World Ultimate Championships 2024 | Hayley Dalmon

Hayley is one of several Strathclyde University alumni who have gone on to represent Great Britain in ultimate frisbee. Originally from Aberdeen, she’s currently living in Chester where she works as a medical engineer. This season, Hayley played for the newly-formed SMOG women’s team, following 3 years with London-based Iceni. She’s also a part of the Great Britain Women’s senior squad. Hayley tells us why she plays GB and what the future is looking like for her in the context of ultimate.

(Featured photo by Showgame)

When did you start playing ultimate, and why?

I started playing Frisbee in 2014 when I went to university at Strathclyde. I was 19, so I had just missed out on all the under 20 GB stuff that year. When I was a teen in Aberdeen, I used to do highland dancing but when I went to uni, I didn’t like the new place in Glasgow as much. So I tried Frisbee at Strathclyde and everyone was really nice, so that made me stay. I really liked the people. It was the likes of Camy Agnew, Nicky Shaw, and Iain Chalmers, so you know, it was pretty easy to stick around. I didn’t do any other sport so when I started playing, I had zero pitch awareness and people would get frustrated at me as I was wildy free but you couldn’t ever throw it to me because I wasn’t looking!

What teams have you played for in Scotland, and which team experience was your favourite?

I played for SWIFT back in the day for 2 seasons, plus Black Eagles and then SCRAM. That included the Covid year so I only played with SCRAM for one actual year.

I loved playing at Strath, I devoted myself to that team. It was a really cool experience. I was captain for 3 years and so it was nice to see the progression of the club. In my 1st year, we were really happy to make women’s indoor nationals. In my 2nd year, we didn’t qualify but then the following year, we came 5th! And then, in my 4th year, we came 2nd and in my 5th year, we won the tournament with like a 10-3 score in the final so we crushed it that year! That was really fun.

Club-wise, in Scotland, probably my favourite experience was with Black Eagles and playing Worlds with them. It was a really fun team and it felt really cohesive, everyone was there to play high level fris but it did just feel like a team of mates. Playing against Mixtape at Worlds was definitely the highlight game of it all; it was really cool to run with a team like that. Just, very good mems. I feel like that was the peak.

Was there a Scottish player that had a big influence on you when you started playing?

Obviously the likes of Nicky Shaw and Shona Whiteley. And Ellie (Taylor) probably, because she was the year above me and when I first started I was like “woah, she’s quite good”.

Is this first time you’ve repped GB? If not, when was the first time and how was it?

No, this isn’t the first time I’ve repped Great Britain. I repped last year in Limerick at the European Championships and got a silver medal, which was cool. The highlight of my GB career was in Lithuania with the GB women’s indoor team where we came 4th. I also played for u24s with the women’s team when we went to Perth (Australia), where we didn’t do very well. So I have been to Australia with GB before which is a bit nuts!

Why do you keep going back to the GB programme?

I go back for the people. You have to enjoy it, that’s the main thing. Because you’re spending so much money and effort, and time, so you have to enjoy going to training. The captains of the team have put a lot of effort into the team culture and that does shine through, you can feel it, and that’s why it’s so great to be on the team. You feel like a valued member and it’s just fun at the end of the day. You balance having a laugh with playing competitively and feeling like the team reaches it’s potential. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not perfect 100% of the time, but it’s pretty damn close. You know that everyone else is putting in a shift as much as you are and everyone is doing what they can. Ultimately, that’s what it is, it’s the people and what everyone’s about.

Is there any specific preparation you’ve been doing ahead of Worlds?

Well, I’m currently injured at the moment. I have plantar fasciitis, which sucks. So, interestingly, in this time before a big tournament, I would be going out doing so many sprints, so much throwing, but I just can’t do that right now with my plantar fasciitis. I’ve been cutting back on all my load with boots on. I’m doing throwing and just low impact cardio. So mentally, that’s been a bit challenging. I just played at the weekend there and felt pretty good and my anxiety about the whole thing has, thankfully, got a bit better. I was able to play for the majority of the weekend without it hurting a lot. So that’s a plus. Normally, I wouldn’t be doing anything specific, just a lot of sprints and throwing.

Depending on where the tournament is too, obviously it’s gonna be roasting in Australia, it was roasting at WUCC too, so you want to get heat training in and make sure you’re not gonna die. Scottish people aren’t known for doing so well in the heat but I’m going to buy a fan which is apparently great; it’s a U-shaped thing that goes on your neck and fans you in the face!

What are you most looking forward to about Worlds?

I was a bit sad when I found out WUC was going to be in Australia, to be completely honest, just because of the money associated. It would have been a bit more convenient if it was in Europe but I am genuinely very excited about it now! I’m very excited about the place we’re going to, it looks amazing – we’re staying in Surfers Paradise, so we’re like 5 minutes from the beach. And it just looks like a nice place to spend time, there’s lots of coffee places and and it’s not super expensive. It looks like a vibe. And also, fun fact, the World Life Saving Championships are going on whilst we’re out there, and so as a team we’re going to watch them, which I’m very excited about!

What’s the future looking like for you?

I am retiring after this year. I’m gonna hang up my boots. I feel like Frisbee has given me so much stuff over the past 10 years. It’s given me the most amazing friendships, the most amazing experiences. It’s been an amazing life experience, and it’s given me a goal so many times, always looking forward to the next tournament. Yeah, it’s given me a lot, and I feel like I’ve gotten everything out of it that I possibly can. Especially this year, with the tournament being in Australia, I have just quite noticed that I am looking forward to doing other things that I haven’t been able to do so much this year.

So, I will be sad to hang up my boots, however I think the time has come. I’ll be looking forward to going home to Aberdeen more to see my family because I’ve not been able to do that so much, and just have more time to myself a bit more.

And finally, help us settle a debate: what’s your favourite Scottish fris venue?

Definitely Ravenscraig because it’s 3G, so super speedy and it was like only half an hour to home, so top tier!

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Thanks Hayley! Sorry to hear about your impending retirement, but we’ll always be here for you if you change your mind!

Keep your eyes peeled for our next interview, with Camy Agnew! And check out our interview with Andrew Dick if you haven’t already!