NANAIMO — The Vancouver Island University ultimate team returned from a national tournament in Ontario with a silver medal.
The Canadian University Ultimate Championships were held Oct. 17-19 in Brampton, On., and the result was a huge boost to a very new group of players.
Co-captain Oliver Rhodes said the team hasn’t been in existence very long.
“Our team was built up of athletes last year who opened the team and tried to get it going. Some were very new to ultimate and some not. This year we had tryouts and by the end we had 18 athletes that we took to nationals.”
Ultimate frisbee is a football-esque game played with a frisbee, where two teams look to throw and catch the disc into their opponent’s end zone.
Those in possession cannot run with the disc and each pass must be made within a certain number of seconds, ensuring the action keepS moving at a fast pace.
University ultimate has a short schedule, but it is quite intense.
“There were three practices a week and we only had three exhibition games. We played two exhibition games in Victoria and we had one game here in Nanaimo versus UVic. The season is two months, starting in September.”
Rhodes said the team played in division three and was determined to finish higher than their seed, which was fourth.
The semi-final matchup in Brampton was a turning point for the group, according to Rhodes.
“The sideline really brought the energy for our players. In that game, it was all weather with rain, wind and sun. It really got heated emotionally. I threw the last points to my other captain to secure a spot in the final and everyone rushed the field. It was the feeling that we all made this happen.”
Even though the season is over, the plan is to continue holding practices weekly.
Those sessions will sharpen the athletes’ skills, but Rhodes said they also want to open up their practices to potential new players.
“We’re encouraging new athletes to come out and we’re also going to incorporate high school students who are thinking of going to VIU and playing ultimate.”
The VIU is planning to return to the nationals in 2026 in either division three, which is co-ed, or in division two which would split into a men’s and a women’s team.
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