La Discopa 2008

The biggest ultimate frisbee tournament in Mexico took place from Nov. 17-19 in Zumpango, a suburb of Mexico City. The tournament lasted three days and included female, male and junior divisions.

We played and stayed in a large complex complete with cabins, dormitories, barbecues, a cafeteria, a pool, several playgrounds, and, of course, many fields. The complex belongs to the local union of TelCel employees, where they can vacation at a reduced rate.

I stayed in a cabin with a teammate and two other players I didn't know. "Cabin" is perhaps a misnomer, as it included a kitchenette and a living room, as well as a cleaning service.

The female division included eight teams divided into two pools. I played with a team called "Nebulosas" (The Foggies/Misties... it sounds better in Spanish) - the female version of a Xalapa team called "Panteras" (The Panthers). The team actually included only four players from Xalapa, and the rest came from a team in San Luis Potosí.


Both the male and female divisions included a team called "Los Illegales" - teams from Texas who came down to challenge the Mexicans. There was actually no antagonism - the female team even integrated a few Mexican players. Since the sport originated in the US, many Mexican players see the presence of foreign teams as a chance to learn different techniques and strategies. "Los Illegales" also brought down a giant bag of free frisbees, so no one was complaining.

That said, the tournament included two finals - one "international" final, and a second "Mexican" final the following day. This was designed to give the Mexican teams a chance - the US teams clearly dominated in both divisions.


The junior division was almost entirely composed of a group of kids from low-income families sponsored by the tournament. The idea was to provide a fun weekend away for the kids while promoting the development of the sport in Mexico.

It was a great tournament, and was especially fun for me to play on an all-female team. (The gender dynamics of frisbee can be interesting.) It is the last tournament I will play - the next tournament is Mexico is on the beach in Acapulco in January.