Team Canada Tryout Info- Update

Nation,

Received a friendly note from the executive director of the Canadian Ultimate Players Association (Danny Saunders).

The tryout information for all team except junior men and women's teams. Please see the following link for more info.

Team Canada Worlds 2008

If you think you're worlds worthy, get your applications in!

Team Canada Tryout Info

Nation,

I was asked to post this. It's directly from the CUPA site.

Team Canada 2008

The 2008 World Ultimate & Guts Championships are set to take place from August 2-9, 2008 in Vancouver, B.C. Canada will be sending a team to participate in each of the 6 divisions: Open, Women's, Mixed, Masters, Junior Open & Junior Women's. The core of each national team (except for the junior's division) will be the 2007 CUC champion for the respective division. Each team will be selecting additional players from across the country to add to their roster. Below is application information for each of the national teams.

Open Division: 2007 Champion Furious George

Furious George has now begun the process of selecting the team that will compete for gold in the Open division at next year's World Championships in Vancouver. If you are interested in playing on the team and you feel that you can be an important contributor then we would like you to apply as soon as possible and no later than Dec 31, 2007. You would be expected to travel to at least two tournaments on the west coast. Please send an email to furious@canadianultimate.com , telling us your:

• Strengths as a player (what are you going to contribute to the team)
• Experience (who you've played for and how long, please no mention of city league teams)
• References (who can speak to your abilities and attitudes)
• Age
• Height
• Commitment level/availability
• Contact info

Mixed Division: 2007 Champion TFP

The application for the 2008 Mixed team is now available online. The deadline to apply is December 1st, 2007. 2007 Mixed Team Application

Masters Division: 2007 Champion Tombstone.

Tombstone, a Toronto masters team, was fortunate enough to win the Canadian bid to worlds which will be held August 3-9, 2008 in Vancouver, B.C.

We are seeking interested players from across Canada to join a core of Tombstone players at Worlds 2008. The main criteria for selection will be past "big game" experience and athletic ability. The qualification for the Masters division at Worlds 2008 is that a player must be at least 33 years of age by December 31, 2008.

Interested candidates should submit an email to list@turnerlist.com with a brief playing history, including teams to which the player has belonged and the tournament results of those teams. The email should also include a physical description (height, weight) and a general description of the role the player feels he could fill as well as a description of the players "Ultimate assets".

Interested candidates must submit a resume on or before December 1, 2008 in order to be considered for a spot on the Canadian Masters 2008 worlds team.

We look forward to hearing from you,

Selection Committee - The Canadian Masters 2008 Team

Ultimate- Team Game or Game of Stars

Nation,

A quick discussion and poll question on an aspect of team composition in ultimate. First, let me give you a non-ultimate example:

It's the summer of 2007. The Boston Celtics, a once great franchise, are coming off a season where they compiled the second worst record in the NBA (24-58). A once great franchise is in trouble, leading the Celtics make two major trades to acquire future Hall of Famers Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. They trade almost their entire roster along with future draft picks to nab these two players. Pre season critics point out the fact that despite Boston now having the best 1-2-3 (Garnett, Pierce, and Allen) punch in the league, the big 3 have almost no one to play with. The Celtic management clearly went for a high risk/high reward rebuilding option. (For analysis of Kevin Garnett and his departure effect on his old team, see here)

Pictured: The Big 3 (Pierce, Garnett, Allen)

So far, this high risk strategy has worked. Boston has started the season 11-2, lead by the approx. 60 pts/game these three players score. The Celtics have much less depth than last year, but attributing more salary to the top of the depth chart has produced much better start.

Can we say putting all of your salary cap money at the top of your depth chart lead to more success in the NBA? No, because there are very few Garnetts, Pierces and Allens out there. However, this example has lead me to ask the question:

Does an Ultimate team with several elite players outperform teams with greater depth?

If these hypothetical teams squared off 10 times, how many times would each team win? Ultimate doesn't have a salary cap, has more players on the field and is a different game. However, is it a game where one or several players can control the game, or does the team with greater depth/ overall talent have an edge?

My opinion is this:

• I think that Ultimate is more like basketball than football. I think one or several elite players can make a difference
• I think that it is on offence that these elite players can make the greatest significant difference
• I think on defence, depth based teams will most likely enjoy an advantage.
• I think a team that relies on a few elite players only succeeds when the stars complement each other. (E.g. Three great handlers versus Great Handler, Great Cutter, Great Striker)
  
• I think when you can combine greater depth with greater elite talent, you get the New England Patriots of 2007. You also get Furious of the past decade in Canada, and so on.

