WESTLOCK — A former Westlock County resident has taken his love for the sport of ultimate frisbee to the next level.
Ken Lange was inducted into Ultimate Canada’s Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2023 at the end of March.
Growing up in the Hazel Bluff area, Lange enjoyed throwing frisbee with his older siblings in their backyard. He graduated from R.F. Staples School in 1986 and went on to graduate from the University of Alberta before moving to Ottawa in 1995 for work and falling in love with the sport.
“I had heard of ultimate … and I read about it but it was very early on and there wasn’t really anything in our area,” said Lange. “A few people I was working with played so they got me on a team. I got hooked and have played ever since.”
Lange began playing league ultimate 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 a national masters championship in 2006 with Bad Daddy Ultimate, where he was the MVP, and another title in 2008 with Green Light Ultimate Masters (GLUM), both Ottawa-based teams. He also won silver with GLUM in 2007.
Today, he focuses on officiating as an observer and is in his fourth year of coaching.
Ultimate Canada’s website lists Lange as “instrumental in the operations of Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association (OCUA), a leader of the development of Ultimate Parks Incorporated (UPI), a member of the Board for the Canadian Ultimate Players Association (CUPA) and a pioneer of the observer program in Canada. He has also been a director of many tournaments, including the Canadian Ultimate Championships and, most recently, a competitive junior coach.”
Lange's work as an observer over the years led to his induction into Ultimate Canada’s Hall of Fame.
“While ultimate is a self-officiated sport, it doesn’t actually have referees per se. We do have what are called observers,” he said, noting his work to help establish the national observer program, role he has had in the sport since 2003.
“It’s been great … people I’ve played with over the years (have been) getting in touch with me and congratulating me,” said Lange. “I think it’s always wonderful to be recognized by your peers for the efforts that you’ve put in.”
Lange noted ultimate’s low cost, minimal equipment and self-officiating and pointed out several divisions in the sport such as open, women's and mixed and different age categories including youth, juniors, adult, masters, grandmasters, and great grandmasters.
He also shared some of the attributes of the sport he likes best.
“It can be very fast paced. You have the opportunity to make spectacular plays,” he said.
“I think the thing that I like about it most is the culture. We follow what’s called the ‘spirit of the game’, and basically, it’s a sportsmanship doctrine that says you’re going to go out and try to play as hard as you can and be competitive. But you’re not going to break the rules doing it and you’re going to try to uphold the spirit of fair play,” said Lange, noting the friendships and close-knit ultimate community.
“It tends to be a very inclusive sport. It’s just a tight-knit, fun group. It’s exciting to play and you meet a lot of great people.”
Lange said ultimate is a “great sport” that he hopes Canadians will continue to enjoy.
“It teaches a lot of the fundamentals of fair play and team sports are always educational for children and youth,” said Lange. “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 it gives them more options to get out there and be active.”
For more information on ultimate visit www.canadianultimate.com
