Championships


remember. The stout, solid handlers (like me) have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Gone, too, are the athletic cutters who can’t throw a forehand (or even a backhand). Now, cutters can make as many throws as the handlers can, and handlers are expected to fill in downfield as well.


These changes were most apparent to me while watching my former team, Winnipeg General Strike. This year saw the migration of large core of Strike veterans to the Masters’ division. As Strike battled with Vancouver’s Furious George in the semi-final game, it seemed to me that the absence of these veterans was hardly felt. Strike captain Cam Burden has matured into a cerebral handler capable of throwing massive bombs. Rookies Nick Daquisto and Matthew Ladyman scored several big points each, making plays and beating their respective (and very respectable) Furious defenders.


I asked Kyle Parker, veteran captain of General Strike and cornerstone of the Winnipeg Ultimate community, about changes he has noticed in Canadian Ultimate. “More involvement, more participants, and more athletes,” said Parker.


NEW CHAMPIONS


On Championship Sunday it was revealed that some things stay the same, including the rivalry between Furious George and Toronto’s GOAT. These two teams have faced each other for the Canadian championship three times in this millennium. In 2003, 2007


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and 2011, Furious George was victorious over GOAT. The ‘angry monkey’ has won ten Canadian Ultimate Championships.


This year brought another change, as GOAT came back from an 8-6 deficit at half time to win 15-13. The deeply experienced Toronto roster led the goat to finally defeat the monkey as Toronto fans chanted ‘Year of the Goat, Year of the Goat!’


I asked Winnipegger and injured GOAT captain Mark Lloyd about what this victory meant for the team. “It means a lot to finally get that win,” said Lloyd. “It’s been on our team’s radar for over 9 years. For us to do it with a lot of former teammates and the founders of GOAT watching meant a lot.”


Indeed, former GOAT players, including former captain John Hassel, watched the game from the front and centre row of the stadium. Hassel and other GOAT veterans shook the monkey off their own backs as the Ontario Mens’ Masters’ team, Shepherds, claimed the gold medal over a crew of Furious George veterans.


DEBRIEFING


One thing that hasn’t changed is how much Ultimate players love to play Ultimate. Sixty-two club teams from across Canada competed in five divisions at CUC 2015. All of these players took time from their families and careers not only to travel to Winnipeg, but to other tournaments throughout the summer. Throughout it all, they pay their own way with no expectation


of a payoff at the end.


I asked my sister her favourite debriefing question: what were the highest and lowest points of the tournament? I would guess all the Capitals girls would agree with her low point, “the fact that we didn’t jive when it mattered,” she said, thinking of their losses to Iris and Traffic. I think Udow’s high point, however, sums up my own reflections perfectly. She loved “playing with all the young and new Capitals who will carry the team into the future.”


Ultimate, especially Canadian Ultimate, is a community of devoted people who love to chase plastic. It’s thrilling to see how this community is growing, becoming younger and more athletic - especially with the possibility of a Canadian Ultimate team competing in the future Olympics. Behind this growth, I think, are good times that yield great memories: Camaraderie, competition and the spirit of the game.


Photo: Kat Britten Ultimate Canada Magazine - www.canadianultimate.com


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