Annua.l Meeting VOL. 21 NO. 1 • SPRING 2001
Sa.nctioned. Lea.gues
Uiti.eJii) ___ 3595 E. Fountain Blvd. J2 Colorado Springs, CO 80910 800-UPA GETH • 719-591-1168 • info@upa.org Executive Director Joey Gray • ed@upa.org Assistant Director Joe Gorman joe.gorman@upa.org Assistant Director Will Deaver will .deaver@upa.org Open Director David Raflo 703-807-1934 • upa_nod@upa.org Women's Director Melissa Ditz upa_nwd@upa.org Mixed Director Jen Christianson 770-594-9562 • upa_nxd@upa.org Masters Director Pete Giusti upa_nmd@upa.org College Director Lyn Debevoise upa_ncd@upa.org Juniors Director Michael Baccarini 404-370-1404 • upa_njd@upa.org Alumni Relations Steve Mooney 617-323-2332 • upa_alumni@upa.org Innovation Grants Angelo Artemakis 773-227-5583 • upa_grants@upa.org
Letters t:o t:he Edit:or
UPA BOARD MEMBERS: President Jim Parinella • jim.parinella@upa.org Vice Pres. Kate Bergeron • kate.bergeron@upa.org Treasurer Matt Healey • matt.healey@upa.org Secretary Dan Revelle (SW) • dan .revelle@upa.org Members: Jennifer Donnelly jennifer.donnelly@upa.org Tim Murray (C) tim .murray@upa.org Kurt Dahlenburg (S) kurt.dahlenburg@upa .org Bill Layden (NW) bill.layden@upa.org Dave Remucal dave.remucal@upa .org Henry Thorne henry.thorne@upa.org Paul Bonfanti (MA) • paul.bonfanti@upa .org Tommy Proulx (NE) • tommy.proulx@upa .org
REGIONAL COORDINATORS: Central Open Mike LaScola 618-893-2712 • upa_central_rc@upa.org Central Women DeAnna Ball upa_central_wrc@upa.org Central Masters Alexander Dee upa_central_mrc@upa.org Mid-Atlantic Open AJ lwaszko 703-533-8325 upa_ma_rc@upa.org Mid-Atlantic Women Melissa lwaszko 703-289-1793 • upa_ma_wrc@upa.org Mid-Atlantic Masters Craig Murray upa_ma_mrc@upa.org Northeast Open AJ lwaszko 703-533-8325 • upa_ne_rc@upa.org Northeast Women Lori Parham 617-868-5132 • upa_ne_wrc@upa.org Northeast Masters George Cooke upa_ne_mrc@upa.org Northwest Open Chad Walters 650-969-0868 • upa_nw_rc@upa.org Northwest Women Sandy Angelos 415-221-2014 • upa_nw_wrc@upa.org Northwest Masters Baird Johnson 206-329-7422 upa_nw_mrc@upa.org South Open Carl Parsons 214-358-4768 • upa_south_rc@upa.org South Women Leigh Gorman 512-708-0169 upa_south_wrc@upa.org South Masters J .R. Reynolds 912-356-1215 upa_south_mrc@upa.org Southwest Open Alex Bellows 303-402-6721 • upa_sw_rc@upa.org Southwest Women Rachel Nobel 213-740-5546 • upa_sw_crc@upa.org Southwest Masters Jon Shepard upa_sw_mrc@upa.org
COLLEGE REGIONAL COORDINATORS: Northeast Open Dave Rosenberg drosenb1@emerald.tufts.edu Northeast Women Neva Cherniavsky nchernia@eecs.tufts.edu Great Lakes Open Phil Broering Phii .Broering@chrobinson .com Great Lakes Women Josephine Ferrel JoRatt@aol.com Central Open Andy Pohl pohl@cs.wisc.edu Central Women Jyll Onstott jonstott7337@VAX2.WINONA.MSUS.EDU North West Open Chris Cobb cobbie_abdul@excite.com North West Women Syda Kosofsky firecracker@surfnetusa.com South West Open Matt Lipscomb Matthew.Lipscomb@Colorado.EDU South West Women Chelsea Boyle chelseaboyle@hotmail.com Southern Open John Malone malone@bigfoot.com Southern Women Alice Hill rica@owlnet.rice.edu Atlantic Coast Open Tim Halt thalt@utkux.utcc.utk.edu Atlantic Coast Women Sarah Gage scg6@duke.edu New England Open Benson Wilder wilder@sccs.swarthmore.edu New England Women Chris Cianfrani christina.cianfrani@uvm.edu
NEWSLETTER STAFF
Editor-in-Chief OPEN Editor Carrie Simison • upa_newsletter@upa.org Graphic Design Cathy Maykut upa_newsletter@upa.org Editorial: All submissions must be typed double-space and/or on a 3-1/2" disk in RTF format. Email your submissions to upa_newsletter@upa.org Submit full name, address, and phone. All editorial submissions become the property of the UPA.
Photographs: Labeled prints and/or digital scans, black and white or color photos are acceptable. Please include all information on the back of each photo: Subject, event (ie Women's Nationals, etc) & name of photographer. Email photos as a jpeg of at least 300dpi to upa_newsletter@upa.org. Published photos become property of the UPA, unused photos will be returned upon request if accompanied with a SASE.
Play On or Play Over Play on or play over- this is the true spirit of the game and Ultimate players should not need zebra-striped officials with silk handkerchiefs or black-shorted referees with yellow and red cards to enforce the rules of the game. On-field observers would only be a hindrance to the speed and flow of the game. Sideline observers, although less obtrusive, are only necessary when the fields are not clearly marked. Too often in tournament play, due to inadequate space, fields are bunched together with only a narrow alley between them and cones at each end to mark the goal. When unmarked sidelines are crowded with the baggage of players and spectators and everyone is inching forward for a better view and encroaching on the field, no one has a good perspective. Long, looping passes that confound a sideline trap are practically eliminated from the game by this dense wall of "observers." fustead of investing in the training of officials, the UPA could encourage and support tournament directors in the proper chalking (or painting) of the boundaries so everyone can see
Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
'Look, we need a stack here, people!' Heard at Summer Irvin's dress rehearsal.
dropped a pass or heard "pick" called when you had clearly just out-distanced your opponent. Non-playing officials won't be able
to make the game any more spirited or exciting. They will only make it less unique. -Timothy J. Norris
Dear Guardian of Ultimate Frisbee Lore, What a blast! A friend from CHS just e-mailed me about your site. Just had my 48th birthday this week (Thank you. Thank you.), and here I am, all of 17 years old, on your site. Wow. Thanks. I was really the mastennind ... ahem ... I was really only marginally associated with the team after it got up and running. Mostly I was there to amuse Joel, and I had a car. That being said, you spelled my name wrong. Wow, is that ever important in the great scheme of things. But, if you get a chance, it's Fred Applegate, not Appelgate. My 16 year old son now thinks I am cool. Or, rather, that I was cool. Okay, he's wrong either way, but... Thanks for building the site.
-Fred Applegate
LETTERS continued on page 5 »
CORRECTIONS TO LAST ISSUE • The 2000 Women's National Champions are Boston's Lady Godiva. The contents page of the last issue incompletely referenced the team as "Diva". There is in fact another team called Diva, from Gainesville, FL. Boston's Lady Godiva is the most successful women's team in UPA history, winning the national title in 1988, 1991, 1995-98 and 2000.
• fu the "Playing with DoG" article, Fortunat Mueller's name was spelled incorrectly (pages 38-39).
• The deadline for 2002 UPA budget requests from members and volunteer & HQ staff is Septem-
Next Deadline: June 15, 2001
2
the line. Then in the spirit of the game, let the players involved settle it. Set a one minute time cap on all arguments. If it is not resolved, "Play it over." Yes, I realize that the 'poor in spirit" will try to use this to their advantage, but they also try this with all the rules. Who hasn't been on the field when a foul was called right after a down field player
Letters to the Editor
her 30th, 2001, not Sept 31st. Send expense requests to ed@upa.org for consideration in the upcoming year' s budget.
• The PUL article by Steve Dodge on pages 16-17 claimed "over a million people play Ultimate," a number not substantiated by research the UPA can verify. The most accurate number available is the UPA membership of about 11,000. People outside the sport always ask this. It is very important for players to join the UPA so we can advocate strongly for urgent player needs - fields, and legitimacy in schools & colleges, just for starters.
• This is to clarify the mistakes in the scores I reported for Humboldt State. As it was the first tourney of the season, I was a little rusty and messed up, and so were the scores. Two games are reported for HSU vs Stanford-B that's a double of the same game. There was only one game with HSU and Cal Poly-SLO it was on the 4th and the final score was 15-8. The games against Oregon State, Washington-A, and Berkeley were all played on the fourth. Thanks for the hard work UPA. Thomas Perry - Humboldt Buds, tep6@ humboldt.edu • The last issue was winter (end of) 2000, incorrectly listed as Winter 2001 on the outside fold.
PLAYERS ASSOCIATION Spring 2001
20 Bay Area Leagues
College Preview in Jo-jah
Grass Roots Grovvth.
23 Congratu lations to the best of the best!
2& Playing in the concrete jungle
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27
Budget Passed
Ultimate in the nevvs
UPA financial TepoTt
4-9
28 Women's 20th
Tattoo You
Melissa Ditz
Hooked faT life
BTanded faT life
YouT Ne~ Women's Championship DiTectoT
Ultimate Facts on JeopaTdy!
Director Reports
15
What you need to join the 2001 College Championships
Membership Form
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2001 The UPA Newsletter, Vol. 21 Issue 1, Spring 2001. The UPA Newsletter is the official quarterly publication of the Ultimate Players Association. The UPA Newsletter relies on member contributions for its content. Subscription Information The UPA Newsletter is free to all UPA members. Single copy cost is $3. Membership rates per year: $30 U.S., $20 student and $15 junior. Send to UPA, 3595 E. Fountain Blvd., Suite J2, Colorado Springs, CO 80910. Change of Address: The UPA Newsletter is mailed bulk rate and is not forwarded. To change your address: email info@upa.org, or mail: 3595 E. Fountain Blvd., Suite J2, Colorado Springs, CO 80910 or call 1-800-UPA-GetH.
Table of contents
Spring 2001
www.upa. org
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ExECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Joey Gray
One year down, two to go. In a somewhat feeble effort to preserve what sanity remains, I resolved to put in closer to normal hours and took vacation. So no real article this time - nostalgic pictures will just have to do. Ok, "vacation" included site tours and consulting for World Clubs 2002, plus meetings with wonderful organizers from HULA (Hawaiian Ultimate League Association) and DiscNW. Special thanks and more to my long time organizational buddy, newly retired DiscNW Board Member Tom
George, without whom Potlatch and DiscNW would not exist. Quick thanks to everyone who renewed early this year - that helps so much. And especially hats off to those who sent donations - this is an exciting trend because as a players association, players make it happen.
'98 Mixed National Team Member Calvin Lin pulls all路nighter: The Case for High路 level Parallel Programming in ZPL
Performance Art including Ed Babb and Katie Sauter
Seattle Fall League Mud Boy Jeff Behrends
University of Washington Intramural Champs, circa 1990, including Andy Ackerman, Jude Stoller, Elod Toth, Jill Reid, Jesse & Mike Fina.
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Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
Spud Boy Kirby
Executive Director's Report
Gratuitous Honey Shot
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR REPORT
Joe Gorman age 10
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I want to start by thanking the people of the Valley Of The Sun Ultimate who put on a great tournament at New Years Fest. Sure everybody might think it is easy to put on a tourney when you have sunny, 80 degree weather in February, but Jill Blutt and the rest of the VOTS crew make sure that an Ultimate player gets their money ' s worth. Everything from a great swing-groove band at the party, good games and a quality final to watch in the late afternoon sun. All of this adds up to an Ultimate good time in the desert in the middle of the offseason, hard to beat that with a pick. Thanks again VOTS. With the season starting up again the phone is beginning to ring more. It is good to hear from everybody starting to get their teams, practices, leagues or tourneys organized, asking all kinds of questions about whatever we can help them with. From the closest location to play pick-up or how to get insurance for events or where college sectionals are going to be held, and the Boy Scout moms who want to get their sons the sport belt loop. The UPA- clearing house of Ultimate information. Along with all these calls we also get calls from people who want us to provide general liability insurance for their event, but in the next breath com-
LETTERS continued from page
Dear Editor: I have a funny little story that is Ultimate-related that I thought you might like to put in your next UPA newsletter. "My husband and I began playing Ultimate together at the same high school, and moved on to play in college. At our wedding a few months ago, we were at the rehearsal, and the minister was trying to place the ten attendants in their appropriate places at the altar. Exasperated, he kept trying to individually place each attendant, but was having a hard time getting them where they
plain about the fact that everybody has to become a member of the UPA for them to be covered. They just don ' t get the idea that the UPA is not a charity for every Ultimate player that needs general liability insurance, but we are here to promote Ultimate. Giving insurance to an event and not
You are helping build the foundation of a sport that can truly change how our society views competition.
requiring everybody to be a member may not seem like it is promoting Ultimate. That is a very shortsighted view, because every event that is sponsored by the UPA carries with it risks as well as cost. How long would the UPA be around if everyone were allowed to just walk up and play without signing the waiver or paying some form of
dues? Insurance ain't cheap. I was just saying to Will in the office that I hate writing these articles because I feel like I have become the man. I am part of the system, this can't be me. But if you love this sport and want to help it move toward more growth and better quality at all levels, then every time you pay your dues, or get somebody else to pay their dues, you are helping build the foundation of a sport that can truly change how our society views competition. The various levels of competition are why I love this sport. I mean sure there is competition against other teams. But add in the individual competition of not getting beat by your guy. Plus the competition with your self to not use the rules to your own advantage and highlighted by the integrity that is intrinsic to the game. As well as the added level of Ultimate socializing. This is why I love this game. So enjoy the season on whatever level you want. One last note to Full "F" Tilt alumni and Midwest Mixed Ultimate teams -mark your calendars for the 15th annual Dennis J. Drazba Memorial Ultimate Tournament to be held in Carbondale, IL on May 19th and 20th. It is 5/2 format, so even if you have scared a few women away you can still bring a team.
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needed to be. Knowing that eight of the ten attendants were Ultimate players (from our high school and college teams), I stepped away from my position and looked at the five men and five women and said, 'Look, we need a stack here, people!', extending both arms to show where the 'stacks' should be. The nervousness apparent in the rehearsal was quickly relieved as we all giggled at the minister's incredulous look when the two sets of attendants did exactly what he had tried to get them to do." Summer Irvin
Hi, My name is Kenan Pollack and I've been playing Ultimate for years, and I'm currently a UPA member. My wife and I recently moved from Austin, TX to Santiago, Chile and I'm trying to find a pickup game down here. Does anyone at the UPA happen to have a contact name/email down there that I can use to find a game? I've heard they're around, but so far haven't found any info. You can email at this address (moolera@hotmail.com) with any info.
A valuable service provided by your UPA is helping players stay in touch. Every week we answer several calls and emails from players travelling, recently moved or just starting to play. Maybe you have never used this service, but many, many players do and we are happy to provide as much info as possible. It helps if you keep us informed of contact updates our ability to serve you is as good as you keep Headquarters informed. -Ed.
Thanks very much! Kenan Pollack
Assistant Director's Report
Spring 2001
www.upa. org
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ASSISTANT DIRECTOR'S REPORT
VVill Deaver
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Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
I was welcomed into the arms ofUPA headquarters with a nice 70 hour work week to start things off. Had to miss the best savage 7 tournament in the land for the Board meeting and can't seem to find a moment that includes free time, sunshine, and no snow on the ground so I can go for a freakin ' run. And to tell you the truth, I am having a pretty good time. If any of you have been wondering about the people that are running the UPA these days, I have to tell you, I have been pleasantly surprised. Joey is a workhorse, putting in two hours of extra work for every one anyone else does, and that's not including the four hour philosophical discussions. Joe is pretty much "The Man" with the answers to your questions. It's a wonder he can get anything done amidst all the interruptions, but somehow he does, with a little Dylan in the background to boot. The Board meeting was an eye opener for me. So many great minds in one room, each with their own opinions, but every one with the true heart of an Ultimate player. A lot of great work was accomplished that weekend, but just as importantly I saw a lot of great relationships being built. And now I've had the pleasure of getting to work closely with the UPA's volunteer division directors. I can personally attest to the fact that there are good people involved in running this organization. And because of that, good things are bound to happen. By the way, my name is Will Deaver, and I'm the new Assistant Director at UPA HQ. I guess the title that is slowly beginning to evolve is Championship Director, basically responsible for making sure the UPA Series happens. For those of you who don't know me, I've been playing Ultimate for about eight years. All of that time, ' til now, was spent in Georgia, playing with the college team, Chain out of Atlanta, and coaching the UGA women's team. I guess I could go into my Ultimate resume, but I already did that getting this job. So I suppose you' ll just have to trust Joey that I know what I'm doing. I mean, I'm trusting her that I do. Throughout all my Ultimate ventures - from summer leagues to Worlds I've been struck by the passion and dedication that many players, including myself, put into this game. I mean, at the very least, we drive hours and will commit an entire weekend to playing in a touma-
Assistant Director's Report
ment. Further up the spectrum, we spend additional time practicing with our team. And even further, we spend countless hours training, sacrificing other interests, learning strategies, and flying all over the country and world. In return for those efforts, I've noticed that some tournaments offer substantial rewards and others, not so much, outside of just playing the game we love. By rewards, I'm don't mean money, fame, contracts and trips to Disney World. But there are other factors/rewards that lead to satisfYing experiences, and that's where "quality" comes in. Now I harped on this at the Board meeting, so if you were there, you should skip to the article on the CCC. (There might even be pictures of the Georgia girls there). For those of you still with me, I firmly believe that the UPA can start doing a much better job of providing quality services to its Ultimate playing membership. Certainly Nationals is the pinnacle of achievement for many players. Part of the reason is the quality of the event. You work your butt off to get there, and when you arrive, there are sweet fields, plenty of water, scoreboards, organization, neat things to buy, and relatively speaking, a little TLC for the participants. You go to the Kaimana Klassic, Chicago Tune-Up, College Easterns, and you get the same kind of environment: One that combines all those little elements into the positive experience that rewards players for the efforts they put in. Compare that to the worst event you ever went to. You know the one: where the TD was late to the captain's meeting, the only thing you had to drink was what you bought from the gas station down the street, the party consisted of four local dudes hanging out at a bar you had to pay to get into, and there's no trainer to help you dig the small rocks out of your knees. Unfortunately, the event we just described could have been UPA Sectionals. And that's something that would be nice to change. Of course change doesn't happen overnight, or even over two or three nights where the Executive Director stays up for 72 hours straight. When we talk about the quality of UPA events, we are faced with both negatives and positives. Sectional events tend to be small, and therefore, under funded. The quality of the competition certainly can't compare to events that draw from the whole country. But bigger isn't necessarily better, and
much of the tournament experience happens off the field. Positive factors that UPA can draw from are: fired up volunteers, access to resources that come from a relatively stable organization, and the combined experience of many quality Ultimate players over the years. Put those elements together and UPA events can be the ones that people are excited about, not just because you have to be there to quality for the next round, but because the whole experience is awesome, especially for those who don't move on to the next level. Now quality doesn't come without some tradeoff's. If you want to know where you play when you get to the field, you can't have three new teams showing up Saturday morning and two other teams dropping out at the same time. You can't pay a $50 entry fee and expect lined fields and free sports drinks. You can't show up halfway through the first round and say the other team has bad spirit when they stammer something about assessing points. The UPA wants to offer an inexpensive and easy way for people to start playing the game. But, there are alternatives other than the Championship Series for introducing players to the game and to the UPA. To that end, the UPA is going to be focusing more time and money on outreach programs (but that's another topic). The UPA also wants to continue to allow for the freedom that spawned the culture surrounding this game. But at the same time you have to realize that like everything else in life, the more effort that's put in, the greater the rewards that will result. The bottom line is that the UPA wants to offer quality Ultimate experiences to its membership. The Championship Series is one of the services it provides towards that end. And you can be a part of making it happen. Next time, think about why the UPA or a tournament director is on you about turning in your roster on time, or getting your entry fee in before the tournament starts. Think about what a great deal it is that for 15 or 20 bucks, you get free food, drinks, lined fields , and a structure in which to play for a weekend. The little effort you put in to work within the UPA structure will contribute to a much greater overall effort up the line and will almost certainly result in experiences from which you get out way more than you put in.
