January 14, 2025
By Evan Lepler
Last week, the Tuesday Toss chronicled Toronto’s three marquee European acquisitions. On Friday, the team also announced the signing of Marty Gallant, a young member of the Canadian National Team who’s viewed as a speedy rising star.
But who’s going to lead the Rush’s resurgence amidst all these newcomers?
How about Mark Lloyd, an original member of the franchise and arguably the greatest talent in the team’s history.
Lloyd, who hasn’t played in a UFA game since 2018, will return to the field in 2025, and he’s determined to help the Rush rise back towards contention in a division that they dominated through most of his six seasons playing in the league.
“I think we are poised to bring some teeth back to the name ‘Toronto Rush,’” said Lloyd. “The East has gotten better across the board, and that’s why we have gotten more aggressive with player recruitment this year. We will have the talent to compete with anyone—and we may not be done adding pieces just yet.”
From 2013 through 2018, during Lloyd’s first tenure on the team, Toronto went 86-13. During those six years, Lloyd appeared in 50 games, navigating multiple serious injuries along the way. When he was healthy, he authored some of the most thrilling highlights in Rush history, mixing massive layouts with steady throws and a flare for the dramatic, often coming through in the clutch exactly when his team needed him. He was also the team’s first General Manager, an architect of the East Division’s original dynasty. But after devoting so much of his life to ultimate, he stepped away from the UFA following the ’18 season at the age of 29.
Without him on the roster, the team went 21-38, including a brutal 1-11 season in 2024.
Now, at age 35, Lloyd believes he still has plenty of fuel in the tank.
“I’ve never stopped training even in the time I have been away from the UFA,” said Lloyd. “In some ways, I am stronger than I was 10 years ago. Time, however is usually undefeated. At 35, do I think I’ll be the same player I was at 24 or 28? Probably not. But I think I can still think the game the same way I used to. I also know I have life left in my legs and I can contribute to the on-field success of the team.”
Dating back to the summer, Lloyd had been one of the key emissaries recruiting the team’s new European trio, Toms Abeltins, Tom Blasman, and Arvids Karklins. When they finally came to a deal, the newcomers were curious whether Lloyd might join them on the field, but Mark’s return was not a certainty until quite recently.
“I think it was more of them being nice and asking me if I was going to play too,” said Lloyd. “My dad made the best point in pushing me over the edge to suit up when he said, ‘you aren’t going to recruit these top guys to come to Toronto and not play with them.’ I am really excited about all three of them, as they bring a lot of great intangibles to the team.”
While Lloyd has never previously been teammates with Abeltins, Blasman, or Karklins, he has competed against all three and is very familiar with each of their skillsets.
“Toms is one of those guys who prides themselves on taking the tougher matchups on the other team and making them work for everything on the field,” said Lloyd. “He then punishes them on the turn by continuing to make them work. Tom is so young and has so much skill; I was actually shocked to learn he is only 22 because he has so much skill and confidence. Him and Toms work really well together and were big pieces for the Mooncatchers D-line.”
As for Karklins, Lloyd spent two consecutive weekends guarding him at various tournaments in Europe last summer, learning firsthand just how talented and dominant the Latvian superstar can be.
“[Karklins] is a guy who just changes the dimensions of the game because of the gravity he has,” said Lloyd. “You have to be aware of him as both a receiver and a thrower.”
Aside from wanting to infuse their roster with some new top talent, Rush management had hoped that these these international additions would completely reinvigorate the local Toronto ultimate community, generating interest among fans and also perhaps inspiring some other former players to return to the field.
The plan, in its early stages, seems to be working.
“We are seeing some players who have taken some time away from the UFA the last few years [who] are coming back,” said Lloyd. “We will be a deeper team with some high-end talent in 2025.”
A Thought for LA
Earlier in this article, I referred to the Atlanta Hustle’s recent playoff losses as heartbreaking. I desperately wish that was the worst type of pain anyone had to endure.
In our real world, outside the cocoon of frisbee, the news, images, and video coming out of Los Angeles over the past week have been unfathomable and heartbreaking. Following the events from afar has left me feeling somewhat helpless, though that’s obviously nothing compared to the feeling of helplessness, dread, and fear that those in LA have endured and are continuing to deal with as the Santa Ana winds pick up again.
It shouldn’t matter whether you know someone who’s personally been impacted. It’s absolutely horrible regardless.
But it definitely was more personally painful to learn late last week that the Landesman family had completely lost their home to the fires. Jeff Landesman, a beloved member of the LA ultimate community and the head coach of the Aviators from 2021 through 2024, along with his wife Laura, returned from an out-of-town trip to find nothing but smoldering remains where their home had once stood.
Their house, along with everything in it, was gone.
I don’t know exactly how long they had been in this house—and certainly don’t want to bother them now to ‘report’ this detail—but I do know that they had raised their three children there, including Danny, who played for the Aviators from 2019-21 before joining the Summit in 2022.
It was a lovely home, warm and inviting in every way. Jeff encouraged me to stop by whenever I came to town. I cannot believe it no longer exists.
While it’s heartwarming to see that over 700 people have donated around $90,000 to help the Landesmans during this tumultuous time, it’s even more heartbreaking to think about how one’s home can suddenly disappear during an uncontrollable disaster.
Here’s hoping the worst is over and the city of LA can begin rebuilding soon. But for so many, life will never be the same.