News

Community & Player Profile BRITTNEY DOS SANTOS VC talks frisbee and swag with 6ixers and Team Canada star Brittney Dos Santos. A dynamic young handler, Dos Santos continues to grow her reputation on-field with her athletic playmaking and stifling defense. Fresh from the World Under-24 Championships in Heidelberg, look for Brittney to continue to show off her incredible offensive and defensive skills at this week’s Canadian Ultimate Championships. Q: Best on-field moment of 2019?  A:  My favourite on-field moment was our game at U24 Worlds against Colombia; there were so many incredible plays. Laura Kinoshita had a huge layout, Alyssa Mason got a sick layout D. It just felt like everyone was putting in so much effort, and it’s always a fun time playing the Colombians. I also had a big play that game that really hyped me and my team up. Q: What’s next?  A: Now that my Team Canada commitment is over, I'm putting all my effort into 6ixers which I am super pumped about. We have such a talented team, and preparing mentally and physically for CUC is our focus right now; then USAU Regionals, and if all goes well, the USA Ultimate National Championships. Q: Who is your ultimate hero? A: Yes, this is cheesy, but everyone on 6ixers is my ultimate hero. Everyone is such a talented individual, and I’m so fortunate to be playing with such amazing players and people. This said, there are two people in particular who I really look up to: Lauren Kimura and Jordan Meron. Playing with Lauren has really helped me take my game to the next level. Playing with her constantly has me in awe, and she’s helped me so much whenever I struggled - she’s always there to support and guide me. Jordan is such a great role model on and off the field, as well as an amazing captain. She’s so assertive and makes everything easy for everyone else. I love how honest she is, and how she always makes an effort to connect with people on the team. I aspire to be like both of them. Q: Go-to VC gear? A: For uniforms, Shorty Shorts are unbeatable, and I'm loving the new non-binary Raglan cut. The CUC gear this year looks amazing - here are a few of my favorites. SHOP BRITTNEY'S PICKS The FULL Canadian Ultimate Championships Collection is Online NOW! Missed the event, or want to skip the line at the merch tent? Check out our top picks from CUC 2019 and order online today - shipped FREE to your door!  SHOP FULL CUC COLLECTION