TREASURER'S REPORT by Matt Healey
2001 BUDGE I PASSED As Treasurer of the UPA I am pleased to announce that the annual budget was approved at the annual meeting. This represents a significant step forward for the organization. Traditionally, we have been unable to pass a budget due to questions surrounding the previous years expenses and revenue. Over the past year, we have invested a significant amount of time and effort improving our accounting systems. These improvements resulted in a clearer picture of the previous year and thus enabled the board and administration to develop a budget that could be approved. To present the budget I have divided it into two sections; revenue and expenses. Table 1 - Revenue.
Dues This is the largest part of our revenue. Given the uncertainty associated with the recent changes in the Mixed division, we have decided to make extremely conservative growth assumptions for 2001.
Advertising This represents various companies placing ads in our newsletter. We expect minimal growth in this area. Note: the non-profit mailing rate restricts advertising types, therefore an increase in advertising revenue due to increased advertising must more than offset any increase in postal rate
Royalties/Sponsorships As part of our agreement with Discraft, we receive an allocation of discs and a "commission" on all discs sold to UPA members in exchange for endorsing Discraft as the "official disc of the UPA" In the beginning of 2000 we signed a two year contract with Discraft and thus we know that the revenue for 2001 will remain fairly constant. In addition we have marketing efforts underway and anticipate healthy response. It is, of course, unwise to include unconfirmed revenue in the budget.
Donations Every year some of our members make tax-deductible contributions to the UPA.
Interest We are able to earn some interest on our account balances and have invested a small amount of UPA reserves in CDs
Sanctioning Fees
We are expecting an increase in the amount we collect in sanctioning fees due to renewed focus on the sanctioning program.
Merchandise Revenue brought in by Ultimate Stuff sales.
Team/Player/Event Fees The team fee is the $25 fee that is paid by regionals teams. Player fees were generally reimbursements from juniors' players that participated in worlds, where the
and most inconvenient fees charged. Eliminating this fee reduced revenue by approximately $12,000. The second change is the elimination of the junior's Worlds payment. Since Worlds will not occur in 2001, there is no fronting expense and no reimbursements, thus eliminating $40,000 from both revenue and expenses. At the same time, there will be a fee for World Games applicants, to help support the selection process, that is reflected here. The final large change is the Nationals event fees.
Table 1 UPA Revenue Dues Advertising Royalties/Sponsorship Donations Interest Sanctioning Fees Merchandise Team/Player/Event Fees Other/Miscellaneous TOTAL
2001 (Budgeted) 290 3 16 10 3 5 45 41 5
445
418
Table 2 Expenses Cost of Goods Board Champ Series HQ International Library/Archive Media Marketing Member Services Outreach Rules Sanctioning/Affil. Other Unassigned/Reserves TOTAL
(in thousands)
2000 (Un-audited) 288 2 16 8 2 3 48 72 6
2001 (Budgeted) 10 25 64 145 10 10 3 25 79 14 10 19 5 5
389
418
UPA fronted the money for worlds and was reimbursed by the junior players. Event fees are the fees that were charged to players for Co-ed nationals. Traditionally this fee has been paid direct! y to the tournament director, however due to the timing change in the Co-ed division this fee was paid directly to HQ. This category has the most significant change for 2001. The first change is the elimination of the $25Regionals team fee. This was one of the least popular
Cost of Goods All the Ultimate Stuff that we sell has to be purchased.
Board These are expenses associated with the board meeting and conference calls. This expense shows a significant increase due to the strategic planning retreat that is scheduled for 2001. We anticipate the expense returning to the 2000 level in 2002. National-level volunteers and HQ staff are also a part of the board meeting.
Championship Series The expenses associated with running the 8-division national championship series, currently the largest UPA program. Series expenses include items like fields and event expenses, general liability insurance, and volunteer support.
HO This is the largest expense the UPA incurs. The majority of the expense in the salaries, employment benefits and taxes associated with full- and part-time staff. Additionally, the rent for the Colorado Springs office space, office supplies, is included. These costs are typically allocated as a percentage to the various programs run by the UPA. In other words, if 60% of staff time is spent on the Championship Series, then 60% of the staff expense is to be allocated there. Or if 30% of the office is used for inventory storage, then 30% of rent is allocated to Ultimate Stuff. However, it is very difficult to calculate such percentages in a small office where each staff member typically works on several projects at once, so we have not done that part. Time tracking may be added to this report as part of our audit scheduled in March.
(in thousands)
2000 (Un-audited) 13 14 67 140 31 0 25 4 77 3 0 10 5 0
could not have anticipated. Table 2 - Expenses.
These player and/or team fees will now be paid directly to the UPA for all Nationals events. This represents approximately $33,000 increase in revenue and expenses.
Other Revenue that cannot be easily classified. We are working to eliminate this category and classify all revenue, however this is very difficult because throughout the course of the year, we occasionally encounter situations that we
Budget
International The majority of the 2000 expense was the UPA fronting the player fees for junior's worlds in order to reduce the exchange rate and transfer fees incurred by our players and coaching staff. Since, as was mentioned above, junior's worlds will not occur this year, we will not have that expense. We are, however, budgeting $10,000 to support the World Games in 2001 , partly supported by application fees mentioned above.
BUDGET continued on page 8
I Spring 2001 I www.upa. orgl
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JUNIOR'S DIRECTOR REPORT by Michael Baccarini
Growth in Youth Programs:
VVE NEED There are a number of issues facing the young Ultimate player these days, and at the UPA annual meeting, discussions made it quite apparent to me that the Board and the entire administration is totally committed to supporting efforts to affect healthy change. Important topics such as outreach and growth; the development of a regional infrastructure similar to the club and college divisions; and the creation of a volunteer database program to match teams with coaches have been, and are being, explored. It is crucial to keep abreast of the current growth, and yet there is much that needs to be done to increase its rate. It is indeed critical to not wait until individuals discover Ultimate, or are introduced to the sport in college -or even later- as an adult. By this time, much of the athlete's developmental movement patterns, coordination and agility, as well as their ability to track a moving object, are already formed. (This is one reason that might explain why many adult players, who've been at it for some time, cannot seem to get beyond that mid-level, having plateaued.) Starting one's playing career while in high school is super. However, future Ultimate players, like any other athletes intending to reach their full potential, must begin experiencing Ultimate while in the developmental stages of growth, somewhere in the middle-elementary through the middle-school years. This way, the unique and vast array of multi-
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planar movements and high cognitive demands of the sport will truly be part of the young athlete's physical skills and development. This will have numerous benefits: • Improved hand/eye coordination • Better tracking/reading skills • More developed processing skills and spatial awareness • Greater sport-specific speed, agility and strength • Increased effectiveness in team-oriented games • Improved self-confidence and sense of self (increasing the likelihood of continued Ultimate play) • High cognitive demand of any sport (particularly Ultimate) improves analytical and critical thinking skills, often in the classroom, as well as on the field • Better grasp of the psychological demands of the sport • More advanced technical skill at an earlier age The final pair on the list increase the opportunity of the athlete to simultaneously peak physically and mentally. The most difficult aspect of Ultimate to master, that which takes the longest, is undoubtedly the psychological part of the game, taking years to become proficient. In addition to the benefits listed, kids teach games they like to other kids, increasing participation. Also, kids have parents who, hopefully, are tuned into
BUDGET continued from page 7
Library/Archive
Marketing
This category represents an effort by HQ to collect and store publications that mention Ultimate. We haven't traditionally spent a considerable amount on this category. HQ will be devoting more effort to this cause in the future and we expect it to help our marketing efforts.
We will be increasing our efforts towards increasing awareness of Ultimate and attracting and retaining sponsorship.
Media Media is expenses associated with taping, photographing and reporting on events, . In the past, these expenses were split between several areas, Ultimate Stuff, Marketing, Library/Archive, and Member Services, which got complicated. So we created one account for Media expenses.
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YouR HELP
Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
Member Services The largest item in this category is the newsletter. Generally we spend approximately $40,000 on the newsletter. Other major components of this category are the 1-800 number and membership processing.
Outreach Outreach is money that we are devoting to expanding the sport by recruiting
Junior's Report
and care about what their children are engaged in. I get so many comments and compliments from parents who "are just blown away" by what this sport has done for their child; in some cases claiming it has even turned her/his life around. This creates more of a foundation of support, literally, from the bottom up. This is, no doubt, a major benefit of reaching young players earlier. Another is the social environment and philosophy of good citizenship surrounding Ultimate. This provides modeling of healthy competition, celebration of the opponent, camaraderie, a sense of community and, for some who are sadly lacking it, even a family. These are perhaps the greatest benefits for youth in the sport. Well, next to fun , that is! Very few of us would be playing if it weren't just plain fun. Secondly, we are working to develop an infrastructure that reaches out to - and is in greater touch with - local youth programs, all over the country. We are actively seeking to establish volunteer adult representatives in all six regions (stipend included), with one extra rep strictly devoted to the development of girls ' programs. These representatives will serve as liaisons between the regional player and activities and the national junior director. They will collect and maintain a contact list of existing teams and work with the UPA to increase youth activities within their region (i.e. leagues, camps, clinics and
new players and members and retaining current and expired members. Examples of programs that fall under this category are women's clinics, membership drives, alumni outreach and juniors programs.
Rules Since we have been drafting the 10th edition for 10 years without completion, we have devoted up to $10,000 to ensuring that the wth edition is completed in a timely manner. Other rules-related expenses may be observers and/or the Rules "how/purpose" task force.
tournaments). The exact responsibilities and the game plan are being ironed out but our goal is to increase the number of people involved, thereby expanding the number of opportunities available to kids, of all ages. Please contact the UPA if you, or another responsible adult you know, might be interested in joining in this outreach effort. Finally, we are searching for volunteer coaches to match with teams in need of help. If you live in a community with active club, college, or pick-up play, please consider the positive impact you may have on a middle school or high school program. Why not consider it regardless of what disc activity is present in your community? BUDA, Boston's Ultimate organization, is enjoying success with this type of program, matching volunteers with teams in their area. Again, contact us at HQ if you 'd like to get involved. All of these, and any earnest efforts, will truly expand the growth and opportunity for kids in this sport, as well as lead to competency, proficiency, and mastery of all facets of the game, at a much earlier age. Then, that active young player is merely refining her or his skills, taking them to levels never seen before. That picture is exiting to ponder, and so is spreading the fun around!
For details or to provide feedback, write me at upa_njd@upa.org. and affiliate program. While a largely hidden and under appreciated cost, without it, many Ultimate events would not happen. Since we expect the sanctioning program to expand as it serves local organizers better and to generate more revenue, it will naturally cost more to run. Additionally, we will be adding an outreach component to the sanctioning program.
Other Like the other revenue category, we are working to eliminate this category and classify most expenses.
Sanctioning/ Affil.
Unassigned/Reserves
General liability insurance is the largest sanctioning expense, provided as a service to the membership through the sanctioning
Generally we like to budget for some unexpected expenses. Hopefully we will not need to use this fund.
IVIIXED
(Co-Eo)
REPORT by Jen Christianson
A
FRESH START
Last year the big news coming out of the Annual Meeting was that the two-yearold trial Co-ed division was moving to the summer. A few weeks after that meeting, I became the Co-ed Championship Director, a new position created by the Board to oversee the summer series. This year co-ed was again a hot topic. After hours of discussion, co-ed is no longer a "trial" division, and it is no longer even co-ed- it is a permanent part of the UPA and "Mixed." Probably of greatest importance to the average player, its Championship series will be played in the fall alongside the Women's, Open, and Masters divisions. My title has even changed- I'm now the National Mixed Director, and my e-mail alias has gone from upa_coed_champ_dir@upa.org to upa_nxd@upa.org. ("nmd" is already in use for the National Masters Director.) Now that our division name is changed, we'll need to update the old co-ed Web site, maybe get a new "logo". Contact me if you can help. Please read the minutes from the Board meeting, they're in this issue on page 25 and on the Web. They'll give you the exact wording of the changes affecting the new Mixed division. Contact me if you have any questions about the meaning of any of the resolutions. The minutes are the official version of what happened; here's a bit more from my perspective.
Will Deaver, HQ's newest full-time Assistant Director, oversees all Championship Series events. Will gave a great PowerPoint presentation on Saturday afternoon that outlined his vision and goals for the Series. He said that although the Championship Series has traditionally been the "be-all and end-all" of UPA Ultimate, the UPA should now move towards focusing on the quality of the series, at the same time balancing that with more outreach/grassroots programs. (Of course, all players will always be welcome in the series, we just shouldn't try to use the series as both our main means of growth and our highest caliber event.) There was general consensus at the meeting that this was a good shift in focus, and would lead to both greater membership growth and higher-quality play in the long term. The other fulltime Assistant Director at HQ, Joe Gorman, has some great ideas on growth and outreach, and the budget this year contains an increase in funds for those activities. As our membership grows, it becomes ever more difficult to serve all our diverse members with the same program. This problem is particularly prevalent in the Co-ed/ Mixed division, which strives to serve the broadest range of ages, skills, experience, goals and expectations. The main point I made in my presentation to the Board on Satur-
UPA Headquarters is pleased to announce the newest addition to our volunteer staff of championship Directors. Melissa Ditz (pronounced Deetz) is our new National Women's Director. Mel has a great resume of Ultimate experience that includes work as a tournament director, coach, sectional coordinator, PADA officer and board member, and player (mixed and women's) at the local and national level. In addition, she brings administrative experience working with non-profit, volunteer and women's groups. She is fired up to do great things for the UPA Women's Division and the UPA is lucky and excited to have her on board. Mel will be taking on the task of administering the Women's Division of the UPA Championship Series. You can contact Mel via email at upa_nwd@upa.org. Welcome!
day, was my opinion that recreational coed play was already being well- served in the summer by local leagues and summer tournaments such as Potlatch, etc., whereas competitive co-ed play had no fall outlet this past year. Rather than duplicate opportunities already out there, the UPA would be better off adding something new to the menu. Many members of the Board concurred with my view and saw the logic of having all the club divisions treated as "equal" in terms of time and resources. On Sunday, Board Member Henry Thorne wrote up the formal proposal to move co-ed to the fall, and it was passed. Within minutes, the proposal to remove the trial label from the division and change the name to Mixed was introduced and passed. Removing the "trial" label seemed a no-brainer given the timing statement that the Board had just passed, and as the international community is already using the term "mixed," it seemed like the natural time to make that change as well. Might as well make it a completely fresh start. There was still the question of "double-dipping." The Board was perhaps more divided on this than on the timing question. The language in the first proposal had deliberately left this issue vague, as there were very legitimate concerns over the impact of fall Mixed on the Women's division, the strain on potentially
limited field resources, the potential decrease in the quality of Nationals with more teams present, etc. The Board ended up drafting and passing a general statement that affirmed the fact that certain populations within the organization might need special consideration to survive. The Board's intent was to allow administration some leeway in determining whether double-dipping will be offered in a given division in a given area. (The "administration" is made up of the staff at HQ, the National Directors, the Regional Coordinators and the Sectional Coordinators. These are all appointed positions, as opposed to the Board of Directors who are elected directly by the membership.) The implementation of this policy is still very much up in the air. I intend to use this policy to explore how we might be able to protect women players in those sections that became "extinct" with the initial introduction of fall co-ed in '98, sections that were revived this past year. Overall, I feel that the Board has passed sound policy and left the implementation up to the administration. They have given us solid goals and objectives, and the freedom to carry these out in the best way we see fit.
Contad Jennifer Christianson, National Mixed Diredor at Upa_nxd@upa.org or 770-5949562 (Atlanta)
New Women's Director Mel Ditz
Mixed Report
I Spring 2001
I www.upa. orgl
9
by Adam Zagoria Lifted lid stories Every Ultimate player can relate. You've brought your favorite disc to the tournament, or purchased a pristine one at the tent. You've tossed with it, kept an eye on it, felt comforted by its mere presence. Then suddenly its gone. Its not over on the sideline near your bag where you left it. None of your teammates have seen it. Nobody on the other side claims to know its whereabouts either. But where did it go? It must have been stolen. But by whom? A recent roundtable Internet discussion reveals there's a pretty good chance it was Jay Talerman. What follows is an intimate discussion between Talerman, a Massachusetts-based lawyer and long-time captain of not-quite-legendary Bostonbased Texas, and several of his closest cronies (whose names have been withheld for protection). As I told these gentlemen, "You guys are genius. I love it when a column just falls into your lap." TALERMAN: Having recently moved, again, I have had the opportunity of pissing off Alice by spending some of life's precious moments by packing up and unpacking a big box of old Frisbees which I have stolen throughout the years. In examining the damn things, I was curious about the intentions surrounding all of those who put their name on their Frisbee. Certainly, it didn't stop me from stealing it. Anyway, my curiosity quickly waned but not before I scribed "stolen from" above the name of each of the Frisbee' s rightful owners. FRIEND NO. 1: Talerman- one of the last remaining contraire, ultra-conservative, libertarian, monkey-wrencher, and part-time spokesman for the macrobrewery industry. Your secret horde of ill-gotten discs haunts you like the fragmented glimmers of a dying sunset on a misspent day. It isn' t quite guilt and it isn't quite pleasure in someone's forgotten pain -it's something sick and twisted that lies between. You 're probably a damn good lawyer... FRIEND NO. 2: The worst part was always when guys from the other teams would come looking for their discs. Anyone scarred by a Catholic upbring-
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Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
ing like myself, would feel that uncertain twinge of guilt as they looked you in the eye and pleadingly inquired as to their Frisbee's whereabouts. Nothing a good buzz couldn't fix. FRIEND NO.3: During grad school, we had this one kid on the BC team whose mom would steal us discs. She had no remorse whatsoever, and it was perfect cover cause who would ever expect that some mom meandering along the sideline was grabbing Frisbees and putting them into her handbag? She used to get us about 15 a tournament. And she brought cookies she had made, which was swell. My personal favorite was the disc I stole from Henry. It meant a lot to me cause he had just bought it at the tournament and made such a big fuss when he realized it was gone. It was a Spirit of The Game disc, which gave the whole thing a sweet ironic twist. Then Jamie Llewellyn threw it on the roof of Walsh Hall. Such is life. FRIEND NO. 5: Anybody ever gone over to Talerman's and found that he stole one of YOUR discs? Been there, and the bastard just snickered. I don' t steal but it is something I am working on, really. So I told JT that I thought it was uncool ... didn' t really make sense to me. He went on and on ... over and over, he and Dave ... about how it made sense ... the entire time basically ridiculing me for being a wussy, for not being bright enough to understand the impact of setting things straight by picking up the errant disc. The entire way back from Fools from the back seat I could see Dave behind the wheel, he was feeling it. A disc he had brought - guarded and paraded around as the non-stolen disc ... I poached from his bag while helping to load the car. He didn't bring it up ... he knew it was an inside job.
