WESTLOCK — A former Westlock County resident has taken his love of ultimate Frisbee to the next level.
Ken Lange was inducted into the Ultimate Canada Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2023 at the end of March.
Lange grew up in the Hazel Bluff area, and enjoyed throwing a Frisbee with his older siblings in their backyard. He graduated from RF Staples in 1986 and then the University of Alberta before moving to Ottawa in 1995 to work and fall in love with the sport.
“I had heard about Ultimate…and read about it but it was very early on and there wasn't really anything in our area,” Lange said. “A few of the people I was working with had played, so they got me into the team. I was hooked and have been playing ever since.
Lang began playing in the league final in the summer of 1995 and competing in the sport in 1997, attending his first nationals in Victoria, British Columbia that same year.
Lange won the National Masters Championship in 2006 with Bad Daddy Ultimate, where he was MVP, and another title in 2008 with the Green Light Ultimate Masters (GLUM), both Ottawa-based teams. He also won a silver medal with GLUM in 2007.
Today, he focuses on working as a controller and is in his fourth year of training.
Ultimate Canada's website lists Lange as “instrumental in the operations of the Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association (OCUA), the lead developer of Ultimate Parks Incorporated (UPI), a board member of the Canadian Ultimate Players Association (CUPA) and a member of the Canadian Ultimate Players Association Board of Directors finalists (CUPA). Pioneer of the observer program in Canada. He has also been a director of several tournaments, including the Canadian Finals, and most recently a competitive junior coach.
Lange's work as a spotter over the years has led to his induction into the Ultimate Canada Hall of Fame.
“Even though Ultimate is a self-referee sport, it doesn't actually have referees per se. We have what are called marshals,” he said, referring to his work to help create the national marshals program, a role he has been playing in the sport for 2003.
“It was great…people I played with over the years (were) reaching out to me and congratulating me,” Lange said. “I think it's always nice to be recognized by your peers for your efforts.”
Lange pointed out the low cost of the final, minimal equipment and self-management and pointed to several divisions in the sport such as open, women's, mixed and different age groups including youth, junior, senior, masters, grandmasters and grandmasters.
He also shared some of the attributes of the sport he loves most.
“He can be very fast-paced. You have the opportunity to make amazing plays,” he said.
“I think the thing I like about it now is the culture. We follow what's called the 'spirit of the game,' which is basically the sportsmanship doctrine that says you're going to go out and try to play as hard as you can and be competitive,” Lange said, noting the friendships and close-knit community. Final: “But you will not break the rules by doing so and you will try to maintain the spirit of fair play.”
“It tends to be a very inclusive sport. It's just a fun, close-knit group. It's exciting to play and meet a lot of great people.”
Lange said the final is a “fantastic sport” and he hopes Canadians will continue to enjoy it.
“It teaches a lot of the basics of fair play, and team sports are always educational for kids and young people,” Lange said. “So I think if we can get more and more people playing it, I think it's just another sport that they can enjoy and gives them more options to get out and be active.”
For more information about the final visit www.canadianultimate.com
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