even at the highest levels of competition. The term "frisbee" is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company, and thus the sport is not formally called "ultimate frisbee", though this name is still in common casual use. Points are scored by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone. Other basic rules are that players must not take steps while holding the disc, and interceptions, incomplete passes, and passes out of bounds are turnovers. Rain, wind, or occasionally other adversities can make for a testing match with rapid turnovers, heightening the pressure of play.
Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. The distinction is made between amateur sporting participants and professional sporting participants, who are paid for the time they spend competing and training. In the majority of sports which feature professional players, the professionals will participate at a higher standard of play than amateur competitors, as they can train full-time without the stress of having another job. The majority of worldwide sporting participants are amateurs.
USA Ultimate is a not-for-profit organization that serves as the governing body of the sport of ultimate in the United States.
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Disc Northwest is a Seattle based ultimate frisbee organization with the aim of increasing participation in the sport of Ultimate at all levels. DiscNW claims to be the largest and most active Ultimate organization in the United States, supporting many teams at the club, local, high school, middle school and elementary school levels. Their mission statement is "Serve as a regional resource, promoting growth in the sport of Ultimate and instilling the spirit of sportsmanship at all levels of play."
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European Ultimate Federation (EUF) is the governing body for the sport of Ultimate in Europe. As part of the EFDF and the World Flying Disc Federation the EUF works for the coordination and development of Ultimate in Europe and the promotion of its Spirit of the Game ideals. The EUF coordinates Ultimate associations in Europe, and supports Ultimate in countries where there are no local organization. The EUF organizes tournaments for European teams, develops educational programs and courses for them, and support other activities of interest. Its board of directors is elected every two years, the latest election took place in October 2014.
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