IFDANewsletterVolume3Issue2 by Irish Flying Disc association

Irish Flying Disc Association Newsletter Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010

Irish Flying Disc Association Newsletter 1

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Note from the Editor

Hello everyone and welcome to the long overdue second issue of the 2010 IFDA Newsletter.

At the beginning of this year I had great plans for a Newsletter that would include four issues, with each issue dealing with a specific type of Ultimate – university, international, club and so on, but along with many other great plans they didn’t come into fruition. Hopefully this issue will take up where we left off the last time with some brief news, a lot of interviews, some tasty photos and lots of articles for everyone to enjoy.

I will endeavour to get a third issue out before the turn of the year and will be making some long overdue design changes. The Newsletter will be hosted online as well, saving you all from having to download it. More on that when I figure it all out. Also, I am aware that some of the ‘News’ isn’t exactly hot off the press – next issue will be much more au fait.

Finally, the email address has changed. All IFDA Newsletter related emails should be sent to the new address below. Many thanks!

Take care and see you out on the pitch soon! Mark Earley Editor ifdanewsletter@irishultimate.com

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Title:

Page Number:

Section One: Irish Ultimate -

News in brief

4-6

IFDA committee work

7-8

Club Profile: Hammertime

9 - 10

Florence: The experience of a lifetime

11 - 13

The Tough Ship

14 - 18

Off Season Training & Injury Prevention

19 - 21

Two Years at the helm: An interview with Dominick Smyth

21 - 27

Photos from around Irish Ultimate

28 - 34

Section Two: Further Afield -

International News

Ultimate Online

36 - 37

A guide to eating well for the elite player

38 - 41

Irish Players Abroad: Fred Moran

42 - 44

New Recycled Fabric from Lookfly

45 - 46

Tournament Watch: The Boracay Open

47 - 48

Wrap Up

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Section One: Irish Ultimate

News in brief Mark Earley

Over the course of the summer Ireland was represented by 3 teams in Florence at the U23s World Championships, 1 team at the U19s World Championships and 2 club teams at the World Club Championships. Huge congratulations to all involved.

On the domestic front there have been many tournaments. The Dublin Club Summer League was won by Jabba the Huck, the All-Ireland Open Championships was won by Broc Ultimate, as was Cork Open 2010. More recently, the inaugural Huck â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;O The Irish took place in Santry and Little Miss Sunshine dominated from start to finish.

Ireland has recently been moved into EUCR South-West along with the Belgians, Swiss, Italians & Dutch. This is great news for clubs looking to gain valuable experience, and indeed, to qualify for future end of season EUCFs. More info on the EUCS can be found here.

The IFDA are very pleased to welcome LookFly as the official kit supplier to the Irish national ultimate teams. Beginning with the Junior and Under 23 squads this summer, LookFly will provide custom kit and accessories to all Irish national teams and supporters through the summer of 2012. Dominick Smyth, IFDA President, said: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We are delighted to be working with LookFly and are confident that the arrangement will benefit the entire Irish ultimate community, not just those fortunate enough to

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 be selected to wear the green’. Steve from Lookfly HQ was equally enthusiastic: ‘Lookfly are proud to be the IFDA's choice as official kit supplier! Lookfly is an eco-friendly, ethically sourced ultimate gear manufacturer, providing both custom and stock gear that is built for ultimate. Go "Green"! Go Ireland!’

The annual Cork Beach Hat was re-named and re-located this summer! Beaches Be Crazy saw a big crowd hit the pristine sands of Curracloe (Wexford) for a weekend of fun and sun. TD Donal O’Donohoe was delighted with the turnout and is looking forward to more of the same next year. For more information visit the tournament’s website.

IFDA Discs are back in stock. Please contact the committee to purchase them. You can also buy them online at All My Kit.

Congratulations to LMS Ultimate who recently came 2nd at Bologna’s annual tournament, their only losses over the weekend were to the Italians, Tequila Boom Boom. This is the second time an Irish women’s team has contested a European final - Biddy Murphy (the then Irish women’s team) lost, ironically, to the Italian women’s team at Windmill Windup in 2008.

Whacking Day 2010 has come and gone with a flurry of indoor beginner mayhem and some wild partying. Congratulations to UCC 1 and UL who won in the Open and Women’s Divisions respectively, to the organisers for an excellent tournament and to all those new players who took part.

