UVictim News

By: Kevin Underhill

In the weeks leading up to the Douglas Bowl, Victoria (and most of BC, for that matter), was smashed with pouring rain and record winds. We hoped and pleaded for good weather and perhaps with grace from the Spirit of James Douglas himself we got it. Saturday March 23, 2013 will go down in history as the inaugural Douglas Bowl and boy, was it a beauty.

The first annual Douglas Bowl featured UVic vs UBC in a provincial double header. The men and women’s programs from the two schools met at Field 7 on UVic campus to do battle in front of a bleacher-busting crowd of over 300 spectators. The open game started with the national anthem (sung by Uvixen, Naomi Redmond) and player introductions done by Island announcer, Ian Lahay. UVic started on offense and the game began.

With a light breeze gently protecting the southern endzone, UVic received the first pull and the event was underway. Terrific man defense was played by UBC for the entirety of the game. The few zone efforts they employed gave UVic little trouble. Fred Lam and Petey Yu came up with some athletic blocks, giving the T-Birds decent break looks, which they capitalized on in the first half. Uvic’s offense was relatively good. Their handler movement was crisp and, although never really threatening deep too much, managed to score quickly and creatively. UBC’s offense ran primarily through Edward Guo and Kevin “Mugs” Greer. The ‘Birds jacked it more consistently than UVictim and it served them well in the first half specifically. Despite a late- first-half surge by the black and yellow, UBC took half 8-7.

UVic stayed in the game despite being down as many as two breaks in the second half. UVictim chipped away slowly at the UBC lead. UVic Captain, Colin Featherston had some epic possession saving layout snatches and some greasy high release shots for goals. Luke Charlesworth—in the process of bringing home the glory hog—had an epic game saving grab with a UBC defender draped over his back. After a quick TO call by Charlesworth, Featherston found Kevin Underhill for a huge late game break. With some strategic stacking near the end of the game, UVic was able to claw back into the contest and force universe point, receiving. What wound up being a calm, collected O-point, UVic worked the disc up and into the hands of Nick Wright on the doorstep. After a sneaky little fake, Wright found Underhill just inside the endzone for the game winner.

The 300 plus crowd (heavily UVic favoured) was treated to a perfect script. The home team going down early, coming back to win on double game point: it’s as if we had planned it.

Douglas Bowl Open Champs 2013: University of Victoria UVictim
UBC MVP: Kevin Greer*
UVIC MVP: Kevin Underhill*

*Note: This is far from the first time Greer and Underhill have done battle in the BC ultimate world. Greer played for Britannia Secondary and Underhill for Lord Byng. The two faced off for three years of high school, each notching wins against the other. Since then, they have been opponents in University as well as teammates for the provincial all-star team (2008) and are again teammates on the 2013 U23 Canadian national team.

Photos from the event can be found here:
Jeff Bell
Nathan Kolakovic

Highlight reels can be found here:
UBC Ultimate
Uvic Ultimate

By: Kevin Underhill

Less than a month after dragging our ninth-place asses off the bus from Santa Baraba, UVictim boarded the Pegasus and heading south again, this time, to the Stanford Open. The Santa Barbara result fueled the fire and gave us lots to work on at practice over the last month. When the bus rolled into Stockton, California, UVictim looked ready to make a splash.

With temporary bench-boss and decorated UVictim alum, John Norris calling lines, UVictim looked strong heading into the weekend. We were placed in a power pool with UC Santa Barbara, Cal, Oregon State, and Santa Cruz. This talent-laden pool looked daunting but the Island boys were a determined bunch this weekend.

Saturday kicked off with a windy matchup against the pool number-one, UCSB. Black Tide looked a little tired fresh off a tough loss to fifth seed, Santa Cruz. Santa Barbara jumped on a nervous looking UVictim to start the game scoring the first two goals of the game. UVic settled themselves and scored a big upwinder. After driving upwind for a big goal, Uvic went on a huge six-goal run. The final score was 12-4 for UVic. The game was peppered with huge play after huge play. Colin “C-Note” Featherston carved apart the Santa Barbara defense en route to several upwind breaks in a row. UVic played a stifling zone defense fueled by energetic plays and intense marks.

Game two had the potential to make or break UVic’s newfound mojo. Playing against regional rival, OSU has always been a challenge. UVictim’s intense defense and patient O paid off once again consitently breaking OSU upwind. The game remained close but UVic pulled ahead thanks to a ferocious Ben Donoghue sky on a 60-yard Oliver Telfer upwind flick bomb. UVictim sent out wave after wave of athletic and motivated defenders. Rookies such as Chris Peake Sean McPhee blasted around the field getting shut downs and blocks. Final score 13-8 Uvic.