*English below Le Secret pour Exceller sur le Point Universe Pourquoi un point universe est-il différent des autres points ?Parce que l’enjeu est élevé. Un point universe nous offre une rétroaction immédiate de la qualité de notre performance. Le temps ralentit ou s’accélère, tu deviens beaucoup plus conscient(e) de tes pensées, de tes émotions et de ce qui se passe dans ton environnement. L’erreur est multipliée par dix, et chaque instant, chaque action, chaque décision compte. Le facteur qui cause 90% des erreurs dans les moments critiques La plupart du temps, les erreurs sont causées par un manque de concentration. Ton cerveau a la capacité extraordinaire de voyager dans le temps. Il peut diriger son attention vers le passé, le présent ou le futur. Voyager dans le passé est utile pour en tirer des leçons qui servent à notre progression et à notre évolution. Voyager dans le futur est utile pour créer notre vision, établir nos buts et nos intentions, et élaborer des stratégies pour les concrétiser. Dans un monde idéal, ces voyages ont lieu lors de moments spécifiquement dédiés à la réflexion et à l’analyse. Lorsqu’il est temps de performer sur le terrain, il est beaucoup plus efficace de rester dans le moment présent, puisque toute l’information dont nous avons besoin pour agir et prendre les décisions appropriées s’y trouve : nos sensations et émotions, ainsi que les informations visuelles, auditives et sensorielles fournies par notre environnement. Le moment présent est aussi le fuseau horaire sur lequel nous avons du contrôle, c’est-à-dire que nous ne pouvons changer le passé, et le seul moyen d’agir sur notre futur est de s’impliquer pleinement, d’agir et de prendre des décisions dans le moment présent. Toutefois, en sport, nous sommes devenus tellement habiles à voyager dans le temps que nous le faisons à tout moment, parfois de façon inconsciente et très souvent de manière incontrôlée. Certains athlètes voyagent plus naturellement vers le passé et d’autres vers le futur. Qu’en est-il pour toi ? As-tu tendance à revoir mentalement tes erreurs en boucle sans arriver à lâcher prise et tourner la page ? As-tu tendance à imaginer les conséquences catastrophiques d’une défaite ou à rêver de la médaille pendant ta performance ? 3 attitudes à adopter pour réduire ton stress en compétition Dans les moments importants, comme un point universe, ton stress est causé par le doute et la peur de ne pas arriver à répondre aux attentes, que ce soit les tiennes ou celles des autres.  « Je ne dois surtout pas être celui/celle qui va échapper le disque. »« Je ne peux pas laisser tomber mes coéquipiers/ères ! »« Je dois créer un revirement en défensive, c’est pour ça que j’ai été appelé(e) sur le terrain. »« Je suis capitaine, je dois faire mener mon équipe à la victoire. » Qu’est-ce qui, selon toi, cause cette pression sur tes épaules ? Les jugements que tu portes sur tes actions et leur résultat. Lorsque tu deviens frustré(e) suite à une erreur, c’est parce que tu considères que faire une erreur, c’est quelque chose de négatif. Tu as énoncé une attente, celle de ne pas faire d’erreur. Puis, suite à ton erreur, tu as porté un jugement : ce n’est pas bien. (clique ici pour lire mon article à propos du jugement) Mais si tu ne commettais jamais d’erreur, tu ne pourrais être témoin de ta progression. Il te serait impossible de te donner des objectifs et des buts et surtout, de savourer le plaisir de les atteindre. Tu ne pourrais ressentir le sentiment d’accomplissement lié à tes succès. Le sport, c’est un cheminement continu vers la découverte et le dépassement de soi.  La compétition, c’est un moyen et non une fin.  Un moyen d’évoluer.Un moyen de te regarder en face et de prendre conscience de qui tu es réellement.Un moyen de découvrir et de faire tomber les barrières que tu élèves autour de toi.Un moyen d’aller au-delà de ta zone de confort et de transcender tes limites. En tant qu’athlète, on perçoit souvent le match, le tournoi, la finale de championnat comme une finalité. Comme si c’était notre seule et unique chance de prouver au monde et/ou de se prouver à soi-même qu’on pouvait le faire. Un match, c’est une opportunité de faire un pas dans la direction choisie. Et chaque défaite, chaque erreur nous donne un indice sur la direction à prendre pour le pas suivant. Lorsque tu vois chaque match comme faisant partie d’un long cheminement que l’on appelle la vie, alors tu cesses de porter des jugements sur chacune de tes actions, tes décisions. Tu observes chaque épreuve, chaque erreur pour comprendre ce qu’elle veut t’enseigner. Tu détermines ce que tu veux accomplir, tu cultives la patience, et tu cesses d’avoir des attentes à court terme, ou de t’imposer le succès immédiat, comme gagner ou être parfait(e).  Voici 3 attitudes à adopter pour te libérer du stress, du doute et de la peur dans les moments critiques : Développe une pratique basée sur la patience et non le jugement ; Prends conscience de l’importance de commettre des erreurs pour progresser ; Vois le résultat comme un indice de la direction à prendre, et non un indice de ta valeur. Le secret pour exceller sur le point universe Il y a quelque temps, j’ai entendu cette expression, qui a ouvert pour moi de nouveaux horizons : Be a Dot.(Sois un point.) Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ? Imagine que tu dessines les uns à côté des autres une centaine de points, qu’obtiens-tu ?  Une ligne : . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Sur cette ligne, chacun des points est indépendant du précédent et du suivant. Si je dessine un point plus gros que les autres, plus haut ou plus bas, le point suivant n’en sera pas affecté. Maintenant, imagine que tu dessines une ligne de temps à l’aide de points, et que tu inclus le passé, le présent et le futur : Le point au centre de la loupe, c’est ton moment présent. C’est là où tu te trouves lors du point universe. Ce point est complètement indépendant du passé et du futur. Quand tu débutes ton point universe, tout va bien. Tu es en pleine possession de tes moyens. Mais lorsque tu te connectes à un point dans le passé (c’est le joueur que je couvrais qui a marqué le point, ce joueur est vraiment trop rapide pour moi) ou à un point dans le futur (qu’est-ce que les autres vont penser si je commets une nouvelle erreur), tu ouvres la porte au doute et tu réduis ainsi tes chances de performer à ton plein potentiel. Le jugement que tu portes sur tes performances passées (j’ai raté mon lancer sur le dernier point, je suis vraiment mauvais(e) sous la pression), tes attentes et le résultat que tu crois devoir absolument obtenir dans le futur (il faut gagner ce match, on ne peut pas perdre contre cette équipe), créent des pensées et des émotions qui pourraient te déconcentrer pendant ton point universe. Be a dot.Sois un point. L’instant présent est un simple point. Il n’a besoin ni des points précédents, ni des points suivants pour exister. Les doutes, les pensées négatives et les émotions surgissent quand tu connectes les points et que tu formes un jugement par rapport à cette connexion. Lorsque tu vis chaque instant sans peur du futur, sans jugement par rapport au passé, c’est alors que tu donnes le meilleur de toi-même dans les moments critiques. Pourquoi le point universe est-il différent des autres points ? Au début de cet article, j’ai affirmé que c’était parce que l’enjeu était élevé. Ce n’est pas tout à fait exact. Je crois plutôt que c’est parce que nous choisissons de percevoir l’enjeu comme étant élevé. Deviens un point. Vis ton match un point à la fois, un instant à la fois. Rappelle-toi que chaque point du passé t’a permis d’arriver au point présent, et que chaque instant est un nouveau départ, une nouvelle opportunité de grandir et d’avancer vers tes buts.   