That was the first and last disc I stole. FRIEND NO. 5: I nominate the lift from Daves van as the all-time best. Talerman might be a challenger for Thief of All Time for the time an opposing captain wanted to Roshambo for the pull; Talerman said, no, we'll flip disc; they argued, finally flipped , and Talerman walked away from the flip with the disc right in front of him. FRIEND NO. 8: My own new version of our favorite Frisbee pastime involves stealing back from the UPA itself. I am presently the proud owner of seven discs which read "Game Disc, Your Momma's Game Disc, etc. "compliments of the UPA' " Perhaps its payback for the agony of paying to play in a hurricane-like Fall Regional ... maybe I'm just bitter that I can' t use my final year of college eligibility while UW has a legitimate shot at a championship this spring. They beat Brown last year in pool play, and this year 12 went to club Nationals with us .. TALERMAN: I think we all agree that the most pure form of the pastime is playing with the other team's disc, scoring the winning goal and immediately bagging it." TALERMAN: Three other stories: This past June in sweltering heat, Texas got beat soundly in Goaltimate by some Boston luminaries. Their Gaia swagger inspired me to bag (and rebag take note) a crisp white inscribed disc which clearly had sentimental value. Sitting in the shade while the young luminary picked up bags, pizza cartons, and jackets looking for disc, I knew we had won the tourney, despite third place money. Second, a few years ago at Fools, a young man came to me with a stolen disc and asked me to bag it. I told him "bag your own disc" AND THEN took it anyway. Today, he may be one of the
Has Zag
really lost itl
lag's Rag
best in the game. Third, I lifted Cork's disc just after a particularly brutal tirade of his at a DoG practice. Didn' t care about the disc at all. Immediately posted it to a friend who put it under a plant in his house in Oregon. FRIEND NO. 3: I think you 're making that second one up. I have no recollection of that incident, but am pleased by the compliment. But there is another. A very untalented yet devoted teammate of mine broke his foot during his junior year. He didn ' t play much to begin with, but sorta soaked up the atmosphere and other narcotics. (He) still came to tournaments, but focused his gimpy energy on picking up discs. By the end of the Spring season, he had "collected" over 200 discs and lined his entire dorm room with them, nicely complimenting the foosball table he had gacked from a freshman dorm gameroom. It was truly an impressive site. TALERMAN: Your friends lifts seem more like compulsion than passion. Low marks for artistic interpretation. FRIEND NO. 2: Realizing that there is no such thing as a "lost" disc, I know I have been victim to more than one inside job since my input has often been greater than the amount of Frisbees which make it home with me. Truth be told, its easiest to steal from your friends. FRIEND NO. 9. I was flipping for the pull once, against a team I can't recall. As the discs hit the ground, my name was clearly visible on the bottom my opponents plastic. I just looked at him and told him that not only was I taking the disc but that (even after losing the toss) we were taking the pull due to poor form. Poor form for getting caught not for having taken it in the first place. I guess he felt badly because he didn 't argue. TALERMAN: Wrong, you lost twice. EDITOR'S NOTE:
We in no way condone stealing discs, or anything, for that matter Ultimate, both on and off the field, is ruled by Spirit of the Came interpret as you wish.
U PA EVENT SANe liON lNG
PROGRAM by Joe Gorman
The UPA Sanctioning Program is undergoing a complete overhaul of the benefits offered and the expectations of participants in these events. My long-term goal for the sanctioning program is to shift stress off the sanctioned Event Organizer (EO). The first step is switching to a yearly waiver, hopefully this will be one less piece of paper that an EO has to collect. It will take a year or more to get this implemented in an efficient and effective manner. But it is a small step in making UPA events as hassle-free as possible. Hopefully this article will give you an idea of the new stuff being offered. If you are an event organizer or if you are a player it will give you a better idea what is expected from you at UPA events. One of the biggest changes so far in the sanctioning program is the ability for well planned events to have teams send in their rosters and waivers to us prior to the event. Here is an example of how this will work. Suppose G. Clinton is an EO that wants to host the Mothership Earth Funk Ultimate Nation Kickoff on the 18th and 19th of August. Well for the M.E.F.U.N.K. to be eligible to use the early roster submission option they have to apply for Sanctioning, at the very latest, July 20th. Once sanctioning is granted to the event, G. Clinton tells the teams receiving bids for the event to go to the sanctioning form Web page at www.upa.org/sanctioning. Here they download the roster, fill it out completely and collect the waivers just from people who haven't signed a waiver yet. All the forms are then mailed into the UPA HQ. They must be received by the lOth of August to be counted for M.E.F.U.N.K. We than go over the rosters and waivers we receive to make sure everybody is up to date. If Johnny Scama-lot from team D'OH is not a current member or doesn't have a signed waiver on file, then in the week before M.E.F.U.N.K., we let G. Clinton know that this team owes this player's dues and/or we need his waiver. If teams choose not to be responsible and don't want to take advantage of the early turnin. The tournament director can add an additional $25 to the team fee for handling the roster. Another major change is that the fee sanctioning has been changed to a refund-
able deposit. If an event meets all its obligations that are laid out in the sanctioning packet, it will receive the deposit back. Also the deposit will be increased for events that haven't met all their obligations in the past. A continued pattern of disregard for responsibilities may cause some events not to receive sanctioning. We also will be providing EO's with prizes for the winners and for volunteers. A design is in development for a UPA winner and an individual SOTG winner for every team involved. This design will be printed on discs and bumper stickers that will only be available through a sanctioned event. We also are offering an introductory membership to brand new players who join the UPA through a UPA sanctioned event the cost is $20, with $5 going to the local sponsoring organization to promote Ultimate on a local level. Only people who have never played in a UPA sanctioned event are eligible for this introductory rate for their first year as UPA members. I know these are new concepts for everybody to wrap their noodles around so here is the FAQ section for these new methods. Any other questions can be directed to joe.gorman@upa.org FAQ 1: I'm playing on a reunion team and don't live near everybody else, so how do I get all my paperwork sent in? A: First, authorize the Captain to put you on the roster. Then if you need to submit the waiver, simply print it out off the Web page, sign it, date it and get a witness to sign it. Attach a note to it that states what event and what team the waiver is for and send to HQ. FAQ 2: The way I read this it says that the team is responsible for somebody that owes their dues, is this true? A: Yes, the teams are responsible for the names that they put on their rosters. Gone are the days when you put everybody's name that you met on an Ultimate field on your roster. If they are on the roster they will be considered participating in that event. Thus the team is be responsible for their dues if they owe them. FAQ 3: What if I don't have a team but want to walk-up to the event? A: This will be at the EO's discretion to allow you to sign on with a team and not charge them the late fee.
FAQ4: This is seems like a lot more work for teams and players? A: It is more work for teams and players, but less for the EO. I'm trying to spread the responsibility involved with running a UPA event to everyone involved. The EO has enough responsibility trying to put on a quality event, requiring the teams to be responsible for getting their rosters and
waivers to us. It hopefully allows the EO more time to focus on running the event. The sanctioning process will undergo more new developments throughout the year. I'm always looking for new suggestions for what you would like to see added to the program. Email me at joe.gorman@upa.org and have huckin' good season!
Tattoo You
Like many kids who had been away from home for a little while, I had been looking for the perfect tattoo to get. Nothing ever seemed good enough and many tattoos seemed very trendy. In 1997, I played in my first competitive Ultimate tournament and continued to play in many afterwards. I was hooked on Ultimate. In 1998, myself and two of my friends who had started playing Ultimate around the same time, started traveling to a ton of tournaments and picking up with any team that we could. We probably played in 20 tournaments that year. Along with that went discs, t-shirts, etc. It was at about that time that I started thinking about an Ultimate tattoo. It would have to be just right. I had my graphic design friend (who doesn't play) come up with some designs, but none of them were right. Finally, one of my travel buddies had made this T-shirt from a design he had downloaded from the internet. It was of these two guys making a bid for the disc on the corner cone. I asked him to modify the design, make it look kind of shadowy and put our team logo on one of the jerseys. I took the design to the famous Token Tom and he put it on for me. It represents something I love and have a passion for. Ultimate is the greatest sport ever! -Matt Steuart Idaho State University
Event Sanctioning
Spring 2001
www.upa. org
11
VVOMEN'S ULTIMATE AT NATIONALS 20 YEARS AND COUNTING by Suzanne Fields "What the .... ?" is what I said when I noticed that photo on page 13. Memories of the early days of Boston Ultimate ... N.B.: My sweatshirt gives the reader a BIG hint as to the region! Thanks to Sass for wondering where I am. I am living and working in Hawaii; I've got a wonderful job with Kaiser Permanente which allows me to live on Maui and commute to my office on Oahu with occasional travel to the Big Island. Activities include water sports (boogie boarding, surfing, occasional scuba), lots of beach walking, and my all time favorite land sport, Ultimate. Knees are pretty creaky but I still love to throw. Ultimate has been a constant through the "friends for life" that have developed over the years. I stopped playing competitively in '94 and played briefly on Maui after I moved here in '95. I moved to the Bay Area for a year and was introduced to Roble Field by Mary Teruel, where I played with a co-ed masters team, the Feral Cows. The Cows invited me to play at the UC Davis tournament in April '00 for my West Coast swan song. Two weeks later, I returned to live and work in Hawaii and rediscovered the wonderful Ultimate community on Maui and have been re-inspired to huck a few on Sunday afternoons, followed by a post practice luau! Wow, time sure flies faster each year. And with each year, my memory fades ... where is Ultimate historian, Eric Simon when I need him? I vaguely recall playing at Bucknell in the spring of 1980 or '81. Women from Boston combined with women from Cornell to form Bosnell and played against the women of Bucknell for the first ever women 's game at Easterns. By the fall of 1981, women all across the U.S. organized their regions. We were ready for a Women' s Division at Nationals; it was the right idea at the right time! Somehow I got drafted as Women ' s National Director. That fall, five women ' s teams met at Nationals with Boston Ladies Ultimate (BLU) and Dark Star in the first ever women ' s finals ... BLU won by one in a timed game. That was my first taste of an
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Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
Ultimate "title" ; I wanted more and had the good fortune of playing with teams that returned to Nationals year after year. Later came Worlds, Club Worlds, Co-ed Worlds, and the Masters division. In past issues of the UPA Newsletter, we' ve had the good fortune of Adam Zagoria's Women 's History articles so I won't recount our chronology. (Thanks for all the laughs, Adam!) I would like to share my thoughts about this amazing sport of ours and how this sport has influenced my life and the roads which I have chosen. The take home message for me to share with readers is that Ultimate is a sport but it really is your life. The lessons learned on and off the field are forever and are to be cherished now and down the road. I am grateful and humbled by the friends I have met and what I have experienced and learned through Ultimate. Hey Buz, remember when we were thinking up tag lines for Boston Aerodisc? "Hey, it's not a sport, it's a lifestyle!" Women' s Ultimate didn't start with the women's division 20 years ago. Women have been playing Ultimate for longer than that. Thanks to the early pioneers who played on men's teams and help give birth to women' s teams. Thanks also to those supportive men of yesteryear (and today) who encouraged women to play. The "early adopters" had the good fortune to find our sport in the late ' 70's; just a little ahead of the curve. I was fortunate to have grown up in a community with equivalent girls and boys sports prior to Title IX. I started my athletic career by playing "little girl softball"; the only competitive outlet available for 6 year olds in 1959. When I discovered Ultimate at UMASS in 1977, I finally found my sport. .. it was love at first toss! This was a more "spiritual" time for ultimate; we rated each game on a scale of one to 100 based upon how much fun we had and ended each game with an energy circle ... where are you , Darryl Elliott and Dan Habeeb? It took me 22 years of trying just about every other individual and team sport available to women to find THE
Women's 20th Anniversary
sport. I consider myself fortunate to have been exposed early in life to competitive team sports. This has been the foundation for success in the workplace and to the creation of amazing experiences with friends and teammates. When women's ultimate first began, there were many for whom the competitive experience was their first. This was a profound learning experience in those early days! Little did I realize how this sport would so invasively change my life in so many wonderful, positive ways. Nearly lost a job in the early days because I was "too distracted" by Ultimate and other disc sports. Bought my first house in "Slummerville" in 1984 with Stick and Guido- that was an ultimate adventure with the renovation crew 100% Ultimate. I traveled the U.S. and the world experiencing our sport on every level of competition. My Ultimate friends are my family all over the U.S. What we have experienced together through practices, team meetings, group vacations, tournament travel, sharing homes, support during tough times, the arrival of so many "ultimate babies", the loss of friends , and so much more is the meaning of life. My life would not be what it is without Ultimate. Buz Laughlin, Toby Lou, and Leif Larsen were the first three Boston Ultimate people I met at Boston University's Case Center for an open Ultimate practice following the Blizzard of '78. My introduction to Ultimate in Boston was all male; not bad for the new girl in town! It' s amazing and rewarding to know that these friendships and connections continue through the years. Over the years, teammates became friends and family. Twenty years of women ' s Ultimate is the backdrop for over twenty years of growth and development of character and commitment to those whom we hold most dear. We have realized that the connections we have made are truly magical and are our reasons for being on this earth. Thanks, Wheels , for being a friend and an amazing inspiration to all who love you. The women I've met and continue to meet are phenomenal; Mary Lou
Mahoney, Heather Morris, Liz Nickel (a.k.a. Hozer), Liz Queler, Susan Burke, Jackie Entwistle, Michelle Pezzoli, Kelly Green, Tiina Booth, Dallas, Kathy Pufahl , Sport, Gloria, Pez, Catherine Hartley, Cat Pittack, Tessa Koorman from Holland, that core of 8 women at the first ever women's World 's in Sweden in 1983 (Kelly Waugh, Corinne Corrigan, Daphne Rulf, Patricia, yikes- can't remember the rest of the names without looking at our shirt!) , the current Maui women Missy Vynielo, Deborah Kremins, and so many more. The list of supportive men is a long one, too; T.K., Buz Laughlin, Frank Morrow, Jimmy Herrick, Moons, John Knisely, the Adams brothers, Bob Evans, Kevin Cande, Dan Weiss, Fid Speer, Troy Frever, Peter Farricker, and so many more. As we approach the 20th Anniversary of Women competing at Nationals, I encourage all Ultimate players to savor their experience, to learn from each play, and value not only the disc, but all those whom you encounter as you participate in this sport. .. as you participate in life. Hey, doing those monsters and 6 am dive practices was IMPORTANT! One constant in my life for the past 24 years is Ultimate and the friends that this sport has allowed me to experience. I ain' t done yet. ... these folks on Maui continue to inspire me to play. In every community of Ultimate people I have experienced, there are similar characters and personalities; so readily familiar, comfortable, and welcoming. My ultimate " friends for life" on the East and West Coasts are only far away in miles. Our lives continue to be interwoven with the changes that life brings. Much love to all. Cheers!
suz Suzanne Fields 777 Haiku Road Haiku, HI 96708 Suzanne. fields@kp. org Suzmaui@hotmail.com Editor's Note: Eric Simon can be reached at eric.simon@upa.org
DEAR UPA, jimmy Herrick? (San Diego?)
These players are from Boston Aerodisc and BLU (Boston Ladies Ultimate) We think more like circa 1981 Ed "Stick" Disosway
----
(Madison, WI)
Sue Burke
Leif Larson
(Vermont)
(Watertown, MA)
Bob Evans (Needham, MA) circa 1984
Heather Morris (Boston)
Boor Mo Momentum (?)
SUBMITTED BY: Sue Morrello and Nathan Saluen
Clem? (Boston?)
(Amherst, MA) Thanks to the others who wrote in, too!
P.S.: Where's Toby Lou?
"I love this short" Kris Gill, BNOGO player, WAFC president and Moving Comfort sales administrator, on the new Ultimate Short from Moving Comfort.
ook! Attention Ultimate Players looking to raise sponsorship money! World Ultimate magazine is pleased to announce the World Ultimate Sponsor
Advertising Program (WUSAP) We will give you a 25% commission for any advertiser you bring to us. Ex: a full-page ad will earn you $850 to go towards your Ultimate needs: league uniforms, tournament fees, travel etc. As we ready for our third issue and our re-launch, most of our advertisers are hi-tech companies looking to recruit Ultimate players because so many work in the hi-tech field. An advertisement in our pages would also benefit any company that would like to target these Ultimate outdoor enthusiasts. See full color ads in a full color glossy quarterly magazine, distributed to 10,000 players across the U.S. and Canada. Contact John Harris, Director of Sponsorship for World Ultimate at wusap@worldultimate.com.
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Ultimate MAGAZINE
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Alumni
I Spring 2001
I www.upa. org I 13
Congratulations!
SEC I IONAL COORDINATORS OF THE YEAR By \/Viii Deaver Every year, dozens of volunteer sectional coordinators donate their time and efforts to the UPA. These individuals serve as the face of the UPA at the most local level of the organization. They organize sectional tournaments, collect rosters, disseminate information, report problems, deal with problems, and generally do a lot of work for very little reward. Sound glamorous? Well, it ain't. But for some reason these volunteers keep corning back. Maybe it's the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping the sport ofilltimate grow. Or maybe it's because they know that without them, the UPA Series could not happen. Whatever the motivation, they all deserve our thanks. Each year, a number of sectional coordinators go above and beyond in terms of effort, results, problem solving and general quality. From the ones who step in at the last minute to save the day, to the ones who have been rock solid for years, these are the cream of the UPA volunteer crop. Nominated by their Regional Coordinators, these individuals have been chosen as Sectional Coordinators of the Year for their respective divisions because of their outstanding work for you, the membership of the UPA. Be sure to thank these and all of your sectional coordinators when you see them next, and do all you can to make their difficult job easier.
Club Open We have two very deserving co-SC 's of the Year, Brad Wendt from Wisconsin (NW Plains Section, Central) and Nate Miller from Virginia (Middle Section, Mid-Atlantic). One has been doing this job well for years, and the other stepped in as a first-timer and did a great job too. The praises from their Regional Coordinators speak volumes. Thanks to both.
