BEERWAH State High School students have thrown their way to another championship title, continuing the school’s remarkable rise in the fast-paced sport of ultimate frisbee.
The school’s senior team went undefeated across six games at a major schools competition at Brendale in August, overcoming Prince of Peace Lutheran College in a closely fought grand final.
The victory marks Beerwah High’s third senior title at the competition in five years, following previous wins in 2022 and 2023. But the success is about much more than trophies for a sporting program that began almost a decade ago with lunchtime games organised by school chaplain Mike Turner.
Ultimate frisbee has been offered at Beerwah High since 2017 and has steadily developed into a sporting community involving students, teachers and families.
The non-contact team sport uses a flying disc and combines elements of sports such as netball and American football, with players passing the frisbee between teammates as they attempt to score in an opposition end zone.
Students have developed their skills, teamwork and strategy through regular games and opportunities to compete against schools from across the Sunshine Coast and greater Brisbane region. The program has also grown well beyond school competitions.
Beerwah High hosts teacher-versus-student matches four times a year, holds after-school family barbecue events and has even produced its own ultimate frisbee magazine.
Students have also taken the sport on the road through a 1000km bus tour visiting schools in western Queensland.
Mr Turner said the accessibility of ultimate frisbee had made it an effective way of building connections between students, staff and families.
One of the sport’s most distinctive features is its emphasis on sportsmanship and personal responsibility.
Ultimate frisbee is traditionally self-officiated, meaning players are responsible for making calls and resolving disputes themselves rather than relying on referees.
Central to that approach is the “Spirit of the Game”, which places responsibility on players to compete fairly, respectfully and with consideration for their opponents.
That philosophy was on display during Beerwah High’s latest championship campaign, with the school saying its players conducted themselves exceptionally throughout the tournament and were a credit to their families and school.
