Talent of the North – Great Britain/Ireland under-24 Women
by Elise Camilleri-Brennan
The Summer of 2023 was a very exciting one for a group of Scottish* under-24 ultimate frisbee players, jetting off to lovely Nottingham for the World u-24 Championships.
Over the next few weeks, The Release Point will be putting a spotlight on these talented young players and revealing some of their thoughts about the whole under-24 experience.
First up, we have Becca Hardman-Carter, Eva Caie and Katie Trim playing on the Great Britain Women’s team, and Ava Lehane for Ireland Women!
* not all are Scottish-nationals, but they were all based in Scotland at the time of playing, and that’s enough for us.
What team(s) did you play for during the 2023 season?
Becca – University of Glasgow, GUX (Glasgow Ultimate Mixed) & DDD Beach (Deep Dish Discs).
Eva – SCRAM.
Katie – University of St Andrews & SCRAM.
Ava – University of Edinburgh & PELT.
When did you start playing ultimate frisbee, and why?
Becca – Summer of 2021, I moved to Germany to live with my boyfriend for a year-long masters placement. His whole friend group was based around a mixed frisbee team called Friss Die Frisbee Geretsried. I loved their dynamic, and missed team sports, so I tried it out and immediately became obsessed!
Eva – In 2017 in my last year at high school – big up Neil McEwan! He played when he was at university and created a school team! I wanted to try something different than the usual sports available at my school and ultimate sounded pretty cool!
Katie – In 2019 when I started Uni. My brother took me to a session at Stirling when I was looking around the uni and it was good fun, so I looked for the team at St Andrews. The people were very nice, so I stuck around!
Ava – During Covid, we played football like a foosball table – pretty grim! Having just moved to Edinburgh in September 2020, I wanted to give something new and exciting a go and make more friends along the way.
What did you do when you found out you made the squad?
Becca – I had just got off the minibus after driving back from Club Mixed Indoor Qualifiers, and I saw the email and couldn’t believe it at all! The shock took a while to pass…after showing my Flung teammates I was with, I called my Dad to let him know.
Eva – This is so embarrassing… I was out for dinner with my family when I got the email notification and I cried at the dinner table… the quality at the trial was so high that I had written myself off.
Katie – Firstly, I made my flatmate read the email to make sure I had read it correctly. Then I called Ellen (my girlfriend), my parents and brother to tell them the news!
Ava – Just about squeezed in the phone call amidst my typical Tuesday activities of 4 hours of lectures, rushing home before spending 4.5 hours at Peffermill (UofE training grounds). I was absolutely buzzing but gotta keep going.
What was training like?
Becca – There was certainly a lot of travel involved going down to England, but it was so, so worth it!! There was a lot to learn, and long days of running around in the rain, but all of it prepared us so well to play to our fullest potential, and motivated me to go away and work on my own. Our managers were not only incredibly knowledgeable but also extremely supportive, taking time at training weekends to talk also about our mindsets and aims for the season.
Eva – Being from Scotland, training took up an entire weekend! Always flying from city to city or driving for 6 hours…but it was made easier with my travel companions! The training was good, but definitely challenging! Lots of new strategies and game play. The hardest part was definitely when we weren’t together as a team and making sure I was still keeping up my personal routine of gym and pod sessions to be as prepared as possible for our next training weekend. On the plus side, I did get to meet one of the pilots flying me to and from and even got to sit in the cockpit!
Katie – Travelling down to England was quite tiring. However, the sessions themselves were amazing. I got a lot out of them and felt that I improved a lot. The coaches made sure that the environment was challenging but supportive. Teammates were very helpful with letting us crash for all the sessions!
Ava – I wish Ryanair loyalty cards were a thing or that their flights were punctual. But hey, I got what I signed up for: a lot of travelling back and forth. Thankfully, each training weekend, I got taken in by a teammate, Sophie, and her lovely family. Training itself was super exciting. So many new drills that I had never done before and I felt like every offence finally clicked with me. It was my first experience of high level frisbee and combining this with having a good laugh made training a lot of fun!
Tell us the highest highlight of your experience.
Becca – Wow, there are so many to think about! Generally, it was so exciting to see all of us grow as a team and generate such great chemistry, and all massively improve individually as well.
Eva – Being asked to Captain the team! I still couldn’t believe they had even picked me, let alone asked me to captain alongside two of my other team mates! It added pressure to the game but was truly a highlight!!
Katie – Probably just getting the opportunity to play with and get to know my teammates. The whole season was so special.
Ava – When you can’t pick a specific highlight, you know that there’s simply too many to count! Every part of the experience was filled with laughter and utter chaos.
How did you feel about the World Championships being in Nottingham, rather than abroad?
Becca – Whilst it would have been nice to be abroad and explore with my teammates again like we did for Toms Tourney, I was so so happy to have my family travel down to support me! Also it was much friendlier to my wallet…
Eva – Honestly, I was hoping for some nicer weather, but it was so amazing to be able to represent our country and host this amazing tournament. It meant that family and friends were able to come support this high level sporting event which doesn’t happen often.
