Seven athletes from North Vancouver and Squamish won medals at the World Junior Ultimate Frisbee Championships in Logroño, Spain, with results announced July 18.
A total of 26 countries entered teams in the tournament, which alternates between Under-20 and Under-24 age divisions each year. Canada’s Open team defeated the USA in the final to claim gold, marking the country’s first win over the USA Open team since 2014.
James Foord-Kelcey of Squamish served as joint captain of the team and scored the winning point. Foord-Kelcey began his Ultimate career at Squamish’s Coast Mountain Academy in 2022 before playing for Canyon and now UBC Thunderbirds. Findlay Gray of North Vancouver, also a Canyon alumnus, played on the gold-medal Open team.
North Vancouver’s Zachary Bernadi, Fiona Edgell and siblings Sarah and Devon O’Reilly won silver in the Mixed category, a division won by Team USA. Claire McJannet of North Vancouver took silver in the Women’s category, which France won. All of the North Shore medalists are alumni of the Canyon ultimate program.
Katrine Fortin, manager of the Team Canada squad, said, “For all three teams to enter the finals was such a great reflection of all the athletes, coaches and medical staff’s hard work in the last year!”
In a recent podcast interview, James was asked how the Open team dealt with the pressure ahead of the match, and he said, “I was telling people to smile. For me, it was a goal I had dreamed of for many years. So I was trying to get everybody stoked and appreciate the moment and how special this opportunity was for us”.
Alex Lam, assistant coach of the Open team, said the team’s mental composure during the tournament matched its athletic and skill preparation, adding that players stayed calm under pressure throughout the competition.
