Sean Bernard is taking his ultimate Frisbee game to the ultimate level this week - all the way to Italy.
The 34-year-old longtime Prince George ultimate player is competing at the World Ultimate Club championships in Lecco - a town of 48,000 people in the foothills of the Alps - from Aug. 2 to 9.
Bernard, who teaches Grade 6-7 at Heritage elementary, will toss the Frisbee with Fig Jam Ultimate, a master men's club team from Calgary he's played with for the last two seasons. He's one of three imports (players outside of Calgary) on the 24-man roster.
"In Prince George I play in the ultimate league and 12 people were playing ultimate [when I got here], the league has grown," said Bernard, who grew up in the small, central Alberta town of Sedgewick playing hockey and baseball. "It's stunning. I never thought I'd play at this level of any sport."
The Fig Jams qualified for worlds when they won the 2013 Canadian national championships in Vancouver with a 9-0 record. The team finished second at the 2012 nationals.
Bernard made the cut for the Fig Jams when he was among 10 to 12 guys who tried out two years ago.
The core of the team practices twice per week while Bernard, because of the distance, joins them at training camps and tournaments. He trains five days per week to stay in tip-top shape.
His feats have not gone unnoticed by his hometown club.
"He has been a huge part of helping build a club in Prince George that has seen a great deal of improvement over the last decade," said PG Ultimate executive member Josh Van der Meer. "This has not only helped Sean's game, but it has made Prince George a very respectable club.
"I played for many years alongside Sean and I have watched him repeatedly meet the level of competitiveness that he has faced, as he has contributed on teams at the bottom of the national level to being a top player on his most recent team.
"For a PG player to not only be there at that level, but to battle and out-match his opponents every time he hits the field, is really inspiring to watch."
At worlds, Fig Jam is ranked 10th in the 24-team division for players between 33 and 38 years-old.
They're in pool C, one of four pools of six teams competing in a round-robin format. Playoffs will follow.
Their pool competition includes squads from Australia (Phat Chilly), the U.S. (Johnny Encore), Japan (Junk), Germany (Goldfingers) and Italy (Mucche al Pascolo).
"The top nations are the U.S., Australia, Japan and Canada," said Bernard. "I have been to the U.S. nationals before so I have a feeling what it's going to be like."
The games go to the maximum point total of 17, or two hours long, whatever comes first.
Bernard's job on the squad is a defensive line handler - his job is to get the disc back and run the offence when the team has the disc.
"[The key] is I have very quick acceleration and fast-changing direction," he said. "I have a good vertical and can jump. I keep up pretty well."
Despite his absence, he said he has developed some chemistry with the squad and taken on a leadership role.
"I'm the spirit captain and huddle with the other team [the opposition] and debrief after the game," he said. "It's cool they trust me with on-the-field leadership."
He first picked up the ultimate game 12 years ago in the midst of his third year of his education degree at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
He's competed at nationals eight times but this is the first time a team he's been on has qualified for worlds.
"I like the camaraderie and it's an open community," he said. "The games are always hard-fought and self-officiated. I play in the mixed league here but I like the men's game for it's aggressiveness.
"I played hockey. Ultimate is the perfect sport of running as fast as possible and throwing your body around."
While players paid their own way to Italy, the Fig Jams fundraised to bring the cost down to $1,000 per player. The fundraising covers the registration, accommodation and player fees.
Bernard's wife and two children - he has a six-year-old daughter and three-year-old son - are joining him in Italy for a trip of a lifetime.