Let me know what you think.

Talking With Trainor- Andrew Lugsdin

Nation,

Few players have dominated the country's Open division like Andrew Lugsdin:

• 3 UPA titles as a captain on Furious George
• World Championship Gold and represented Canada on many occasions
  
• National Championships with Furious George, WaX, and Nomads

This is just a few of the things he's done. For two decades, he's been a elite player on the elite team in the nation. He's a lock for the Ottawa Ultimate hall of Fame for his early career exploits in Ottawa. He's also seen as one of the best captains and leaders in the game.

By popular demand, here's an interview with Andrew. Many questions, many good answers.

How was the name Furious George created? Who is to be given credit?
This was before my time here so I don't really know the details. The team was formed in '95 when Vertigogh (the old guys) and Evil Genius (the young guys) combined. I heard that they had a team vote on the final two names and the other name won. However, Khai Foo was the one responsible for getting the team jerseys made and he vetoed the group and had them made as Furious George. Khai is the one who created the logo. He's a great artist here in Vancouver.

Who/What brought you into the sport?

A buddy of mine, Dan Nichols, formed a team in the Ottawa City league without telling any of us. None of us had heard of the sport before but he registered the team and so we were commited to playing. That was the very beginning but I probably got more interested in the game at McGill University where Steve and Eileen Wright were very welcoming to new players and they exposed us to a higher level of play.

What's your strongest asset as a player?

I think my strongest asset is my competitive nature. I like to compete and to win. Team sports have lots of different dynamics going on and players who focus on the outcome and not how they look while doing it tend to be more successful from my perspective.

What's your strongest asset as a leader? Do you feel comfortable being dubbed as a great leader?

I don't really think of myself as a great, or a not-great, leader so it's not something that creates any discomfort. It's just not something that crosses my mind. I think of myself as fulfilling a role on the team and it happens to a leadership role, no more or less important, than any other role on the team. If the team thinks that it will do better with someone else in the leadership role then I would happily change to another role. A team having good leadership is about having both a good leader(s) and good followers. If you don't have people that will support the direction that the leadership is pointing the team in, the team won't be successful. On Furious, we've been lucky that we've had an excellent crew of guys that think of what is best for the team ahead of themselves. In terms of how I lead, I focus on putting the team first and leading by example. After that, I just let my passion for the game and our team guide me.

Many of today's players might not know you were leading Ottawa teams to national titles before you days with the Monkey? What are some of your favorite moments as an Ottawa player? Who are some of your favorite teammates?

Yeah, the Ottawa days are a little while ago now. I remember my Ottawa days very fondly. I think everyone remembers the early days as something special and it's the same for me. I didn't really know anything about the game then but we loved to play. We had a bunch of young guys come up at the same time who were hungry to get better and every practice was so intense. The veteran guys - Phil Rodger, Jamie Wildgen, Cliff Youdale, Dave Pelletier, Rob Bohnen - were a hilarious group of guys so there were lots of good times and banter between the old and and the new. We actually got together two summers ago at the Ottawa No Borders tournament. We had guys come from coast to coast in Canada, from Austrailia and from San Diego. About five minutes into the tournament, it felt like old times (other than our play), same old jokes going round.

Pictured: WaX @ the 2006 No Borders Tournament (Photo: Mike Reade)

Which national title meant the most to you?

The first Canadian national title that we won as Ottawa waX in '93 against Vancouver is definitely the most special to me. It was a close game and we had come so far in two years to beat teams that had spanked us in the past. Winning the first of anything is always great validation of a belief that you have and will always remain special.

Which UPA title meant the most to you?

Again, the first time we won UPA's in 2002 was an incredible feeling. It was a dream that a few of us especially had been building towards for a number of years. We had lost so many players from the year before, over half of our 14 starters were gone, that it was a rebuilding year in many senses. To have so many guys step into bigger roles than they ever had before and to win against the best teams in world was great. The semis that we played in against Boston that year, where we made only 2 turnovers all game, also made winning that year pretty incredible.

Who are the best players that you have played against/with? Can you identify one player over the years that deserves to be called the best?

