Soy Sapukay! Vamos Sapukay!

While here in Buenos Aires, I decided to get involved with the local ultimate Frisbee scene. After practicing with a few teams, I decided to join a team called “Sapukay”. This name is an indigenous war cry from Northern Argentina, and it translates as “let’s go, let’s fight!!” I chose this team because they seemed to have the most “family feel” and just seemed like a genuinely nice group of people. And this initial feeling proved to be most accurate- this team really has become like my family here in Bs. As. From practices, to tournaments, to picnics and parties- we always have a blast. My team is comprised of a few fellow Americans, (here on study abroad,) some Columbians (among them is my housemate, Gabriel), and of course some Argentine locals. We practice every Wednesday and have league play on Saturdays. We also had a weekend tournament in Tigre (a resort city outside of Bs. As.), in which we came in third place!! This was really an achievement for us, considering we haven’t been playing together for very long and we had to beat the former champion team along the way! What I love about the sport of Ultimate Frisbee is that it draws the same type of community no matter where it is played. The players are competitive, but also highly value the spirit of the game. The passion, the intensity, and the community-vibe are all the same- although learning the terms and rules in Spanish has been very different. Overall, I feel really thankful to be able to join this team, to play the sport I love, and to develop a family of “Sapukanos” here in Argentina.