"Brad Wendt has done a super job of running one of the largest sections for the last few years and I have never heard of a complaint from anyone involved. He helped me out my first year as an RC and even filled in for me when I had to leave regionals early. He has done a lot for the sport overall from college level up to Masters, and if I'm not mistaken has even helped out
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with high school. " -Mike LaScola "I'd like to officially nominate Nate Miller for Sectional Coordinator of the Year. Our region faced 100% turnover from last years in every position (Regional Coordinator and all three sectional coordinators) in the Open Division. Needless to say, this created some early confusion. It was not easy to replace every position and to make sure everything would run smoothly this year. However, Nate was the first of our sectional coordinators to sign up and did so more than willingly. With no prior experience and no field space reserved on short notice, Nate was able to put together a sectionals tournament that went off without a single hitch. Not to mention Sectionals started on time for perhaps the first time ever in our area :-). But not only did Nate put together a fantastic sectionals tournament, he was still able to help our section put together the largest turnout we have ever had in our Section. Nate is one of those people that the UPA should want to keep around. " Eric Prange
Club Women Joy Endicott of Arkansas gets the nod this year. Joy has been involved with volunteering for the UPA and Ultimate for years. This past year, she did a fantastic job handling the sectional coordinator duties for the Gulf Coast Section (South).
"Joy was extremely fired up about her job! She was very organized and prompt with getting her section and myself info. She was very responsive and on top of things and it was much appreciated. " Leigh Gorman
Mixed (The division formerly known as Co-ed) In the Mixed Division, Thuy Boyd from the North Carolina Section (MidAtlantic) stepped in and made an immediate positive impact in 2000. The summer Co-ed Division of 2000 was in some disarray due to the new timing of the season. Thuy helped make it all work and even got a National Championship out of it! Nice job.
SCs of the Year
" Until literally a few short weeks before Sectionals, there was no SC in North Carolina. I had heard from at least half a dozen teams that wanted to play from that area. I told them all the same thing- if they wanted to compete, they needed to get together and find an SC to run things. They had enough teams that migrating to the next nearest section would be silly. Thuy was a captain of one of those teams. She agreed to take on the job at the 11th hour and did it beautifully. She was very communicative with me and with Mark Licata, the Mid-Atlantic RC. Her rosters and other paperwork were neat and organized, and she consistently met all her deadlines. Who could ask for anything more?"- Jen Chrsistianson
College Open This next honoree is someone who is near and dear to the hearts of anyone who has run across him, or who he has stumbled across ... The Rev, Doug, Fresh, Oetter, whatever you call him, you get the same great person. He has apparently taken his charm and selfless persona from the hallowed grounds of Athens, GA all the way out to the great Northwest. It is with great pride that the UPA bestows the title of Sectional Coordinator of the Year on Doug Oetter (N.Cal/Oregon Section, Northwest). Swing low, sweet cha-ri-uh-uht, ....
a schools fielding their first team to national contenders like the University of Oregon - are made to feel comfortable in a competitive environment at the Sectional tournament. "The UPA recognizes that growth of Ultimate occurs at the sectional level. However, Doug Getter is one of those rare Sectional Coordinators that is comfortable reaching out to the "grassroots" of Ultimate while providing a structured, organized, competitive environment demanded by more established college teams. "I would be amazed to meet a College Sectional Coordinator more qualified to be recognized for service in the interest of college Ultimate than Mr. Getter. My hat is off to him. " - Ted Weller, Humboldt Buds
College Women From the Blue Ridge Section of the Atlantic Coast Region comes Jin Ding, who did what all great sectional coordinators do, made her regional coordinator's job easier. It is tough to fmd volunteers even amongst hundreds of experienced players. That a relatively young player such as Jin stepped up is a testament to the kind of people whose motivation help keep the UPA running.
"Doug deserves this honor if, for nothing else, the growth he has promoted in theN. Cal\Oregon section. This section was perennially stagnated at 3-4 teams for sectionals. On good years five teams would attend a one day tournament. In 1999 this number was nine teams and two days ofplay. In 2000 there were 11 teams. 2001 promises 12-13 teams.
"With all the regional craziness going on last year Jin s help was invaluable. Last year was her first year doing this and she set up the tourney and brackets, collected the rosters in time and dealt with possible field relocation the week of with little to no help from me. She also helped me as a sounding board for many of the problems we had in this region last year. What she did is what I would hope every SC would do.
"This growth came mostly from the inclusion of small colleges in Oregon. Colleges that one would never believe could put together a team. Doug has encouraged them to not only put together a team, but to come to the Sectional championships to match skills with larger more established Ultimate programs. Due to Mr. Getters strong interpersonal skills, each team -from
"What is outstanding is that she did this as a second year player in a region where players offour and five years experience are not willing to help out. Her section was the only women s section with a SC in our region despite my canvassing all the captains and older players numerous times. She volunteered eagerly in January and I never had to worry about that section again. " - Sarah Gage
u PA SPOTUGHT -
NEW., FEATURE
Membership &
BAY AREA LEAGUES
Donation Fonn
by Henrik Meng, SFUC
When I was first contacted by Joe and informed that he and Joey were devoting space in this edition of the UPA Newsletter to Bay Area illtirnate, I was thrilled. I mean, no disrespect to any other region of the country, but we rock the house. I realize that we may currently be sucking electricity from the rest of the country, but as far as disc goes, we kick ass. Anyway, as soon as I hung up the phone my immediate feelings of joy and elation were quickly replaced by thoughts I can only imagine our illustrious new President shared upon learning of his election: "What the hell just happened? And what the hell am I supposed to do now?" I, like Dub-yah, had no friggin' idea. After a little thought and a few shots of whiskey, however, I came upon a plan. Why not just send my journal to those guys and have them select a few entries documenting this, the 2000-2001 season ofSFUC Winter League? It's such a crazy idea, it just might work ... A quick background note: SFUC is the older of the two major illtimate leagues here in San Francisco. It was started about twelve years ago or so by some really enterprising people who wanted an illtirnate outlet during the off-season, and we've been going strong ever since. Unlike the awesome SFUL, which is more beginner-oriented, we are more of an intermediate and upper-levelleague. So I've been co-directing SFUC for about four years now, with Sandy Angelos, but this year Sandy decided she needed an extended break (read: she has a life) and so this year, for better or worse, it's been pretty much me. Hey, if you get a chance, check out our Web site (www.sfuc.org) and our new video highlight section. We're documenting our "Plays of the Week" - offense, defense, and of course, swill.
October 20,2000 I'm psyched! After much debating and consternation, we fmally came up with a suitable theme for team names this year: hairdo's and don'ts. We've got "Bouffant," "Dreadlocks," "Cornrows," and "Bedhead" among others. The clincher was "Comhover." I've never laughed so hard in my life. I had initially hoped for porn movie names, but our focus group felt as though no one would really want to wear a T-shirt with the names "Ejacula" and "Mighty Hermaph-
rodite" on it in public. Stupid ass focus group. Oh well ... next year.
November 7, 2000
The Ultimate Players Association serves to promote and support the sport of Ultimate and to serve the needs of members. Your
Today is our first day of games! Woohoo! I just hope it doesn't rain like it did last year. We had like - what? - three games total? It was so hard to play with that old, bearded man herding animals across the field onto that strange boat of his.
Donations are also accepted to support the following UPA projects:
November 28, 2000
Both financial and in-kind contributions are accepted.
So far, so good. This is almost too easy! My ego is getting so big, I'm going to have to follow in the steps of some NBA players and start referring to myself in the third person. "Because Henrik is all over running this league and no one runs a Winter League the way Henrik does. As for what other people think, that just doesn't matter to Henrik."
January 10, 2001 Tonight was our captains' dinner, and it was a blast! It's so great to be able to chill and give something back to the captains for helping out. I just wish Mike Hall had worn some pants.
January 12, 2001 Okay, I have secured a day for us to makeup our rained out games: Sunday, January 28th. I've checked the Farmer's Almanac, consulted my psychic Dionne Warwick, and everything looks good. No ram, no ram, no ram ...
January 28, 2001 It's raining. What a pissah.
membership helps us serve you and the sport better.
Innovation Grants, Flying Disc Library, Juniors Programs, Player Outreach programs, information technology equipment and more.
The Ultimate Players Association is a 501-(C)3 non-profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible.
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$15 USD: Junior Annual Membership
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Please print
Name: Address: City/State/Zip: Phone: Email: SSN*:
February 15, 2001
( * you may substitute " 77" for the first 2 digits if you prefer not to give your full ssn.)
Well, it's the day after Valentine's Day, and I am depressed because today marks the last two weeks of Winter League. It's been so fun, but what am I going to do with myself when it's all done? Who am I? Do I dare eat a peach? What's that lump? Oh well. I'm already starting to think of themes for team names next year. I need a nap.
Check one:
About the Author: Henrik Meng enjoys the distinction of being the only Chinese-American ultimate player with a Swedish first name and a German last name from Nashville, Tennessee. In other words, he has some serious identity issues. And no, he doesn't have an Southern accent. When he's not running SFUC into the ground, he works as the Radio Producer for the Colden State Warriors. And he'd prefer no one make no cracks about his lousy ass team, especially in Chicago, where they have absolutely nothing to say
o Male or o Female Check one: o Renewal o New Member o Donation of$._ _ _ __ Total amount enclosed $
Thank you for supporting the sport of Ultimate and the Ultimate Players Association. Send to: 3595 E. Fountain Blvd., Suite J2 Colorado Springs, CO 80910
UPA Featured League
Spring 2001
www.upa. org
15
A
TALE OF Tvvo LEAGUES by Mer Ring
An Ultimate Movie Premiere The group that gathered in San Francisco on Feb. 2 to see L.A. moviemaker Willie Herndon' s Spirit of the Game movie reflected a cross-section of Bay Area Ultimate players. Among the South Bay players and the sprinkling of no-longer-playing oldtimers, there was a good turnout from each of San Francisco 's two Co-ed Leagues: the San Francisco Ultimate
cisco League: the longer-established SFUC. Chico set to work and secured the spacious and funky dance club Cafe Cocomo for free. He also got three music DJs from the SFUC (Paul McNitt, Robin and Chris) to spin some tunes for post-movie dancing, and arranged for players to bring used clothes to donate to a local charity. This cooperative effort was topped off by a money donation from the SFUL
AREA TL'.ri~L\.,...rE
PL.\\~El~S
U H I T E Benefit .fo'
Film Fest
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Party
S'ee the N. Col. Premiere of Spirit of the Game, on ultimate frisbee mo•1ie by Willie Herndon featuring lady Godiva
1/ea/"play theyourThree Stooges of Spin - OJ Paul, Robin and Chris favorite dome mix, classics & stuff only they like 1/ef;o non-profrr the homeles~. Bring used clothing for Fr~~ the t~eed dedrcored helprng needy fomrhes in B. A. 10
Friday, February 2nd @Cafe Cocomo Doors Open 9pm film ot!Opm, Dance to 2am. No Cover Open to all Ulhmate players & their friends
Calc Coromo 650 Indiana St./Mariposa in Sf 415.824.6910 lor directions- www.calerocomo.com 21 and over only Top center: Sarah Anderson, Willie Herndon and Dante Anderson. Bottom left photo: Mike "Chico" Kerhin. Bottom right photo: the Cocomo crowd.
League (SFUL) and the San Francisco Ultimate Club (SFUC). Although these two groups don' t regularly gather together, there are historical ties and friendships among the players in both Leagues. In fact, members from each S.F. League had collaborated to organize and promote this movie event. Sarah and Dante Anderson play in the SFUL- San Francisco' s "newer" Co-ed league. Being Willie' s friends, and having previously attended a premiere of his movie down in Los Angeles, they thought it would be fun to show SOTG in San Francisco. However, renting out a venue in the City was prohibitively expensive, so they talked to an old friend , Mike "Chico" Kerhin. Chico plays for (and used to organize for) the OTHER San Fran-
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Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
League and Henrik Meng showing two short Ultimate videos about the SFUC League before the SOTG premiere. It was great to see faces old and new at this event, and it reminded me of how the Bay Area Ultimate scene is evolving to both promote and accommodate growth. Right now, I play in the newer SFUL League, but when I was playing competitive women 's Ultimate in the late ' 80s/early '90s, I played in the SFUC (known as Winter League back then). I feel lucky that the new SF League - the SFUL - is around now. It's great to have a league that is so well suited to my Ultimateplaying needs at this later stage in my "Ultimate career."
The SFUL I officially retired from my tourna-
UPA Featured League
ment-going days after playing Women's Masters in Alabama in 1995. I still wanted to play Ultimate regularly, but not competitively: I couldn't devote that much time to it anymore. It was tough to find any Ultimate alternatives that met my needs: pick-up in the park was too casual, and joining Winter League for a single season once a year was too quick a ramp-up into competitive-level play for too short a time. So I stopped playing altogether, except for a few reunion teams. Then, in summer 1999, I heard about a new Ultimate League that had recently formed in San Francisco: the SFUL. It had grown out of a long-running pick-up game at Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park. I checked out a League game and found that it was well organized, had a good turnout of players, and reflected a whole other level of regular Co-ed Ultimate going on in the City. These weren' t the people you 'd normally find in the S.F. Winter League: this was mostly a new and different group of players. I was also immediately impressed with this new League' s online registration, which made it convenient to sign up. I remember that soon after finding the SFUL, when my next door neighbor asked about Ultimate in San Francisco, it was easy to just give him the SFUL Web site address and have him plug into the League's online registration. Peter MacDonough, an original founder of the SFUL, had a lot to do with setting up a strong infrastructure and foundation for the League. He had some great people helping
From left: Elizabeth Murray - SFUL League Director, Ted Spieth - SFUL League Director, Dan Smith - SFUL League Captain
him out as well. Elizabeth Murray and Ted Spieth have completely taken over running the League since Peter Mac retired from Ultimate in 2000, due to a chronic injury. Elizabeth and Ted, along with a dedicated board of volunteer coordinators and active team captains, have ensured that the League has thrived and grown. What they ' ve really been good at is continually evaluating the needs of its community of players, and keeping true to their mission. Their goal is to offer a League that is womenfriendly, beginner-friendly, and above all, deeply rooted in Spirit of the Game, and they've achieved all three of these goals. To ensure that the League is beginner- and women-friendly, the SFUL set some ground rules. First, they established a rule that you can ' t play zone for the first three weeks of the League to allow new players time to get the basics down. Secondly, they expanded the League in Summer 2000 to really accommodate newcomers and still ensure good competition. SFUL now offers two simultaneous Leagues every season: 1) Co-ed- that focuses more on women and beginners and; 2) Open -with no gender bias toward women, which usually results in a more competitive (and male-oriented) game. Finally, the SFUL encourages "baggage." Baggage is requesting to be on a team with a friend , mentor or significant other. Getting on a team with a friend gives a comfort level to new players and assures them of getting support, and it really works! In Fall 2000, I recruited a female co-worker (who had never played Ultimate) into the League by having us request each other as "baggage" in the womenfriendly Co-ed League so we could get on the same team. Being on the same team helped ease her into the League, and she's now hooked on Ultimate. SFUL also made a responsive change when it modified its Winter 2000-2001 Season, following a largely rained-out Winter Season last year. Instead of regular League play, this Winter the SFUL ran a series of oncea-month, one-day Hat Tournaments on weekends. Lora Bowman of the SFUL
Continued on next page
»
SFUL Winter 2001 Hat Tournaments Polo Fields Golden Gate Park
Left: Spencer Lipp in the St. Pat's Hat is both an SFUL and SFUC member. Center: Vadim praying to the disc (actually, leading his team in a cheer). Right: Mike Nowak couldn't just wear his hat without the rest of his outfit.
ÂŤ Continued from previous page did a great job organizing these, with the help of Dave Kenney, Matthew Tomasciewicz and League Director Ted Spieth. Modifying the SFUL' s Winter Season also eliminated the overlap of winter weeknight play that the 2 leagues had experienced the previous winter. Not that the longstanding S.F. Winter League (now the SFUC) had experienced any drop-off since the new S.F. League came to town: the SFUC has been going strong since it started in 1989.
The SFUC (Winter League) Like the SFUL, the longer-established SFUC also evolved out of an ongoing Ultimate game played in Golden Gate Park. From about 1984-1987, there was a regular Ultimate scene every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at Big Rec Park at 7th and Lincoln. Every Sunday, games went on all afternoon till it got dark, then everyone went to Yancy's Bar a few blocks away. Out of this casual Sunday Co-ed scene, sev-
era! different Ultimate groups evolved from 1986 onward. The first S.F.-based women's team (Oz) and several competitive San Francisco men's teams formed from this group at Big Rec, and the men and women began playing competitively (and separately) at West Coast tournaments. Then, in 1989, Leon Cowen decided to start a wintertime League in San Francisco. The idea was to get back to the earlier fun days of Co-ed, before we all began playing competitively, and to have fun in the winter "off-season." One big problem that our Ultimate community had with starting a San Francisco-based league at this time was our already less-than-positive relationship with S.F. Rec and Park, who were the gatekeepers to available field space in the City. We had already been run out of our old Co-ed "home" at Big Rec, because where we played was considered the outfield of the two distant baseball fields. We finally had to surrender Big Rec because police kept showing up threatening to ticket us, and they posted a sign (still there today) that lists Ultimate Frisbee at the top of the field ' s "Forbidden Activities" list. This was particularly hard for me to bear, because not only was Big Rec the place where we had all met each other playing Co-ed in the mid- ' 80s, it was also the first place I ever played Ultimate. I grew up in San Francisco, and in October 1980 (when I was a senior in high school) a group of friends from my class started going out there and learning to
play Ultimate with the pickup players mainly Med students from nearby UCSF - who frequented Big Rec even then. So in this rather anti-Ultimate climate, Leon set forth to get field space for his proposed Winter Ultimate League. Of all of us, he was probably the best bet to convince S.F. Rec and Park of Ultimate' s legitimacy as a sport, and of the respectability of its players because he was, well - more mature than the rest of us. Here' s something you should know: when Leon found Ultimate for the first time at Big Rec in 1985, he was 39-years-old. The other Ultimate players on the scene at that time were between 18- and 24-years-old, so there was a big age difference between Leon and us. Anyhow, after many letter-writing campaigns and meetings with S.F. Rec and Park, Leon secured Jackson Playground for the first Winter League in 1989. With the help of Bry an "from Hell" Plymale, they launched the first Winter League with eight teams, which doubled in its second year to 16 teams. One goal that Winter League really tried to focus on during the early years was to create a beginner-friendly league that would also bring in new women players. However, they were never able to achieve that: integrating beginners in amongst off-season competitive players was too intimidating. But as Leon recently
said, "I'm happy to see that the SFUL is taking care of the beginners that the Winter League could never take care of." Different League Directors have emerged in the SFUC throughout the years: Leon put in several years of hard work before handing off League Directorship to other people. Other SFUC/Winter League notable volunteers and Directors throughout the years include Keith Kleiner, Carter Brooks, Mike Chico, Jeff McBride, Jeff Mersman, Sandy Angelos, and now Henrik Meng.
Wrapping it Up San Francisco has been lucky to have such a thriving Ultimate community for so many years. But if it weren' t for the emergence of new volunteers and leagues like the SFUL, we wouldn' t be able to accommodate the different levels of players and Ultimate's ongoing growth in our community. The SFUL has also allowed me (and other old-timers) to meet and play with a whole new generation of Ultimate players. Speaking of old-timers, Leon- now 55 years old- still going strong. He's currently playing in both San Francisco Leagues. Cheers to him and all the other volunteers making Ultimate happen in San Francisco!
From left: Bryan "from Hell" Plymale; Leon Cowen - Winter League/ SFUC Founder; Jackson Playground, home of the SFUC. Today, Bryan's in India, continuing to spread Ultimate!
