Earlier in the season, Fulford Ultimate sent 74 students from Y7-11 across ten different teams to the U14 and U17 National Championships qualifiers. The teams travelled to Manchester for the one-day event, with lots of experience and plenty of beginners too. For lots of these players, including all the Y7s, it was their first taste of competitive Ultimate Frisbee.
The event saw teams from across the north of England competing to qualify for the National Finals later in the season. We didn’t know much about the opposition; all we knew was that we had to finish in the top 4 to guarantee qualification for Nationals.
After lots of quickfire competition across the course of the day, guided by expert Sixth Form coaches, here’s how things worked out:
In the U17 division, Fulford finished 9th, 8th, 5th, 3rd, and 2nd. The U17 first team had been solid all day, but unfortunately tired legs and an experienced opponent in the final meant we finished in second place.
In the U14 division, Fulford finished 8th, 7th, and all three of the podium positions were filled with Fulford teams. In an extraordinary performance, Fulford 2 – who were all Y7s playing their first ever tournament – managed to wow the watching crowd with a stunning win over Fulford 1 in the final, to be crowned winners of the qualifier event.
Jamie Kenny, from the winning team, said: “Everyone was excited and we had a level of confidence that we could do well. My team (the u14 2nds) won all our games leading up to the final which led to a Fulford 1sts vs Fulford 2nds clash. Both teams tried as hard as they could to bring home the trophy. But in the end the 2nds just managed to take the win with a close victory! I owe the victory to my teammates picking me up when I made a mistake and congratulating me when I played well. This brilliant experience motivated me to keep on practicing and playing frisbee.”
A huge well done to everyone who competed for Fulford at U14/U17 Qualifiers, and thanks to UK Ultimate for organising and running the event. It made for a great start to the season for all, and a fantastic introduction to the sport for lots.
With three teams in each division completing the main objective of qualifying, attention quickly turned to preparing to compete at the national finals.