Madeleine (she/her), GBu24W co-captain and Iceni captain, reflects on bronze medal success with GBu24W at the 2025 U24 World Championships, Logroño, Spain.
Playing history: Rice Frisbees (2016-2020), Camden Ultimate (2021), KCL Thrown (2021-2024), Iceni (2022-present), GBW 2023, GBXU24 2023, GBWU24 2025.
Madeleine in action at Worlds
Photo: Ultimate Paparazzo
What does coming third mean to you?
Before the tournament, I knew that we had an amazing team and making the top four was absolutely possible. One game after the other, and there we were, in the Bronze medal game against Canada. They were a team that we had lost to in our pool games, and a team that was expected to medal at the tournament.
We went down 8-4 at half, but a loud ‘I believe that we will win’ chant in the tunnels fueled us to fight back and we ended up running away with it in the second half to win 15-11*. Coming third meant more than just the physical work we put into the season or each game. It was about the belief we had in each other, in our coaches, and in the process. Most of all, it was about the joy we shared playing together and growing as a team.
*GBW came out on offence at 6-9 down, held their offence point, then proceeded to get 5 breaks in a row to take the score to 12-9. The teams each traded to 13-11 before GB held their offence, and finished the game, taking 15 points, with a final break. Full game is hosted by Ultiworld on Youtube
What did you learn from those around you?
Emily Hill was a big inspiration to the team and the big dogs line. She had an eye-opening speech about stepping into the pressure during our line chat with Big Dogs. Pressure is a privilege and being able to sit in it and be okay with it has joy in itself.
Before every point, Big Dogs would imagine there was a wall (the front endzone line) and step into that “pressure”. That one step was a mental switch for each individual, but on pitch that manifested into confidence and calmness.
The Banana ft. the GBWu24 team
Photo: Emily Stewart
How did you impact the team in your leadership role?
I don’t think I had to contribute too much as the team was already very capable and talented, we also had four coaches and three more captains. The captains were split across each line, so I was mainly interacting with the Big Dogs line on pitch. Most of that consisted of repeating our foci on the line and reminding players to “step into the pressure”.
As one of the more experienced players on the team, I did my best to check in on those who were newer to the international scene. I know it can be daunting to play on the international stage, so I wanted to give my teammates the confidence to play their frisbee.
What is your leadership style?
I’m still trying to find out what kind of leadership style I have. I don’t think I’m great at speaking to a large group, but it did come more naturally to me when it was crunch time and we needed to put a shift in. I’d say it feels most natural for me to speak to a smaller group, I guess it’s a lot more manageable.
I like making sure that people feel heard, so I enjoy having conversations with individuals and hearing their thoughts about frisbee, whether it’s about the point, game or a specific moment.
Not at all a photoshopped, team coaches picture. L2R (Emma, Nads, Andy, Potter)
Photo: Em Chambers
Did you have any doubts along the way?
Line structure
We had 2 lines that were split by play styles of big ball (Big Dogs) and small ball (Flying Monkeys), with a few players crossed over to provide better depth to each line. It was the first time that I had ever heard of this form of line structuring, so I was initially hesitant about how effective it would be and whether offence would be clinical enough on both lines.
However, after playing Tom’s Tourney with the squad and watching both lines create those connections, I became confident that we had 2 lines that could play sound offence.
Too many voices in leadership
When hearing that four captains were selected for the squad, I was a little bit nervous as I was worried that there might be too many voices with four coaches and four captains. But early in the season, we had a call with all 8 of us and listed out our roles and responsibilities which helped with giving each of us a voice.
Andy Lewis, Head Coach, managed overall game strategy, Rachel Naden, Coach, managed the Big Dogs line and Emily Potter, Coach, managed the Flying Monkeys. Carmelle and I captained the Big Dogs line, taking turns to focus on offensive + defensive aims. Hannah and Rosie captained the Flying Monkeys, line splitting similar responsibilities.
What do you think contributed to the success?
An inflatable banana and a few silly chants! Big shout out to Lulu for lending her banana to us, because it really was the catalyst for our energy and vibes throughout the week. We celebrated every hold and break with a chant, and we’d even chant when the other team held as a way to have a bit of fun. Being able to not give too much importance to the other team scoring, and having fun playing our own frisbee was a mindset shift, and helped us shape our own narratives in every game.
The coaches did extremely well to set the tone from the start, in that we would be a professional and fun team. The coaches were very intentional with playing into everyone’s playstyles and strengths, which meant that each player was able to demonstrate their prowess on both O and D. Both lines playing O and D made us more unpredictable and dynamic.
Emma (+Hogi) sat at home with, 4 screens scouting the opposition and sending through notes to the coaches at Worlds (and eating a tasty lunch).
What needs to be repeated for the next U24 cycle?
I’m sure this has happened in one way or another in other cycles, but having support with footage analysis and scouting was very appreciated.
Coach Emma sadly could not join us in Spain, but put in a big shift back at home in the UK by doing live scouting and footage analysis every night. It was an extremely selfless job, but she was able to take off a huge pressure on the coaches in Spain. It meant that Andy, Nads and Potter had more capacity to focus on the team and lead on the day. Big shoutout to Emma (and Hogi)!
What to read next...
You can read more about how coach Emma supported behind the scenes and how she scouted the opposition to support the team in their Bronze medal victory. This article, written by Emma Klima of Reading Ultimate and GB fame, explains her approach to scouting teams. She describes how keeping it simple and focusing on actionable data led to bronze medal success of GBW U24.
