By Mat LaBranche
The Canadian open under-23 ultimate disc team won nine matches at the July 12-18 World U23 Ultimate Championships in London, England, but their only loss – to USA in the gold medal match – was the one that lingered for Ottawa’s Nick Boucher.
“Personally I thought that this year was going to be the year we’d overtake them,” indicates Boucher, the lone member of Canada’s open team from Ottawa. “The Americans are always so deep from top to bottom, but this year I thought a victory against them was a bit more attainable. If we had played the right game, we definitely could’ve beat them, but we just didn’t play up to par when we needed to.”
Canada went undefeated en route to the final, beating challengers from Poland, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland and Japan, but when it came to the deciding contest, the result was the same as when the North American rivals met last year in Toronto, with USA prevailing 17-11 on this occasion.
“I found that we were able to impose our will on a lot of the newer and weaker teams that didn’t quite have the depth that we did,” notes Boucher, a four-time member of Team Canada. “Personally I was pretty disappointed with a silver medal, because I’ve lost to the U.S. every single time I’ve played them, so that left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. But at the end of the day, a silver medal’s a silver medal, so you can’t really complain about that.”
On top of his international play, Boucher also competed for the Ottawa Outlaws of the American Ultimate Disc League, who recently wrapped up their inaugural season with a 7-7 record to miss a playoff berth by one spot.
“Overall, I think it was a successful season,” reflects Boucher. “Of course we would’ve liked to have made playoffs, but looking at the bigger picture, we had a very good fan base the entire year. We put on a good enough show to make fans want to come back all the time, which is probably the biggest thing you’re looking to do in your first season.”
Although Boucher has an extensive track record on the international circuit, and is no stranger to the sport, it was his first go at the professional level, something he did not take for granted.
“It’s absolutely awesome playing in front of your own home crowd,” underlines the former University of Ottawa Gee-Gee. “In my mind, it’s the biggest reason why anyone would want to play in the AUDL in the first place. It’s amazing how energetic the crowd is, and how everyone is always cheering. That accompanied with things like the national anthem really gave it more of the professional sport feeling than I have ever felt before.”
Five more Ottawa players competed in the U23 worlds, with Kristina Cowan and Sarah Innes winning bronze with the women’s team, and Hannah Dawson, Jeremy Hill and Kinley Gee also earning bronze in the mixed division.