A bid is being prepared by a number of players/organisers for Dublin to host EUC 2011. This would be a huge achievement if the bid is chosen. Best of luck to all those involved. Everyone else, cross your fingers. More details on the Facebook page.

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Finally, congratulations to the newly elected committee. We will hear from them in full in the next Newsletter in December , but for now be sure to support them as they settle into their new roles. I for one am excited by the mix of youth and experience on the committee and am sure that they will get a huge amount covered over the next 12 months. Good luck!

IFDA Committee 2010-2011 (full intro to follow in Decemberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issue!)

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 IFDA Committee Work Dominick Smyth

August/September Issued press release re: U23 squads Distributed flyers to colleges Changed Emergency Fund to include training for and representing Ireland Dave Ferguson re-elected to IFDA Committee Schools Experience document released Ran IFDA Awards All-Ireland Open schedule Huck o' the Irish National Team meetings (and online discussion) Ran two coaching courses attended by 23 people Recruitment guide released

June/July: Attended WFDF Congress Participated in South Dublin County Activity Days Participated in Wexford County Council Fun in the Sun days

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Completed 1st year of kit deal with LookFly Released All-Ireland Eligibility Guidelines and FAQ Announced date for AGM and Ball - October 2nd, 2010 Sourced venue and increased promotion of Huck 'o the Irish 2010 National teams entered Junior and Under 23 World Championships Assisted in planning and scheduling for All-Ireland Open Held an election for Schools Coordinator

April/May Flyers distributed to clubs and league organisers National team kit deal arranged with LookFly Elected new University and College Coordinator Provided analysis of spirit scores from Inter Varsities and All-Ireland Mixed Ran a workshop for VEC Youth Leaders in South Dublin Ran a competition to name the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tournament

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Club Profile: Hammertime Eamon Cassells Hammertime has been in existence since March 2010 but its origins go back further than that. Eamon Cassells suggested to Emer Staunton, Liam Fletcher, Daniel Corrigan and Alan Kelly, who were all members of Athboy Macra na Feirme together that they should sign up for their respective college clubs at the beginning of the 09/10 academic year.

Eamon tried forming a Club for the general Meath area during February but found little interest. When the college based players suggested forming an Athboy based team they used word of mouth to generate interest and along with college players Daragh King and Anthony Cully they gathered some beginners and began weekly training.

Their first tournament was the 5 a side Love Easter Tournament in Belfast where the beginners got their first taste of the craic thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to be had at an ultimate tournament. They were hooked! The boys and girls continued to recruit more players and maintain a policy of always leaving the door open to beginners.

The next tournament was mixed All-Irelands which was a huge jump up in standard. It came as a bit of a shock to such an inexperienced team and they got well and truly beaten including a few bagels.The team went away from that tournament realising the standard they had to rise to meet. They targeted Cork Open 2010 as their next tournament, trained hard for it and got spiffy new jerseys and shorts for it. They came away with good performances against Jabba and Ultimate virgins and came home with their first competitive win against UCC2. Even better was to see James Darcy who, up until a few months ago had never heard of ultimate , pick up MVP for the team.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 So where next for Hammertime? The beginners season is starting so the plan is to get a few new beginners to add to the ranks and play Whacking day and other beginner tournaments The team will continue to train and prepare for summer tournaments and maybe even The Siege if college commitments allow.

What lessons can be learned from Hammertime? 1) No town is too small for an Ultimate team. Athboy has a population of 2200 yet Hammertime had a squad of 12 at Cork and didn’t bring everybody that turns up to training. If you want to make a team you can and the IFDA would be more than happy to help if you need it. 2) Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth. If you can get somebody to say “Hey! There is training on why don’t you come down?” its worth a thousand posters.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Florence: The experience of a lifetime Sinéad Byrne, Deirdre Corbett, Amy Moffat & Louise McKeon

Training for the event (Sinéad): Although anxious, but yet so much more excited, 16 ladies made their way to Albert College Park not only to represent Ireland but to meet our coach whom a lot of us didn't really know. Several warm up techniques and game plans later, it didn't discourage anyone but left them wanting more regardless of the location or pitch facilities. Many just had the urge to fight for their place on the team but also made a large effort to become friends and keep all involved no matter what. New skills and trains of thought were established while bad habits were left to the wayside. Overall, the training not only encouraged and promoted women’s ultimate, it also produced a team of quality, skill and friendship (everything you could want in a team!!).

