Frisbee team will try to live up to ‘ultimate’ season

Reported by Christina Dommer

On the heels of Sir Winston Churchill Secondary’s most successful ultimate frisbee season, the new team has big cleats to fill.

Last year, the Bulldogs placed first in a regional tournament and was runner up to Eric Hamber Secondary in both the city and provincial championships.

Out of the team’s 25 players this year, only seven are returning from the previous season.

“No matter how many returners there are, every team has a different energy, different things you need to work on,” said Julie Lee, a coach for the team.

History of the Bulldogs

Churchill’s senior ultimate team has never won a provincial championship since its formation in the 1999 school year.

“We had a really successful season last year, the most successful we’ve had ever,” said Pirie.

The Ultimate Canada website states that Churchill is the most experienced team of any in the history of high school ultimate, but it means different things to different people.

“Churchill has a lot of ultimate history,” Lee said. “A lot of players who graduated from Churchill are very successful in their ultimate careers now.”

Frisbee future

Lee, who herself is a Churchill alumna, also said that some former players went on to represent Team Canada in ultimate.

Another coach, Edward Guo, believes that playing ultimate outside of school contributes to the team’s experience.

“A lot of the players that come from the program end up really loving ultimate and they keep playing throughout the summer,” Guo said. He added that participating in Ultimate Canada’s summer club helps to reinforce what players learned over the season.

Kyle Nystad, the chair of provincial high school ultimate, said that Churchill has plenty of chances to prove themselves at tournaments this season.

“April is quite busy with tournaments and getting the season going,” Nystad said. He noted the Spring Reign tournament, which takes place in Burlington, Wash., is a high point for many players.