2011 Preview – University of Victoria UVixens

[stextbox id=”alert” color=”050505″ bcolor=”6cc3f8″ bgcolor=”ffffff” big=”true” image=”null”]School Name: University of Victoria
Team Name: The UVixens
Captains: Alex Harned, Danie Proby, Jennifer Brown
Coach: Katie Cochran
Jersey Colors: Black, Gold, Smokey Gray, White
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Tell us a little about yourselves.  How did you get involved with Ultimate at Victoria?

Alex Harned: I started playing in highschool, very low level, just to learn the sport.  I came to UVIC in 2nd year and was provoked by a friend to join the UVixens.  We went to Nationals at UBC in 2008 and I was hooked.  I used to row and it was too expensive to continue at University, therefore Ultimate seemed to be a reasonable alternative.

Danie Proby: I started playing pickup in my hometown, Gibsons, and came to UVIC last year, and then joined intramurals for Ultimate.  Alex scouted my flick huck and convinced me to join the team.  I pretended to be cool, but on the inside I was so excited to join a team.

What is Ultimate at Victoria all about?

Ultimate in Victoria is very segregated between University players and city players.  However, it Is positive because it pushes our individual players in competition outside of the team on a local level which in turn help to contribute to tournament preparation and overall well-rounded playing ability/team dynamics.  For such a small city, Ultimate plays a massive role in athletics and is a seemingly tight community, with lots of leagues and tournaments to choose from.

How did your team do last year?  What was the highlight of your season?

Last year, we placed high enough at Sectionals to attend Regionals for the first time in recent UVixen history.  We placed about halfway down the list of teams.  IN the previous few years, the team struggled to have the number to fully compete in spring tournaments.  However, last year we had a full roster to attend Stanford Open, PLU BBQ, Sectionals, and Regionals.  At the PLU tournament we lost to the host team in round robin pool play, only to face them again in the semis, overcoming them in a hard fought, gritty, aggressive game.  We found ourselves in the finals against their alumni team.  As the only Canadian team attending the tournament, our cheerleading section left a little to be desired, except for the little league baseball team that for some reason loved us.  We would come from behind to win the first tournament in recent UVixen history, rendering our boys team to hear about it later.

Who is your favorite team to play against?

Our favorite team to play against is probably Whitman Sweets.  We always seem to have intense, close games against them.  UBC is always a great team to play against and to learn from.  Our most memorable game would probably be one of the games from Stanford Open, where we played one of the teams that made it to the finals.  We only lost to them by one and they said it was the best game they had all tournament.  They also told us they had been to 6 tournaments in a row, whereas that was our very first one.  We were very proud of our Vixens who played a spirited, but ruthless game! 

Tell us about your coach and captains.  What do they bring to your team?

Alex: Last year, I had the priviledge of being one of three captains along with two friends who had the opportunity to play at an elite level in juniors, where I stood as the more fun, less experienced captain only to have the role reversed the following year.  I played for Zephyr, a Vancouver womens club team at Worlds in Prague this summer, as well as for team Canada U23 worlds in Florence.  I feel like the experience gave me a lot of inxentive to build a team back home with the same heart and skill level as well as develop my ability as an individual player.  It’s hard to wear both hats some times. 

Danie: Being a rookie last year and becoming captain this year is a huge honour.  I learned so much in one year, and I feel that because the learning is so fresh I can contribute by teaching methods that helped me to learn so quickly such a short period of time ago.  I have played so many sports but none have captured my heart as much as Ultimate.  I am definitely a leader by example, I feel like if my team sees me playing my heart out then they will as well.  I get stoked whenever they do anything sweet!  Where Alex brings her experience in playing, I bring experience in team dynamics and captains that have transfered from my other sports, and together we are the proud mama’s for the Vixens.
Katie Cochran was a player/captain of the team last year who ruled with humour and by leading by example.  She had great defense, and this year she hopes to pass on the torch to her little Vixen babies.  Her skills and experience will definitely pay off in practice.

Are there players on your team who deserve consideration for Callahan, All-Region, or Freshman of the Year?

Callahan: Aya Peloquin is a little D machine.  She played for the U19 Canada Worlds team in Germany this summer.

All-Region: Robin Greene is one of your fellow Americans who makes every person on the field a better player (that’s on her team :-P).

Freshman of the Year: Danie Prob y- rookie to captain in one year, sky machine (basketball style ups) runs down the disc like it’s out of style, flick huck.

What player is most likely to make a huge play as a thrower?  As a receiver?  On D?

Typically, I mean like, every point during spring season, Alex Harned backhand huck to Danie Proby or Jessie Bell in the endzone.  No one caught on, ever. We strive as a team to always play good defense.  Our whole team could be put on this list.  Jessie Bell stands out and is one to look out for.

Without giving too much away, what does your team like to do on offense and on defense?

Our midcutters are the foundation of our team and what makes the game work.  without them, our flow would be stagnant.  We like offense AND we like defense.  Of course zones are always fun.

Has your team set any goals for this season?

Plan to attend Stanford Open, PLU, Sectionals and hopefully Regionals again, with the chance of attending Las Vegas.

What has your team been doing in the fall to prepare for the spring season?

Our list of “vets” includes 2 players that have played on the team for more than 2 years, and the other 6 “vets” were rookies last year.  We heavily stacked with new rookies, so the next few years will be developmental but exciting!

What tournaments do you plan to attend in the spring?

PLU BBQ should be awesome to try to defend our title.

What does your team do to get pumped up for a big game?

We try to amp each other up by rocking out to sweet tunes and making sure the warm-up gives us confidence and that we cheer loudly for each other.  Positivity is the key!

What song would you pick for the soundtrack to your team’s 2011 highlight video?

We have had Paper Planes by MIA and Live Your Life by T.I. as our songs in previous years.  The song for this year is yet to materialize but be ready for something hard hitting and hot.