Left to right: Ultimate NL vice-president Melissa Wheeler, John Mackenzie, Dr. Trina Bailey and president Nick House.
Ultimate Newfoundland and Labrador is pleased to announce that Veterinary Specialty Centre (VSC) of Newfoundland and Labrador is the new corporate sponsor for Storm and our youth provincial tournaments.
VSC, co-owned by Dr. Trina Bailey and John Mackenzie, is the only clinic in Newfoundland and Labrador that provides advanced medical care for pets in the province.
The duo became interested in sponsoring ultimate after watching their son, Ewan, participate in the junior open Storm program last year.
“I am so impressed by the communication, problem-solving skills and camaraderie of players on and off the field,” said Mackenzie. “I wanted to determine if there was anything our company could do to further support this inspiring behaviour, the skill development of the players and the growth of this commendable sport in the province.”
VSC’s sponsorship will help offset the cost of field rentals, athletic gear, travel and other expenses related to operating Storm, the province’s junior open and female competitive club teams. The sponsorship will also go towards expenses associated with hosting Ultimate NL’s annual elementary, junior high and senior high provincial tournaments this spring.
“We’re excited to partner with Veterinary Specialty Centre as it’s an organization that is invested in our community and shares our values in providing many opportunities for young people to play ultimate in this province,” says Nick House, president of Ultimate NL. “It will have an immediate impact on our Storm and youth programs, and help us expand them beyond what has been possible until now.”
“Ultimate is a great sport that is adaptable to many skill levels, making it inclusive and fun. It also brings people together in a positive way,” adds Dr. Bailey. “We look forward to being a part of an exciting season ahead.”
Ultimate NL is pleased to introduce a new skills and drills league for beginner and intermediate female-matching players.
This six-week league will focus on introducing and improving skills related to throwing, cutting, defence and offence.
Kathleen Sullivan, Ultimate NL’s sport development coordinator, says the league will help gender equity efforts in the provincial ultimate community.
“With the increased attention on gender equity and the use of WFDF Rule A by Mile Zero Ultimate, increasing the confidence and skill level of female-matching players will translate to a better experience in all their encounters with the sport,” she says. “The goal is to have these players feel comfortable with the disc so they can fully enjoy their playing experience and continue playing ultimate in the future.”
The league is open to female-matching players ages 16 and over. Each session will focus on a specific skill with participants being divided by skill level for some drills in order to help players master the concepts being taught.
“This will be a learning series focusing on skills and drills to allow female-matching players the opportunity to improve their skills in a safe and inclusive indoor environment,” says Sullivan.
League dates:
Wednesday, April 10: 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 17: 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 24: 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 1: 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 8: 8:30-10 p.m.
Wednesday, May 15: 8:30-10 p.m.
All sessions will take place at the Techniplex in St. John’s. The cost is $60.
Storm at the opening ceremony for the 2018 Canadian Ultimate Championships.
Youth players are invited to try out for Storm, the province’s junior competitive club teams, next month.
Ultimate Newfoundland and Labrador offers junior open and female teams in its competitive Storm program. Male- and female-matching players who are between the ages of 14 and 18 as of Dec. 31, 2019 are eligible to try out.
All tryouts will take place at the Techniplex in St. John’s.
Athletes outside the Avalon who cannot make the tryouts and are interested in the team, as well as all other inquiries, may be directed to Luke Dyer, Youth Development and Competition Director, at youth@ultimatenl.ca.
“I am feeling very optimistic about the upcoming year. We have four new faces and five returning board members, and there’s a noticeable level of liveliness and excitement,” says Melissa Wheeler, who was elected for her second term as president. “We’re all very eager to start planning our leagues, clinics and other initiatives for the year ahead.”
The new board consists of:
President: Melissa Wheeler
Vice-president: Rachael Fitkowski
Treasurer: Hilary Walsh
Secretary: Rosie Myers
Members at large: Jessica Mandville, Nicole Bishop, Jennica Seiden, Meghan Hollett and Sophie Blais
Outgoing members are Erin Daly as former president and member at large and Sarah Hoddinott as secretary. Daly has served eight years in various positions on the board while Hoddinott served two years.
SWURL is one of the longest running women’s leagues in Canada.
Left to right: Madison Hull, Erin Daly, Luke Dyer, Andrew Workman, Craig Stoyles, Stefan Barnes, Kathleen Sullivan and Kurtis Thornhill.
We were thrilled to recognize top athletes, coaches and volunteers with our 2018 Ultimate NL Awards recently.
