REGIONAL INTEREST


evolved, many of those who used to regularly travel to play have since moved on from the scene, and those who’ve entered it in their place either aren’t familiar with the available opportunities for ‘touring’ frisbee or they (mistakenly) assume that touring is reserved for those who are looking to compete at the highest levels of the sport. Despite the fact that Winnipeg’s competitive club programs are thriving these days, only the slightest minority of the larger community seek out opportunities for recreational play outside of usual summer-league commitments.


co-ed Ultimate tourney. The particular timing of this re-imagination of the event as something bigger is the function of a confluence of circumstances. First: historically, ‘Skeeters’ was a small, early-season event that drew mostly local teams; Winnipeg’s primary summer Ultimate draw was the more competitively- focused ‘Flatland Ultimate & Cups Tournament’ held each July, which at one time drew dozens of teams from across the Prairies and North-Central USA. A quieting, in recent years, of the competitive frisbee scene across Alberta and Saskatchewan, plus the explosion of the number of tournament opportunities available in the North-Central/ Midwestern US, combined with Winnipeg’s relative geographic isolation, have conspired to all but wipe out any interest there used to be to make the drive to ‘Flatland’. On the other hand, Skeeters has grown steadily, with registration at or near the 30-team mark in each of the past few years, with an already-festive vibe that developed completely organically.


Second: the Winnipeg Ultimate population has continued to grow dramatically (the Manitoba Organization of Disc Sports, aka ‘MODS’, now counts more than 4,200 players in its ranks), which has brought with it a fairly significant cultural shift. Once upon a time, when the entire league consisted of a few-hundred players or less, a significant portion of the community would routinely participate in tournaments (often out of town), even at a recreational level. As the community has


So it was that the planners of this year’s Beat the Skeeters event decided to formally refocus MODS’ tournament-hosting priorities, to capitalize on the success of an event that was doing well anyway, and - while they were at it - to try to throw back to an old-school type of tournament experience, where the quest for on-field success was only a portion (and, in some cases, not a particularly important one) of the motivation for spending so many hours and dollars chasing plastic.


The 2014, inaugural-but-not-inaugural, edition of the event was a success, drawing 32 teams (including a handful from out of town) and yielding an encouraging combination of positive feedback about the weekend and enthusiasm about the potential for its evolution. If its vision is fulfilled, the new-&-improved Beat the Skeeters will steadily revive the passion of local players for the recreational touring experience, snare a contingent of participants who don’t necessarily play Ultimate outside of this one weekend per year, and


Team Mario Party embraces the theme! Ultimate Canada Magazine - www.canadianultimate.com


Photo: MODS 23


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