NOTL’s Ben Simmonds reflects on world ultimate championships

For Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Ben Simmonds, wearing the red Team Canada jersey at the 2023 World Under-24 Ultimate Championship (WU24) in Nottingham was a dream come true. 

“It was the coolest thing I have ever been a part of,” says the enthusiastic 22-year-old on the line from Ottawa. “The opening ceremonies were unreal. Seeing all the teams lined up, carrying their flags, decked out in their country’s ‘swag’, getting called one-by-one by country, it was such a memorable experience.”

Simmonds was part of Canada’s mixed U-24 ultimate frisbee team, a combination of women and men representing their country on the world stage last month. Canada finished fourth in the tournament, running off a streak of seven victories in pool play before losing to Singapore 14-11 and finally to Japan, 13-11 in the bronze medal game. 

Team USA defeated Singapore 15-5 to win the gold. 

“We aren’t upset with our final results,” says Simmonds. “In all honesty, I think many expected us to do a lot worse than we did. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t finish with the bronze. But our team fought really hard and we played some of the most intense games I’ve ever been a part of. We may not have won a medal, but we’re proud of the way we played.”

Ultimate frisbee, referred to frequently as just ‘ultimate’, combines elements of basketball and football, played with a disc rather than a ball. It involves seven players on each team competing on a 100-yard field. 

The team that starts on defense will toss the disc to their opponents, whose objective is to work the disc down the field by throwing it. Unlike football, once the disc is caught, the player cannot run with it. The other six players on the team do run, though, in an attempt to get open to catch the disc when it is thrown again. 

A point is scored when the disc is caught in the opposing team’s end zone. At the WU24, games were played until one team earned 15 points, unless the soft cap for the time limit was reached. 

As well, there are no officials on the field. Rather, the players on both teams communicate with each other to determine the kinds of decisions that a referee or umpire might make in other sports.

“The toughest game we played was the one against Singapore,” says Simmonds of the team they lost to after beating Chinese Taipei, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, Great Britain and Switzerland twice. “There were some difficult moments that come when you play world rules with teams that speak different languages, elements of the game that aren’t part of the play that made it hard for us.”

He adds that before tournament play began, Canada was hoping to play a friendly match against Singapore. Those plans were scuttled after a couple of Singapore’s players suffered injuries in a friendly against the USA. 

“It’s unfortunate,” Simmonds laments, “because I think it would have been beneficial for us to have played that game.”

A highlight for Simmonds, who notched seven assists and four goals over nine games, was Canada’s 15-3 victory over Finland.

“We were able to scout them out beforehand,” Simmonds explains. “We realized that our male-matching players might have more of a struggle running the show than our female-matching players against them. We used a different strategy in that game, playing our whole line-up throughout.”

One team that they didn’t get a chance to go up against at WU24 was the eventual gold medal winners. 

“I think if we had played the USA we would have seen a very different game,” he says. “I would have loved to have seen how we matched up against them. They pretty much destroyed every team they played. But our styles of play are very similar and I think we would have given them a much closer game than anyone else did.”

Another highlight for Simmonds came off the field. He flew to the UK a week ahead of the tournament with his mother Toby. It was a chance to do some sightseeing and connect with family members. 

“It was my first time in England,” he tells The Local. “We did a few touristy things, but most of it was spent meeting all of my family over there. It was really awesome.”

Back in Ottawa, where he graduated from Carleton University, Simmonds is sharing an apartment with his younger brother Nick while working a summer camp for Elevate Ultimate, teaching the game to younger kids. He lives and breathes ultimate, playing for his professional team, the Ottawa Phoenix, who compete in the open (mens) division in the Canadian Ultimate Club Series.

The Phoenix placed second at the Ontario Championships (OUCs) in Brampton on July 16, just over a week after Simmonds returned from the UK. On August 17, he’ll be heading off to the Canadian national championships in Surrey, British Columbia, where the Phoenix is ranked third out of 16 teams.

Simmonds holds out hope that he’ll have a chance to return to world ultimate competition in the future, though it probably won’t be in U-24 mixed play. 

“I have the tab open on my computer right now with my player application to try out for the 2024 senior team to play at the worlds,” he says. “It’s a tough team to make, but I’m excited to put myself out there for it. That would be my next goal, my next opportunity.”

After having taught physical education at an Ottawa-area private school last year, Simmonds’ other goal is to be accepted into teacher’s college. Working the summer camp is a way for him to build his resume, give back to the sport that he was introduced to in grade 9 at A.N. Myer Secondary School, and to keep in shape for his next ultimate challenge. 

“Stepping onto the field wearing the Canada jersey, it was pretty unreal,” he says. “I’m happy, and proud of what I have done in this sport. I feel pretty confident at my ability to stay at this level, and I hope to one day wear that jersey once again.”