If you organize it, they will come.
BY TOM NEWMAN
Whenever people ask me to describe Ultimate, the first word that always jumps to mind is addicting. From the minute I played my first game, I knew I was hooked, and I never wanted to be cured. The great thing about Ultimate though is that as soon as someone picks up the sport, and sees a long smooth huck soaring to the end zone, they totally get it, and are soon an addict themselves looking for a fix. This is why the worst part about moving to Thunder Bay in 2006 for graduate school was not the cold, or the distance from friends and family, but the lack of organized Ultimate. Although there was some regular pick-up and a Facebook group, the Thunder Bay Ultimate scene was a bit like going into withdrawal after living in southern Ontario where there are tournaments every weekend, and leagues in almost every major city. Fortunately, that all changed in 2008 when six dedicated Ultimate players came together with a common vision of bringing a fun, competitive and sustainable Ultimate league to Thunder Bay. Throughout the winter of 2008 the Thunder Bay Ultimate Club (TBU) was created, and although starting a brand new league in a community where Ultimate is relatively unknown is not an easy task, the passion and drive of the small group of six board members was more than up to the challenge. Not to mention the advice and support we received from Chris Lowcock and the Ontario Disc Sports Association (ODSA), Ultimate Canada, and Steve Indig (a talented and patient sports lawyer from Toronto), without which we would have never gotten off the
ground. After months of meetings, e-mails, design considerations, field scouting, consultations and advertising, (not to mention huge concerns about whether or not we would even have enough players for 2 teams, let alone enough for a league) our 2009 season was a huge success with six teams, over 90 members and a great
season of Ultimate. One of the luckiest breaks we had in getting started is the high number of talented Ultimate players who live in Thunder Bay. These veteran players, with years of competitive experience were able to teach the new players about the sport they love so much, and as a result the calibre of Ultimate in our first year was much higher than many people expected. With the 2010 season fast approaching,
we realize that there is a lot of organizing left to do for our Ultimate community. We are projecting a growth of about 30% and are constantly looking for ways to bring new players into the fold. We are also excited about the possibility of planning a hat tourney, sending teams to tournaments in Winnipeg and Minnesota, and making sure the 2010 season of Ultimate is better than the first. However, all of this work is completely worth it to see people coming to learn and love the sport as we addicts do. You can check us out at
www.thunderbayUltimate.com or you can e-mail us at tbayUltimate@gmail. com/. If you’ve got any questions about what it takes to start a league or want to know more about Thunder Bay Ultimate please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
~ Tom Newman is the President of Thunder Bay Ultimate.
No Borders
Ultimate
Ottawa
July 17-18
Ottawa’s No Borders 2010- Music and Elite Ultimate
No Borders will celebrate its 26th year in Canada’s capital city this summer on July 17-18.
• This is the first year that the tournament will partner with Ottawa Bluesfest, one of the biggest summer music festivals in North America.
• Teams and Players will not only play elite level Ultimate, but will have special access to discounted day passes to witness famous concert acts from 7 different music stages in one location!
For more information, or to register a team, please contact tournament director Steven Trainor
steven.trainor@
gmail.com
http://www.nobordersUltimate.com/ http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca/
Ultimate Canada Magazine —
www.canadianultimate.com
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