Dan Engström, a WFDF Board member, wrote an official article for the Danish Swedish Flying Disc Federation about the Spirit of Flying Disc sports.
It’s main focus is Ultimate but other parts of the disc sports, such as disc golf, are also included. Since Spirit is one of the main focal points for BULA we wanted to share with you (with permission from the WFDF).
Let us assume that it is possible to pin-point the attitude to life and sports of players and leaders of flying disc sports. This “Spirit of Flying Disc” would be a key feature of our family of sports. It would be knowledge that is invaluable in the development of the sport. This paper aims to identify the Spirit of Flying disc, and to be a stepping-stone for development that is based on it. If considered successful, this paper can be used as the foundation for the development of flying disc federations and for their policies on the use of Spirit of the Game. The more concrete methods of how to build on the Spirit of Flying Disc and the Spirit of the Game should be developed by interdisciplinary working-groups within each organisation. Consequently, they are only touched on here.
An effort to identify the essence of this special something has led me to the conclusion that there are three main building-blocks of the Spirit of Flying Disc, all connected:
- Counter-culture – The urge to be part of a non-establishment platform for expression.
- Focus- The rules of the game focus on what constitutes a positive contribution to the game, not on the limitations on what is allowed. The Spirit of the Game is a vital part of this.
- Fascination- The flight of a disc is a beautiful thing, with strong connotations of the first two building-blocks. Generally, flying disc players love it.
Read the whole article here (.pdf) (Updated 2 April 2007 version)