Third game of the day: Cal. After beating Cal in Sanata Barbara a month prior, UVic knew they had it in them. UVic’s stifling zone D set the tone again and allowed for multiple break opportunities. UVictim made good on almost all available opportunities with the liked of Tay Nadon and Ashton Pearson finding the end zone on repeat. True freshman, Sam Merrit brought his tall athleticism and cashed in on a few clutch upwinders. Young Colin Scarffe’s “third line” grinder attitude fueled UVictim’s attitude all game. Final score: Uvic wins 13-4.

Fourth and final game pinned the two undefeated teams from pool B: UVic and Santa Cruz. Cruz looked to be sitting their main players in hopes of resting them for day two. UVictim continued to roll lines sending out seven determined players after another. Alim “sure hands” Jiwa got a host of greedy unders that shattered any hope of a Santa Cruz come back. Ashton Pearson found holes in the Santa Cruz making offense basically effortless. The Cruz strategy of punt and play D was shattered by a very patient UVic offensive unit. Final score 13-6 UVictim wins.

After a 4-0 first day, UVic could be confident heading into the pre-quarters Sunday morning. Sunday was much less windy and therefore the defense needed to pick up intensity. UVic faced Humboldt State in the prequarters. UVic blasted out of the gates with a 7-0 first half. Playing time was spread and everyone did his part. The chance to play in a quarterfinals was too enticing. UVic kept their foot on the gas and won out 13-1. An all rookie line capped off the game no problem.

UVic last made the quarters in 2010 where they lost to UCLA. They came out in the quarters in 2013 with something to prove. With a familiar foe in Cal, UVic knew what it had to do to win the game. UVictim got out to a lead but for the first time, all weekend, they faltered around half. UVic dropped to a 10-7 defecit in a game capped at 11. With their backs against the wall, UVic stepped up and made a comeback. Rookie Malcolm Bryson got open at will converting on two crucial UVic breaks. Bryson always seemed to be open whether it was for a clutch goal or a huge under. With the game tied at 11 (Double Game Point), a Kevin Underhill pull bounced off a Cal player and trapped them on the back line of their own end zone. After moving the disc tentatively for a few passes Cal tried to blast a hammer over the UVic zone. Colin “The C-Gul” Featherston flew in to block the hammer. A few passes and a dirt-nasty Telfer snatch later, the comeback was complete. UVic was heading to the semis. 12-11.

The semifinal vs Whitman was the definition of an even game. O lines held pretty much all game. Again, Malcolm Bryson led the charge cashing in on clutch goals and sure hands. Ashton Pearson was tireless in the lanes carving up the Whitman man defense. It was clear the Whitman was the strongest of UVic’s opponents yet. Both offensive units were unbroken until the end. The game came down to universe point for the second game in a row. UVic had the opportunities but just couldn’t make good in the end. Whitman managed to work the disc upwind and jam home the game winner. The tight Whitman rotation went on to defeat UCSC in the finals 13-8 leaving UVic in third place.

Third is the best UVic has finished in recent memory and this leaves confidence high heading into the series. Check out the full score reporter here. Next on the agenda: The Douglas Bowl. UVic is hosting UBC for a showcase game on UVic’s campus on March 23rd. Stay tuned for more information.

By Kevin Underhill

With the 28-hour bus ride behind us, we settled in and prepared for Saturday’s games. The rain schedule came out the night before and UVictim was scheduled to start at 4:30pm, a bizarre tourney start time. We had the opportunity to see a bit of the UCSB campus and watch our girls go undefeated on day one before having to play.

First game pitted us versus a disciplined Arizona team. With a handler heavy offense and a controlled vert stack, Arizona gave the UVic defense fits. We hung around in the game putting up a respectable 9-13 loss against what will certainly be a top contender, and eventual tourney champs, Arizona.
Our second game was against UC-Davis. Davis qualified for the College Championships last year and showed their experience with cautious defensive O causing problems for the UVic O-line. Despite a late game surge fueled by excellent defensive plays by Trevor Ashwell and Luke Charlesworth, UVic suffered another loss, 13-7.

An exhausted UVictim took to the field in their third game of the night. We faced a determined ASU squad that capitalized on many UVic errors. With Chase Shields scoring a few beauts late in the game, UVic was looking to make a charge; unfortunately ASU closed the game and snuffed out any UVic hopes of playing for a Sunday championship.