Big Rec field in Golden Gate Park.
UPA Featured League
Spring 2001
www.upa. org
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San Francisco Ultimate League
TRICK OR CLEAT by Dan Smit:h The San Francisco Ultimate League really prides itself on being a beginnerfriendly league. Most everyone will acknowledge that the Bay Area is an Ultimate hotbed that's produced numerous national championship club teams across the years. And Lord knows that San Francisco culture is probably the most discfriendly big city culture in the continental United States- the Birkenstock 'n' granola quotient here is almost too high to measure! However, field space is very hard to come by in San Francisco, and at the time of SFUL's creation, there wasn't any organized disc in San Francisco that really targeted recruitment of beginners as a top priority. So, like I say, SFUL is a beginnerfriendly league. At least, the teams and the team captains all emphasize a beginnerfriendly culture. Unfortunately, nobody's figured out a way to make the whole league quite as hospitable to entire teams that are made up of almost all beginners! I mean, everybody will smile and show good Spirit and explain the rules of the game to them very patiently, but even the most spirited
teams have a little less fun when they lose most of their games 13-4. Such was the lot of the Orange team I played on in the SFUL's first autumn. It was, to be sure, a great team with fun people and awesome teammates. We just had trouble with those parts of the game that involved offense and defense! Although the assigned color was "Orange", the uniforms were really more of a Pumpkin color than anything else (thus, the team name, "Smashing"). As the season went along, the team really bonded in the face of adversity. It helped a lot that we had so many cool folks on the squad. But nothing brings a team together like mutual sympathy. Well, our 6th or 7th game of the season (I
think we'd scored as many as seven points in a game to 13 by then) came the night before Halloween. Given the team's color, and the theme of the team name, it seemed like something special was called for. So, with a little bit of planning and some great Spirit from a whole bunch of different folks, we managed to put together something kind of cool. By the time I showed up pregame, half the team was already over by the bleachers, carving out real-life jack-o-lanterns for each of the eight teams in the league. Some folks had brought duct tape and were busy taping scary jack-o-lantern faces on each other's shirts. Still others were dividing the candy that folks had brought into different bags to give to each of the teams. In time, all the jack-o-lanterns were carved, the candles
I still hear somebody comment on how cool those last couple iack-o-lanterns looked bobbing across the field in the dark!
were lit (somebody even remembered to bring matches!) and placed inside, and big bags of candy and lollipops were distributed to all the teams. Nothing like busting deep for a long huck while you're chewing on a huge wedge of toffee! Mmrnmrn ... To make a long story short, Orange lost our game that night by 13-5. But as the last teams were leaving the fields, carrying their jack-o-lanterns with them, we'd overstayed on the grounds about five minutes too long. Eager to get home, the local grounds crew shut the lights off on us while we were still a hundred yards from the parking lot. So what's the point of this story? I'm sure nobody in the league remembers the scores of any of the games played that night or probably even who won. But every now and then, I still hear somebody comment on how cool those last couple jack-o-lanterns looked bobbing across the field in the dark! THAT is the stuff about the game that you tend to remember as the years go by, and one of the things that makes Ultimate such a special sport...
-Danie!Smith@schwab. com
by Henrik Meng
PROUDLY GOING. I arrived at 7:30 and could sense the anticipation in the air. Each of the captains had received his/her draft lists, complete with player ratings, experience, physical characteristics of importance (like height, and comments, such as "I'm a shredding handler" or "No one can stay with me deep"). About 32 people were cramped into a small room, analyzing their draft sheets and searching for familiar names or potential sleepers. The San Francisco Ultimate Club Winter League draft 2001 was about to begin. Sixteen large sheets of butcher paper were taped to the walls, one for each team. Henrik Meng, SFUC Commissioner, stepped to the podium to announce draft rules (such as one minute to make a selection), and the order in which teams would choose their players. As names were selected, they were written on each team's sheet of butcher paper. Fortunately, no players were drafted straight from high school, but there definitely were some early departures from college. Captains sipped beer and devoured
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Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
. VVHERE VVE GO EVERY YEAR
vegan burritos nervously. Two hours later, the teams were set and play could begin the following week, if the weather would cooperate. As the captain of the Cornrows squad, I felt cautiously optimistic about my selections, so I went home happy. The SFUC Winter League season traditionally begins with the draft. Prior to the Internet hysteria, the SFUC held an introductory sign-up party at a local pub. Now, we just register on the SFUC Web site, perhaps apropos for an area which fancies itself the technological center of the universe. Saving time at the expense of a fun social situation is not my idea of a technological advance, however I'm sure it saves commissioner Meng and his bevy of assistants a lot of headaches. "SFUC is not a beginner's league;' says the Web site. Although various levels of players participate, the level of play is fairly
advanced, with a number of players who compete at Open and Women's Nationals and Regionals. Basically, it's a great way to maintain some semblance of playing shape throughout the winter, and to meet and play with new people. I really enjoy the role of captain for both selfish and altruistic reasons. First, since I have played in the league since 1997 (and at the club level much longer), I know many of the players in the league. Armed with this experience, I can select a team that will be fun and competitive. I also enjoy teaching the strategies and nuances of the game to players with less experience. Watching from the sideline during a point, the rookie seven on my team executed a stifling match-up zone defense, caused the turnover, and hit series of quick passes for the goal. I could not have been more proud of my team. I even
Day in the life
UPA Featured League
enjoy the administrative role of getting players psyched for future opponents. Winter league provides a fresh break from the club open division. Everyone listens and wants to learn. No egos, criticism or selfishness exist. The themes of support, improvement and positive attitudes are overwhelmingly evident. Although I like to win, I think the goal for most is to have fun (and we achieve this on and off the field). The purpose of winter league is to provide a healthy and enjoyable outlet for the collective energy of the 250 players in the league. It also cultivates grass roots growth of Ultimate in the Bay Area. As a captain, I feel as though I have a direct hand in this process. It's not only a small way to give a little back to the ultimate community, but it's also great to play, teach, meet new people, and have a couple of beers with teammates and opponents alike after the games. So, while half of the country can't even go outside in the winter, I feel very fortunate to be able to participate in the SFUC Winter League every year.
by Debbie Lu
ONE PLAYER's ExPERIENCE "These people play in this?" I asked myself, incredulous. Fog, huge waves of it, was tumbling onto the fields, rendering everything nearly invisible. I could pick out vague, ghostly shapes running around, but only barely. And it was cold- a chilling combination of damp mist and wind that no amount of polar fleece could possibly block. Colder even than a snowy field during a Boston winter. As I stood there rationalizing why it was far too miserable to change into cleats, another player trotted over. This nut was wearing shorts, T shirt, and a wide grin. "Hey! Isn't this great? Whose team're you on?" Since it was now too late to escape unnoticed into the foggy night, I shivered
through my first game with the San Francisco Ultimate League. Everyone on my team was just as hardy and friendly as the first person I'd met. As a "beginner/intermediate" co-ed league, SFUL randomly assigns players at various skill levels to teams. By mixing Ultimate newbies alongside college players and wily veterans, the SFUL creates a playing field that's more supportive and encouraging rather than intimidating and intensely competitive. It's a matter of
course during SFUL games to stop play after a turn or foul and explain an Ultimate concept to a novice player. At the same time, however, there's no shortage of hammers, scoobers, layouts, and other amazing plays at SFULgames. We've even been witness to a world's greatest during a league game. Those of us who've enjoyed playing in the SFUL owe much to the planning and organizational prowess of the SFUL's organizers. The SFUL, by design,
promotes the kind of friendly competition that fosters the growth of the sport. By making the league co-ed and beginner friendly, and by assigning teams randomly, the SFUL encourages mixing of players. This mixing provides an opportunity for less experienced players to learn the game from veterans. And the mix of players makes for a league that's simply a lot of fun-SFUL games don't end until the second round at the pub, after the last point's been scored. For many of us who've played in the league for a few seasons now, there's huge anticipation for SFUL games to start up again. There's no rush like playing here in the fog wearing shorts and a T shirt.
Everyone was iust as hardy and friendly as the first person I'd met.
-debbyelainelu@yahoo.com
by Faisal Haq
A
NEVVCOMER's PERSPECTIVE
"Go Hack!!!" I'm on the line. The force is lights -whatever that means. "Hey! You 're marking #3! " , someone yells out, which I assume means the third guy from the left ... or was it the right? David, our captain, pulls the disc an unimaginable distance across the field. Everyone excitedly starts sprinting. I'm cold. This was my first game on the South Bay Ultimate League, a winter league in San Jose, CA. The only time I'd ever played was in a couple of pick-up games last summer. But Garry had so passionately summarized the entire game on my whiteboard yesterday at work, and it all made so much sense at the time. Now, sprinting like mad across the field, I strain to remember what he'd said. I've already lost the guy I'm supposed to be marking. I'm on team 12, "The Incredible Hack." I had registered on the Web a few weeks ago. With the professionalism of a million-dollar corporation, the
League had acknowledged my payment, built teams, e-mailed our schedules for the season, setup an e-mail alias for the team and even had T-shirts ready on opening day! The League of course is a bunch of volunteers, led by Bharat, whose only payment is the reward of seeing yet another exciting Ultimate season come to fruition. Someone from the sidelines yells "Broken" . In the weeks ahead, I'm going to see amazing feats of athleticism as players make physics-defying catches and jumps. It turns out that SBUL has been around for many years. Many of the folks on my team have been playing since college. Garry used to be part of the Australian national team. They're all in incredible physical condition. Another guy Mark, it appears, doesn't even live in the confines of gravity like the rest of us. I'm initially overwhelmed at the performance level of the league. I finally catch up to the guy I'm marking. He's been standing still for the past five seconds ...
It's all very perplexing right now, but in only a few weeks, I'll be getting the swing of things. I'll finally figure out what a stack is and how it becomes the center of your offensive and defensive strategy. Of course, it helps that at the end of every point, someone from my team comes up and tells me what I did right and wrong. They 're all so passionate about the game, that they actually want to see me become better. Amazing! I lost him again. Ultimate, being a self-governed game, is based on good sportsmanship. That's how it stays alive. It's perfectly normal, I'll soon discover, to hear calls for "Check-feet!" or "Pick!" It's equally normal for them to be disputed and resolved in seconds. I like that. It's simple. No wonder Ultimate has never made it into the TV Networks. Everyone on the sidelines yells "Hammer!" Although we play mostly man-onman defense, we have occasionally played zone. For some reason, I get vol-
UPA Featured League
unteered to play the cup. It didn' t take long to figure out why. Particularly with man-on-man defense, I've seen (and probably contributed to) weakness in holding the force, particularly on turnovers. On the offensive side of things, I've seen a lot of hammer throws in the league. I don' t care for them much, because it removes the strategic element of the game entirely. Overall, though, our games tend to move well, with a healthy amount of play on each point. The guy I'm marking catches the hammer. How did he get there from here?!! Well at the end of this game, as with all others, we' ll chant the honorary ode to our opposing team. Usually a limerick or a take on an old song ; we' ll praise them for their valiant effort, and modestly accept victory. More often though, their chant will be far superior to anything we could match. In desperate times, our chant has simply been: "Ditto, now let's splitto!" What an incredible game.
Spring 2001
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Co• • EGE TEAMS TuNE UP AND CooL DovvN AT THE CLASSIC CITY CLASSIC by \/Viii Deaver, Tournament: Direct:or Come on down to Georgia in the late fall, y'all. Get out of the snow and rain and cold and experience a little warm southern hospitality, Ultimate style. It's always nice this time of year ... suckas ... Wednesday and Thursday, lining the fields, sunny, 70's. Friday, setting up the tent, sunny, 70's. Saturday morning, game day, raining, 40's. If lawyer Brian Murphy, of UPA fame, is responsible for that eponymous law, he should do everyone a favor and have it revoked. Well, that big ol' circus tent sure is a pain in the ass, but it once again pulled its own immense weight by serving as a wonderfully dry centerpiece for another high quality, action packed Classic City Classic (CCC). Each fall since 1997, when the Callahan Rules were introduced to the college Ultimate scene, the CCC has attracted the best college teams between the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Observers had traveled from near and far, the TD and his crew had things set up, the staff at Sandy Creek Park was stoked to see another crazy crowd of Ultimate players, and there was even the added anticipation of the Allwall Shootout in which one player would win Gaia jerseys for his/her entire team. But the story is in the teams and the action. It unfolded like this ...
SATURDAY
that many of the UNCW girls played together in the fall club season may be why they looked so sharp. Tech was involved in a couple of close games, but dropped them both. Final pool standings: UNCW 3-0, Colorado 2-1, UNC-CH 1-2, Georgia Tech 0-3. Pool Y featured the home town UGA Ho-Dawgs, the 2000 season's No. 3 ranked team. The Ho-Dawgs only lost a few players from 2000, and while that included two stars Melanie Byrd and Kjirsten Ogburn, those two were out with injuries during Georgia's run at Nationals anyway. The team looked to test out a new crop of rookies and new coach Jami Cashin. Pool X also featured Brown, the reigning CCC champs, Duke, and 2000 Southern Region Champs Rice. The first surprise of the tournament came in round 1, when Duke came out of nowhere to trounce Brown, 12-7. Brown was missing handler Kate Leslie for the day, but one of Brown's characteristics is that they do not count on one person to move the disc. Duke played hard D and took advantage of Brown miscues to record the upset. Next, Duke tried again to play the role of spoiler, and almost did before going down by 1 to Georgia. The battle that was supposed to take place between Georgia and Brown did take place, but it wasn't for the pool as suspected. Georgia pulled out another squeaker, 12-10. Duke, stronger than their seeding suggested, whupped up on
Women's Division Pool X featured UNCW Seaweed, ranked No. 2 nationally at the end of the 2000 college season. Their Saturday competition would include Colorado, Georgia Tech and UNC-Chapel Hill. Each team brought a little intrigue to the table. Colorado finished at #7 in the 2000 national rankings. Georgia Tech featured Angela Lin, a perennial top contender for the Callahan Award, and UNC-CH was being headed up by a new coach, Tiger Pearson. As it turned out, none of that mattered to UNCW. They allowed 2, 6 and 6 points respectively to UNC, Colorado, and Tech in their sweep of the pool. Coach Zeldin didn't lose many players from his 2000 Seaweed squad. The fact
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Brown captain Moses Rifkin sporting trademark green hat
nd Rice and pulled out 2 in th)-Jlool. Brown finished a surprising 3 and set them up for a quarter-final matchup vs Colorado. Final pool standings: Georgia 3-0, Duke 2-1, Brown 1-2, Rice 0-3
ECU, having made the tournament field off of the waiting list, had something to prove. Captain Jeff Wilhelm seemed happy at the end of the day, saying that they had come to play with the intention of proving they belonged . Despite the close games that State had vs the top seeds, the game to watch Open Division was 1 vs 2. Last round of the day, right Pool A was headed up by Colorado, in front of the main tent, Colorado vs the tournament's number one seed. HavWisconsin for ing only lost a the pool. They few players foltraded points the lowing a successwhole game, ful 2000 season with several lead (lost by one in changes and no National semis), team going up by they came a long more than 2. way to win this Colorado looked tournament. Trystrong, fast, and ing to slow them experienced down in pool (old?). Wisconplay were Wis-Unidentified Colorado Player, just prior sin was nothing consin, NC State, to Michigan's comeback win in Semis but intense, led and ECU. Wisby Opie, the consin also lost stereotypically only a few playfiery redhead. Towards the end of the ers from a 2000 campaign that will forgame, with the cap on, a couple of highever be highlighted by a win over evenlights: tual Champs, Brown, in pool play at Wisconsin pulled, and Rookie, one of Nationals. NC State and ECU, both Colorado's best handlers, trapped the with national titles in the '90's, are disc to the ground as it came down. An rebuilding their usually solid programs. appeal went up to the observer as to Things went to seed, except for an whether he touched the disc before it hit, upset by ECU over NC State. Before and it was ruled that he did. Close call, that game, State lost a couple of close but an accurate one. Wisconsin disc, 5 ones to Colorado and Wisconsin, so they yards out, goal, up by one 10-9. Colmay have been tired or demoralized. But orado answered to tie at lO's. Colorado pulls. Wisconsin throws a swing pass that is mac'd away by a lunging Colorado player (Keith?) who promptly follows the disc which is sailing towards the end zone, lays out from about 3 yards out, across the goal line, for the catch and the defensive goal. Bookends Baby! That one earned him a free tourney disc. Colorado up, 11-10. Game to 12. They close it out for the pool and the guaranteed bye to quarters. Final pool standings: Colorado 3-0, Wisconsin 2-1, ECU 12, NC State 0-3 National Champs Brown were the top seed in Pool B. Despite having lost ten players from that squad, the depth of that Seaweed's Nikki Miani program can't be discounted, especially
Did YOU really think you could come backl
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since their "rookies" usually have high school experience. Duke, after a strong early fall in 2001, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Georgia Tech rounded things out. Pool B went to seed, but not without a little excitement. Duke managed to hold off UNC-CH by one in round 2. Unfortunately, UNC star Rhett Nichols pulled a hamstring getting a HUGE layout block flying out the back of the end zone. That hurt UNC's chances of making a run on the other top teams, despite the sweet mohawks being sported by captain JB and a few other pumped up Darksiders. Duke managed to get into another tight battle, this time with Brown. A play by Brown captain Moses Rifkin seemed to paint a perfect picture of Brown's day. On a disc thrown down the line into the end zone, Moses reaches out for the easy goal, misplays the disc and tips it forward, where he follows it to make a diving catch for the goal. Mo and crew, not really clicking, but getting the job done. Tech couldn't get it together. Final pool standings: Brown 3-0, Duke 2-1 , UNC-CH 1-2, Georgia Tech 0-3 Pool C, headed up by Michigan, everybody 's favorite 9th place team, seemed to be up for grabs. UNCW, hot off their WUFF championship, the hometown Georgia boys, and Florida, featuring Callahan Award contender, Dan DePaul. It was indeed a dogfight. Florida started things off by upsetting UNCW 12-10. Dan was, indeed, the Man, but had to share the spotlight with teammates Brian and some 6'7" dude who can catch. They didn't use him as a primary target, but he caught more than a Florida's few high count hucks for goals. out. Not a bad bailout. They also used him deep in their zone, almost exclusively, all day. The pool went to Michigan, who did just enough to win three close games. Georgia had a frustrating day, losing to the last two teams they knocked out at AC Regionals last year. Final pool standings: Michigan 3-0, Florida 2-1, UNCW 1-2, UGA 0-3
PARTY Not much to report here except that there was a fun one at one of Athens ' many famous downtown establishments. The bands were loud, the fact that there was an upstairs to get away from them was good, and enough people got enough free beverages to make them happy. The top seeds were not to be seen, other than the Georgia girls, who are always happy to liven up a room. At one point, the TD's brother, a youth soccer coach, showed up with a bunch of soccer moms (and dads) who apparently weren't content to stay in their hotel rooms
with downtown Athens right outside the door. That the soccer crowd would seek out an Ultimate party says something about who's playing the right sport. Late night found the Georgia guys roching for shots. Hmmrnm
SUNDAY Very cold. White stuff falling from the sky. Not sure what to make of it. Note to self: Ask someone from Michigan if this stuff's dangerous. Could this strange stuff hurt you? Being a tournament director is hard. The women went straight to quarters. In the open division, the bottom eight open teams played in pre-quarters, with the three pool winners and the top 2nd place team getting the morning bye.