I have played with some incredible players over the years, true champions in my opinion, guys like Albob Nichols, Jeff Cruickshank, Evan Wood, Kirk Savage, young studs like Oscar Pottinger and Derek Alexander, amongst many others. I have been teammates with guys who play in less visible roles but who are so dedicated; these "grinders" form the foundation of successful teams. I've played with Biff (John Frame) since '92 (other than a couple of years where he played with the Boulder guys) and I have so much respect for what he contributes to the team. I've also had the opportunity to play against some great players. The ones that come to mind for me are the ones that I play against most often.

Recently, that's been guys like Nord and Chase because we've played so many big games against Sockeye over the last 5 years and I end up matched up against them so often. Those two guys play the game hard and are so good that it makes me push myself to try to best them and really that's what sport is about. That's why such respect develops between players because while we're competing to crush each other, without each other to compete against, ultimate is kinda meaningless at the top level. I think it's really difficult to identify a single best player because there are so many great players in the game who contribute so much to their teams and there are so many critical aspects of the sport (great throwers vs. great receivers vs. great defenders) that it is very difficult to weigh the value of one person's strengths vs another's strengths.

However, if I get one player that if I had to build a team around it would be Mike Grant (pictured). Perhaps, I'm biased because I see him at practice all of the time but he's worked so damn hard to make himself the player that he is, and continues to work so hard, and he puts the team first at all times. These are things that I have great respect for and with the great talent that he has, it makes him a great player.

What are your thoughts on the 2007 UPA finals?

First, that it's always better to play in them than to watch them. I remember thinking when I got to the fields and noticed that the wind had picked up, I felt that the conditions would favour Sockeye as their offense has lots of quick, short passes as opposed to Bravo's offense which looks for the big huck more often. However, for the first 2/3 of the game, Bravo seemed to have no problem with the wind. The second half turned on a few big points, as it almost always does, that Sockeye swung in their favour. I thought Bravo played a very good game and had a great tournament and I think Sockeye is a very deserving champion, definitely the strongest team in the game right now.

Do you think Furious's absence from numerous national championships in recent years has been good or bad for Canadian ultimate?

It's probably not been a great effect but I don't really see it as that damaging either. The unfortunate reality is that for a number of years, there was a real discrepenacy between Furious and the rest of the country. This has left most of the players on Furious not very interested in atttending Canadian nationals when it means travel dollars and vacation time at the expense of some other tournament. I remember when it really become an issue for players. At '97 Canadian nationals, Furious played the 3rd Vancouver team in the semis and the 2nd Vancouver team in the finals. After that, it was impossible for the players to value the tournament very much. Fortunately, that is changing now, particularly with GOAT becoming a much stronger team over the last few years.

Who will lead Furious in 5 years? Can you see the young players being able to perform at the same level?

I think there is some good leadership potential amongst the young guys. Oscar (Pottinger, Pictured), in particular, I think will be one of the key leaders on the team. He already has the respect of all of his teammates and is everything that you want in a great leader. Will the young guys perform at the same level as what we've achieved in the past is an open question in my opinion. Certainly, I hope so. However, we just had our worst season in over a decade and a big part of that is because we are gradually losing part of the core group that has made us successful in the past and the remaining part of the core is getting older. If Furious is to rebound next year, there will have to be a number of young guys who step up and want to be the guys to get the job done when the game is on the line.

Comment on the state of Open ultimate in Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Montreal, and other parts of Canada. Which programs do you see as emerging rivals, if any?

I think Canadian Open ultimate continues to get better. Of course it has to if it wants to compete internationally because everyone else is getting better. The US teams get better, the Japanese, the Australians, etc. For me, it's been exciting to see GOAT have such a successful year. They've been building over the last few years and this year is a result of all of that work. They're a young team that should continue to get better over the next few years. The other two cities that caught my attention at nationals this year were Winnipeg and Montreal. Winnipeg has a bunch of young players that play so well fundamentally. Rarely do you see a young team that is so clearly pointed in the right direction, usually there's a lot more chaos going on. Their challenge will be to continue to develop more talent to grow with the existing base that they have.

The top two Montreal teams surprised me with the number of talented individuals that they both have. If they could get on the same page and get behind some strong leadership then I think you would see a team that could become really good over the next two years.

What does Furious do for off season training?