With a strategy shift and an attitude change, UVic came out all smiles on Sunday morning. It paid off. We came out fired up vs Cal. With renewed energy, UVic jumped out to their first considerable lead of the tournament. After an early-game charge, UVic never let off the gas pedal winning in the cap 10-5. Colin “C-gul” Featherston ran show with a few dirty blocks and cashing in for breaks. Rookie, Malcolm Bryson, tirelessly out worked his opponents and made good on a few important breaks. After the win vs Cal, we faced regional rival, UBC in the ninth place final.

Again, UVic came out hot scoring four of the first five points. Luke “LNB” Charlesworth came down with a few beauty blocks and worked the disc up with help from fellow D-liner, Tom Rowe, for some crucial breaks. Nick Wright controlled the UVic offense all day and kept the disc alive with some awesome possession saving snatches. When the horn went, UVic secured the victory 9-6. UVic looked good on Sunday going undefeated and taking ninth place in SB.

This tournament gives us a good idea of how much work we are going to have to put in starting now. We are looking forward to the Stanford Open on February 23. Check out our Santa Barbara highlight reel

It was shot, edited, and produced by Toby “the boy genius” Sherriff.

TL:DR - Went to Santa Barbara, had an awesome time. Finished 2-3, can't wait 'tll Stanford

A day before the UVixens headed to California to compete in the Santa Barbara Invite, I told a friend how nervous I was for the tournament. “We’re facing some of the best teams in the country, and we’re ranked eighth,” I said. “I think I’ll be happy if we just hold seed.”
“Who aims for eighth?” my friend replied. “Just go out there and win it.”

Yeah, okay. Not only were we in one of the toughest pools, facing off against the first and ninth seeds, we had to win at least one out of two games on Saturday in order to move onto the championship play on Sunday. There was a very slim margin for error and our team is notorious for coming out flat on the first day. Preliminary internet reports seemed to agree that the UVixens were not a threat; we did not rate a mention in any of the tournament previews.

What we lacked in media attention, we made up for in attitude. The UVixens, along with our male counterparts UVictim, didn’t practice three times a week in the freezing rain, ride on an expensive bus for twenty-eight hours both ways and miss two full days of classes just to come out on the bottom of the tournament.

Our first game was against Santa Barbara, the legendary Burning Skirts who had won U.S. nationals several times compared to our record of never having attended. The UVixens had to win at least one game to advance, and weren’t expecting to win this game against the number one team at the tournament. We went in with the attitude that we were going to play as hard as we could and see where that took us.
We traded points back and forth through the first half. After working out some nerves, our systems were running smoothly on offensive. In the second half, we never looked back. Jen “BrownTown” Brown’s smooth hucks led our cutters into the endzone point after point. The Vixens won it 13 – 8. Our next game was against Southern California. Still riding the high from the last game, and with a growing chemistry on the field between our players, we dominated the scoreboard 15 – 3All those jump squats and burpees and throwing in the quad during breaks had paid off. Not only had we taken down the first ranked team, we had won our pool.

We celebrated by going to beach and swimming in the ocean, then went to watch the boys play in their pool. Unfortunately, they had a rough time of it and ended up not advancing to the finals. Sunday would see them fight to break seed and win ‘Ninals’, and it would give us a shot at getting to the finals. We all went to bed hungry for victory.

UVictim took to the fields that morning with impressive energy and shattered some dreams, eventually matching up with their regional rivals UBC in the fight for ninth place. Clearly super excited to be reunited so far away from their home province, the two teams went to battle, and unlike the Canadian University Ultimate Championships that October, the boys from the island walked away victorious.

On the women’s side, the UVixens started off against Stanford Superfly at noon. The wind was picking up and pushing the disc all over the field, so Corinne "Go-Go-Gadget" Dunwoody launched massive hucks and pulls which was a perfect time to unleash the Vixen’s aggressive zone defense led by the inexhaustible rabbit mark of Jo “JoJoBean” Stratton. In a decisive 11 – 3 victory, made possible by countless ridiculous grabs by Kate "Scarth-Face" Scarth, we went into the semis for a battle against San Diego Aztecs. With some surgical lefty breaks by Katie “the Kida” Hikida and Allie “Alley Cat” Short’s flicks bombing upwind to crack open their zone, the UVixens kept their heads through several marathon points. It was a tough match with plenty of turnovers and long points, but the sideline presence of both Uvictim and Uvixens rattled the Aztecs. The UVixens took the game 9 – 6.

