One day, walking home from the Shanghai Metro after a delicious meal, I came across a group of older men throwing a frisbee on the field across from my host University’s campus. As a member of Pitt Club Ultimate and as a former member of my high school team, this immediately piqued my interest. Feeling adventurous, my friend and I made the decision to approach the group of men and ask to join. We were receptive of the possibility that they might not want to play with foreigners, or 老外 （lǎo wài); this was quickly disproven when they noticed our contemplating stares and enthusiastically called us over. 

We ended up joining the local WeChat group chat with over 200 members and staying to throw for a while. They were very excited to have us throw with them, and were even more excited when I told them that my high school was the one that invented the sport in 1968. The technique with which they threw was unique. It was unlike that of the average college player; their arm motion was a bit higher on average, and the way in which they flicked their wrist was less consistent. Yet this seemingly “imperfect technique” was completely accurate almost 100% of the time. After throwing the frisbee for a while, we took a break to speak with our new friends, as the Shanghai heat and humidity had me and my friend visibly perspiring. The topics we were able to discuss because of the trust behind sharing this common interest were extensive, ranging from good restaurants to politics (a sensitive topic in China).

This pastime is and continues to be a part of my experience I always look forward to. It allows me to interact with locals on an authentic level while getting to play a sport that makes me feel like I am back at home (or the Sports Dome past Trees Hall). Ultimate has given me access to a whole new community of locals that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to talk to otherwise, and I’m glad to be able to bring a skill from home to make the city three times the size of New York city feel just a bit smaller.