Written by: Rebecca Thompson
Ultimate Canada Magazine – November 22, 2017
Members of the community from across North America came together in Montréal, QC, last weekend to discuss the growth and development of ultimate.
From Nov 17-19, over 100 delegates attended sessions and participated in discussions geared towards the future of the sport.
The annual Ultimate Canada Conference (UCC) was extremely successful with talks taking place on gender equity, youth ultimate, inclusion, indigenous youth, conflict zones and more. Delegates were able to network, and discuss similarities and differences in their personal experiences, within an environment fuelled by the love for ultimate.
The keynote presentation was given by the head of Olympic performance for the Canadian Olympic Committee, Derek Covington, which left many delegates feeling engaged and inspired to pursue Olympic representation for ultimate.
According to Covington, the spirit of the game sets ultimate apart from other sports as it allows athletes to compete at the highest levels with respect and love for their opponents. The ability to bring a sport to the table that embodies spirit and communication with no referees, as well as being a mixed gender sport, is an asset to ultimate becoming an Olympic sport one day.
Other takeaways from #UCC2017 included how the sport can grow participation across the country and in doing so how we can ensure equity in participation in gender, youth and marginalized communities.
The conversations around growth and development were very fitting as the theme for next year’s UCC, to be held in Vancouver, will be inclusion.
There is no doubt that with the community focused on growth, UCC 2018 in Vancouver promises to bring even more opportunity for valuable discussion and interaction with like-minded people.