The lead up (Louise & Deirdre): For most of us this was our first time representing Ireland and playing at such a high level. We ran a fitness plan which was pretty horrible but felt worthwhile once you started to notice an improvement in your fitness levels during games. Considering we trained together quite infrequently, it was amazing to see how our play developed over the training weekends and to see Alan’s ideas go from the white board, into practice and work on the pitch! It was especially impressive to see the girls who have been playing less than a year develop all their throws, by the time Florence came it would have been hard for an outsider to guess who was a beginner and who was more experienced!

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The helpful tips from the more experienced players being sent on pookas was a real indicator that we had finally made it and the tournament was getting close. Also the constant support from everyone in Ireland who couldn't play was really encouraging. There were loads of players who would of loved to have attended so it was great to know that we were representing them as well as ourselves. Oh, and our country too! By the time we got to the opening ceremony, all in our new kits, excitement was really at an all time high. All our hard work paid off though after playing as a well oiled machine and seeing the final score in our first match against Finland!

The opening game (Amy): For the majority of our team it was the first time we have played Ultimate at this level and I think our ignorance of the enormity of what we were entering into helped us keep a level head in our first game. We played Finland, in a game that would change every personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception (including our own) of what we were going to achieve at this championship. We had no preconception of the Fins and from the outlook they were a team of similar proportion to us so we did the only thing we could do, we went out and played our game.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 However, our inexperience at this level made for a slow start, each of us just testing the water and trying to figure out our opposition. The Fins went 6-2 up before we realised. It was at this point that we decided to take the game from them and play it our way. Our defence took control and all of the Fins mistakes were surely punished by the Irish. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never forget the last point of that first game running onto the pitch jumping, screaming with an over whelming feeling of joy and disbelief that we had just beaten Finland 16 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11. EPIC!

The last few games (SinĂŠad): Even though the heat persisted, it could not deter the team from playing our utmost. Experience was gained, friends were made and team communication was at its highest level. Ups and downs were had but all gave each player their own insight to the standard necessary to play for the Irish womens team. We thoroughly enjoyed our last few games and the party made them all the more exciting to play.

Looking back now one must say that it was an experience of a life time. Not only did we represent our country but so many friendships and skills were developed. Team discipline was established and all comments were taken on board regardless of them being positive or negative (well not negative but constructive lets say). Womens Ultimate was highly promoted and our newer and older players now have that little extra drive in them to succeed for other teams!

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 The Tough Ship Brian MacDevitt

Disclaimer: Brian kindly allowed me to publish this ode to his team which, I think is funny, insightful and warm-hearted. Please take with a pinch of salt. In his words: This is a report written by a team member for their team. It wasn't written for public consumption, but Marko asked for a copy of it to stick in the newsletter and here it is, in jokes and all.

I won't say that we're finished, but by the sounds of it, it seems like we're taking a little break at the least. Who knows what'll happen in the future. Here is some of our past however...

2004 Team was born in a pub conversation by Sparky and Claire McKeever. We made our debut at Dub tourni in UCD. Lost to Princess Layout in the semi, despite them having Marko and Big Gay Al on their team. Finished 3rd. Left Simon off the team shirt design that had cartoon characters of 'all' the team members.

Geneva I wasn't there, but it sounded like great craic. We had Donal, SJ, Fergus and Seamus Murray for this one. I believe the team might have won spirit? Can't remember, I wasn't there you see.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 2005: Our busiest year. DUB 2005 in Monkstown RFC It was us, Irish university teams, Belgians, Princess plus a Gergus and Ferry English team. We lost our semi to those little Brits and finished 3rd. The TS culture of team showers were born, courtesy of Barbara's insistence.

Mixed Tour 1 in Southampton. Did quite well if I remember correctly. Won and lost a couple in sudden death. Some airline lost Bab's bag for the weekend and she lived out of lost property. We had Darkhorse for this one. People "got their wings" on their way to and from the tournament.