Immediately after that was the final against Sonoma State. Both teams looked tired going into their third match in a row. The vixens went up 6 – 2, but then faltered and lost some of their energy for the first time that tournament. Our starting players were burned out from two full days of hard play and it quickly became a game of mental focus. Sonoma took advantage of our lapse and came roaring back with three breaks in a row to tie it up 6 -6. We were down but not out. Our semi-concussed captain (who still logged the most PT) Danie “ProBono” Proby and our coaches Kevin and Phyllis Bruleigh (Phylevin) regrouped the entire team and refocused us on our goals. On the next point, after that, hard cap was on. It was universe and none of the seven on the line knew that yet. It was a long point, with both tired teams struggling in the wind, but the UVixens didn’t falter a second time. After several turnovers, we got possession, took it to the red zone, and smacked the disc into the endzone and captain Jessie “J’Bomb” Bell’s waiting mitts to win it 7 - 6.

Since most people were unaware hard cap had gone, we were confused when the boys rushed the field. It took a minute and a couple patient explanations before we realized that we had won the tournament.
Obviously winning this tournament is amazing for our team. It gives us the confidence that we can run with the best of the teams , but, more importantly, it sets the bar higher. We have to prove we are worthy of our victories. It’s still a long season to sectionals and regionals, and this year, the UVixens are going to be major contenders in the northwest if we can deliver on our goals and keep our momentum building.

-Nicola Parker #77


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UltiWorld Preview


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Interview with UltiWorld

The Vixens can barely contain their excitement as they grind through their final classes of the week before they head off on the big bus with the boys team to Santa Barbara, California. With not another team coming from the North West, the Vixens will play a lot of teams which they have not faced in recent years including Santa Barbara, Southern California, and California B. Lead by coaches Kevin and Phyllis Bruleigh** and Boasting 22 strong players, ranging from experienced fourth years, to fresh-faced rooks, the Vixens will take the field writhing with fierce determination and anticipation of a bunch of grindy games. This young squad is ready and prepared... and here they are:

Santa Barbara Roster-

Allie Short
Jessie Bell
Danie Proby
Jen Brown
Nicola Parker
Katie Hikida
Kate Scarth
Corinne Dunwoody
Jo Stratton
Naomi Redmond
Kira Beukeboom
Kim Fitzsimmons
Megan Kidston
Tasha Cameron
Kaila Borrelli
Jo James
Lexi Omand
Lillian Pham
Kat Digby
Emily Gardner
Temily McCutcheon
Monica Whitney-Brown

BLACK AND YELLOW BABY!

Follow the action on twitter @uvixensultimate

**or more commonly referred to as Phylevin

By: Kevin Underhill

UVictim is traveling down to Santa Barbara this weekend for their first test of the spring. Since the break, there has been added intensity in every training session as the time remaining before the Santa Barbara Invite slipped away.

With one practice and two days remaining before UVic clambers into a bus with the UVixens and heads South, UVictim is making the final adjustments to compete with the best of the South West region. With the big names from the South attending, this guarantees to be an excellent first test for UVictim.

UVic Ultimate is joining forces with McCullough Coach Lines to make the safe trip to beautiful Santa Barbara, California. Games start promptly at 9:00am on Saturday morning and UVictim is bringing a mean squad to the tournament (see below for tourney roster). Saturday pins UVic against 2012 USAU Nationals qualifier Cal-Davis, host and perennial threat Santa Barbara, and Williams College who made the trip from Williamstown, MA. UVic hasn’t faced any of these teams in recent history and will be looking to show them what Canadian disc is all about.

We are looking to blast through pool play into quarterfinals. Once there, anything can happen. Seeded 11th, UVic is looking to upset some teams en route to a good finish. This early season tournament is about getting UVic on the map and training our squad to play in high-calibre games.

Key Players:
Chase Shields has proven time and again that he is able to consistently get greasy blocks. His shut down defense and ability to make big plays will be clutch come tourney-time. Watch out for his speed on the transition as he rips deeps or eats up huge metres under.

Luke Charlesworth is another key defender to keep your eyes on. His cerebral defending and playmaking ability will prove paramount as we battle these big American teams. Watch for him to take over on the turn and quarterback the offense.

Watch for 2012 North West freshman of the year, Nick Wright to have a break out tournament. His athleticism and fitness have caught up to his excellent disc skills making him a dangerous and complete player. Keep an eye out for him to initiate plays and attack the end zone with his awesome throws.

UVICTIM ROSTER:

Trevor Ashwell
Pascal Begin-Nose
Malcolm Bryson
Adam Charlesworth
Luke Charlesworth
Ben Davies
Colin Featherston
Joey Glazer
Lucas Main
Sam Merritt
Colin Montgomery
David Morrow
Taylor Nadon
Eric Ouellette
Chris Peake
Ashton Pearson
Tom Rowe
Pat Salembier
Chase Shields
Oliver Telfer
Kevin Underhill
Nick Wright
Clement Yip

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Check out the schedule here