Pour d’autres trucs, visite mon blogue, télécharge mon ebook gratuit les 3 étapes pour entrer dans la zone, et profite de ma promotion (30% de rabais) sur la formation en ligne impACT Saison ! Bonne réflexion, Bio : Le sport est un outil extraordinaire pour développer ton potentiel sportif et humain. Je m'appelle Guylaine Girard et j’évolue dans le sport de l’ultimate depuis 12 ans. Entraîneur-chef du Royal (AUDL) en 2016, j’ai aussi entraîné de nombreuses équipes dans les catégories junior, open et women. Depuis 25 ans, j’aide les athlètes et les entraîneurs passionnés et dédiés à développer leur ténacité mentale et leur leadership, afin qu’ils puissent aller au bout de leurs rêves. Ma vraie passion, c’est d’amener les gens à prendre conscience de ce qui les bloque dans la réalisation de leurs buts pour ensuite leur donner des outils pratiques et efficaces pour avancer.                                                        *English The secret to excellence during universe point Why is a universe point different from other points?Because the stakes are higher. A universe point offers us immediate feedback on the quality of our performance. Time slows down or accelerates, you become much more aware of your thoughts, emotions and what is happening in your environment. A mistake is multiplied by ten, and every moment, every action, every decision counts. The factor that causes 90% of mistakes at critical moments Most of the time, mistakes are caused by a lack of concentration. Your brain has the extraordinary ability to travel back through time. It can direct its attention to the past, present, or future. Travelling back to the past is useful to learn lessons that are relevant to our progress and evolution. Travelling into the future is useful in creating our vision, setting our goals and intentions, and developing strategies to achieve them. In an ideal world, these trips take place during times specifically dedicated to reflection and analysis. When it's time to perform on the field, it's much more effective to stay in the present moment, since all the information we need to act and make appropriate decisions is there: our feelings and emotions, and as the visual, auditory and sensory information provided by our environment. The present moment is also the “time zone” over which we have control. We cannot change the past, and the only way to act on our future is to be fully involved, to act and to make decisions in the present moment. However, in sport, we have become so skilled at time travel that we do it at any time, sometimes unconsciously and very often in an uncontrolled way.. Some athletes travel more naturally to the past and others to the future. What about you? Do you tend to mentally review your mistakes over and over again without being able to let go? Do you tend to imagine the catastrophic consequences of a defeat or to dream of a medal during your performance? 3 attitudes to adopt to reduce your stress in competition In important moments, such as a universe point, your stress is caused by doubt and fear of not being able to meet expectations, whether yours or those of others. "I must not be the one who will drop the disc.""I cannot let my teammates down!""I have to get the D, that's why I was called on the field.""I am a captain; I have to lead my team to victory." What do you think is causing this pressure on your shoulders? The judgments you make about your actions and their results. When you become frustrated because of a mistake, it is because you think that making a mistake is a negative thing. You stated an expectation, that of not making mistakes. Then, following your mistake, you made a judgment: it's bad. (click here to read my article about judgment) But if you never made a mistake, you could not witness your progress. It would be impossible for you to set goals and objectives and, above all, to savor the pleasure of achieving them. You could not feel the sense of accomplishment associated with your success. Sport is a continuous journey towards discovery and surpassing oneself. Competition is a means, not an end. It helps us evolve in sport and in life.It makes us look ourselves in the face and become aware of who we really are.It helps us discovering and breaking down the barriers we are building around us.It pushes us beyond our comfort zone so we can transcend our limits. As an athlete, we often perceive the match, the tournament, the championship final as an end in itself. As if it was our one and only chance to prove to the world and / or prove to ourselves that we could do it. A match is an opportunity to take a step in the chosen direction. Every defeat, every mistake gives us an indication on the direction to take for the next step. When you see each game as part of a long journey called life, then you stop making judgments about each of your actions, your decisions. You observe every obstacle, every mistake to understand what it wants to teach you. You determine what you want to accomplish, you cultivate patience, and you stop having short-term expectations, or imposing immediate success on yourself, such as winning or being perfect. Here are 3 attitudes to adopt to free yourself from stress, doubt and fear at critical moments: Develop a practice based on patience and non-judgment; Be aware of the importance of making mistakes to progress; Think of the result as an indication of the direction to take, not an indication of your value. The secret to excellence during universe point Some time ago, I heard this expression, which opened up new horizons for me: Be a Dot. What does that mean? Imagine that you draw a hundred dots next to each other, what do you get? A line : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . On this line, each dot is independent of the previous and the next. If I draw a dot larger than the others, higher or lower, the next dot will not be affected. Now, imagine that you draw a timeline using dots, and that you include the past, present, and future: The dot in the center of the magnifying glass is your present moment. This is where you are now, at the universe point. This dot is completely independent of the past and the future. When you start your universe point, everything is fine. You are in full command of your abilities. But when you connect to a dot in the past (the player I was covering scored the point, that player is really too fast for me) or to a dot in the future (what will others think if I make another mistake), you open the door to doubt and you reduce your chances of performing to your full potential. When you judge your past performances (I missed my throw on the last point, I'm really bad under pressure), your expectations, and the result you think you absolutely must get in the future (I have to win this game, we cannot lose against this team), you create thoughts and emotions that could distract you during your universe point. Be a dot. The present moment is a simple dot. It does not need either the preceding dots nor the following dots to exist. Doubts, negative thoughts, and emotions arise when you connect the dots and form a judgment about that connection. When you live every moment without fear of the future, without judgment about the past, it is then that you give the best of yourself in critical moments. Why is a universe point different from other points? At the beginning of this article, I said that it was because the stakes were high. That is not quite true. Rather, I believe it's because we choose to perceive a high stake in this situation. Become a dot. Live your game one dot at a time, one moment at a time. Remember that each dot in the past has allowed you to reach the present dot, and that each moment is a new beginning, a new opportunity to grow and advance towards your goals. For more tips, visit my blog and download my free ebook for coaches! Bio: My name is Guylaine Girard and as a coach and mental trainer, I believe that sport is an extraordinary tool to inspire greatness, not only in athletes but also in human beings. In my work, I always want to empower people, because I know that once you have taken control of your life, your performance can skyrocket. I have been involved in the sport of ultimate for 12 years. Head Coach of the Royal (AUDL) in 2016, I also coached many teams in the junior, open and women streams. For 25 years, I have been helping passionate and dedicated athletes and coaches develop their mental tenacity and leadership so that they can achieve their dreams. My real passion is to make people aware of what is blocking them in achieving their goals and then give them practical and effective tools to move forward.  