The winners of the annual awards were announced at our volunteer gala on Feb. 9. They are:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Stefan Barnes
Female Athlete of the Year Award: Erin Daly
Male Athlete of the Year Award: Luke Dyer
Junior Female Athlete of the Year Award: Madison Hull
Junior Male Athlete of the Year Award: Andrew Workman
Coach of the Year Award: Craig Stoyles
Justin Frampton Spirit of the Game Award: Claire Genest
Kristine Cadigan Award: Kathleen Sullivan
Joe Coady Award: Kurtis Thornhill
“Our community, from running youth leagues to guiding the development of ultimate in the province, is led primarily by volunteers,” said Nick House, president of Ultimate NL. “Our awards are intended to recognize the hard work and commitment of these individuals, as well as the excellence demonstrated by our top athletes and coaches. Ultimate has seen tremendous growth in recent years, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without their passion and dedication.”
Introducing the award winners
Barnes was the first president of Mile Zero Ultimate and also served on the Newfoundland and Labrador Ultimate Association, the precursor of Ultimate NL. He also played on a number of competitive teams including Granite, the province’s first co-ed competitive travelling team.
Daly became the only female from Newfoundland and Labrador to ever play at the World Ultimate Club Championships in 2018. There, she was the top-scoring female player in the mixed division with 22 goals, finishing 11th overall in total goals out of 1,100 athletes.
Dyer captained the Memorial Ultimate Touring Team to its top finish to date at the Canadian University Ultimate Championships (CUUC) and at the Canadian Ultimate Championships (CUC) with Regiment, he finished fourth in scoring and 11th in total points (out of 360 athletes). His performance earned him a tryout with the U24 Team Canada squad later this month.
Hull co-captained Storm at the Junior Canadian Ultimate Championships, where she lead the team in scoring and was named the team’s tournament all-star. In December, her St. Bonaventure’s team won the Mount Pearl Senior High Invitational.
Workman was a leader on Mount Pearl Senior High’s ultimate team that won the provincial high school tournament in 2018. He was also a member of Storm and led the team in points at the Junior Canadian Ultimate Championships.
Stoyles served as head coach for the open squad of Storm in 2018 and coached the team to its first two victories at the Junior Canadian Ultimate Championships, including an upset win over the ninth-seeded team. Storm finished 20th overall, up from a seeded position of 24th. Stoyles also coaches the ultimate team at Holy Spirit High School.
Genest is a member of Tempest, the province’s female competitive club team, where she is a leader in sportsmanship, fair-mindedness and respect for her teammates and opponents. She currently captains the Mount Allison Ultimate Team and has led them to numerous first-place finishes in Spirit of the Game rankings.
Sullivan is the current sport development co-ordinator for Ultimate NL. A leader on and off the field, she’s played on competitive club teams Tempest and Wreckhouse and is a current captain of Tempest. She regularly volunteers at youth ultimate tournaments and is an ambassador for Spirit of the Game at all levels of play.
Thornhill served as the youth co-ordinator for Ultimate NL from 2016-2017, where he was instrumental in the growth of the province’s competitive and recreational youth programs. His leadership led to the start of Storm, a junior competitive program that fields teams in the open and women’s divisions. In addition, Thornhill has served as tournament director for many high school, junior high and elementary school tournaments and was heavily involved in managing the city’s high school metro league.
Naughty List (in red) faced Holly Jolly’s in the final of Huckfest.
Ultimate NL’s annual holiday tournament, Huckfest, was a resounding success with 60 players taking part on Dec. 27.
The turnout made it was one of the largest Huckfests to date. The annual, fun holiday tournament saw participants don their finest green and red apparel to celebrate the holiday season in ultimate style.
The final saw Naughty List defeat Holly Jolly’s to take the 2018 Huckfest title.
Thank you to everyone who took part! If you have feedback on the tournament, please contact events director Erin Daly at tournaments@ultimatenl.ca.
Tempest recently finished fourth in its fifth appearance at Chick n’ Run.
The province’s travelling competitive team for women took part in the indoor four-on-four women’s tournament against teams from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador from Dec. 8-9.
In pool play on day one, Tempest finished 3-1 overall, winning against DKUT (Dalhousie) 42-6, Chicks with Flicks (Halifax) 25-19 and Sirens (Saint John) 43-9, and taking a loss to Hey Girl (Moncton) 23-16.
Advancing to the top six for day two, Tempest played against Death by Snu Snu (Fredericton) and pulled out a 21-14 win to secure a spot in the semis. There, they met the eventual champions, RC (Halifax), losing 27-14 but earning a spot in the bronze medal game.
Tempest played for third place against Chicks in the Yard in an exciting back-and-forth matchup. The end of regulation time saw the teams tied at 17 with Chicks in the Yard in possession of the disc, who went on to score and earn the victory on universe point.
Congratulations to the board of directors for 2018-2019!
We also offer a big thank you to outgoing board members Laurel Penney, Kurtis Thornhill, Myles Dooley, Aaron Goulding and William Kerr for all their time, commitment and hard work.
