Some of you may have heard of it, some of you may have not. Some of you may not even think of it as a sport, but let me assure you that Ultimate Frisbee is a sport and a society that you should join at University.
First of all, what is Ultimate Frisbee?
The aim of the game is to try and catch the frisbee in the end zone, similar to American Football but unlike American Football, Ultimate is a non-contact sport. Ultimate, as the pros call it, is comparable to netball because you cannot run with the frisbee but move as a unit to catch the disc in the end zone. Therefore you have to work as a team to win a point and eventually win the match. Ultimate can be played by all ages and genders, indoors and outdoors.
Not only is it a fun and unique sport but will also give you fantastic skills which will help you find a job once you've graduated.
So, how can joining the Ultimate Frisbee Society help you land your dream graduate job?
1. Stand out from the crowd
Employers see hundreds of CVs for every application, so you need to stand out from the rest. Graduate recruitment teams love applicants who have engaged in extracurricular activities and societies. When the employer spots such a unique sport as Ultimate Frisbee on your CV or application form the chances of them remembering you are much, much higher.
2. Confidence
Ultimate is a self-refereed sport and therefore when playing, you need to be confident in your knowledge of the rule book. With no impartial referee, if someone fouls you then need to call them up for it because nobody else will.
Ultimate allows you to become more confident but can also show the employer you are able to speak up and say when something goes wrong (always a good example to keep up your sleeve when asked in an interview).
Being knowledgeable about the sport also keeps to the spirit of the game as it shows integrity and honesty which are important qualities to have and what employers look for.
3. Become a Team Player
Team sports always help form essential life skills. To win at Ultimate you have to play as a team as you have to pass the disc to win a point. There are also different strategies that you can play such as: defending man-to-man or playing a zone. If one person on the team does not cooperate then the strategy falls apart and you cannot win.
Employers need consistent, proactive performers and team players as much as sports teams. In a job environment, if one person does not fulfill their role and so will result in no end product.
4. Competitive Spirit
To be successful at Ultimate, as with some things in life, you have to be competitive. The desire to win, to become the best goal scorer or the player with the most assists, you have to be competitive.
A competitive streak or the will-to-win follows through into your later life and becomes a desire to get the job done. The competition helps you to manage your nerve in competitive situations which is an essential skill to have.
5. Leadership Skills
As in all team sports, Ultimate also has a team captain. To be a captain of a sports team you have to be confident, charismatic and knowledgeable but also a leader, and the same applies to Ultimate.
What successful leaders do on a daily basis is delegate tasks to their team as they know who works where best. Successful team captains also do just that, as they know which player is best to play in which position.
Decision making is a key skill demonstrated by a team captain and a fundamental element of any dynamic sports team. In order to succeed in winning any game the team captain needs to reconsider all factors to ensure the best decision is made. This is very similar in a work environment where the authority figure will need to be able to make key decisions to assure the company is at its best.
A position of authority like captaincy not only does looks great on your CV but will also help you perform in an interview and help you land your dream job.