Ultimate Flying Disc is a mixed gender non-contact team sport played in over 100 countries. Although Ultimate resembles many traditional sports in its athletic requirements, it is unlike most sports due to its focus on self-officiating, even at the highest levels of competition. Catherine Menzies (CAN) is one of the athletes in Team Canada's The World Games 2022 roster for Ultimate. She is today’s athlete Building up to Birmingham!
“I was introduced to the sport in elementary school in Physical Education classes. I love the competition, and the camaraderie you get to build with your team-mates. On top of that, I have chosen Flying Disc as my sport because I love chasing down and throwing the disc for goals,” Menzies says. What is special with Ultimate is that there are no referees: the players learn to discuss and solve problems with their opponents from early on.
“One challenging but extremely rewarding part of this team sport is being able to build that chemistry between team-mates,” Menzies says. “Understanding the habits and tendencies your team-mates prefer is something you learn and build over time, and with the nature of national teams that are assembled every 4 years for a specific tournament, it is a little more challenging to develop that in a shortened time frame.”
Catherine Menzies’ training is a combination of in-the-gym strength training, on-field track workouts, and sport-specific practices with the team that involve drills and lots of throwing. “Training for The World Games 2022 started for me after the completion of The World Games 2017. It has been a real mental journey with the delay of the tournament due to COVID-19, but my training regimen continues. This winter, Canada has prepared a short-listed roster of 25 athletes to help prepare for The World Games in the summer. This will include dedicated training camps and competing at tournaments with this squad. Outside of my full-time job at a technology solutions consulting company, my individual training ranges from 1-3 hours a day, and when in-season we have team-specific training that consists of 6-8 hours a week.” Besides training, Menzies enjoys staying active by playing disc golf, squash and bouldering recreationally, and going for forest runs with her dog.
In Wroclaw in 2017, Canada won a bronze medal in Ultimate Flying Disc. Menzies is aiming for a similar or better result this time. “My expectations for Canada's Flying Disc team are to compete and bring our best game to The World Games, and ultimately earn a spot on the podium at The World Games!” She would also love to see more sports during the Games: “There are so many awesome sports, but I'd love to go and watch some Parachuting and Parkour. And if I had the skills for this, I'd love to participate in Archery. It looks so cool.”
Birmingham will be the third World Games for Catherine Menzies. “I took part in The World Games in 2013 and 2017. Both events were so unique in their experiences, and they have created so many unique memories and friendships that I will cherish forever. The major difference from a World Championship Flying Disc tournament is that there are athletes from all different sports and countries. It is amazing to see all of the different athletes from all over the world come to one place to compete in their areas of expertise.“
Fans sent Menzies questions via social media, and these have been answered in this article. The final answer to the final question? Her favourite food is sushi!
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association, organised with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and over 100 countries will take part in The World Games.
