Quicksand

Congratulations and welcome to the members of Quicksand 2007:

• Emily Atkinson
• Corrie Elligson
• Marissa Fread
• Kim Freeman
• Pam Law
• Laura Seaman
• Gillian Stanley
• Steph Wong
• Scott Anderson
• Ben Best
• Nick Betik
• Elias Campbell
• Darren Clark
• Martin Day
• Dan Fraser
• Sean Gryb
• David Hadaller
• Scott Kemp
• Tyler Law
• Michael McEwan

In recent years, Ultimate has virtually exploded in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. quicksand's brief but exciting history echoes that explosion.

Originally conceived as a companion team to Waterloo's successful LIQUID traveling team, quicksand very quickly developed an attitude and identity of its own. The team was assembled in the spring of 2005 with a roster of players ranging from novice to expert and with ages from 18 to 36. What started, then, as a rather rag-tag group of misfits and delinquents soon developed into a committed, disciplined, yet fun-loving team with a true passion for the spirit of the game.

After a slow start to the 2005 season, quicksand first came into its own at the Northern Flights tournament in June, winning several games and placing well in the consolation division. This included a marathon two-and-a-half-hour final game against Ottawa's Fusion team that continues to rate as the most intense, fun and memorable game in the memories of many players from both teams. It also started a friendship and rivalry between the two teams that would continue throughout the season.

July 2005 found quicksand at the Comedy of Errors Festival in Montreal, defying all odds to go nearly undefeated and actually win the B Division in another memorable marathon final, this time with Bonzai.

The rest of the summer of '05 saw more strong showings at Ottawa's Mixed Up and London Calling, before finishing with yet another first-place B-Division finish at Guelph's Stall Fall tournament in September. Overall, quicksand's rookie season far exceeded anyone's expectations - a tribute to our team cohesion and spirit of support and encouragement for one another.

quicksand's sense of fun and unity is probably best demonstrated by The Party Van™. This ramshackle 1979 vintage touring van owned by quicksand alumnus David "Hips" Hadaller provided transportation and sleeping quarters for many quicksand players through the '05 season. Indeed, a record 21 people are rumoured to have emerged from The Party Van™ at a North Bay McDonald's. An unfortunate brake-down (pun intended) on the way to Montreal in July saw the team scramble for last-minute transportation, with the generous help from our friends on other Ontario teams. However, a seven-hour road-trip turned into a seventeen-hour ordeal, with many players arriving in the wee hours of Saturday morning. quicksand "made lemonade" though, with that being the most fun weekend of the season. Our division win that Sunday was a further testament to our perseverance and commitment.