Ultimate NL is pleased to introduce Annika Bieger, who will run ultimate clinics this summer for kids and community groups.
Annika began playing ultimate at St. Paul’s Junior High and Holy Heart of Mary, and says she has “loved and continued to play ever since!” She’s played on a variety of school teams and participated in after-school ultimate programs and adult scrimmages and continues to play recreationally.
“I often helped coached my high school team and now I look forward to sharing my skills and experience!” she says.
Last summer, Ultimate NL led 38 clinics involving over 600 kids of all ages in communities around St. John’s.
Community groups and sports organizations interested in offering clinics to youth participants may contact Annika at annika@ultimatenl.ca.
There have been some recent changes to the Ultimate NL board of directors.
Member-at-large Yolanda Kuai has taken over the position of tournaments and events director. She can be reached at tournaments@ultimatenl.ca.
Also, Kurtis Thornhill has returned to the board, this time in the role of community outreach director. Kurtis previously served on the board as our youth co-ordinator. He can be reached at volunteer@ultimatenl.ca.
Special thanks to outgoing board members Erin Daly and Mark Kavanagh for their time and dedication!
2018-2019 provincial champions, École des Grands-Vents
Congratulations to École des Grands-Vents on winning Ultimate NL’s first standalone elementary school provincial tournament!
The Francophone school from St. John’s defeated Villanova Junior High from Conception Bay South by a score of 8-4 in the final. They were undefeated in the tournament.
In the semi-finals, École des Grands-Vents defeated Vanier White 4-2 and Villanova beat Cowan Heights Elementary 7-5.
“The tournament really showed how much ultimate has grown over the years and how successful it can be with a young age group,” says Hilary Walsh, Ultimate NL’s youth grade school co-ordinator. “The level of Spirit of the Game was fantastic, and you could feel the energy in the building when the games were being played, from not only the kids but the spectators as well.”
Eight teams from six schools took part in the tournament, held at the PowerPlex in St. John’s on June 2.
The final standings were:
1. École des Grands-Vents, St. John’s
2. Villanova, CBS
3. Cowan Heights Elementary, St. John’s
4. Vanier Elementary White, St. John’s
5. Vanier Red, St. John’s
6. Vanier Blue, St. John’s
7. Riverside Elementary, Clarenville
8. St. Matthew’s School, St. John’s
A special congratulations goes to Vanier Red, which was named the Most Spirited Team!
J.M. Olds Collegiate won the School Sports NL central regional banner.
The growth of ultimate in schools across the province continues with six schools in central Newfoundland and Labrador competing in the School Sports NL (SSNL) Central East Varsity Ultimate Frisbee Tournament.
Host team J.M. Olds Collegiate of Twillingate was undefeated in the tournament to earn the regional banner on May 25.
They defeated Lewisporte Collegiate 25-14 in the final.
Riverwood Academy from Gander Bay, Pearson Academy from Wesleyville, Lakewood Academy from Glenwood and Glovertown Academy also took part.
The tournament marks fourth regional tournament from SSNL since ultimate became a Foundation Sport with the governing body in September.
Congratulations to all of the participating teams!
Registration is now open for our junior high and elementary summer leagues.
These six-week leagues will focus on developing player skills in a fun and supportive environment. It will run from July 7 to Aug. 11.
Junior High Summer League
Open to athletes of all skill levels, this six-week league offers a great introduction to the sport of ultimate, allowing players to improve their skills and develop as athletes.
We’re proud to announce our first Elementary Summer League! Open to kids of all skill levels, this league will offer a great introduction to the sport of ultimate, while teaching the skills and value of the sport. The emphasis will be on learning, fun and Spirit of the Game!
Holy Heart of Mary High School. Photo credit: Trevor Wragg.
Holy Heart of Mary’s senior squad narrowly defeated Holy Spirit High 14-12 to win its second provincial ultimate title on May 5.
Both teams were undefeated leading up to the championship game of Ultimate Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2019 Senior High Provincial Championships.
In the third-place game, Mount Pearl Senior High A defeated St. Bonaventure’s College by a score of 16-11. MPSH A was also named the tournament’s most spirited team.
