Dear All, The Ultimate/Drugs debate has been going a fair while now, and it seems that people acknowledge the potential problem with linking Ultimate to drugs, but some want to play the sport and enjoy the sub-culture. In my oppinion we should not be looking to blame the boys in Nottingham for a bit of fun that went a bit wrong, but look to the future and our attitude to drugs in Ultimate. (The tounament was excellent, by the way!) If we expect the sport to grow in this country, we cannot be seen to advocate the use of any illegal substance. People will always smoke Hash whether it is illegal or not, but the sport will be seriously damaged if links continue to be made between illegal drugs and Ultimate. People will always be partial to a smoke, but for the sake of the sport i hope that those who want to smoke at tounaments, do so with the reputation of Ultiamte in mind. We all have a responsibilty to act in a way that doesn't damage the public perception of Ultimate. I don't think that we need an official BUF response on this as (was mentioned earlier) this is likely to be counterproductive in terms of the press response. We should police ourselves and make tournaments an environment to which a junior team and their teachers can come without fear of exposure to drugs. (On this point, it would be naieve to think that most middle teenagers haven't had exposure to hash, because they inevitably have) What players get up to outside the venue is up to them. What is important is that Ultimate remains a friendly sport and that everyone at a competition enjoys it. The actions of some should not prevent others from attending or tarnishing the image of the sport. Cheers, Martin (Block Stack) PS I have no problem with smokers (I have done it myself), it's just the association with the sport that could get us into trouble later as the sport grows. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
