Canada U23 thoughts

Disclaimer:  The following is in no part the opinion of UC or any UC board members; it is wholly my opinion.

Lately I’ve been asked by quite a few folks about U23 and whether Canada will send players to represent us at the tournament.  It’s a question that I’ve been asking myself even before the tournament was formally announced.  The number of people who’ve asked me is astounding (I must really get around a lot) and I’ve been surprised to find out how many players are eligible.  There are many players that I consider veterans that are eligible to play in the tournament.

So, what do I know?  Not much as it turns out or at least not anything that I can tell you.  I can however shed some light on the process by which UC will decide on whether or not to send a team or multiple teams.

The decision is not as straightforward as it may appear.  For one the time by which UC must express interest is the end of January.  The tournament was announced earlier this month and while other nations seem to be far ahead of the game (*cough*Australia*cough*) in having selected teams, Canada and the US have been caught somewhat surprised.  In fact most were expecting a tournament next year and this decision by WFDF seems somewhat forced/political.  Regardless, a decision must now be made.

How will the decision be made?  The UC board of directors meets regularly and during those times decides upon important matters such as the one this post is about.  While the decision will ultimately come down to a vote the board members do not act without guidance.  The first source of guidance is from the members/shareholders in UC which is the Ultimate players that compose the member body.  Board members are constantly hearing from members about the U23 tournament and it’s sure to impact their decision.  The second source of guidance (and this is usually the primary source on most important decisions) are committees who investigate matters thoroughly and provide a report to the board of directors.

It’s not a blind decision or one made on the spur of a moment but something that is discussed and well thought out.

What will the decision of the board be?  I don’t know nor will I speculate.

I will state that I fully support Canadian representation at the U23 tournament.  The number of teams that I vote to send is what I’m still considering and will be discussing with my fellow board members.  I want Canada to win; we are a strong Ultimate nation and to go with any intention other than winning would be a mistake.

My concern is not with Open or Women’s but with Mixed.  Do we have enough players that can play Mixed?  Most of the players that will be attending the tournament have played University Ultimate and are used to playing, mostly, with players of their own gender.  Will Canada be able to send a Mixed team that can win?

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