Thirteen teams representing nine schools took part in the tournament. The final standings were:
1st: Holy Heart of Mary High School (senior), St. John’s
2nd: Holy Spirit High School, Conception Bay South
3rd: Mount Pearl Senior High A, Mount Pearl
4th: St. Bonaventure’s College, St. John’s
5th: Queen Elizabeth Regional High School, Foxtrap
6th: Gonzaga Regional High School, St. John’s
7th: Dunne Memorial Academy, St. Mary’s
8th: Holy Heart of Mary High School (junior)
9th: Laval High School Gold, Placentia
10th: Laval High School Red
11th: Mount Pearl Senior High B
12th: Roncalli Central High School A, Avondale
13th: Roncalli B
“We’re really excited to have seen the calibre of play demonstrated at our tournament this year,” said Ultimate NL president, Nick House. “Four different schools have won ultimate tournaments this year, which tells us that ultimate is growing – both in the number of students playing and in the skills they are developing. It’s an exciting time for our sport!
“Congratulations to Holy Heart and Holy Spirit on a highly skilled and spirited final,” added House. “I’d like to thank all the students who played really hard, their coaches for leading their teams over the past few months, and all of the volunteers who help make this tournament special each year. We couldn’t do it without you!”
Holy Spirit High School recently emerged the victor in Ultimate Newfoundland and Labrador’s six-week high school metro league.
The squad from Conception Bay South defeated Mount Pearl Senior High by a score of 16-9 in the final game. Both teams had only one loss in the five-week league.
Holy Heart of Mary High School placed third. Teams from Brother Rice Junior High School, Gonzaga Regional High and St. Bonaventure’s College also participated.
Holy Spirit also won team Spirit of the Game accolades with Diego Kenny from Gonzaga being named the Most Spirited Player.
Momoh Octavious from Brother Rice was the overall male-matching Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Marcie Whelan from Holy Heart was the female-matching MVP.
Holy Spirit’s win in the metro league means that three different schools have won each of the major tournaments so far this year (Mount Pearl won the School Sports NL regional tournament in March and St. Bon’s won the Mount Pearl Invitational in December).
All three teams will next compete at Ultimate NL’s Senior High Provincial Tournament on May 4-5.
Menihek High School won the first SSNL ultimate banner for the region.
The growth of ultimate across Newfoundland and Labrador continues with Menihek High School in Labrador City hosting the region’s first school tournament on April 5-6.
Four teams from Labrador competed in the Northern Varsity Ultimate Frisbee Tournament, sponsored by School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador (SSNL). In addition to Menihek, J.R. Smallwood Middle School in Wabush also fielded three teams
“Ultimate is new to this region,” says tournament director and Menitek coach, Jeff Pardy. “However, interest in ultimate is high, and we’re excited to see the sport continue to grow. We also hope to have at least Menihek compete at the Ultimate Newfoundland and Labrador high school provincial tournament in St. John’s next year. That’s our goal.”
Menihek defeated J.R. Smallwood (yellow) in the final to take home the regional championship banner.
Ethan Sexton from J.R. Smallwood (yellow) was named Most Valuable Player while Brooke Janes fromMenihek won the Most Spirited Player award.
Four teams participated in the tournament. Some of the players are pictured.
“Our partnership with School Sport NL is helping the sport of ultimate reach areas of the province, like Labrador West, that we haven’t had the resources to access in the past,” says Nick House, president of Ultimate NL.
“Just one year after being accepted as a Foundation Sport, there’s now ultimate being played where it wasn’t possible before. Those athletes are now showing interest in competing in provincials championships and joining our provincial club teams. The results are exactly what we hoped for!”
Click here to learn more about ultimate in schools.
Two teams represented Newfoundland and Labrador at the Canadian 4-on-4 Ultimate Championships (C4UC) in Gatineau, QC recently with On Wheels finishing 15th and Come From Away placing 22nd overall.
On Wheels faced some tough opponents and put on strong performances through the two days of competition, finally defeating Fifty-fifty from Quebec to place 15th and maintain its rank going into the tournament.
Recap:
On Wheels vs. Waitlisted (ON) – 15-19
On Wheels vs. Fifty-fifty (QC) – 15-16 (watch the livestream recording here)
On Wheels vs. Big Cat and the Kittens (ON) – 16-19
On Wheels vs. Fourtitude (MB) – 20-10
On Wheels vs. Fortitutde (MB) – 24-10
On Wheels vs. YUM (ON) – 16-19
On Wheels vs. Scott’s Tots (ON) – 17-19
On Wheels vs. Fifty-fifty (QC) – 17-16
Come From Away
Come From Away, featuring many rookie players at the national level, also placed fifth overall in spirit. The team was seeded 20th going into the tournament.
