It’s Spring 2011 and the third year of Calgary Juniors Ultimate (CJU). A lot has happened and our future looks very, very promising.
Starting with nothing, we are about to host the 3rd Annual Youth Tournament on May 28th. Schools from across Calgary and some from B.C. are coming. We have both a junior high and high school division and expect 16 teams – twice as big as last year!
Schools are actively forming Ultimate Clubs and those clubs are busy. They practice a few times each week and many meet up with other schools’ clubs for games. CJU is happy to coordinate those games, assist with coaching and help develop strong players. To get your school club started and involved simply ask us for help.
I am also very pleased to announce our first Juniors League. This program is a fantastic opportunity for kids to play ultimate. The league has been set up to introduce NEW players to the sport as well as offer great competition to the top players. By the end of the season we’ll have a large group of very skilled, passionate young athletes. If you want to try it out just send me a note and I can set you up with a FREE trial session. Youth from 12-18 are welcome. Registration for the Juniors League is available online.
So how far can you go with Ultimate? The possibilities are huge. CJU took a team of local kids to Sherbrooke, QC last summer for the Canadian Ultimate Championships (this year in Ottawa, ON). Our squad went in seeded 13th and we finished a very respectable 9th in the Juniors Division. This year our goal is to be even better. The best Juniors from across the country are also scouted for Canada’s National Team. In 2012 that group will represent Canada at Worlds, which is likely to be in Brazil or Japan. If you want to have a spot on that team, the place to start is with CJU.
Looking ahead, Calgary’s youth ultimate program has a bit of growing to do for the 2012 season. Things are changing on the national scene and the sport is moving from the current coed model to split-gender squads. That means Calgary will be sending its first all-girls and all-boys teams to CUC ‘12. We need lots of new players to fill those spots and we want to see YOU on our teams.
That’s the update for now. Our programs are designed to help individuals, schools, youth groups and clubs get started with ultimate. We’re here to get kids playing. Ultimate is really, really fun and tremendous exercise. I promise you’ll have a great time and meet some really nice people. You need to give it a try. The only catch? After you try it, you’ll want to play all the time….
Tim Friesen
juniors@calgaryultimate.org
