Canada women

Profile

Team Canada is comprised of members of the Vancouver club team Prime plus five at-large players from across Canada. The club was founded in 1993 and found immediate success, winning Canadian Nationals in 1994. They finished third at the 1998 World Club Championships in Minnesota, USA, and won the 2000 World Championships in Heilbronn, Germany without losing a game. They are the defending gold medallists and should be considered among the favorites again in 2004.

Despite their success, one team that Prime has had difficulty handling has been the San Francisco club team Fury, who will be representing Team USA. Prime and Fury compete in the same region for the UPA Championships and Fury has often gotten the best of them. Fury defeated Prime 13-11 earlier this year at a home tournament for Fury.

Prime is the representative of Ultimate’s surge in popularity in Canada and pulls players from the massive 230-team Vancouver Ultimate League. Nowhere else is Ultimate so populous. Team Canada is focused, dedicated and takes the spirit of the game very seriously. They also like a good, strong Canadian lager.

Canada on Offense

The core offensive unit of this team won the 2001 World Games in Akita, Japan, besting Team USA in the finals. The veteran lineup World Games winners Su Ning Strube, Jill Calkin, Anja Haman and Leslie Calder will provide the skills and steadiness. 

Like most teams these days, Prime will vary their offensive sets between vertical and horizontal stacks. The strength of this team on offense can be seen in the lanes, where Prime players have found success getting open with aggressive, well-timed cuts. Prime’s receivers are key to their success on offense.

They also have a lot of versatility. "There is a lot of depth on that team," says a player familiar with them. "Its hard to focus on one or two players to shut down."

Look for these players when Prime has the disc:

Anja Haman #2 one of the original team founders and last remaining veteran Haman is in great shape to play Ultimate and will frequently be on the field as the team’s primary handler. she has a throw for every situation.

Lara Mussell#77 nicknamed "Lars," a big target and receiver in the lanes, 6 foot 1 Mussel is a difficult matchup for opponents.

Leslie Calder #7 is known as an all-world player. tall, left handed, really fast, and makes sick layout catches. Prime’s best receiver and she is back playing with the team for Worlds.

Stephanie Chow #10 has played with a number of teams across Canada and America and is known for two things: her superior forehand and her early days as a childhood actor on the television channel Nickelodeon.

Canada on Defense

"We like to play a little bit of man and a little bit of zone," says a team representative.

However, Prime is known to be a strong man-to-man defensive team that rarely used the zone in winning Worlds 2000. With speed and a focus on well-conditioned athletes (several members of the team are involved with physical training and physiological studies) the team plays faithful person defense without much poaching or switching..

Look for these players when the opponent has the disc:

Valerie Dion #66, throws a lot of goals but also plays mean defense.

Erin Huck #3 despite the name, Huck plays D. a fun player to watch on the field, Huck is an aggressive defender who registers blocks frequently using her speed. Joins Team Canada from Ottawa’s club team Stella.

Su Ning Strube #18 Su Ning is a handler on the defensive line. When Prime forces a turnover, look for her to pick up the disc. She is currently living in Amsterdam but will be playing with Team Canada for Worlds.

Jill Calkin #19 is a relentless defensive presence in the lanes. In college she played varsity Ultimate and was also on the rowing team, women’s ice hockey team and cross country ski team. A sports fiend, she considers Ultimate her off-season sport.

Tanis Frame #6, a strong defensive force who frequently lays out for discs.

 

Team Colors:
Red, White and Back

Roster:
22 players

Captains:
Lara Mussell
Hilary Dunn
Jillian Maguire
Valerie Dion
Terra Hooyberg

Website
http://www.primeultimate.com