J Meets ... The Ottawa Lady Gee-Gees

Welcome to the first installment of J Meets ..., where I "meet" teams from across the continent (the one I usually inhabit, not the one I'm currently on). Hopefully as the winter and spring roll on, I'll be able to talk to more teams, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy learning about this next team as much as I did.

While this team didn't necessarily get the publicity and attention that other teams got going into the College Series last year, there was no denying the fact that most everyone knew they were a force to be reckoned with. In my Natties preview, I called them a wolf in a 4 seed's wool, knowing full well that they had the potential to be a Finals team. I didn't know nearly enough about the Ottawa Lady Gee-Gees, and thus, I decided they would be the best inaugural team to kick off this series.

What tournaments did you attend last season?
Fall 2007:
Canadian Eastern University Ultimate Championships (CEUUC)

Winter 2008:
Trouble in Vegas (TiV)
UPA Sectionals (Upstate NY)
UPA Regionals (Metro East)
UPA College Nationals


In how many tournaments did you make finals/how many tournaments did you win? What would you consider your most major tournament or game wins last season?
We made finals in all tournaments we attended except for Nationals. We won CEUUC, TiV and came first in our section and region.

Our most major win last season would have to be TiV. It was our first time competing with US college teams (asides from sectionals the year before) and the level of competition and the number of teams present was never before seen to us. The third game day was definitely our biggest accomplishment as we went down to Vegas with low numbers not knowing what to expect from this tournament, other than to gain top college level experience. We defeated three teams with big reputations and won the tournament so that was huge!

Also not only making it to Nationals but also taking first seed in our region was definitely a highlight as well as of course, attending Nationals and seeing such a great level of play from across North America.

How did your season end?
Our season ended on a good note. We came out of Nationals tied for 5th. Considering it was our first time attending the tournament and the first time our program ever fully participated in the UPA series, it was pretty exciting and a great way to kick-off our UPA debut.


How many players are you losing/who are you losing, coming into this season? How much of an impact will that have on your team?
We lost a few girls for different reasons (finishing studies, studying abroad, etc), in particular Kate Crump who has completed her Masters as well as Shannon Becker who is now ineligible for the series. Losing players, especially ones like those two who had so much experience and who were great receivers for our team, obviously does have a pretty big impact. This only means that our returning players will have to step up and play bigger roles than they did last year (which they've being doing great at so far!).


How many new players do you anticipate adding to your team before the start of the spring season? Are there any major additions?
Our team is, for the most part, already chosen (tryouts were in September to take advantage of practicing outdoors in Sept/Oct - the only time in the college season when it's possible for us as there is a lot of snow until May). The core of our team from last year is the same, but watch out for new team members Viviane Bartlett and Meghan Kane (both who have had some club experience this summer) as well as rookies Emilia SV and Valérie Langlois to light it up on the field.

Who will be the players to watch on your team this year?
We have several players who have had significant experience on a local, national and international level. With the help of our returning players, these players will definitely play a part in carrying the team forward through the series:

- Anne Mercier (CND women's team '08, CND jr women's team '06, Traffic '08, Capitals '05-'07, Stella '05-'08)
- Danielle Fortin (CND jr women's team '04, Capitals '05-'08, Stella '05-'08)
- Alex Benedict (CND jr women's team '06, Capitals '06-'08, Stella '06-'08)
- Jamie Collins (Capitals '05 and '08, Stella '05-'08)
- Kathryn Pohran (CND jr women's team '06, Capitals '08, Stella '08)
- Carrie Lugg (CND jr women's team '06, Stella '06)
- Sonia Komenda (Capitals '08, Stella '08)
- Meghan Kane (Capitals '08, Stella '08)
- Viviane Bartlett (Stella '08)


Is there any one player or group of players on your team that you will look to to be the "go-to" player? Worded differently, who do you anticipate will be the team MVP this season?
The same players to "watch" on our team will be our go-to players. However we can't underestimate the importance of our returning players and our new additions who are the core of our team and have shown lots of potential thus far and who will surely only continue to impress us as the season progresses.

It's tough to say exactly who will be the MVP for the season, since every player has a role on and off the field; contributing to the team in her own way. Closer to the end of the season we will vote on who people think is the team MVP.

What tournaments do you plan on attending this season (fall and spring)?
In the Fall 2008, we have attended:
CEUUC, Sept 28/29, Finished 1st
Carleton Invitational, Oct 18/19, Finished 1st

In the Winter 2009, we plan to attend:
Pres Day
Centex
UPA sectionals
UPA regionals
UPA nationals


What is your team goal for the season?
Our team goal this year is to make it to semis at the UPA nationals. Our team had a taste of the championship bracket last year, and we do firmly believe that we can improve on our T5th finish at last year's championship.


What do you think will be your key to success this year?
We plan to achieve this goal by exposing as many players as possible to the highest level of college ultimate at the pre-series tournaments listed above. Hopefully, come the series, we have a full roster of players who have seen and are comfortable with a high level of play; which will help them develop their skills and motivate them to train harder and give it their all come Nationals. We are still a new program and exposure at this time is key for us. We are still trying to develop a strong base and hopefully one that will carry the program in the future.

What is it going to take for you to get back to and seriously contend at Nationals?
Lots and lots of training and practicing, just like last year. We've already invested in extra indoor field time, bettered our fitness programs, and are working on attending more high caliber tournaments closer to the series. Developing our rookies to play bigger roles is key, and from what we've seen so far they're well on their way on becoming great players.
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If you'd like to learn more about the Lady Gee-Gees, check out their wonderful website/blog, or contact them at ladyggultimate AT gmail DOT com.

I want to thank Anne, Alex, and Danielle for their great enthusiasm and cooperation, and best of luck in the upcoming season!