PRE QUARTERS Wisconsin managed to get the last bye to quarters, based on point differential between 2nd place teams. This left eight teams, four of which would move on and four of which would start practicing early for the Shootout.
Dan DePaul calls a time-
Hard workin' observer Nate
It was a total Atlantic Coast battle, with the only four out of region teams having earned the byes. Does that say something about the Atlantic Coast? Or the caliber of teams that get bids to this tournament? You make the call. Duke took out NC State. Florida beat Tech. UNCW over UNC-CH. UGA records the only "upset" by taking out ECU. Maybe those shots helped ...
QUARTERS Women Simple crossovers resulted in really only one unexpected matchup, Brown vs Colorado. Having picked up handler Kate Leslie, and probably gotten an earful from coach Parham, the Brown girls picked up their game and took out Colorado fairly easily. Duke crushed UNC-CH and UNCW blanked Rice. The game that turned out to
be a game was between in-state rivals Georgia and Georgia Tech. (The following taken from Adam Tarr's post to RSD, thanks.) "Tech kept the Georgia offense under control with the help of a good trap and Angela Lin. They calmly built a lead, and reached game point at 11-7, game to 12. Georgia suddenly found its long game, and Tech seemed to become a bit impatient in their offense. Two upwinders and two downwinders later, it was 11-11, game to 12. Georgia got another turn and scored on a long put to Amanda." Another squeaker for the Ho-Dawgs. Can they keep this up?
Georgia's Evelyn Ogburn steppin' out vs Tech
Open There was some debate about the format, which admittedly was strange, with three pools of four. Sunday was set up so that high seeds met low seeds, crossover play happened, and pool play rematches would be avoided. By trying to avoid pool play rematches, some nontraditional seeding matchups occurred. Folks had a few words to say about that. The TD figured, hey, it's the preseason. Take advantage of the opportunity to play other good teams. Coach Zeldin said something like, "Quit whining. Just play." And so everyone did. And it came out alright. UNCW gave Colorado all it could handle, before falling by two to the top seed. UNCW captain Trey Snow went down on the first point with a strained hamstring, but the Seamen Dogg played tough even without their leader. Colorado looked vulnerable. With the upset of ECU, Georgia earned a Brown matchup, always a cordial affair, and finally started playing balls-out Ultimate. Brown was just too deep though and won by six or so despite some decent JoJah Ultimate. Michigan took out Duke and looked strong doing it. Florida earned the right to play Wisconsin, and the upstart Florida guys took the Hodags out. You would have thought that with the snow and all, Florida wouldn't know what to do and Wisconsin would be right at home. Both teams would go on huge runs, five points at a time, before Dan, Brian, and new coach Cutter pulled out the win. The lOth seeded boys from the swing state were going to the semis.
SEMIS Women UNCW didn' t waste any time or effort in dispatching upstart Duke. They were resting
long before the other semi was over. Georgia vs Brown was a brutal affair. Both teams looked to be letting new players get experience. When it came down to it though, the new players didn't know what to do and quite often you 'd see a couple of vets making all the cuts. Georgia led the whole way, and was even up by several near the end. When it got close, the Brown defense clamped down. Georgia handlers Evelyn and Kat couldn't find receivers, and Kate Leslie was making it difficult for them to find each other. At double game point, Georgia couldn' t get their offense going and Brown punched it in for the win. The girls from Rhode Island were back in the finals to defend their title.
Open The Brown vs Florida matchup was not what it could have been. Under normal conditions, having seen Florida overachieve, I'd have given them a shot. However, this was their third game of the day to Brown's second. And while Brown had warmed up with Georgia the previous round, Florida had squeaked one out vs Wisconsin. Guess that bye is why winning the pool is so important. Despite Florida's improvement as an overall team, they still depend on Dan and Brian to get it done. Near the end of the game Dan gave up on a huck that he normally would have laid out for. The team was tired and probably satisfied with their performance. It was close early, but the deep Brown team took over in the second half and earned their spot in the finals. Michigan vs Colorado. Colorado had been winning all the games they were supposed to, but not necessarily with as much ease as expected. Michigan is one of those teams that crushes bad teams, but may or may not show up against good ones. They showed up for this one. I'll borrow from Adam Tarr's RSD post for this one.
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LIPA IVEIIVSLEIIÂŁR IVOTES ÂŤ
Naming Contest Thanks to everyone who participated in the UPA Newsletter Naming Contest. We are currently researching the top suggestions and will develop the new masthead. We are also researching prices for a possible new look. The current style is by far the most economical, however, the thought of a higher quality publication is tempting. Stay tuned. Comments -and especially leads on printing options - certainly welcome. Email upa_newsletter@upa.org
2001
Newsletter deadlines
February 15th, June 15, August 15 and November 15. Got something to say? Just send it- to upa_newsletter@upa.org
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Winning Member Number
This issue's Winning Member Number is *** 39062 ***. If this is your UPA member number, contact upa_newsletter@upa.org before the next deadline, June 15th to claim your prize of a $25 gift certificate for Ultimate Stuff.
Camp Director:
Tiina Booth
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"This game was just a highlight reel of big plays. I picked up the action about halfway through the game with the two teams neck and neck. Tim Murray was doing a great job of mixing up handling and going deep, and the rest of his supporting cast (Rook, # 17, and the faceless mob of big receivers) have done a good job of defining their roles. These guys make as many big deep grabs as about any team I've seen. Colorado pulled ahead, 14-12, in a game to 15, and seemed to be in control. MagnUM scored downwind to take it to 13-14. Colorado had a turn about 2/3 of the way down the field, and MagnUM moved it for a bit before dropping in the deep strike to tie it up. The cap was on, so game to 16. MagnUM scored the downwinder to get 15-14 despite a turnover or two, and Colorado answered in like fashion. Fifteen-all, and the sidelines were stoked. (Interjection: At this point, a Colorado player was -Open heard saying to the Michigan players something like, "Did you really think you could come back?") Michigan seemed to have a Timmy-for-thegame deep play drawn up, but the defense played behind so he went underneath and kept it moving. A couple passes later MagnUM got the upset win on an improbable up high, trailing edge, defender-on-his-back grab by one of the Michigan big men. (Another interjection: To his credit, the Colorado player quoted above was seen apologizing to the Michigan sideline after the game.) The finals were on.
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Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
Newsletter Notes
Michigan may have been tired, or Brown may have begun to believe in themselves again, but either way, Brown looked strong from start to finish. Points were traded early, as usual, before Brown took half. Harper and Moses were playing hot, but so were some of the rookies, notably Will Arnold from Paideia who never seemed to tire and never gave up on a disc without bidding for it. That kind of desire got Brown a few titles last year. Tim Murray played hard and was involved in a memorable moment. Moses tried to break Tim's mark with a flick and Tim got a solid piece of the disc with his foot. Mo called a foul, probably because he thought the disc was still in his hand. They looked to the observer, who asked them if they could figure it out. The two talked a few seconds, had an honest difference of opinion and appealed back to the observer. The linesman had been about three yards away and indicated to the observer that it was a clean block. Tim and Finals Mo smiled and shook hands and started to play. Intense situation. Nice moment. Brown had a four point lead going into the final stretch, but Michigan, perhaps drawing from their amazing comeback in the semis, refused to die. They scored two in a row, then another, and actually closed the gap to one point. Brown however had the advantage and the disc for the game, an9d managed to put in the winner for their 3 CCC Championship in a row.
Tim and Mo smiled and shook hands and started to play.
FINALS Women
Towri of Amherst
Open
There's a video of this game that should be for sale soon for all you college women players, coaches, fans and betting types. Early on it was tight. Brown was mixing up D 's, forcing UNCW to adjust, and taking advantage of turnovers. It was tied at 6's before UNCW took half by 2. Then, either Brown wore out, or the UNCW coaches said something, or the Seaweed girls just buckled down. Leah, Nikki and company were relentless on D and precise on 0. Brown scored only one more and UNCW got their first ever CCC championship.
ALLWALL.COM SHOOTOUT The weekend was great, except for the weather. But it was about what the out-oftowners are used to anyway, this time of year. During halftime of the open finals, over 40 players from the teams in attendance took part in the All wall Shootout, where one player would throw a disc into a three-foot-wide net and win a bunch of Gaia jerseys. About half the field was eliminated at ten yards. After 15, it was down to about five (three guys, two girls). After 20, there were only two, a UNC sharpshooter and Mad Dave from Georgia. After a bunch of misses, Mad Dave finally came through with the shot and was promptly dawgpiled by his teammates. Homefield advantage comes through.
gratulations to
layers
6 alternates ch represent nadian Ultimate at the 2001 World
VVORLD (Vancouver)
HONORARY NOMINEES
UPA Teams & Members Recognize: TEAM
TEAM NOMINEES
NON-TEAM NOMINEES
Sockeye Sockeye Sockeye Sockeye Sockeye Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Payasos Payasos Payasos Payasos Payasos RFBF RFBF RFBF RFBF RFBF Homebrood Homebrood Homebrood Homebrood Homebrood Godiva Godiva Godiva Godiva Godiva Riot Riot Riot Riot Riot FBI Bonzi FBI Bonzi FBI Bonzi FBI Bonzi FBI Bonzi Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring jam jam jam jam jam Fury Fury Fury Fury Fury Clutch Clutch Clutch Clutch Clutch Crunch Crunch BackHoe BackHoe BackHoe BackHoe BackHoe All Members All Members All Members All Members All Members All Members
Roger Crafts Steve Finn Lou Burrus Brook Martin Martin Saxer Rick Fowler Marc Furiguy Ron Kublanza Gart LeDonne Eric Zaslow Dave Dixon Tal Tversky Matt Skippy Sewell Molly Caveda jim Thompson Juliet Lamont Asako Yamamoto Philip Price Greg Wolff Chad Walters Carrie C Berlogar Christine CJ Johnson Tracy Fidel\ Chris Browning Amy Dobras Shana Cook Christine Dunlap Molly Goodwin Johanna Neumann Anouk Savineau Deb Cussen Britta Steele Kati Holmes Kathy Scott Vida Towne Matt Bruss Aarron Talbot Geoff Richman Eric Moore Brian Linkfield Augie Kreivenas Alexander Hartwiger Jon Proctor Robbye Brooks Chris Hinkle jim Schoettler Brian Morris (Biscuit) ldris Nolan Dam ien Scott Chris Hayden (Toaster) Amy Little Jody Dozono Nicole Beck jenny Beck Kim Zabora Amy Young Trish York Miriam Allersma Jamie Dukat Theresa Weber Patrick (Ricky) McClellen Mark Goffi Thuy Boyd Beth Cates Becki Cleveland Melissa Ditz Frannie Goodrich Kenny Dobyns Brian Harriford Steve Mooney Fortuna! Mueller jim Parinella Justin Safdie
Bob Lobell (DoG) John Hammond (Condors) Biscuit (Jam) Laurie Van Holmes Rachel Projansky Fortuna! Bauer (Boston) Dave Boardman (Minneapolis) Amy Dubrouillet (Boston) Mark Enright 'Paco' (Minneapolis) jim Parinella (Boston) Dana Green (Trigger) Susie Rynerson Brian Harriford Bill Rodriguez Thuy Boyd (Spear) jim Parinella (DoG, Boston) Brian Harriford Kevin "Skylab" Shen (Ripplt) Kate Bergeron (Ripplt) Dominique Fontenette (Fury) Tina Lipscomb Leigh Gorman (Payasos) Molly Barnes Dana Green (Trigger) Amy Little Fortuna! Mueller- Boston DoG Justin Safdie- Boston DoG Nathan Wicks- Boston DoG Doug Moore- Boston DoG Nancy Glass- Chicago Nemesis Rachel Projansky jeanne Savage, HomeBrood jami Epstein Cashin, Ozone Dominique Fontenette, Fury jen Scott, Schwa jenn Scott, Schwa Mike Grant Steve Moonie, DoG jim Parinella, DoG Steve Dugan Brian Harriford jim Parinella Fortuna! Mueller Daniel "Danimal" Depaul (FL) Melissa Ditz jim Parinella (DoG) Brian Harriford (TurboDog) Brian Linkfield (Portland) Andy Crews (Condors) Fortuna! Mueller (DoG) Dominique Fontenette - Fury Molly Goodwin - Godiva Christine Dunlap -Godiva Dara Bailey - Schwa Darryl Nounan -Jam Mia - Nemesis Robin - Nemesis Rachel Noble - Condors Lisa Brush, Ml Rachel P. ("RP")- Bnogo
Augie Kreivenas Sandy Hartwiger Brian Lang Tim Brooks Jon Proctor Chris Cianfrani Mel Ditz Chris Dunlap Molly Goodwin Lori van Holmes Johanna Neumann
GAMES
2001
Jeff Cruicksha?- ancouver) Jill Calkin [Vancouver)
Each of the top 16 US teams in each club division, Mixed, Open & Women, were given the opportunity to honor up to 5 teammates, plus 5 players from other teams, with a nomination to the first US World Games National Team. In addition, the membership as a whole got to vote along with the Board of Directors election. The top 6 men and 6 women chosen by the membership with over 20 votes each are listed. Congratulations to all these players for achieving a high level of respect among your peers. As we go to press, the Selection Committee is in the midst of choosing the 5 men and 5 women who will represent the US, based on this vision: "The UPA 2001 World Games players should represent the best of US Ultiamte in play and in sportsmanship. Players will be chosen based on high skill as a prerequisite, with service to the sport, championship experience, ambassadorial qualities, and ability to fit into the team all valued highly in the selection process." The team should be announced by early April. Good luck to all applicants!
n Maguire (Vanco er) Jonathan W oldridge (Vancouver) ~
r ncouver)
(
'
DATES: World Games 2007 -August 76-26 (Ultimate- Aug 79-27) LOCATION: Akita, Japan WEB: http.jjwww wg200 7. orjpjengimgjeaoooo. htm
Got a Great Idea? Get a Grant from the UPA! The UPA's Ultimate Innovation Grant program is again looking for creative ideas and programs to help promote the sport, offering funds of up to $500 per project. Last year's grant program supported eight outstanding projects with cash awards. Many grant recipients focused on increasing ultimate's reach into new demographics, including projects targeted at kids, women and inner city populations, while other in teresting proposals have added new twists on projects such as instructional
videos, tournament formats, cleat recycling, disc production, community outreach and research projects. So what's your idea for improving or expanding ultimate? This year's grant application deadline is April 15. Applicant winners will be announced by June. Goals of the Ultimate Innovation Grants Program are to promote growth in Ultimate and Ultimate Spirit in North America, to create links between the UPA and local organizers, to serve members' needs, and to create documentation that will inspire others to further innovation
World Games
and excellence. For information on how to apply, as well as descriptions of previously funded projects, visit the UPA website at http://www.upa.org/grants, or contact Angelo Artemakis at (773) 2275583. Provide your name and address to receive an application packet. The UPA accepts tax-deductible cash contributions in support of the grants program. Contributions may be sent to: UPA-Grants 3595 Fountain Blvd Suite J2 Colorado Springs, CO 80910
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BoARD REPORT by Jim Parinella, President:
{Note: Parts of the following appeared on rec.sport.disc after the Annual Meeting.} Dear members, potential members and lurkers , The UPA Board of Directors held its Annual Meeting on Saturday and Sunday, Jan 13-14, in Colorado Springs, in the building that holds our Headquarters. In addition to the Board, those present included the three full-time staff and the National Directors. Furthermore, there was an Orientation for new Board members on January 12. Thanks to those who submitted proposals or who voiced their comments on matters concerning the members. Many times, these proposals represent good ideas, but they should be directed more towards the administration.
BOARD STRUCTURE The Board of Directors has 12 members (although our bylaws allow any number between 9 and 16), six of them Regional representatives, six of them At-Large, all of them elected for three year terms. The job of the Board is to represent the interests of the members , set the policy for the organization, and to develop and approve the long term strategy of the UPA with the help ofHQ. The Board meets in person once a year at the Annual Meeting. An Executive Committee (this year it 's comprised of me (as President), Kate Bergeron (as VP), Matt Healey, Jennifer Donnelly, and Joey Gray (as Executive Director, but as a non-voting member) meets once a month by conference call to handle business that comes along that does not require a full Board vote. There is a full Board conference call midway through the year as well. Several committees exist to handle specific tasks. The Finance Committee, chaired by the Treasurer and comprised of 3 Board members , prepares the budget, reviews financial statements, and can assist HQ in financial matters if needs be. Other committees,
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Spring 2001
like the Standing Rules Committee or ad hoc committees, are chaired by nonBoard members but have a Board liaison to ensure that our members ' interests are protected.
BOARD ROLE A key issue that the Board is directing its efforts to this year is in determining the role and responsibilities of the Board. Historically, the Board has often made decisions on micro-policy or on procedures, which really falls in the realm of Administration. This has not necessarily been a bad thing, as the structure of the organization has changed over time. During the Bob Byrne administration, many changed were implemented that are only now starting to yield results. One of the changes was the direction of the Board towards larger policy issues. You may notice this change in the wording of some of the decisions. For example, as you can read elsewhere in this issue, the following motion was passed: " One of the primary services the UPA provides its members is the Championship Series. To provide the best championship series experience to its members, the Board believes Open, Women, Masters and Coed should be played in the Fall away from the interruptions and conflicts of other major tournaments and summer leagues. The specific time and location of each Division's events, to be determined by the administration, may or may not be the same." A couple years ago, we spent a lot of time worrying about wildcard algorithms or formats for Nationals. While those things were important, interesting, and needed to be done, they didn 't need to be done at the Board meeting.
THE MEETING: The majority of Saturday was spent hearing reports from the Administration and asking them questions. They were extremely well- prepared and summarized the year in the UPA and their goals for the coming year.
Annual Board Meeting
Sunday morning featured separate Board and Administration sessions. On Sunday afternoon, we heard the TIME Committee presentation, then spent the remainder of the meeting discussing proposals. Several proposals were referred to Administration.
Board members. It 's a weekend cooped up in a hotel working until midnight.) Championship timing This was a long process and a difficult decision, but we feel the direction we took was the best for the organization and for ultimate.
Figuring out the right thing to do on proposals can be a tricky thing. In representative democracies, it's not simply a show of hands among all the citizens as to what gets done. Elected officials are supposed to consider the needs of all the citizens when considering specific actions targeted at some of the citizens, and to somehow provide a fair weighting to the various factions.
Rules.
So, if you want to say that the Board misjudged the effect a certain decision had on certain players, then fine , that's your opinion, and maybe even I'd agree with you. But it 's our job to consider how everyone is affected and to try to approve a compromise that does the most good. It 's going to be a tradeoff no matter what. There is no possible solution that will benefit everyone. For the example of the timing of Coed, I agree that the opinions of those who played Coed in Fall 1999 should be given more weight than those who did not, but I also think the opinions of the other 80% or so of the membership should be considered if this decision affects them personally. For that matter, potential members should be considered, since part of our duty is "to promote and support the sport of Ultimate." At the meeting, there were four major issues for the Board to handle: budget, championship timing, rules, and membership cycle.
