Fresh on the heels of a dominating performance at the Canadian Ultimate University Championship, Men’s Ultimate is gearing up and setting its sights on the North American title.
Canadian champions
Twenty-two teams participated in the 2006 Canadian University Ultimate Championship on October 13-15. Considered one of the stronger teams going in, U of T finished atop their group, going 5-0 before facing Western in the quarterfinals.
After taking down Western by a significant margin, U of T faced Queen’s in the semis.
Having lost to them once before in the Eastern Half tournament earlier in the year, U of T knew what to expect from their provincial opponents, and defeated Ottawa 11-3.
“It was a big win for us,” said Peter Jamieson, a co-captain with Kirk Nylen. “Heading into the finals, we were very confident after creaming Queen’s.”
Hook, line and sinker
Facing a McGill squad that had unseated early tournament favorites UBC in the semis, U of T was able to overcome the elements to dispatch the Quebecois team 12-8.
“There was a strong wind, and as they like to play the long ball it evened things out a bit,” Jamieson said. “We used one of our special zone setups to try and negate their height advantage.
“With the wind coming in one direction, we set up our ‘Fisherman’ zone, which forces them into one area of attack. We bait them to the sideline, while sending two of our men back to cover. If they go long, there are two of our players versus one of their tall guys, and we usually come down with it. It essentially shut down their deep pass.”
Trouble ahead
While the team is tops north of the border, stuck in the same grouping as powerhouses Michigan, Michigan St. and Ohio, U of T has their work cut out for them. Not helping the situation is the troubling schedule the competition demands. The qualifying sectionals happen right before Spring semester finals, the regionals are during, and the national championship occurs right after exams.
The logistics are unfavourable, but Jamieson said the team aims to continue training between tournaments to be ready for the U.S. qualifiers. Jamieson cited U of T’s overall depth, especially the core group of Nylen, Shawn Chua, Inian Moorthy and Steve Tam, as a tremendous asset in claiming the Canadian University title.
“It took quite a while to assemble this kind of strength on the team,” the five-year captain said. “On offence, we are able to go short as well as long, and to have that ability lets us dictate the pace of the game, no matter who the opposition is. Our team is one of the deepest teams ever.”