Katie – It was very cool being the host country. It was also slightly comforting having played Club Nats at the same venue, so it had that sense of familiarity. It also meant that my family and friends could come and support.
Ava – It was a glimpse into the first-year university experience that I never had – seeing a bunch of your friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner and devoting all your efforts to a game you love. I’ve always loved having the support of fans so it was an ideal location for my family and UofE friends to come watch. Somewhere new might have been nice but I’d rather not think about the financial implications of that and enjoyed the dodgy Nottingham weather instead!
Which National team was your favourite to play against, and why?
Becca – I’m sure people would expect me to say USA because I ‘met my hero’, Abby Hecko… But there were other, more closely-matched games with really good vibes which I’d say I preferred!
Eva – Australia! We had played them the week before at London Invite and they were so much fun! Having travelled so far, they always gave us a good, fun and fair-fought game.
Katie – Probably Austria. When we played against them it was incredibly windy and both teams adapted well and it was a good game. They were really friendly and had great spirit which just made it a very enjoyable game.
Ava – Probably New Zealand. Ironically, their best player’s surname was Ireland. Both teams brought good vibes into an intensely-fought game. A standout moment for me was getting fouled on Stall 9, but, having had the stall reset, I picked the right option and we scored after a few more passes to equalise the game at 7-7 (I think). Huge celebrations!
Do you have any advice for players considering trialling for GBu24 in the future?
Becca – Absolutely just give it a try as you never know what might happen! I’d say most people I spoke to on the u24 team didn’t expect to be selected, just like me! Even just the trial experience teaches you so much, highlighting your strengths and weaknesses, to give you confidence and things to work on. And more practically, getting out and throwing every day beforehand can make a huge difference to your performance at trials!!
Eva – Just go for it! You might not have the chance again! And what’s the worst thing that can happen? No matter what you will learn so much from the trials and it’s such a fun experience.
Katie – Do it! Just play as much frisbee as you can and go to trials.
Ava – GBu24 has a bit of a lengthier trial process but the Scottish trial being pretty local is a great chance to just enjoy playing more frisbee with those you typically play against. Commitment and enthusiasm are a great stepping stone to anything so I’d just recommend giving the trial a shot and see if you like it. I cannot emphasise enough how nervous I was before my trial, but from Day 1, the Irish coaches and players were such good craic that it was impossible not to want to play more.
What’s your biggest frisbee ick?
Becca – Watching someone chasing a rolling disc around as it spirals in a circle.
Eva – When a team has a spike disc they bring on when they score… and a player who didn’t score or assist takes the disc and spikes it the hardest.
Katie – People spiking the disc after a very easy point.
Ava – Tall people skying me without jumping (swear this isn’t solely directed at Katie!). Or people that refuse to defend; defence wins games!
Who is your main influence right now in Scottish ultimate, and why?
Becca – Easily Audrey Melançon-Fournier! As my Flung coach she’s taught me so much, and since I’ve met her she has really driven me to aim for my maximum potential!
Eva – Alex Hiley and Audrey Melançon-Fournier! Their commitment to the sport is insane and they both bring so much to the pitch! Alex with such great leadership and just as excellent execution! Audrey with such incredible reads and directing play; she can catch anything! If I can achieve the balance between their knowledge and skill, I can only dream of the player I would be.
Katie – Karina Aitken. I’ve always looked up to her since playing against her as a first year at uni. I am now on the same team as her in the Scottish Super League and always enjoy playing with her.
Ava – It’s got to be Zoë Todd, Ro Sham’s Canadian star. Simply put, what can Zoe not do! She always keeps the opposition on their toes, by being nifty and ready to exploit lazy defence, but she is also an accomplished thrower. She also does everything with a smile, making her a joy to play alongside!
What are your plans for the 2024 season?
Becca – I loved bonding with GUX last season and going to Euros with them! So whilst I’ll trial for other teams for experience, I’m hoping to end up with GUX again. Other than that, I’m captaining Farflung this year, and am Beach Women’s Captain for DDD (Deep Dish Discs)!
Eva – Watch out England; there’s another Scot in your midsts!
Katie – Finish the uni season, then trial for teams wherever I’m based next!
Ava – I started the university season by captaining Edinburgh 2s to 4th place at UWIR, scaring plenty of 1st teams along the way so long may that continue! I really enjoyed playing mixed with PELT in 2023, so I’m hoping for much of the same next summer!
Keep an eye out for our interviews with the u24 Mixed and Open players!
Photos:
Tom Kiddle Photography – https://www.instagram.com/tomkiddlephotography_/
Photo album >> https://galleries.page.link/u9Rx5
Andraž Kramberger Photography – https://www.instagram.com/stalldown/
Tristan Millington Photogtaphy – https://www.facebook.com/tristan.millington.photos/
Arvydas Sileikis – https://www.instagram.com/arvydassileikis/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==