Sean Bernard’s Grade 5 and 6 students at Heritage Elementary School had the ultimate excuse to take a break from reading, writing and arithmetic.
They wanted to watch their teacher win a world championship.
Bernard did exactly that last Friday (Nov. 15) in Irvine, Calif., when those students tuned in the webcast to watch as he and the rest of Team Canada defeated the United States 15-8 in the grandmasters final to capture the World Masters Ultimate Championship title.
“We played the U.S. in the final, which was a big deal because they U.S. constantly wins every ultimate tournament in the world and it was nice to be able to beat them,” said Bernard.
“With our team, the goal all along was we were likely to play the Americans, so we built a team that was fast and fit and pretty tall, outside of myself (he’s five-foot-seven) to do well against them and it worked out pretty good. I’m pretty speedy and a good thrower.”
Canada won their round-robin game against the Americans 15-13, then beat them 15-14 in the seeding playoff round.
“I think we just wore them down,” Bernard said.
Bernard has been playing ultimate (otherwise known as frisbee football) for 22 years. A friend introduced him to the sport while he was attending the University of Alberta.
“Twenty-two years and it was always my goal to be on Team Canada for the whole time so my bucket list is checked off now,” said Bernard. “My game is more short passes to get it moving, but I can throw it far (65 yards) if needed.”
was the first time Canada has won the title, held every four years, since 2008 and the Canadians went undefeated at 9-0, beating the defending champs from the U.S. three times. The six-team grandmasters (40 and older) open division also included Japan, Venezuela, Germany and Australia.
“My favourite was the Japanese, they play a vastly different game,” said Bernard. “They’re kind of all my height, but Japan is very good. They have to play this small-ball, move the disc fast. They just bring joy to the field and it’s really fun to play against them.”
Ultimate teams are limited to seven players each on the field at any time and players either play offensive or defensive lines. Substitutions can only be made after a point is scored by catching a pass in the end zone. Bernard’s position is defensive line handler. Similar to a point guard in basketball or quarterback in football, he sets up the plays when there’s a turnover and his team switches to offence.
“Lots of the play goes through me so if anyone can’t find a throw downfield they’ll look to reset it to me all the time,” he said.
Bernard, 45, was among 200 applicants who applied to play for the Canadian team. That number was reduced to 40 candidates after separate tryouts in the east and west a year ago and he was picked in April for the 26-player roster.
“It was a pretty huge thing, especially being from Prince George,” he said. “The rest of the team was from major centres like Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal and I was the one outlier who made the team. The team had training camps in Las Vegas, Montreal and Toronto leading up to the tournament and in between those camp Bernard did a lot of hill running and spent hours practicing his throws.
“Because it was a year process, everybody on the team was very fit, everyone committed to it,” he said. “When I was ready to go with the team I was in the best shape I could have been in.”
The Prince George ultimate community is small. About 30 players play weekly pickup games from the start of September to the end of October at Spruceland Elementary School field. Bernard’s students at Heritage play the sport during their gym time and he organizes a youth league in the spring.
Bernard was given the honour of carrying the Canadian flag in the opening ceremonies and marched into the stadium prior to the start of the six-day tournament with his wife Maizie and their 13-year-old son Eli and 16-year-old daughter Heidi. Bernard’s parents from Sedgewick, Alta., were also there.
“My family was there so my big thing was we won on Friday and went to Disneyland on Saturday,” said Bernard. I pulled the old Super Bowl thing, you just won so what are you going to do? I’m going to Disneyland. It was great.”
