APU Frisbee Club Champions at Inter-University Tournament
Frisbee, a dynamic sport combining elements from soccer and basketball, has a rich history dating back to its origins in the 1960s at Columbia High School in New Jersey, USA.
The dynamics of frisbee, a sport played with a flying disc, involve players passing the frisbee down the field to score points by catching it in the opponent’s end zone.
Six months ago, the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) established its frisbee club, adding to its array of sports and recreational clubs. Despite its recent inception and predominantly novice players, the APU Frisbee Club has demonstrated remarkable growth and progress.
Team Pixel, representing the newly established APU Frisbee Club, proudly clinched the championship in Pool B and advanced to 9th place at the recently concluded Nottingham Ultimate Battle Royale (NUBR) 2024 Tournament.
In a momentous achievement at the Nottingham Ultimate Battle Royale (NUBR) 2024 Tournament on March 23, 2024, held at Nottingham University, Team Pixel from APU emerged as the champions of Pool B, elevating their rank to an impressive 9th position overall.
This victory marks a substantial improvement since the club's debut competition in November 2023.
Notably, the first runner-up in Pool B was Team Lakeside Ducks from Taylors University, followed by Team Scrubs representing International Medical University (IMU).
A total of 13 Malaysian universities participated in the NUBR 2024 Tournament, including UTAR, Manipal, MMU, UCSI, XMUM, Taylor's, Sunway, Monash, UM, IMU, MAHSA, Nottingham, and APU.
Adding to the triumph, APU Frisbee Club's Vice-President, Shum Kar Boo, was honoured as the Male Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament, achieving an outstanding total score of 29 (20 goals, 9 assists).
Under the mentorship of Team Spirit Captain Marvin Lee (seated at the centre), Team Pixel of APU Frisbee Club was captained by Ivan Kong Jing Yien (5th from the left, back row) during the NUBR 2024 Tournament. Vice-President Shum Kar Boo is at 2nd from the left in the back row.
Furthermore, three out of the top five highest scorers and assist providers in the tournament hailed from APU's Frisbee Club: Shum Kar Boo (29 total scores), Marvin Lee Jia Hao (24 total scores), and Ivan Kong Jing Yien (22 total scores).
Ivan Kong Jing Yien captained Team Pixel during the NUBR 2024 Tournament, under the mentorship of Team Spirit Captain Marvin Lee.
Shum Kar Boo pursues a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Actuarial Studies at APU; Marvin Lee is a student of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Information Technology with a specialisation in Financial Technology (Fintech); and Ivan Kong Jing Yien is enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing Management with a specialisation in Digital Marketing programme.
Mr Zailan Arabee Abdul Salam, Lecturer-Advisor for the APU Frisbee Club, emphasised the significance of this win for the burgeoning club.
"This victory has greatly boosted the morale and confidence of Team Pixel, composed largely of fresh players new to competitive frisbee," noted Mr Zailan.
He added, "Ivan, Marvin, and Kar Boo, alongside others, have dedicatedly trained and shared their expertise, elevating new players to a commendable level within a short span."
Looking ahead, the APU Frisbee Club is committed to capitalising on this success by implementing strategic initiatives, including talent scouting, refining training programmes, investing in player development, and enhancing team infrastructure.