This article was written by Becky Thompson who is here in Heidelberg, Germany to commentate the WFDF World U24 Ultimate Championships. She's has recently left her position as Ultimate Canada's Communications Manager to live, study and play ultimate in the UK. ***    The week here in Heidelberg has come to a stunning close and I for one, can’t truly believe it’s already over. It seems like eons ago that we watched the teams march into the opening ceremony, all of us making predictions on how this week would finish. In the end, the USA were triumphant across all divisions as they were expected to be, and we will have to wait another two years to see if someone can dethrone them once again at the u24 level. While the final results were as expected, there were moments in each game that captivated me. Women’s Final The Americans came out with so much fire and intensity in this game. They had mad key defensive adjustments since their power pool game with Japan and they executed them perfectly. My favourite moment of the game came straight out of halftime. After going down 8-3, Japan had to start of defense out of half and answered immediately with a break on the American team. There was so much energy in their celebration and suddenly it seemed like there was some momentum with them as well as they immediately followed it with another break to close the game. Japan showed tremendous resilience in the second half to keep the game a bit closer and forced the USA to work hard for every disc. I have so much respect for both of these teams and the incredible athletes on the field. You could see how badly they both wanted it, and in the end the USA put everything on the line to earn the gold medal. For this final we also had a badass all-female media team running the show and it was so awesome to be a part of it. I got to do my first real sideline interview and I hope it’s the first of many more! Men’s Final This game was back and forth throughout the first half. There was so much Canada hype from the crowd and the team delivered with highlight reel worthy plays all over the field. It is always a great feeling to watch your country compete in a world championship final and I felt so much pride watching them go for it. Unfortunately, the USA was able to work through some of their early mistakes and stormed through to win the gold 15-12. I was so impressed with all the performances but the player that stuck out the most for me was Canada’s Bryan Kuo who had the most exciting moment of the whole game. Off a deep shot to the endzone, the USA was able to make a play and knock the disc away from Kuo. But they didn’t knock it far enough as he was able to turn on a dime to layout for the amazing score. Even though Canada came away with the silver, it was an amazing game and the crowd absolutely loved every minute of it. Mixed Final The final game of the day brought the most excitement for me as I got to join the legendary Tom Styles in the booth to call the match. This game was back and forth, and was so hard to call who was going to come away with the victory. The USA went up by two, before Japan brought it back to take half. Just before halftime there was a ridiculous 12-minute-long point that saw six turnovers from each team. Despite all the turns, the excitement on the pitch was electric. The second half saw the two teams continue to go toe to toe until the Americans finally pulled away to win 15-12 over Japan.  The best part about this game for me was the unreal display of what mixed ultimate can, should and look like. The play between both genders was seamless, roles were shared evenly and it set an example for mixed teams everywhere. I feel so lucky to have been able to call this final. It has been an amazing week here at the 2019 World Under 24 Ultimate Championships here in Heidelberg, Germany and I want to wish a massive congratulations to all teams on a sensational tournament!   I have loved every second of this week, even the moments where I have been dead exhausted. It was a grind but one that I am so lucky to get to do. These weeks remind me not only how much I love my work, but how much I love this sport. Thank you to everyone for the support all week long, it has been a pleasure. *** Stay tuned for more coverage from WU24 on our social media channels and watch the games for yourself on WFDF's livestream.  Event website: https://wu24heidelberg.com

