The pandemic may have deprived us of the Tokyo Olympics, but that didn’t stop some Richmond students taking part in the “Isolympics.”
Just as it sounds, the Elevate Ultimate High School Isolympic Games was competed from isolation in the homes and driveways of the McMath and Burnett secondary students, all of whom are also ultimate (Frisbee) athletes.
They “faced off” last week against other school teams from across the Lower Mainland in the free event created by ultimate sports academy Elevate Ultimate.
As well as having to perform ultimate tricks, the timed challenges for each round of the Isolympics included seeing who could spin a disc on your finger (like a basketball), same hand throw and catch behind the back and non-ultimate based challenges, such as squats with a disc on your head and push-ups with a disc on your back.
“We’re aware of the stresses and turmoil they’re all going through, so we thought this would be a great opportunity for them to be part of their teams again,” Danie Proby, co-founder of Elevate Ultimate, told the Richmond News.
“We’re obviously closed right now, but we’re taking time to revamp our programs and connections with customers.
“We always run a leadership program, so we’re quite close to the kids.
“A lot of athletes reached out to us and thanked us because it was nice for them to do something with their team again. Some said it ‘made isolation bearable.’”
Proby - a former high school PE teacher who’s now coaching ultimate Team Canada under 20 women that were set to compete at the Worlds this summer in Sweden - said there were 16 teams in last week’s and this week’s competition, with teams practicing at home and sending in a video of their best attempt within their team.
“I then splice the videos together to make it look like it’s in real time,” added Proby, who’s hoping to run ultimate summer camps across the region, if the pandemic restrictions are eased.
“We have been coaching youth ultimate for many years now and are really in touch with high school kids and what they're going through.
“Just as in other sports, their sport is everything to them and many of them have been training for a long time looking forward to provincials this year.”
To watch the students in action at the Isolympics, click here
