Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

HUCK THE DISC!

Helios Ultimate athletes preparing to represent Kamloops at Canadian Ultimate Championships in August

Jul 27, 2022 | 11:27 AM

KAMLOOPS — With its roots tied to football, soccer, and basketball, Ultimate is a sport that has been around for over a half-century. While its popularity grew quickly in places like Seattle and Vancouver, Ultimate has taken longer to find a foothold in the interior of the province.

However, the Kamloops Ultimate League is working to change that – right now, a pair of youth teams are preparing for the Canadian Ultimate Championships in Brampton, Ontario next month.

CFJC Today caught up with athletes and coaches at West Highlands Park Tuesday night to find out more about the growth of the sport.

On a blazing Kamloops summer evening, athletes from Helios Ultimate took to the pitch at West Highlands Park for practice. The group of junior athletes is making preparations for the 2022 Canadian Ultimate Championship.

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‘When we showed up to provincials and people were like ‘what is this team from Kamloops?’” Hannah Baughan jokes. “This little place that’s like, semi-desert and they can play Ultimate like no other. And then we get to put our name on the National list? That’s mind-blowing.”

Both Kamloops squads qualified at the BC Ultimate Championships in July – the boys finished fourth, while the girls captured a bronze medal. Helios Ultimate is new to competition, having been around for just a couple of seasons. The athletes want to make sure they put Kamloops on the map.

“I think we’re the first team from the Okanagan to ever go [to Nationals] if I’m not mistaken,” Benjamin Sinclair says. “It’s really exciting to go there. Teams might underestimate us, and maybe we can make a name for ourselves.”

Ben Laidlaw helps coach the girls’ team that took bronze. He says despite being new on the Ultimate scene, his athletes are right there with many of the established programs in the province. He’s also looking forward to seeing how these young athletes react to the top competition in the country.

“We kind of have a really good idea of what we’re up against in terms of competition levels,” Laidlaw says. “We had a lot of success against the top teams at provincials. We still have a couple of really young teams, so we can use this as a growing year. It’s our first time at Nationals, it’s going to be the first experience for all our kids, so to get that experience and use it to grow is going to be very valuable”

Ultimate combines elements of basketball, soccer, and football – add a flying disc instead of a ball, and you’ve got a fun sport these athletes love to play.

“I really like the team culture, it’s like having fun with your friends on the fields during practice,” Sinclair says. “I also really like the strategy and adapting to what the other team is doing and trying to find creative ways to beat their setup.”

“You don’t have to do the same things over and over,” Baughan explains. “I find in soccer, it kind of gets repetitive. In Ultimate, you can try something new every time, and chances are it will work.”