It’s a mental game, a physical game, and an undeniably spirited game. I fell in love with ultimate frisbee 5 years ago and last week competed at the World Ultimate Club Championships (WUCC) with Crash Ultimate in Cincinnati, Ohio. Let me tell you about our crazy, amazing journey to get there...

Crash Ultimate is a mixed ultimate frisbee team out of the Kitchener/Waterloo/Guelph area. Three years ago, after Canadian Nationals in 2015, Crash set a team goal to qualify for WUCC in 2018. Crash leadership was very intentional about team selection and setting process goals that would get us there. Building a culture of strength, focused intensity, and passionate play was crucial to our success as a team. These principles were enforced through every practice and every tournament no matter if we were winning or losing. We were taught to fight back and work hard through tough games until the final point was scored.

Crash (very excitedly) qualified for WUCC in August of 2017 after taking 2nd place at the Canadian Ultimate Championships: Mixed division. Crash decided to keep the same roster for WUCC and we began training as soon as possible. In order to prepare we spent over 8 months training in the gym, strengthening our minds, and practicing both inside and outdoors for the week long tournament that we had all been dreaming about. 

Crash attended WUCC from July 14-21, 2018. Life fulfilled! We went 5-0 in pool play, playing teams from France, Scotland, Singapore, Australia, and Switzerland to earn a spot in knockout bracket.  We continued to win two more games over Chuckies from Singapore and Marvelous DC from New Zealand, entering the quarter finals with an impressive 7-0 record.  In the quarterfinals we suffered our only loss to BFG (from Seattle, eventual tournament champions) 15-12 to make our final record 8-1 for the tournament. Crash tied with Mixtape (also from Seattle) for 5th place after thunderstorms cancelled the last day of regular play.

It’s hard to put into words what Crash has meant to me these last few years. The experiences I have gained because of joining this sport were more than I could have imagined. I am so incredibly proud of this team and of the route we have taken to become one of the strongest teams in the country and world.

If you’re looking for more information about Crash, our team culture and values visit: www.crashultimate.ca or follow us on social media: @crashultimate

Quick Facts: 

- Crash was 1 of 48 mixed teams to play at WUCC 2018.

- Crash was the only Canadian mixed team to keep > 90% of their qualifying roster from 2017. 

- Crash’s first season was in the summer of 2014.

- Crash was ranked in the top ⅓ of teams for best spirit of the game.

- Crash had a 1st place finish at the Canadian Ultimate Championships (CUC) in 2014, two consecutive years taking 4th place, and a 2nd place finish in 2017.

- Crash finished as the top non-American team at WUCC 2018.