A sport played with a frisbee, on a field, and with a whole lot of friends—it’s called ultimate frisbee. This summertime backyard activity can get competitive too. From club teams and developmental camps to tournaments and leagues across the country, ultimate frisbee is one of the fastest-growing sports in North America.

Did you know that Richmond has its very own club team that competes at the highest levels of ultimate frisbee each year? The program is called Reign, and it turns ten this year.

Reign started as Savage Club in 2015 with an open touring team and an open regional team. (The open division meaning a more intense level of play, unrestricted by gender, though typically men). In 2018, Savage joined the Vancouver Ultimate League umbrella and rebranded. 2019 was the first year Richmond competed as Reign.

The Richmond Sentinel sat down with Reign’s Lead Program Coordinator Josh Ralla for a chance to talk about the program’s history, growth, and future. I started by asking about how Reign has grown since 2015.

JR: “In 2015, there were just two [junior] open teams. From there we've been able to add in a [junior] women's team. Our highest peak was in 2022, bouncing back from the pandemic: two women's teams, two open teams, and an additional open team, in total, five junior teams.

“Since then, we've also grown our adult club teams. We have Royals, our mixed adult team—they secured a bronze medal last year at Nationals. This year, we are about to launch Ace, a women's adult team. Next year, we have plans to launch an adult open team as well.

“We also have our development camps and tournaments. Reign Invite is one of the largest high school tournaments in the lower mainland.”

RS: Why ultimate frisbee? What has kept you moving with this community?

JR: “I started ultimate 13, 14 years ago in elementary school at a tournament on the last day of school before graduation. That's when I first got into the sport, and I thought, hey, this is pretty cool. It's unique; it's different. It's not your standard basketball or soccer.

“It was new, still growing. The spirit of the game (SOTG) was a unique characteristic. I got to know people in the community really well. Richmond is such a tight-knit community. It's hard to really ever let go of the community.”

RS: I really like what you said about community. In what ways has community shaped Reign?

JR: “We run ultimate for the community. We listen to what people have to say.

“People were often having to go out to other communities to find what they needed. We identified that. We started to run newer programming in Richmond, like off-season skill development. We're running adult clubs now because we've had such solid youth programs in the past few years.

“Being responsive to what communities needed in the past few years has really helped us grow as a program. Having those additional program offerings, we're able to bring in more people.”

RS: I imagine with all the growth, there must have been difficult times too. Can you elaborate on a particular challenge?

JR: “I would say one of our biggest challenges is finding coaches that can support our players because so much of the season and team performance is tied to the coaches you bring in.

“It's hard to find those who can commit to a full season of coaching, and we wish to be able to pay coaches more. Our coaches are really just volunteers that we’re able to give a little bit, but with the amount of passion that they put into coaching, we wish we could compensate them more.

“Ultimate frisbee is still a developing sport; there’s a very limited supply of coaches. So what we've been doing to get around that is to play the long game and start developing coaches early. We talked to players—some of our top juniors or players on adult teams—who can we coach to coach? Who can we support? Who in our community do we think would be great people to help give back to the community?

“We have dedicated people, so it ultimately does work out in the end, but I wish there was something that we could solve with better pay and resources for people to become coaches if they're able to."

RS: What are the goals and long-term plans going forward for Reign as a program and ultimate in Richmond?

JR: “One of our core values is community. We want to not only grow a large community, but also a tight community. It often happens that people that play with Reign come back to coach, they come back to support, and they'll volunteer at events.

“That's one of the characteristics of this program we hope continues. We're really hoping to create a high-quality community where people are passionate about giving back.”

RS: How can we become involved?

JR: “One of the best places to get involved in ultimate frisbee is at the high schools. It’s usually free and low commitment. You have friends there, and you're representing a name that you know you'll happily wear.”

And so goes our conversation. I have played for Reign a few years, and the dedicated care put into building this program makes sense.

Sprinting in the heat of the sun on wide grass fields, friendships are made and community is built. Long after the final disc is thrown and the final point is played, the heartbeat and reverberations of the summer live on. Connections last beyond the time spent on the field, which is what ultimate is about. 

From tournaments across the lower mainland this summer to programs throughout the year, ultimate frisbee is happening. If you are nearby, come pay a visit. The lively, competitive atmosphere that brims with thrill and story is sure to not disappoint. 

Visit vul.ca/reign for more information.