Mixed Tour 2 Bristol Was pretty windy, as Bristol in the spring always is. We pulled a disc against Brighton which ended up 30yards behind us I recall. We ended up ironman and our women beat the tar out of their women. We had Fiona for this one. We came up with all the TS acronyms in the clubhouse, the photo of which is still on the group. Started to attract various oddballs in GB ultimate with rumours of mixed showers. We hung around for hours after the tournament, enjoying a few beers in the sun waiting to leave for our flight, upon which, more wings were yoinked.

Mixed Tour 3 Bakewell

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 We beat B.A.F which they weren't that impressed about, but which Simon enjoyed particularily. We beat the Kentucky Fried lads, giving us real hope of winning a game in Rostock. I limped out injured and threw the toys out of the pram : ). Shouldersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tent from Lidl/Pennies provided her with compromised protection from the elements, waking up in a very large puddle. We all rented cars and drove to and from the place. The convoy was abruptly halted to photograph Colin aka Vidal outside "Colin's Hair Salon"

Rostock. What can you say about Rostock? We attended. We could have won about 5 of those games, but didn't so much. Fuzzy was our captain and did the job brilliantly. He won MSP too. People played great for the experience we had, we just didn't get over the line in any of those games for some reason. Dec Bres is worth a mention to. We lost him earlier that year as he was reapproaching his prime when he snapped the ligaments in his ankle. The TS cd threw up this little nut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx6A6VqByeE

2006 There was an Easter mixed one-day tournament in Shankill. We lost in the final to the Vegetables. I think it

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 was in this year that our only player to have played every TS tournmament had to miss one finally. That was Yvonne Halpin, undoubtedly both one of TS's greatest servants and best players.

Dub (the wedding themed one) We banished the demons from Rostock. Beating Chaos Theory in the group, and then finally won a Dub tourni semi final, this time in sudden death over Mixed Veg. Got creamed in the final by Accrington Stanley, which we could be forgiven for given the gap between the two teams.

2007 Not the greatest year for the mighty TS. Dub was struggling as a tournament. Br贸na took on the task of organising it and regretted it. A TS team was cobbled together at the last minute. Results went accordinigly. I think that was all that happened that year.

2008 We won the first All Ireland mixed tournament in St Annes. We had an army of ladies for that one including the wonderful Babs. The Binge (or should I say Pixie and Blonde) took out Mixed Veg in the semis. We beat Jabba in our semi I think and met the Binge in the final. We played zone so the DCU boys couldn't play their 2 man ultimate any more. It worked. We won 13-5.

Dub still hadn't recovered from what Reuben, myself ,Doyler, Fuzzy and Stevo did to it over the previous years, and it didn't happen in 2008.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 2009 All Ireland Mixed Won the hearts and minds of the Irish Ultimate population whilst retaining the title and cemented our place as Ireland's most beloved mixed team.

Dub Tourni made a comeback having changed hands to the Vegetables. Not only did we win a semi, but we won the game that followed that too. We beat the Veg in the group on the Saturday, and again in the final. I think it's fair to say it has been our zenith so far. I don't think anybody cared particularly about winning the semi, but we did win it. I don't think anybody cared particularly about being in the final until we went way behind and the choice became either be embarrassed, nay humiliated by the Veg, or give it a lash. We came back and managed 4 in a row at one point to give us the lead. We then turned the winning goal over and promptly conceded an upwind. Sudden death and we were into the wind but we managed to work it up and "score"? Veg thought so, declared it a goal, and Simon got his wish and finally won the tournament some 62 years after starting it.

5 years, a load of players, 3 trophies, some good giggles and good adventures.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Off season Training & Injury Prevention Alan Doyle

Off Season: A time of year when a particular activity, typically a sport, is not engaged in and as such can be broken down into the following areas:

Complete downtime. This is where no ultimate is played, where the other activities you’ve put aside to play Ultimate can be undertaken and the body can take a well earned break after a hard season. The length of this complete down time is up to the individual but I’d recommend anywhere from two to eight weeks. The benefits of complete downtime are huge. You get to show people you have a life outside Ultimate, your body is allowed time to repair those little niggles (you get a few weeks without ibuprofen) and best of all you’ll end up missing playing Ultimate.

Off Season. This is a great chance to prepare for the coming season. It’s a great time to keep ticking over with 1 or 2 skill/tactical based training sessions per week with the rest of the time spent on the following areas •

Strength Training. The benefits of an increase in strength are twofold: Being a stronger athlete allows you be a more powerful athlete; the energy demands of the top game can mean the body uses muscle tissue as fuel. This atrophy can lead to injury unless the muscle mass is large enough to sustain it.