This article was written by Becky Thompson who is here in Heidelberg, Germany to commentate the WFDF World U24 Ultimate Championships. She's has recently left her position as Ultimate Canada's Communications Manager to live, study and play ultimate in the UK. ***   After a long week, the World Under 24 Ultimate Championships are finally heading into the last day of play. Earlier in the week it felt like we would never make it here. With the long work days, there can be a weird feeling of moving in slow motion and at full speed ahead at the same time. But here we are on the eve of the gold medal games and it is shaping up to be a stellar day. The semi-finals day here is always an exciting one with all the action going down simultaneously on two pitches. Unfortunately for Canada, only one of our teams was able to make it into the finals. The women’s team battled hard against Japan but were left having to play for third, where they successfully brought home the bronze medal. The mixed team bounced back from a disappointing quarterfinal to finish strong in fifth place, and the men’s team made their semi-final against Japan look like easy work as they locked down their spot in the finals. For today’s highlights, I want to share some of my favourite moments as well as something I have spent a lot of time thinking about this week. National Anthem After losing in tough semi-final games today, Singapore and Latvia were left to face off for the bronze medal in the mixed division. Both teams were clearly still feeling the effects of their prior loss but had no choice but to come together for this game. At this point in the day, most teams had either left the pitch, were playing in their own consolation games or were busy trading jerseys. There weren’t a lot of players watching the game and it felt a bit anti-climactic to begin with. Even with the subdued nature at the start of the game, the two teams gathered on the center line to face each other. Singapore then sung their national anthem, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders. It is a sign of respect to sing their anthem at the beginning at the game and it was a simple but beautiful moment before the game. Lindsay McKenna I think Lindsay McKenna could be the best player in the mixed division. She is so dynamic and so purposeful in every movement she makes. Not only does she have the height and athleticism that is so dominant when she goes deep, if you take away the out she will burn you under and put up a perfect huck to the endzone. McKenna has also been pulling for the USA mixed team on many of her defensive points, which is not something you usually see in the mixed division. She has been a joy to watch and commentate, and will surely have a big impact on the final tomorrow.  Travelling Fans One of the things I’ve noticed a lot this week is the masses of travelling fans that seem to accompany the Canadian and American teams. It is great to see so many families and friends coming all the way to Germany to support their teams. But over the course of the week I have really noticed the difference in the number of fans here with the North American teams compared to the rest of the tournament. There is a good number of European fans, but for other countries to have to travel as far as North American teams, there is a huge contrast. It has made me think a lot about the inequalities and barriers that face countries who are trying to come compete on the world stage. *** Stay tuned for more coverage from WU24 on our social media channels and watch the games for yourself on WFDF's livestream.  Event website: https://wu24heidelberg.com

Play Like a Girl, Passion on Full Display & Respect for Your Opponent.

"Today was my favourite day of the tournament so far." Read why here.

Singapore Patience , Canadian Pride & USA Show Signs of Weakness.

Dance Like Colombia, France Mixed Magic, Feeling Like a Fan, Japanese Respect & Can Anyone Beat USA Mixed?

Part two: Irish Callahan, Australian Arm Bands, SOTG Outside of the Game and Commentary with Friends.