The 2017 edition of Ashoka Ultimate Championship (AUC) got off to an intense start on April 1, with 13 teams from all over India battling it out for the trophy. On day one, each team played 4-5 matches of 50 minutes duration, some of which continued till 2 am in the night, under the floodlights.
If one would have expected Day 2 to start off on a lazy note, due to the intense play under the scathing sun on Day 1, one couldn’t have been more wrong. The players could be seen on the fields at 7 am sharp, cleated and huddled/warming up, ready to play their next game.
With the two rounds of re-seedings already having taken place, a few teams got to play another match with a team they had already played on Day 1. This held true especially in the group containing the teams seeded 9-13, which followed a round robin format.
The highlights for Day 2 were of course the semi-finals and the final. Abhay Ghat and GK Mad qualified for the final by defeating Ashoka Hammerheads and Flying Foxes respectively. The latter two teams then went on to play an extremely close match for the 3rd position, which the Foxes won on a universal point.
At 2 pm, Abhay Ghat, the defending champions from Ahmedabad, played GK Mad, the local favourites, for the coveted trophy. The 60-minute game was closely contested till the last minute and drew a lot of cheering and sighs of awe from the audience.
The commitment of the players to the disc was evident by the sheer number of mid-air swerves, layouts, and long hucks which players from both the teams displayed constantly, paying no heed to the intense Sonepat heat, or the strong wind.
GK Mad, which attracted a lot of home support and some very creative cheers, gave a tough fight to Abhay Ghat, justifying their well-deserved spot in the finals. In the end, however, Abhay Ghat managed to edge GK Mad by 8 points to 6, thus defending their claim to the trophy from the previous year.
The spirit of the game, a trademark of the sport of ultimate, was upheld above everything else throughout the tournament and was reflected in the fair play displayed by the teams, with all calls being resolved amicably on the field.
The tournament saw a lot of big names in the ultimate community from all over India coaching/playing for the teams. Abhishek Srinivas (popularly known as Cisa), a veteran player, mentored one of Ashoka University’s teams, the “Ashoka Hawks”.
When asked why he chose to be a part of AUC, he said, “I’ve always wanted to give back to the community what I’ve received for the last eight years of playing this beautiful game, which is why I jumped at the opportunity of mentoring a team”.
On the topic of new teams being given an opportunity at AUC, he said, “New teams always spring a surprise or two in aspects like spirit, athleticism, character, and the attitude to be taught and to learn. At AUC, we witnessed the community coming together in a way I’ve seen in the past at places like Bangalore, Chennai, and Goa. The only way from here for the Delhi Ultimate community is upwards!”
