It “hurts” to lose veteran Morgan Hibbert, says a co-captain of Vancouver’s ultimate club team Furious George, after the veteran announced he is moving to Toronto's to play for another club team.
Hibbert, a stalwart in Vancouver’s ultimate scene who helped turn Furious George into a team known the world over for its intensity and competitive drive, will finish the season playing for Goat.
Kevin Underhill, a Furious George co-captain with Hibbert this season, said, “Losing the veteran presence that Morgan provides hurts. There is no denying that.”
Founded in 1995, Furious George has won 10 Canadian championships (including three consecutive titles from 2011 to 2013), three U.S. open championships and three World Ultimate Championships. They finished sixth at the World Ultimate Club Championships earlier this summer in Lecco, Italy and are beginning a rebuilding phase.
In an email to the Courier, Underhill said Hibbert, also a professional player with the Vancouver Nighthawks of Major League Ultimate, “… has given his all to Vancouver ultimate for the last decade.”
“I'd be lying if I could have foreseen our team captain leaving right before the most important part of our season but things like this happens in elite sports,” he said. “It's important for us to shift our focus back to our season now and move forward without Morgan.”
Furious George ramps up for its final campaign of the season, a series of three qualification tournaments that culminates in nationals.
The sport-dedicated website ultiworld.com broke the news Aug. 22. Hibbert is in Europe and unable to return the Courier’s messages.
Goat (typically written in all-capital letters) and Furious George have shared players in the past and according to teammate Nick Menzies, Hibbert’s decision was several years in the making. Players from both teams have built relationship through competition and as teammates on the national ultimate program.
“It feels like we’ve played with them for five or even 10 years,” said Menzies said of Furious George and Goat, which got its start in 2002. Of Hibbert, a 1999 Kitsilano graduate, he added, “He’s become pretty good friends with some of the guys from Toronto. On a personal level, that is a pretty big factor."
Also, Hibbert, who turns 33 this year, is feelings the physical effects of injuries that stem from his playing style and height.
“It happens with tall guys who play like him, pretty recklessly,” said Menzies. “That’s why he’s good. He’s looking at his career and is not sure how much longer he’s got.”
And then, there’s Goat’s potential. “They’re kind of peaking right now,” said Menzies. “Where they are in their career is really well aligned with where Morgan is."
Furious George, on the other hand, is beginning a rebuilding phase and developing new recruits.
The move is not a betrayal although some might see it that way, said Menzies. “It was a really hard decision and probably three years in the making. The team isn’t taking it as a betrayal and I would expect to see Morgan in a Furious shirt in the future."