Budget The budget was passed at the Annual Meeting for the first time ever. Special thanks go to Treasurer Matt Healey and to HQ for their work in getting this prepared. Included in the budget is a line item for a strategicplanning and process-refining Board retreat later in the year. (Pre-emptive note: this ain't a luxury perk for
The Board approved continued use of the X Rules in the College Series this year. Additionally, much time was spent discussing the implementation of the proposed lOth edition and how all the rules issues fit into the grand scheme of the UPA. There are two task forces concerning the rules.
Membership cycle. Eventually, all memberships will expire on Dec 31 of each year (excepting lifetime memberships , of course). This will be a change from the current two-expiration date system. This should result in a large increase in operational efficiency, allowing HQ to focus better on other member services. Currently, an inordinate amount of time (and money) is spent dealing needlessly with this issue. Also, these inquiries tend to be at the busiest times of year and distract HQ from working on other pressing member services like the Championship Series. As I said, a detailed review of the meeting can be found elsewhere this ISSUe.
Finally, the Board would like to recognize the outstanding job that our Administration has done, notably our Executive Director Joey Gray, Assistant Director Joe Gorman (Outreach/Sanctioning/Special Programs), and new Assistant Director Will Deaver (Championships). We also want to recognize the outgoing Board members: Vin Shelton, Joe Studholme, Lynne Nolan, and Mary Hagler. We should all feel fortunate to have these dedicated Ultimate players working for us.
Jim Parinella, President UPA Board of Diredors jim.parinella@upa.org
UPA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEEIING
PERSONS IN ATTENDANCE Billy Layden, Board Member - NW Representative, VP David Remucal, Board Member Michael Baccarini, National Juniors Division Director Jennifer Christianson, National Mixed Division Director Kate Bergeron-Gull, Board Member Dan "Jello" Revelle, Board Member - SW Representative Jennifer "JD" Donnelly, Board Member Joey Gray, Executive Director David Raflo , National Open Director Jim Parinella, Board Member, President Paul Bonfanti, Board Member Mid-Atlantic Representative Pete Giusti, National Masters Division Director Kurt Dahlenberg, Board Member South Representative Will Deaver, Assistant Director Brett Price, President, GAIA Ultimate Gear, Inc. Joe Gorman, Assistant Director Henry Thorne, Board Member Matt Healey, Board Member, Treasurer Lyn Debevoise, National College Division Director Tim Murray, Board MemberCentral Representative Irish Beyer, Acardia Insurance Sharon Dirscherl, AddStaff Temp Meeting was called to order Saturday, January 13 , 2001 at 8:35a.m. by Jim Parinella, Board President. Introduction of attendees. Members forum tonight. Thank departing board members. Welcome new members and directors. Overview of Friday' s new board members orientation by SCORE Counselor, Charles Bogan, regarding role of board members, i.e. monthly status report and update to HQkeep it brief; access to members at events, GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE-Guest Speaker, Irish Beyer General Liability Insurance-service declined so changing to new broker. Acardia will review field contracts and include mutual hold harmless language. Refer those who cannot get insurance to call Irish. INTRODUCTION-Joey Gray Summary of business plan in three words: FOUNDATION - 2000 FINANCING- 2001 FUN- 2002 Growth is a theme ofUPA. Type of growth is a strategic planning issue. SANCTIONING/ AFFILIATION PROGRAM (Slide Presentation and Handout) -Joe Gorman Currently the main perceived benefit to tournament directors from the sanctioning program is insurance. Their biggest headache has been paperwork. The UPA wants to increase the perceived benefits and reduce the headaches. OUTREACH-Joey Gray
In the past, the Championship Series also served as the primary outreach program. Need to further develop: New Innovation Grants Program, Celebration Series , Boys and Girls Club Programs, Players Forums, Ultimate Alumni, and Parents Introduction of Brian MurphyLegal Counsel, Co-founder ofUPA, co-author of 8th Edition Rules INTERNATIONAL-Mike Baccarini, Joey Gray. Mike: Took 39 kids (two juniors teams) to Germany. International play is a motivator/honor. Help of adult volunteers and parents was crucial. Joey congratulated all six US teams on their outstanding performance. BUDGET (Handout) - Matt Healey UPA had an independent CPA firm audit our financial records last year. Will be audited again this year. Discussion of possible budgetary impact of changing the membership cycle. See accompanying budget article for full details on the budget. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYJoey Gray UPA has been updating the member database, phone system, LAN, the website. RISK MANAGEMENT-Joey Gray and Joe Gorman Attended USOC workshop in November. Discussion of organization ' s risks and potential liabilities and steps taken to reduce them. CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES-Will Deaver, Michael Baccarini, Lyn Debevoise, Jen Christianson, David Raflo and Peter Giusti (Many Handouts) Championship report of the last five years. Presented an emphasis on increasing the quality of the Series at all levels. PROFESSIONAL ULTIMATE LEAGUE (PUL)-Steve Dodge (Handout) Presented the idea of a professional Ultimate league. Requested funding and endorsement from UPA. MEMBERSHIP CYCLE-Matt (Slide presentation) Presented the idea of setting the UPA to a calendar year membership cycle. Would have some financial impact on the budget, but would help simplify life at headquarters. Could help administration focus more on quality. Could be less confusing for members. Could make sanctioning events easier. Discussion of timing of Coed Diviswn. Meeting recessed at II :30pm Sunday meeting called to order at 8:55 a.m. Closed Session- Board members only. 2001 OFFICERS ELECTED President-Jim Parinella
Vice President-Kate Bergeron-Gull Treasurer-Matt Healey Secretary-Dan Revelle COMMITTEES Nominating Committee-Kate Bergeron-Gull, Matt Healey, Tommy Proulx Finance Committee-Matt Healey, Kurt Dahlenberg, Paul Bonfanti Executive Committee-Jim Parinella, Jen Donnelly, Kate Bergeron-Gull, Matt Healey Standing Rules Committee-Tim Murray, Kate Bergeron-Gull Innovation Grants Liaison-Dan Revelle World Games Liaison-Billy Layden , Jen Donnelly Staff Performance Review Entire Board Re-Convened after lunch.
PROPOSALS
"We propose that the Vice President of the BOD be installed as Chair of Nominating Committee and have the specific responsibility of training new board members.", Healey APPROVED 10-0-1 Bonfanti abstains. "One of the primary services the UPA provides its members is the championship series. To provide the best championship series experience to its members, the Board believes Open, Women, Masters and Coed should be played in the Fall away from the interruptions and conflicts of other major tournaments and summer leagues." The specific time and location of each Division's events, to be determined by the administration, may or may not be the same." Thorne APPROVED 9 TO 3 (Remucal, Murray and Dahlenberg dissenting) "The Board recognizes that certain constituencies within the UPA may be relatively small, but equally valuable. The practice of players in such constituencies playing in two divisions simultaneously at the sectional level may be acceptable, where feasible, if the administration determines that it is necessary to support their respective divisions. The exact procedure, criteria, and extent for this process will be determined by the administration." Bonfanti APPROVED8-3 (Layden, Donnelly, Murray dissenting) "We propose that an election task force be created to determine the best way to hold UPA elections. A recommendation will be made to the BOD by June 1, 2001." Healey APPROVED 11-0 "Approve Proposed Budget", Healey APPROVED 11-0 "The Board believes that member services are of paramount importance. We believe that a transition to a calendar year membership will increase operational efficiencies
and thus improve member services. Because of the large potential financial impact on the organization, the administrative details of this transition shall be approved by the finance committee and the executive committee." (Healey and Gray) APPROVED 8 to 4 (Remucal, Donnelly, Dahlenberg and Murray) "The section in the UPA Policy & Procedures Guide entitled: "9th Edition Rules, playing by" shall be replaced by the following language: "UPA Official Rules, Playing by The UPA official rules are the preferred rules for use in UPA sanctioned events" Furthermore, a task force shall be created to consider the future of the UPA rules and rules related decision making. The task force will make a recommendation to the board by June 1, 2001. ", Debevoise, Deaver, Gray APPROVEDll-0 "The UPA may employ the UPA College Series Experimental rules or some variation thereof for some portion of the 2001 College Series for the Open and/or Women's divisions. Implementation of rules during the Series will be determined by the Administration." APPROVED 9-1-1 Healey dissent; Bonfanti abstain "The Co-Ed division was a successful 3-year trial. Therefore the mixed-gender championship division is now established as an ongoing division. The UPA Championship Series now consists of the Open, Women, College Open, College Women, Master, Junior and Mixed divisions.", Gray APPROVED 12-0 "We propose that a task force be formed to review the college eligibility requirements, with particular attention paid to the definition of a college player, the purpose of the college division and the single-team consortium program. The task force will make a recommendation of improvements to the Board by June 30, 2001." Murray APPROVED 11-0 "We propose that the Board confirm the administration's authority to determine the formats used and size of various UPA events." Gray, Deaver, Gorman APPROVED 11-0 "The name of the College Open Division shall be changed to the Men's Division Board referred to administration APPROVED 7-4. "The UPA is open to exploring a dialogue with WFDF regarding investigation of unification of WFDF ultimate rules and the UPA rules. To this end the UPA rules how task force will be directed to open discussions with the WFDF ultimate community. In addition, the UPA administration is directed to quickly determine the feasibility
Board Meeting Minutes
of adding a WFDF representative to the SRC in some capacity.", Thorne APPROVED 10-1 Healey opposed. "The UPA agrees in principle that player outreach activities and championships are equally important.", Gray TABLED 9-1 Remucal dissent. Let the minutes show that our mission statement supports any outreach efforts. "Proposal to incorporate a trial Division II Regional Championship into the 2001 Fall Series" Pulkinan TABLED 9-1 due to lack of resources. Minutes should reflect that the board recognizes this is an important idea, but that we do not have the resources to address it at this time. "The UPA consider educational goals as a priority.:", Dennison Move to table with appreciation TABLED 9-2. Let the minutes show we appreciate the effort and table discussion until the board retreat where we can give it the time and focus it deserves. "The UPA Board commit to the immediate exploration of this possibility by instructing the current UPA rules revision committee to open talks with the WFDF Ultimate committee on the topic of rules unification with the goal of unification as part of the current revision process", WFDF TABLED I 0-1. PUL Requests, including $5,000 Let the minutes show that we ' re excited by what he ' s trying to do. We don ' t think he ' s prepared enough to merit a UPA endorsement or investment, especially given lack of UPA oversight as currently proposed. "Beginning in 2003, participation in the UPA College Series is limited to players who have competed in less than 4 UPA College Series. Participation is determined by the player's name being included on a roster for 1) any UPA series (allowing for the current juniors rules) or 2) initial membership in a national ultimate governing body. Players are allowed five years (or ten semesters) in which to exercise four years of eligibility. Prior to Aug 1, 2002 the UPA shall amend or rewrite the college eligibility rules to reflect this change." Bergeron, Donnelly, Simon, Debevoise FAILED 5-6 "The name of College Nationals shall be changed to The North American Collegiate Championships.", Kerr FAILED 0-11. "The UPA take the initiative to once again investigate changing the name of the sport from Ultimate to Ultimate Frisbee.", Kerr FAILED 2-7 The 2001 Members and Board of Directors meetings adjourned at I :42 am Monday Jan 15th.
Spring 2001
www.upa. org
25
THE BEAST IN THE EAST GROVVS STRONGER by St:einar Cramer Ultimate in Asia? Oh, you mean Japan. ... not any more. While Japan remains the only Asian country with a significant local player base, the large pool of foreigners in the rest of Asia has spawned a vibrant and growing Ultimate community. And increased exposure is slowly pulling more locals into the game 20-30% of most rosters are locals. With the first ever Asian Ultimate Championship Series being played this year, that level of participation is set to rise. In the past three years, Asian Ultimate's growth has been phenomenal. The pioneering effort of Singapore Ultimate alumnus Brian Plymill in establishing the region 's first tournament way back in '94 has been followed by Indonesia, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The Bangkok Soi Dawgz
will add a fifth tournament at the end of February. On February 24-25 they ' ll be hosting the Huck n' Howl- the region 's first hat tournament. Michael Riley, the Bangkok tournament's top dog promises a " big-ass trophy" for winning the party. More locally, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai now run leagues and Ultimate clubs in regional capitals play pickup at least once a week: Jakarta's PT Discindo; Manila's Vice Squad; Kuala Lumpur; Hanoi Ultimate; Taipei; Shanghai; Beijing's Peking Huck; Singapore's Ang Mo Freakshow; Seoul; Hong Kong's Signal 8; and Bangkok's Soi Dawgz. The 2001 Asian Ultimate Championship Series, run by the Asian Ultimate League (AUL), will declare Asia's first ever co-ed champion. It
Games are played
under the watchful eye of Singapore's famous Merlion statue.
Rob Woodward (Ang Mo Freakshow) claiming his reward in Bali
26
Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
Asian Ultimate
Photo by Jana路Marie Goebel
will be played over four legs, compiling the results from the four regularly scheduled tournaments. The first leg is the AT&T Bali Nusantara Cup, which will be held on Bali, Indonesia April 13-14. Singapore 's Ang Mo Freakshow will defend its 2000 Nusantara championship against 11 other challengers, who will be jockeying for the early lead in the series. The action then moves to Shanghai, China in June, followed by the Singapore Open on September 15-16, and finishing off with the season ending tournament in Hong Kong in either late November or early December. The Championship Series fills a couple of Asian Ultimate's needs. "It's going to increase our local and international exposure and make bringing sponsorship in a lot easier." Says Jakarta 's Dan Murphy, AUL commissioner and a driving force behind the Series. " Disc in the region is ready to be taken to the next level, and the Championship can make that happen. Hopefully, the Championship will convince more Asians that we're not some novelty act played with a beach toy, but a
sport that they should be playing." The format will also make the tournaments more meaningful and provide a powerful incentive for all cities to field their best teams. The dream is to bring Ultimate in the region to the point where it does not have to rely on exports as its main pool of players. There is already evidence of progress. Taiwan has an alllocal team that travels to many of Asia's tournaments and competed in the World Championships in Heilbronn, Germany last year. On top of that, the Taiwanese are the reigning world GUTS champions.
Ultimate, Asian style So what makes Asian Ultimate different from back home? I may not be the best person to ask, given that I'd never played until I came out to Singapore a year and a half ago, but I can tell you what's good about it. The level of competition has picked up tremendously in the past year and a half, but there is still a very relaxed vibe surrounding most tournaments. Players often find themselves having to choose between winning the tournament or winning the party - a gifted
Continued on next page
禄
ÂŤContinued from previous page few can do both. A (lighthearted) dispute broke out at last year' s Nusantara Cup when Ang Mo Freakshow claimed party victory after having the most people on the dance floor at 6 a.m., while PT Discindo claimed victory, citing maximum man-hours of dancing. The rematch this April should prove decisive. Besides the atmosphere at the tournaments, their settings couldn' t be better. The Singapore Open is played on Sentosa Island, with all fields in full view of the hotel room balconies. Games are played under the watchful eye of Singapore 's famous Merlion statue, making it "the safest tourney in Asia". After the first day of action, players wander down to the beach for a big feast amongst the palm trees and a jammin' show by Singapore 's top reggae band, the Bushmen. Bali may have the best location of any tournament around. Nothing can match the surreal feeling of body surfing the Indian Ocean rollers at sunset on famous Kuta Beach after a hard day of Ultimate. Then comes the Sunday night party, with no worries of going back to work on the Easter Monday. Bali's infamous Club Double Six plays host to the teams celebrating the events of the weekend. The 140ft bungee tower (inside the club!) is used to its full
advantage as the award for Best Layout of the Tournament is a free jump. It all wraps up around 7 a.m. as players wander out of the club and straight onto the beach for some relaxed beach disc. Despite the beautiful surroundings and numerous distractions, the level of play at the tournaments is impressive. Many teams boast ex-collegiate players from the US. Ang Mo Freakshow has Ken Lambert (Carnegie-Mellon), The legendary Balinese hospitality started with this pickup at the airport and continued with Balinese dancers at the opening ceremonies and a full Dennis Hu and Allen gamelan band to spur on the competitors during the hot afternoon. Photo Clement (Princeton) and by Martha Hall John Grantz (Drexel) in who couldn' t get a full squad together its ranks. Numerous players also have from their club, but players have also experience at the world country and club joined from as far afield as Arkansas championship level. (Tony Porter), Brooklyn, NY (Melle Taipei boasts Mike Clark) and Holland (Onno Sweep). TourMcManus of New nament organizers are also working to York, New York bringing up teams from Australia and fame while SingaJapan this year. And of course, any team pore has lain Fergufrom the US is more than welcome! son from the Aussie
The 140ft bungee tower is used to its full advantage - the award for Best Layout of the Tournament is a free iump.
"Star Wars" teams.
Open to everyone
Ultimate in Asia is open to anyone who wants to join in. All tournaments have at least one team dubbed "the International Allstars" which takes in wandering Ultimate players who happen to me in the area. Most often the team is made up of players
Information on tourneys and pickup throughout the region can be found on the web: Jakarta: www geocities. comjptdiscindo Singapore: wwwsingaporeu/timate.com Hong Kong: wwwnunan.comjultimate Bangkok: wwwgeocities.comjbkkulti Shanghai:
UFO I was on the Sports Jeopardy website (www.sportsjeopardy.com) and one of the categories was Ultimate Frisbee, so I wrote down the questions.
For $100: The motto of Ultimate Frisbee, according to Stencil E.D. Johnson, is "When a ball dreams, it dreams it's a..." (Frisbee)
$200: Governed by the Spirit of the Game, Ultimate players call their own fouls, so these are not allowed. (Referees)
www redrival. comjhu_ultimatejindex. htm Beijing:
homepages. nyu. eduj-boc7379jtime. htm Taiwan: wwwgeocities. comjtupatwjindex. html AT&T Bali Nusantara Cup:
wwwgeocities.comjbali_ultimate
$300 To introduce Ultimate to children, the Ultimate Players Association teamed with this "Breakfast of Champions." (Wheaties)
$400 If you walk with the disc, you're guilty of this infraction. (Travelling)
$500 The first intercollegiate game pitted Princeton against Rutgers, just like in this sport. (Football) I was kinda blown away that we were in a Jeopardy game, and the clues would be so accurate.
