Championships SPIRITED OBSERVATIONS
Justin Lee was an Observer this weekend at CUC. Observers help move the game along and avoid some, although not all, of these arguments. I asked Lee about his experiences as an observer.
“Having started as a Junior in Winnipeg, I was really sold on the Spirit of the Game,” said Lee. “Imagine a World Championship where the games are not refereed.” Like the rest of the Canadian Ultimate community, however, Lee noticed that “some teams or players took advantage of the rules.” Spirit of the Game could not last in the face of growing competition. It had to change.
“While it may look easy from the outside, to make it look easy is a lot of work,” he said. “It is something that I continue to strive to be better at, just like we all strive to be better.” Devoted players like Lee have become Observers to “give back to the game,” as he put it. In the past, I have witnessed
disputes over a foul call turn into drawn out, foul-mouthed battles of ego. The contributions of Lee and others like him help Canadian Ultimate balance Spirit of the Game and high-level competition. Observers are one of many positive changes I noticed at CUC 2015.
GIRL POWER
Another big change for me was that I watched many hours of women’s Ultimate at CUC. My sister, Sara Udow, started playing Ultimate later than I did but has a much more impressive resume including playing with the Team Canada women.
Women ultimate players seemed to me to be more skilled, athletic and fearless than I remember (and I think they dance more, too). The Women’s final game between Iris and Traffic was possibly the best game of the tournament. This game had it all - soaring hucks, leaping grabs, finger-tip catches and lay-out defensive bids.
Another change I noticed, especially on the women’s side, was that more and more teams have coaches rather than the traditional player captain. Both Traffic and Iris, for example, have coaches - Traffic being coached by Furious George legend Jeff Cruickshank - while Capitals relied on their four player-captains.
I asked Capitals captain, Sarah Kidd, for her thoughts on having a dedicated coach. “As a player- captain the benefit to having [a coach] is clear to me,” said Kidd. “There is always someone devoted entirely to watching how everything plays out. Line calling [and] strategic decisions all get made in a more measured way… Taking all that on while playing, especially in a high-pressure game, definitely can take its toll.”
BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER
On the men’s side, especially among the top teams, the game has changed as well. It’s faster, taller and more physical than I
Photo: Tse Luk
Photo: Kat Britten Ultimate Canada Magazine -
www.canadianultimate.com 11
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