As the international Ultimate community gets ready for the WFDF 2024 World Ultimate Championships next month, we are putting the spotlight on some of the teams that will be traveling to Australia for this premier event, and a chance to qualify for The World Games 2025. Join us, as we follow their Road to WUC.
When you talk to members of the Panama national team who will be competing in the Mixed division at the WFDF 2024 World Ultimate Championships, one word comes up again and again.
“For me, it is an honor and I wear my flag with pride,” said Dayra Cowes, a player on the Panama Mixed National Team and a member of the Board of Directors of the Asociación de Ultimate Frisbee de Panamá.
“This is the maximum honor of my life,” said Sebastian Amaya Abello, another member of the team and former coach of the U24 squad that competed in Heidelberg, Germany in 2019. “The result is not really as important. This is about representation.”
This year, Panama’s 20 players will be participating in the WFDF World Ultimate Championships (WUC) for the first time. In fact, Panama will be sending teams to all three of the WFDF 2024 World Ultimate Championship events – WUC, the World Junior Ultimate Championships currently underway in Birmingham, U.K., and the World Masters Ultimate Championships in Irvine, California in November.
“It’s a challenge but also a motivation that Ultimate here in Panama is not a ‘main sport,’” said Amaya Abello. “It is very, very, very unknown to your average Panamanian.”
“Going to a world championship and seeing your flag, your team, it’s like a dream. For me, it’s just so exciting.”
While Panama has had a presence at past WFDF events (the country made its debut at the WFDF World Ultimate Club Championships in 2022 with club team Two Oceans), the sport is still in its early stages in the small Latin American country.
Leagues and club teams primarily play only in the Open and Women’s divisions but Panama decided to send a Mixed team in order to send the strongest team possible to Australia.
The team knows they are viewed as “underdogs” going into the competition but Cowes said opponents “might be surprised when they see some of our players.” What their team may lack in international experience, they more than make up for in passion, enthusiasm and a desire to learn and improve.
“I’m looking forward to being like a sponge,” said Nicole Jimenez, a new member of the squad. “When I get back, I will take all the concepts I learned there to my teammates here in Panama and I hope we can expand and grow and keep reaching.”
Teams they face at WUC can also expect “a lot of noise, a lot of cheering, and a lot of intensity,” Cowes said.
The road so far has not been easy. Because Ultimate is not a mainstream sport, the National Federation does not receive much support from the government. A lack of green space for practices and a roster that includes a number of players living outside the country has further put a strain on the team. Not to mention the high cost of traveling all over the globe has been an additional challenge for the upstart team.
“How difficult this process has been for all our players is also one of our biggest motivations to prove ourselves in this championship,” Cowes said. “Despite limited resources, we have persevered – finding places to practice, seeking sponsors and raising awareness about our journey, even to those unfamiliar with Ultimate.”
The members of Panama’s national team are sure it will all be worth it.
“When we get there, to the fields, and I see my jersey and my teammates and all the great things we’re going to make, I know I will feel my heart. I know that I’m going to cry,” said Jimenez. “This is my moment. I’m going to appreciate it. I’m going to go big or go home.”
Cowes views WUC as the first step to putting Panama Ultimate on the map.
“We know the road is long but this tournament is the start.”
Follow Panama Ultimate’s Road to WUC on Instagram at @panama.ultimate.