-Scott Troetel Boulder, CO
Thanks to Bo Chamberlain, your future sightings coordinator, whose mission it is to catch up on the ones we,ve received so for. The new email is upo_sightings@upo.org. Watch out! Playing in the concrete jungle, PT Discindo's Dan Murphy trying to pass through Ang Mo Freakshow's zone at the 2000 Hong Kong tournament. Photo by Steinar Cramer
Asian Ultimate
I Spring 2001
I www.upa. orgl
27
COLLEGE DIRECTOR'S REPORT Lyn Debevoise
lyn Debevoise
I haven't had much of a chance in the past few years to watch Women's College Ultimate, as I was too busy playing and coaching in the Open ranks, and so it was particularly satisfying to attend the Women's Stanford Invite in early March. Although the weather was decidedly uncooperative, booting Sunday's games off-campus to a nearby state park and making life generally uncomfortable, the tournament was truly a showcase of what the Women's division has to offer. The quality of play was remarkably high: I expected Sunday's cold, windy rain and muddy fields to cause the games to degenerate into huck and zone wars of attrition, where the last team standing was the one most able to ignore the siren
NEVV
call of hot chocolate and dry clothing waiting at home. But I was wrong: the games were hard-fought and played with a great deal of skill and athleticism. The UBC women, in particular, made one incredible catch after another and scored as easily upwind as they did downwind. It was also heartening to see how coaching has swept through the highest level of Women's Ultimate, as I believe this raises the level of the sport: the teams at Stanford all exhibited more discipline and poise than did the uncoached Open teams that I remember from my playing days a few years ago. I went out to the Invite in part to help the Women's teams experience play with XRules observers in advance of the rules vote for their division (which is taking place during the last two weeks of March). Although we had some trouble finding enough volunteers (especially when the weather soured), I think it was
commitments that are limiting their work this year. We may still be a year away from the sort of comprehensive coverage of the division that I'd like to have, but don't let that stop you from dropping by a tournament or two and writing a brief article. We have several media outlets within the community that are starved for content, and so it will be quite easy to be published this season. If you are interested in covering a player, a team, a region, a tournament or anything at all, get in touch with me. And finally, the task force created by action of the UPA Board to review and recommend changes to the college eligibility rules is in full swing. If you would like to make an argument to the task force about any part of eligibility, email me, and I will pass it along. Check out the college website at http://college.upa.org. It's being updated weekly, if not daily.
COLLEGE ROSTERING PROCEDURES
I
Lyn Debevoise This year a new procedure for submission of rosters, waivers, and membership dues will be implemented and is outlined below. This new procedure will hopefully achieve a number of desired results for the Series including: • Reduction of the workload for our volunteer sectional coordinators, • The ability to announce size wildcard allocation PRIOR to Regionals, • Reduction in administrative errors by eliminating "the middle-man", and • The ability to discover and address problems and misinformation PRIOR to teams participating in the Series.
New Procedure: Sealed rosters, Registrar Instruction form, individual waivers, and membership dues should be returned to UPA Headquarters by one week prior to Sectionals. Alternately, rosters may be submitted to the Sectional Coordinator prior to participation in the Sectional tournament. (PLEASE SEE ITEM #2) Only teams whose sealed rosters have been received by UPA Headquarters one
28
generally a good experience. I am now confident that the XRules will have a positive effect on the Women's division, should the teams choose to move in that direction. The Open division, for its part, has already voted to use the XRules in the College Series for a third consecutive year. It looks like many of the changes brought on by the XRules are now firmly embedded in the college game, and it's imperative that the UPA embrace this and take steps to continue to improve the system. Individual members can do their part by volunteering to train and work as observers--contact me at upa_ncd@upa.org if you'd like to become involved but aren't sure where to go. Speaking of volunteering, the college division is desperately in need of some good reporting, especially since some of the old standby journalists have other
Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
week prior to their Sectional tournament will be included in that Section's "official team count". This means that rosters must be received at UPA HQ by Friday, eight days prior to your Sectionals. If your Sectional tournament is being held April 28-29, ... PLEASE SEE ITEM #3c below. The official UPA dates for Sectional and Regional tournaments are as follows: a) Sectionals may be held on April 6-7, April14-15, or April21-22. b) Regionals may be held on April2829 or May S-6. c) ALTERNATE SECTIONAL DATE: An exception may be made to allow Sectionals to be held on April 28-29. The National College Director must approve this exception. The Sectional tournament may not conflict with that Section's Regional tournament. If this exception is granted, sealed rosters must still be received by the previous weekend's deadline (Friday, April 13th) for teams to be included in that Section's official team count. In other words, the deadline
College Info
for submitting rosters to UPA HQ for the alternate sectional date will be two weeks (rather than one week) prior to Sectionals. Refer to the following guidelines for when your team's sealed roster, waivers, and dues must be at UPA Headquarters for your team to be included in your Section's "official team count". If your Sectional tournament is April 78 ... your deadline is Friday, March 30. If your Sectional tournament is April 1415 ... your deadline is Friday, April6. If your Sectional tournament is April 2122 ... your deadline is Friday, April 13. If your Sectional tournament is April 2829 ... your deadline is Friday, April13. The "official team count" from each Section will be used to determine the number of total teams in each region that will count towards this year's size wildcards to Nationals. Teams who turn in rosters at Sectionals or after then deadline will not be counted when determining regional size wildcards.
The new UPA waiver form is an individual, annual waiver. This waiver will be good for the entire year of UPA membership. Each player must sign an individual waiver. A witness must also sign this waiver. Minors (under 18) must submit a minor's waiver signed by the player and that player's guardian. Signed and sealed rosters must be accompanied by a signed and sealed Registrar Instruction form , in order to be considered complete. This form insures that the registrar has read and understood their role in the rostering procedure. Teams should make a copy of their roster prior to mailing it to UPA HQ for their records. This copy should be brought to Sectionals in case it needs to be referenced. Rosters, waivers, and dues should be mailed to the following address: UPA Headquarters Re: College Roster 3595 E. Fountain Blvd., Suite J2 Colorado Springs, CO 80910
College Sections and Coordinators See Regional Coordinators on page
2
WOMEN
Columbia) -Lara Mussell (lmussll@hotmail.com) Big Sky (Idaho/Montana/northern Utah/Alberta)- Sarah Lunstrom (wildfrogs@hotmail.com) NorCai/Oregon (Oregon/Northern California/Nevada (north) - Rachelle Depner (dqmer@oregon. uoregon.edu) Bay Area (Bay Area, California)Gretchen Sponburgh (gsponburgh@uswcorp.com)
Atlantic Coast Blue Ridge (Virginia and W North Carolina/east Tennessee)- Jin Ding (jding@virginia.edu) South (Georgia/Florida/west South Carolina) - Karen Francl (kfrancl@hotmail.com) Coast (east North Carolina/east South Carolina) -Nikki Miani (enm7682@uncwil.edu)
Central Lake Superior (Wisconsin/Upper Penin of Michigan/Manitoba/west Ontario)- John Reynolds (johnnyr007@hotmail.com) Northwoods (Minnesota/North Dakota/Saskatchewan)- Vacant West Plains (Iowa/Nebraska/South Dakota)- Vacant
Great Lakes Michigan (Michigan/eastern Ontario) -Jess Hoff (hoffis@umich.edu) East Plains (Ohio/Kentucky/West Virginia) -Molly Guidette (molly.guidette@oberlin.edu) Central Plains (Indiana/llinois) Shelly Peyton (s-peyton@nwu.edu)
Metro East Upstate NY (NY north of Poughkipsee and west Quebec)Laura Konieczny (laurakoniecmy@hotmail.com) Metro NY (metro New York/New Jersey)- Emily Yee (emilyyee@princeton.edu) Penn (Pennsylvania) -Lindsay Goldsmith (lgoldsml@swarthmore.edu) Colonial (Maryland, DC, Delaware, Fairfax cty, Virginia) - Farrell Sullivan, Jr. (fsullivanjr@home.com)
New England East New England (ME, NH, VT, Quebec, Eastern Mass (minus Boston))- Freya Sachs (Freya.M.Sachs@Dartmouth.edu) Metro Boston (Metro Boston)- Allison Mixter (amixteOl@tufts.edu) West New England (Western Mass)Katie Kelly (Olkak@williams.edu) South New England (Connecticut, Rhode Island) - Adelaide Egan (Adelaide Egan@brown.edu)
Todd Gregorian (trg3@comell.edu) Metro NY (metro New York/New Jersey) - Dom Williams (dwilliam@princeton.edu) W. Penn (Western Pennsylvania) William Brotman (brotman+@pitt.edu) Penn (Eastern Pennsylvania)- Rob Olsen (rho@dolphin.upenn.edu) Colonial (Maryland, DC, Delaware, Fairfax cty, Virginia) - Farrell Sullivan, Jr. (fsullivanjr@home.com)
South
New England
Texas (Texas) - Emily Sliman (slimey@rice.edu)
East New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Eastern Mass (minus Boston))- Craig Davis (cmd@dartmouth.edu) Metro Boston (Metro Boston)- Ian Schneider (ischneO l@tufts.edu) West New England (Western Mass, Vermont, eastern Quebec) - Jeremy Redburn (03jar@williams.edu) South New England (Connecticut, Rhode Island) - Ross Loomis (Ross Loomis@Brown.edu)
Southwest Colorado (Colorado/Wyoming)- Jeff Berget (jberget@mines.edu) Desert (New Mexico/Arizona)Shane Iverson (siverson@unm.edu) So Cal (Southern California/Nevada) - Anne Mecham (anne@umail.ucsb.edu)
MEN Atlantic Coast
Northwest
Blue Ridge (Virginia & E Tennessee) - Brian Butler (bwbutl@wm.edu) Carolina (North Carolina)- Mike Gerics (designs@digitizing4embroidety.com) South (South Carolina, Georgia, Florida)- Ed Pulkinen (tuskcamp@worldnet.att.net)
Wash/BC (Washington/British Columbia) -Adrian Liem (beebz89@hotmail.com) Big Sky (Idaho/Montana/northern Utah/Alberta)- Aaron Matthews (amatthew@idahopower.com) NorCai/Oregon (Oregon/Northern California/Nevada (north)) - Jared Weybright (dqmer@oregon.uoregon.edu) Bay Area (Bay Area, California)Eric Johnson (ejohnson@officerelief.com)
Central Lake Superior (Wisconsin I Upper Penin of Michigan/Manitoba/west Ontario)- John Reynolds (johnnyr007@hotrnail.com) Northwoods (Minnesota/North Dakota/Saskatchewan)- Loren Schieber (schieber@stolaf.edu) West Plains (Iowa/Nebraska/South Dakota) - Brad Lauritsen (bradlauritsen@hotmail.com)
Great Lakes East Plains (Ohio/Kentucky/West Virginia)- Chris Hung (cxh49@po.cwru.edu) Central Plains (lndiana/llinois) - Nick Voakes (nvoakes@indiana.edu) Michigan (Michigan/eastern Ontario) - Mike Haley (haleym@umich.edu)
Northwest
Metro East
Wash/BC (Washington/British
Upstate NY (NY north of Poughkipsee and west Quebec)-
South Barna (Tennessee (west)/Alabama/Mississippi!Louisian a) - Charles Sutcliffe (charles@turbodog.org) Texas (Texas) - Vacant Ozarks (Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma/Arkansas) - Vacant Southwest Colorado (Colorado/Wyoming)- Jeff Berget (jberget@mines.edu) Desert (New Mexico/Arizona)Shane Iverson (siverson@unm.edu) So Cal (Southern California/Nevada) - Anne Mecham (anne@umail.ucsb.edu)
PIP!!!!!!!~l
www.littleflyer.com College Info
I Spring 2001
I www.upa. orgl
29
FALL
2000
FOLLOVV-UP by Leigh Gorman, Regional Coordinator
SW Regionals were a blast! Thanks for helping make everything run so smoothly. I don't believe there were any problems. The games were all running on time and I think it's awesome that we were able to have a 16-team Women's draw! Northwest had only 10 and Central had only 11, and they get wildcards! We were only three women's teams (with valid sectional rosters) away from getting a size wildcard for the South. Let's go for it next year. That would be awesome.
The placing turned out to be even harder than the seeding. I broke up the format in to three tiers. The first tier being no losses, the second tier one loss and the third tier was after two losses. I looked at records in the first tier; then records in the first and second tier combined; then the third tier. I also looked at match-ups for the 6-12 place spots and those seemed to be the toughest. For fun, I also tallied points scored and against to break any ties.
Wear your spirit socks with pride!
15
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lburban 15 I burban #9-11am F15
women in plaid 14 #2-9am F14 Ipiece flaminQ june 10 I
15
5 #17-3pm F8
diva #3-9am F12 k-os fetch #4-9am F13 spin hucksters #5-9am F18 towanda weird alice #6-9am F19 bootie special sauce #7-9am F17 piece buttercup #8-9am F16 flo
flo #13-11am F14 spin towanda #14-11am F12 bootie velvet ants #15-11am F19 s sauce plaid #16-11am F17 k-os
30
burban
19
15 diva
15
6 I #10-11am F13 diva 11 11 fjune 9 I
7
#23-10:30am burban sprawl F10 Champ
15
Ihucksters 15 1 I #11-11am F18 hucksters 14 15 lweird alice 4 10 I buttercup #18-3pm F10 15 7 I fetch 10 I #12-11am F16 buttercup 17 15 15 Ibuttercup 7 I diva weird alice 13 #26-9am 10 #19-1pm F15 weird alice 5 I spin 7 I #24-3pm F15 fetch 151 15 fetch #20-1pm F13 fetch 15 4 Ibootie 131 hucksters 151 piece 5 15 #27-9am #21-1pm F18ls sauce 4 15 Is sauce #25-3pm F16 s sauce 15 11 fiune 9 10 #22-1pm F16lplaid 12 Iplaid 9
Ultimate Players Association
Spring 2001
South Women Regionals Fall 2000 PLACE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
2000 UPA SOUTHERN REGION, WOMENS DIVISION burban sprawl #1-9am F15 velvet ants
Congratulations to Burban Sprawl and Hucksters- our National representatives. And to spirit winners Deb Renner from hucksters, Lisa from Weird Alice, Susan Mercer from Special Sauce. Wear your spirit socks with pride! -Leigh South Women's RC
TEAM Burban sprawl Hucksters Buttercup Diva Fetch Special Sauce Weird Alice Women in Plaid Flaming June Bootie Piece Spin K-OS Flo Towanda Velvet Ants
Mid-Atlantic Masters Regionals
2000
Fredericksburg, VA Sunday 10/8/2000
Final Standings: 4-0 Cranky (Raleigh/Durham, NC) 3-1 O.L.D. S.A.G. (Philadelphia, PA) 2-2 Polygrip (Charlotte, NC) 1-3 THOR (Raleigh/Durham, NOVA/ DC) 0-4 Depends (NJ)
Cranky and O.L.D. S.A.G. qualify for Nationals Game Results: Cranky- THOR 12-5 Cranky- O.L.D. S.A.G. 13-6 Cranky- Polygrip 12-8 Cranky- Depends 13-2 O.L.D. S.A.G.- Depends 13-5 O.L.D. S.A.G.- Polygrip 13-8 O.L.D. S.A.G.- THOR 13-5 Polygrip- Depends 13-3 Polygrip- THOR 10-9 THOR- Depends 13-9
flo 15 #30-1pm F14 !flo 5 velvet ants 10 I #32-3pm F14 towanda 6 15 #31-1pm F17 lk-os k-os 13 I
10
buttercup 16 15 F15 diva
13
#29-1pm hucksters F11 2nd Place
12 #28-11am F15 15 F16 hucksters 2
Fall Follow-up
15
huckster~
19
k-os
10
#36 11am F16 fjune
11
spin 5 f june _ _~ 15 #33-3pm F18I~----...:.J..::::..:.:::. f june 11 I #38-1pm F16 flaming june velvet ants 0
FORFEIT towanda m~ #34-3pm F17~-----=.:..:::.:c::.::.---"~ towanda 15 #3711am F17 piece 9 bootie 10 piece 15 #35-3pm F13~----..J:.:..::=--..:..::..~ piece 151 flo 0 FORFEIT #39-11am F18lnoshow 0 FORFEIT velvet ants 0 I #41-1pm F15 bootie spin 7 #40-11am F19 bootie 0 bootie 15 I
2000 UPA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Junior Nationals, May 2000, Philadelphia PA This 45 min documentary covers the full Junior Nationals event, with extended coverage of the Boys semi final {Amherst Boys Varsity vs Newton North), Girls final {Amherst Girls Varsity vs Stuyvesant Girls) and the Boys final. The teams include several 2000 US Junior Worlds All-Star team members. By Discfilms, Philadelphia PA.
MEMBERS: $15, NON-MEMBERS $20
College Open & College Women's Nationals, May 2000, Boise ID With introductions of all the teams, each video tells the story of College Nationals in TV feature style, building up to semis and finals. By Tidepool Media, Vancouver BC. MEM-
BERS:$10
Open Final, October 2000, Sarasota FL Full coverage of the UPA National Championship final between the Santa Barbara Condors and Vancouver's Furious George. Note: This is not the A & B Open 2000, it is the final game only and in its entirety, filmed by the same people working on the next open division edition of Above & Beyond {due to be released in mid-2001). MEMBERS: $15,
$15, NON-MEMBERS $20
of the UPA National Championship final between Boston's Lady Godiva and Portland Schwa. This is not the A & B Women's 2000, it is the final game only and in its entirety, filmed by the same people working on the first women's edition of Above & Beyond {due to be released in mid-2001). MEMBERS: $15, NON-
In the meantime, sales have been temporarily streamlined to give us time to set up the new system. For now, the only products available through Ultimate Stuff are the 2000 UPA Championship videos below. If you are a distributor interested in working with the UPA to distribute UPA products, please get in touch with joe.gorman@upa.org as soon as possible.
MEMBERS$20
Masters Final, October 2000, Sarasota FL
Open Semi Bootleg, October 2000, Sarasota FL A "naturally biased" parental bootleg of the semi final game between six-time UPA Champion Boston Death or Glory {DoG) and two-time UPA finalist Santa Barbara Condors. Refreshingly high quality for a non-professional. Note: The batteries ran out so
0 1t
Women's Final, October 2000, Sarasota FL Full coverage
VIDEOS
A documentary of the UPA Coed National Championships that builds up from pool play coverage to full semis and finals. Semi Finalists are: NY's Free Spirits of the Game, NC Spear, Big Sky's returning semi-finalist Trigger Hippy, and Baton Rouge Holes & Poles. By Discfilms, Philadelphia PA. MEMBERS:
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Starting later in 2001, we plan to outsource all merchandise sales in order for professional merchandisers to serve our customers better and for your Headquarters staff to focus on our mission: events and member services.
NON-MEMBERS $20
BERS: $15, NON-MEMBERS $20
Coed Nationals, September 2000, National Sports Center, Blaine MN
Ultimate Stuff Overhaul
the last 4 points are missing. Fan commentary and possible swearing not edited. By Condor dad Joe Seidler, Santa Barbara CA. MEMBERS & NON-MEM-
The masters final between Seattle's Keg Workers of America Local #333 and LA POND SCUM, featuring high level masters play, an extended question of ruling, over-age drinking and exciting suspense. Very occasional swearing . By Discfilms, Philadelphia PA.
MEMBERS: $15, NON-MEMBERS $20
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Buy Ultimate Stuff
Spring 2001
www.upa. org
31
Discraft Ultra·Star111 5portdisc111
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THE ULTIMATE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER • COLORADO SPRINGS • COLORADO
High Ultitude
by David ~chneider
---BE1~l:c
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\0 1\\t. C:cl\t'\i, l\lft.~ WI\S \lOT SURt. \\0\Jl ~0 \NfERP~1 : fO"t\~f:l \iOMt':
VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 1 • Spring 2001
YOUR CHANGE OF ADDRESS: The UPA Newsletter is mailed non-profit rate and is not forwarded. To change your address, email info@upa.org or mail: 3595 E. Fountain Blvd., Suite J2, Colorado Springs, CO 80910 or call 1-800-UPA-GetH
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage
PAID ULTIMATE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION 3595 E. Fountain Blvd. , Suite J2 Colorado Springs, CO 80910
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