CITY UPDATE
Winnipeg
Winnipeg selected
builds own
as host city for 2009
Ultimate
Canadian Nationals
The Manitoba Organization of Disc
facility
Sports (MODS) is very pleased to announce
that Winnipeg has been selected as the
host city for the 2009 Canadian Ultimate
BY CORY YOUNG
Championships!
Next summer Winnipeg will play host to
WINNIPEG – In its humble beginnings,
over a 1000 of the best Ultimate players in
the Manitoba Organization of Disc Sports
(MODS) ran a modest summer Ultimate This time around though, Winnipeg has seven more
the country. The event will run from August
league in Winnipeg with just three teams competing fields for the national event and will once again be
13 - 16th at Maple Grove. The new MODS
once a week in a local city park. Fast-forward to 2008 able to hold the entire tournament in one location.
fields in conjunction with the Maple Grove
and MODS is celebrating its 20
th
anniversary boasting The fields were professionally designed by local
a summer league with about 3000 registered players landscape architect Dean Spearman with plenty of
Rugby fields will allow for a spectacular
on 194 teams playing four nights per week in 25 room for future expansion. Current plans have space
single venue event. It’s not too early to start
divisions throughout the city. The municipal parks are for another 4 fields on-site, plus room to add to the
thinking about volunteering for the event. The
still widely used, but as of 2008 MODS opened the current 160 parking spots (MODS encourages car
gates to its very own facility designed and built from pooling). While it is naturally sheltered from cross
organizing committee will begin to form a list
the ground up specifically for the sport of Ultimate. winds, more trees will eventually be planted on-site
of prospective volunteers this summer. As
The Winnipeg Ultimate Park (WUP) held its grand to enhance the wind break and as part of an overall
well there will be announcements made soon
opening ceremonies this year during Championship sustainability strategy. Also, a permanent structure
Weekend (summer league playoffs) on its seven will eventually be added to house the irrigation and
as to the openings of some key Excecutive
new, perfectly sculpted, lush green fields. Members maintenance equipment and serve as a clubhouse/
positions for the Organizing Committee. I
of the MODS executive board, government officials, meeting place for those using the facility.
would like to thank the following people for
media personnel and thousands of Ultimate players Thanks to a board of executives with some real
were on hand to help commemorate the opening of vision and a passion for the game, MODS began
their help with our successful bid; Eric Reder,
the new facility. collecting funds for a field levy almost 10 years ago
Jess Benoit, Danny Saunders (for developing
Plans to build these fields have been in the works out of teams’ league fees - and still managed to keep
a solid framework in 2005), Monte Miller of
for almost ten years now and while the wait was its fees among the lowest in the country. Since then,
long for some MODS members, it was well worth it. subsidies and grants have been sought from all levels
Destination Winnipeg and the entire MODS
While the facility makes up just a small portion of the of government, countless volunteer hours have been
Board for their support. Winnipeg has raised
league’s 30 fields during the summer, it represents a logged and now MODS runs one of the city’s newest
the bar every time we’ve hosted nationals
significant leap forward for the organization and for and most unique athletic complexes at a total project
Ultimate in Winnipeg. cost of about $500 000. No small feat for a non-
and we want this to be the best one yet.
This new complex will be showcased to the rest profit group better known as a bunch of Frisbee-
Thanks
of the country next August as Winnipeg hosts the throwing hippies!
Corey Draper
2009 Canadian Ultimate Championships. Those Just the third Ultimate facility in Canada, the
CUC 2009 General Manager / MODS
in attendance in 2005 might feel a little familiar as Winnipeg Ultimate Park is (quite literally) a ground-
Executive Director
WUP is located adjacent to the Maple Grove Rugby breaking advancement towards growing the sport
Park in the south end of the city - the site of CUC ’05. into mainstream athletics.
Ultilingo
Double happiness – the feeling you get
when you block the opposing player’s
pass on defence and then immediately
cut and receive the disc to score the
point.
www.canadianultimate.com — Ultimate Canada Magazine 33
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