Lady Gee Gees

From the north hails a squad of dominant flatballers with Club Nationals experience and world class Juniors talent. They have crisp throws and razor sharp cuts. They have stiff D and as good a breaks as there are in college ultimate. The Hodags? Try a little farther east and a different gender. Who do I speak of? The Lady Gee Gees from the University of Ottawa. Recently, these women braved the trek across North America and swept through the competition at Trouble in Vegas, taking out UCLA’s BLU in the finals 14-10. Who are these Lady Gee Gees? I was interested to find out and captains Anne Mercier and Alex Benedict were kind enough to answer some questions of mine. This is what we came up with.

History

The University of Ottawa’s ultimate program was begat in 2004 by Julie Holsworth and Andrea Cardin. The main goal of these two ladies was to compete at the Canadian University Ultimate Championships (CUUC). The previous Fall (2003), a rag tag team attempted to cross the continent to Kamploops, BC but money and midterms prevented any kind of success. After finishing 4th at Canadian Eastern University Ultimate Championships (CEUUC) in 2004 and considering that CUUC’s that year were in Hamilton (5-hour drive) the ability to field a decent team was potentially increased. Despite the proximity, however, there were not enough players from Ottawa to field a full squad so Holsworth teamed up with Cardin from nearby Carleton University to form a fusion team. This team made the trip to nationals but like most first timers, they didn’t do so well, finishing last. They did gain invaluable experience and team chemistry however, and eagerly awaited future opportunities.

The following year (2005), Holsworth took on sole administrative duties in addition to playing for the team. This Ottawa team was to be led by Alex Benedict and Shannon Becker, two players with the experience and talent to guide a committed group of women. This team again finished 4th at CEUUC and was ready for nationals. They were undefeated at nationals until an ever present and common opponent, weather, reared its ugly head and ended the tournament prematurely. With hopes high, these women patiently returned to the gym and continued prepping for their chance to show the ultimate community and the world what they had. In the Fall of 2006 they would not be denied, and came out ready for Canadian Nationals. They won Easterns and in their second real attempt at a university championship, the Lady Gee Gees were victorious and proved that they were the best collection of women in the Maple Leaf Nation.

In 2007 they had their sights set on the main stage and cleated up for the UPA college series. In contrast to the US, the Canadian series is set in the Fall due to weather and to avoid competition with the Spring UPA series. Last year, they came out for Upstate NY Sectionals and had a dominating Saturday taking out Skidmore and RPI 15-1 each and 2nd seed (and eventual Sectional Champ) Rochester, 15-9. They were set to face Cornell in the finals the second day, but again, Mother Nature would have other plans, and snow canceled the second day of competition. Because of exams, the Lady Gee Gees were unable to make it back for the makeup date and missed their chance to earn a bid to Regionals and potentially Nationals.

Fast forward to February 2008 where these women got out of the snow and made the trip to the Southwest for Trouble in Vegas. Up against the best teams in North America, the captains of the Lady Gee Gees had the modest goal of making top 12. With a roster of only a dozen, one would think getting this far would be a blessing. However, talent and chemistry would propel this team above all others and they swept the field in Vegas earning their first US tournament title.

Standouts

After getting a little background on this team, I really wanted to know where their core talent rested. I asked Anne and Alex this questions and before they dropped any names, they promptly told me this:

Depending on the game I think that you'll find different standouts. The team has such a strong core of vets and determined and talented rookies. Mentioning only a couple names wouldn't really be accurate/fair.

What a great pair of captains, but I like my superstars. Among the talented women on this team are 5 Ottawa Junior players, Anne Mercier, Alex Bendict, Danielle Fortin, Sonia Komenda, and Kathryn Pohran. Anne, Alex, and Kathryn were all part of the Canadian Juniors team in 2006. In addition, Katie Krump is another standout and was a teammate with Alex on the Ottawa Captials who finished 5th at Women’s Club Nationals in October of last year. Anne, Alex and Danielle are the three main handlers for the Lady Gee Gees and have been playing together since 2003. Sonia, Karthryn, Katie, and Shannon Becker are a quartet of vicious cutters and earn their fair share of D’s among Ottawa’s athletic and crafty defensive front.

Aside from obvious star power, Alex and Anne also told me:

The team as a whole is strong because there are no huge gaps between the top players and the rookies. As I said before, our strength lies in our solid core and with what every single person brings to this team, therefore numerous other players would be worth mentioning as well.

Ottawa Ultimate Scene

The main source of the Lady Gee Gees talent stems from the Ottawa ultimate scene, which is quite substantial and boasts upwards of 6,000 members. With 7 traveling teams at a variety of levels including indoor, it is easy to see that year round focus and commitment are prevalent in Eastern Canada. The Lady Gee Gees have players that suit up for a variety of club teams that include the Capitals, Stella, Scarlett and the mixed team Bytowne Flatball Club. Despite being on the less prominent side of the country, Alex and Anne inform me that “Ottawa (and Ontario in general)'s level of play is really close to western Canada's level. Those are always fun games to watch and play: they're generally pretty close.” With the recent success of teams like GOAT and the Capitals, I am inclined to agree with them.

