VUL Community Spotlight: Myles Lu

On the first Sunday of each month we feature a VUL community member who is contributing to ultimate in awesome ways.

Myles Lu

Myles has been a long-time mentor for VUL league teams and a coach for both youth and adult competitive teams. He recalls his team having a mentor when he first started playing in the VUL. “I felt he was a great resource for our team to learn, build chemistry, and have fun,” he says. Myles has mentored VUL teams for more than a decade, and in 2014 won our Volunteer of the Year award as “one of our most requested mentors.” At the banquet, Myles was recognized for his ability to teach the skills, spirit, and strategies new players need to enjoy and excel at the sport. Myles has also coached at secondary schools to help friends who were establishing programs at their schools, and in recent years coached the mixed club team Fable (2017 to 2019).

# of Years in Ultimate:

21

Past teams:

Bond Girls, Pura Vida, Gauntlet/Legion

What role(s) do you have in the VUL/ultimate community?

Coach, mentor

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I like helping people grasp the little "Aha!" moments while they learn a skill or strategy involved in the game. To be able to grow the game that I love, being able to add that incremental piece is very satisfying. As a coach, I see the talent and skill coming to the game nowadays and hope that my experience can help others accomplish their goals across any level of play they seek.

How do you instill Spirit of the Game in your players?

As important as it is as a coach to lead by example when it comes to SOTG, I think we also want to make sure our players recognize the important of SOTG by placing attention and effort towards cultivating it. On recent teams that I coached, we had a system in place for handling on field stoppages so that team members could feel more prepared in navigating SOTG issues. Having tools and processes not only helps to instill SOTG in players but also gives structure and support to reinforce it as well.

Tell us about a favourite ultimate memory.

Although at the time it was probably hair pulling and frustrating, one of my favourite memories was a very long point played during a competitive event. The lone point included three timeouts, multiple unwarranted turnovers and a lot of great defensive play. The point must've lasted 15-20 minutes. What I remember most, however, is both my own team's commitment to keep working as well as our opponents' and also the sidelines supporting us as well. The easy scores are nice highlights, but these battle points are the ones I cherish the most!

What do you love about the VUL?

One of the things I love the most about the VUL is how you can feel supported at any level as a participant in the league. As you play, learn, and grow your own game you also have a wonderful opportunity to network with other players, teams and leaders. The people, organization and community really do a great job in developing and supporting this kind of opportunity. I think it's quite unique and I enjoy taking part.

What's your favourite throw and why?

Flick hucks are my favourite throw. Because you know there's a good chance you can end the point once the disc is up, and walking off the field on a clean offensive point is always very satisfying.

Photo at top right: Miles at the September 2019 Grand Masters Ultimate Tournament in Montreal, Quebec.

Do you know someone we should highlight with our Community Spotlights? Tell us about them! Email mm@vul.ca for more info on how to nominate someone. 

Past Community Spotlights:

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