We don't really do anything as a team for off season training, everyone kind of does their own thing and I think that shows in how we start our season. We have an older team now that struggles to balance ultimate against other life priorities and every year we seem a little less prepared physically to challenge to be the best team in the world. About the only thing we do as a group (other than poker and beer) in the offseason is some of us play goaltimate on the weekends. Maybe we should start something more formal this year.

Leadership- Poll Results

Nation,

Well, the voters have spoken with regards to the Canadian Open Leadership question. A resounding number of you think that GOAT and Furious have the best leadership in Canada. Mephisto comes a DISTANT 3rd.

My thoughts on this result

• I can understand how the leaders on GOAT and Furious are looked on so favorably.

However

• I wonder if people mistake team talent and performance with leadership. Being at the helm of a great team and exacting victory over teams you should beat IS NOT leadership. That is management. Please see the Cito Gaston picture. There is a reason why he won two titles but never found work after. I do give the man credit for turning an "interim job" into a ten year gig.
  

• I wonder if the smaller teams/cities in this country should have gotten a bit more support in the poll. There has to be some leadership in the Mangina ranks, and General Strike is getting some great performances out of their team. Red Circus is another team that had leadership and played beyond what others thought at Nationals
  
• How did EMU get a vote?

I think the next few years in Canadian ultimate is going to be interesting to watch. Due to the large differences in talent pools in cities throughout Canada, I think it is possible that the second teams from Vancouver (already there) Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa will soon be beating the A teams from Regina, Winnipeg, Halifax and so on. Before I get flamed royally Luker A-Lurker Z, let me say why

-Way larger talent pool
-Youth Programs
-Training regimens and access to facilities
-People move to big cities, and away from small ones
-Sooner of later the leadership in the big cities will get it right for long enough to develop programs. It's already happening.
-We see the same pattern in most "serious" sports.

Foolish Dreams

You have probably heard about Petro Canada's
contest that is rewarding one of four "fringe sports the chance to pitch their sport to the Canadian Olympic Committee for "Olympic consideration".

https://www.iwilldreambig.ca/

My take?

I think it's silly. Don't bother voting.

Here are my reasons
-The COC has as much pull in Olympic sports as I do.
-Petro Canada is a corporation. This is a marketing strategy. They are capitalizing on the desires of fringe sport athlete.

Our game has a lot of issues to deal with before we can be considered for a sport. World wide exposure, on field issues (Refs, rules, etc) and off field issues (governing bodies) need to be addressed. That's the gist of the take I got when discussing the matter with former IOC vice president Richard 'Dick" Pound. If his son had not been an Ultimate stalwart on the Canadian scene for more than a decade, he might have been as dismissive as the other IOC/Olympic officials I have spoken to.

Sports are big business. The Olympics are a political amazon with billions of dollars at stake. We need to come a long way before we can start talking seriously about the possibility.


I love the game. The game is good. It's not just about the game though... and we must remember that.

Which team has the best leadership in Canada?

Nation,

We are in somewhat of an off season for competitive ultimate (there is really no off season for players that dedicate themselves seriously to this game). That means there is much more time to talk about the game, in between people working at their real jobs and doing off season training.

Leadership is defined as:
'the lifting of people’s vision to a higher sight, the raising of their performance to a higher standard, the building of their personality beyond its normal limitations’ (Drucker, 1985).

What's the difference between being a leader and being a manager? In layman terms, it's this- A manager relies on power/status or coercion to accomplish tasks/goals, and a leader does not. These two terms are not mutually exclusive, but they definitely do not mean the same thing. You don't run through walls for a manager. You don't reach levels you couldn't fathom without true leadership.

Leadership is in short supply everywhere in the world. Lots of posers, few legitimate people that can stand the test of time and excel at all the major areas of being a leader (Credibility, Vision, Communication, Passion, and Charisma) . Canadian ultimate is not exempt from a leadership void, and needs leaders in the CUPA office, and in all of the major cities.

However, I have seen some examples of leadership with playing the last few years. The very fact that captains of our national level teams can get 20 plus guys to practice/travel so much and wreck their bodies for a game with no money and limited "glory" is incredible. Some players, like Andrew Lugsdin, lead by example and give excellent speeches to motivate their troops in key games.

So.... my poll question is

Which team/city has the best leadership in Canada? Who are the leaders? What do they do well? Does a team have to be a winner to validate great leadership (I find it definitely helps the untrained eye to label someone as a leader)?