The Iron Gut...
and other hazards of playing Frisbee in Sydney
By Tiffany Sakato
Northwestern University student Rosalind Yang may have been studying Down Under, but she was on top of her game. Her ultimate Frisbee game, that is.
As a junior studying abroad in Sydney, Australia, Yang joined her host school’s co-ed team, swapping Northwestern’s purple and white for the gold and black of the University of New South Wales.
Being a UNSW Lion meant attending practices and league games four days per week while juggling five university classes. It also meant enduring a team initiation rite called “Iron Gut,” in which she completed several gross-out food challenges.
One of the highlights of Yang’s ultimate Frisbee experience in Australia was placing third at the University Games, an annual tournament that lasts one week in Perth and brings together a variety of sports teams from around the country. “It’s like the Olympics for college-level teams,” she says.
Yang says one of the deciding factors when choosing where to study abroad was where she would be able to play ultimate Frisbee. She considered programs in France and England but is glad she chose to explore the sport in Australia.
“The level of game I was playing in Australia was really good, but competition seemed a lot more relaxed,” Yang says. “It could be because Australians in general are pretty relaxed.”
Contact Rosalind Yang at r@rozyang.com