Whoa!

Watching the University of Western Ontario Sharks play Ultimate is a joy, a feast, some real entertainment.  The Sharks are a team of stars with a mix of superstars thrown in for additional flavour.

Hmm…those first two sentences are rather odd but I’m presently at a loss for words in how to describe this team.  I’ve played with many of the players on the UWO team over the last year and I know firsthand what an incredible bunch they are.  In the University season the team has added the likes of Mark Lloyd to an already beefed up roster to bring some serious heat ahead of Nationals.

While University Ultimate has some substantially frustrating efficiency problems (aka, it’s hard to watch given the number of turnovers) it’s obvious that the players at the fields today will develop into players better than those of us that tour today.  University club programs are starting to reach the same level as they do in the US and Canada will continue to develop this talent into the club system (some players already play on top club teams).

I’m all over the place here but it’s hard to organize my thoughts when one play keeps running through my head again and again:  a huck goes up from the Sharks endzone, floats to the middle of the field where 10 players jump for it.  In the middle of the pack one lone hand pokes up just higher than the rest and snags the disc.  The pack lands and scatters as players ensure their own safety; Mark Lloyd stands alone with the disc.  Without hesitation he throws an OI into the endzone to empty space, to nobody it seems.  From the far side of the field Maxmillien Rosenberg sprints away from his defender and easily runs the disc down.

It’s with lethal efficiency that UWO operates.  They started the day by blanking two teams (15-0) including scoring a combined five Callahans.  Their tough match of the day was to be against McMaster but it was all hype.  From the get go the Sharks controlled the game and it ended in a lopsided affair that I stopped keeping score off at 8-1.

While other University teams with serious programs (Toronto, Queens, Ottawa, McGill) are serious contenders for the top four it is in, in my opinion, a foregone conclusion as to who will win on Sunday:  The Sharks.

If they can withstand the Alcohol.