Challenges and Goals

For an up and coming team, challenges always come in unfavorable quantities. Aside from the obvious and continuous weather complications, Ottawa still has their fair share of difficulties. First and foremost, lack of tournament opportunities. I would like to include a tournament schedule section in this write up, but frankly their isn’t much to speak of. Outside of TiV, Ottawa is too far from any decent competition and because of a lack of funding, they don’t have the ability to make it to tournaments outside the UPA series. We won’t get the chance to see The Lady Gee Gees again until sectionals.

Peripheral to tournament schedule, Ottawa also has to deal with the fact that the Canadian Championship schedule contrasts that of the UPA series. Alex and Anne told me that:

The Spring series was never a focus for the club. The Canadian University Fall series has been the most realistic and attainable goal for the past few years. Everything was set around that short 2-month season. Trying to change the direction of the team to start participating in the Spring Series was hard. The uncertainties that were associated with this big change were hard to grasp, as not many were even aware of the existence of the UPA series. This, along with the fact that many of the newer players haven't experienced much when it comes to the different level of ultimate, made it hard to attract players to the spring series.

Despite seemingly endless challenges, these women are undeterred and are committed to making a nationals run. With their previous experience and successes it would not be surprising if these women took down some major teams on their way to Boulder this May. With no regional experience however, they will definitely have to stay poised in the face of veteran teams. They are humble however and hope to develop throughout the series. This is what Anne and Alex had to say about their goals:

Our goal for this year is to make it to the UPA College Nationals. We got a taste of our section last year and know we can definitely make a good run at it. The next step for us is to make it past Regionals and see how we do at Nationals. We're taking everything one step at a time and looking at every tournament as stepping stone in the program's development.

Rise to Stardom

In researching teams like Ottawa and UCLA, I can’t help but notice the seemingly accelerated development of some Women’s programs. I have played for teams that are decades old yet have not reached these heights. This could be a question of luck or simply that there was a ton of talent waiting to be harnessed. Either way, I think it sends a powerful message to Women (and Men) out there that starting and developing a team to greatness is possible regardless of location, money, or experience. This is what Alex and Anne had to say about their team’s development:

Play! Play when you can, as much as you can. Go out and throw as often as possible! Play lots of pick up. Join local leagues, teams, etc. Attend clinics. Practice hard to play hard.

Yes, we've had some recent success, but we are still a developing team. We practice hard and are continually working on the basics of the game. We don't think there's only one path to follow, but with the strong determination and will from everyone on the team, you can get as far as you push yourself to! Anne always likes to say: "If you think you don't have that extra push in you to keep going, just do it anyways and watch as you surprise yourself." We all do our best and come out with that mentality at practice and in games. And I personally think that's what makes the difference. It pushes us on and off the field, at practice and in the gym. The girls are committed to the team and have been since September. They put time and effort into practices, but also into individual training, social events & fundraisers. We are a strong, tight and motivated group of friends.

Closing Thoughts

After researching these Women, I have found their story to be truly inspiring. Having to face so many frustrating weather obstacles is more than I could handle, yet the Lady Gee Gees are focused and committed to being the best they can. With all-star talent, they may have the ability to win games, but their team dedication will get them through these tough times and ensure that their talent and numbers don’t fade.

One last thing that I was interested in was whether or not there were any major differences between playing in the US and Canada. This is what Alex and Anne had to say about it:

There is a huge difference. The Canadian Women's University Ulimate scene is still in an early development phase. Programs are just starting and there's usually a smaller pool of experienced players in the programs (partly since there are many less developed Canadian juniors programs that can help feed into the university streams). I'm still in awe with the fact that TiV had 44 women's teams. I don't even think there are 44 Canadian university women's teams out there. There are way more US teams, which gives better competition at these tournaments.

Be afraid US. The women from Ottawa are ready to ball and without a chance to see them again until April, the anticipation will be one of the more exciting elements in ultimate this year. UCLA, Stanford, Wisconsin, Texas, Santa Barbara, Michigan and the rest of the best in the US will be training and practicing as hard as they can in the hopes that they can handle Ottawa. This is THE story in Women’s ultimate this year and I will be on the edge of my seat come Upstate NY Sectionals, Metro East Regionals and, with any luck, Nationals. I hope to see you ladies in Colorado this Spring. I’ll bring the Andre and hopefully I won’t be drinking alone.

For more information concerning the Ottawa Women's team, here is their ultimate website/blog which is actually very well maintained and put together.

match diesel

PS As an aside, this is my 50th ultimate article and I wanted to say thank you to all the people out there that have helped me gather information. You have really given me the ability to put my passion to work. I also want to thank all the people that have supported me for the last 9 months or so. It hasn't been the easiest road and your kind words have been very uplifting. Lastly, I want to thank my readers. I write this all for you guys and I truly hope you enjoy my words. I have said this before and I will say it again, if anyone wants to write an article and potentially publish it here, I would more than happy to work with you. Or if you have a topic you would like me to discuss, please let me know. I am always looking for new ideas. Feel free to email me at airmatch24@gmail.com

PPS I thought this link was hilarious and given the demographic that plays this sport, i thought it would be appropriate