Ultimate opportunity to be Ultimate Champs

In just over two months, Aaron Miller and Li Yeoh will switch their usual Wellington-coloured sports uniform for a black and white one, as they and their teammates vie for the title of World Ultimate Champions.

Li Yeoh plays Ultimate
Li Yeoh spends up to 15 hours a week training for the World Under-23 Ultimate Championship.

Aaron and Li are two of five Victoria University students selected to represent New Zealand in the World Flying Disc Federation’s World Under-23 Ultimate Championship in London.

The 21-person team is mostly made up of university students from around the country. Training together is difficult, and they’ll have just four weekend-long training camps to prepare as a team before taking on top players from 20 countries.

Aaron and Li rely on regular training with their Victoria University Flying Disc Club (VUWFDC) team, the Wild Cats. Both also add extra fitness training in their spare time to ensure they’ll be at peak performance.

Aaron and Li each dedicate up to 15 hours a week to games, training and fitness sessions. Li, who is also the VUWFDC President, says it’s difficult to find the time to train on top of study. “And then trying to study after a hard training session isn’t always the easiest.”

Aaron adds: “Because Ultimate’s a minority sport there isn’t a lot of funding.” Each player is responsible for covering the $6600 price tag of attending the tournament, which for Aaron means picking up extra shifts at his part-time job. 

“It’s a big commitment but the extra pressures are worth it,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to represent New Zealand, I couldn’t say no.”

Check out the U23 team take on the Wellington All Stars at Boyd-Wilson Field, Kelburn Campus, 6-9pm, Saturday 16 May. Free admission, but bring along some cash for the fundraising barbecue.