•

Functional Training. Developing proper athletic movement patterns is a great way to avoid potential injury.

•

Rehab/Prehab. Whether it’s the tight hammy that needs to be looked at or the glute that has a tendency to go at

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010

vital times, now is the time to fix it (rehab) or to ensure it stays fixed (Prehab). •

Sample Timeline

Flexibility and Mobility. The off season is the perfect time to increase your flexibility and range of motion. An increase in both of these areas will not only help you recover quicker from training it will reduce the risk of picking up an injury.

Pre Season. This is where the fun starts. Conditioning, movement patterns and skills can all be trained hard in pre season with a solid off season base behind you. Lashing into pre season without a solid base is an injury waiting to happen.

Some Dos and Don’ts for off season training. •

Do get into a gym and increase your strength

•

Do train like an athlete – get advice from a good gym instructor

•

Do train your weaknesses harder than your strengths

•

Do Stretch after every session

•

Do increase ROM before each session

•

Don’t train like a body builder – focus on movements not the gun show

•

Don’t run (you’ll run enough during practice) – not even for warm-ups

•

Don’t rely on other forms of fitness to carry over to Ultimate e.g. the best swimmers do not make the best runners and visa versa.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Two years at the helm and still enthusiastic! An Interview with Dominick Smyth, outgoing IFDA President Mark Earley

Hi Dominick. Thanks for taking time out of a busy week to answer a few questions. I guess I'll start at the beginning, which in relation to your tenure as IFDA President, is this time two years ago. When did you decide that you wanted to run for the IFDA Presidency and what drove you to do so? Hi Mark. It's a pleasure. Anything that gives me the chance to talk about ultimate is good in my opinion.

I ran based on a suggestion from the outgoing president, Dave Misstear. I'd been part of the committee the previous year and had been toying with the idea before Dave mentioned it. Time wise I'd say I only made the final decision about a week or two before the AGM. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have reservations about putting my name forward. Partially a fear that I wouldn't be able to meet everyones needs but also a knowledge that I can be difficult to work with some times. My style of operating hasn't always meshed with everyone so I found myself wondering if the committee, and association in general, might be better off with someone else at the helm.

In the end, the encouragement from Dave and the support shown by a few people who'd heard rumours helped me decide to give it a go. Once I had decided I started to get excited about the ideas I'd had before hand: Coaching, Juniors, Womens, Publicity, ISC Recognition. I had a big list of things that I thought would be great to achieve so the opportunity to be given a remit to work on any of them was quite inviting.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Going into the job must have been relatively daunting given how much work the position entails. How did you prepare for it? It was never the work load that daunted me. I knew that I would give as much or as little time to the job as I wanted. I was already spending the majority of my day thinking about the sport so why not put that energy and time to good use.

My concerns were always about working with my fellow committee members and serving the needs of the association. Would I be able to keep the committee motivated, focused and productive? Would I be able to provide initiatives that catered for the Irish international as well as ones for the casual player or 16 year old beginner? Once I had the chance to talk with the other members of the committee and get a sense of what they hoped to achieve I felt much more relaxed. I was able to see that we were all pushing in the same direction. It made me feel much more comfortable knowing that if I said anything, I would simple be re-enforcing what they already felt.

What are your main memories from your first term in office? Immediate response is how willing everyone was to approach it all in a professional manner. As part of the committees evolution we tried having our meetings in a meeting room. While weird to start, we all quickly realised how productive it let us all be. Our meetings were getting shorter, we were getting more done and we were walking away with a sense of having accomplished things and being empowered to do more. Well, I did at least!

Is there anything you'd like to change from those 12 months? I don't think so. I feel that a lot of things got started which are only now coming to the surface (some still haven't made it). From an administrative point of view, I think the committee did a great job. We facilitated a number of new tournaments, encouraged clubs to take

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 ownership of significant events and pushed the association to compete at Junior level for the first time. Yeah we might have done some things different but all in all I'm really happy with the term.

Correct me of I'm, wrong, but you're the first IFDA President to serve two terms in a row. What was the main reason behind this? I think Simon held the position for many years - along with every other position when he got us all off the ground.

Why did I run again? I liked what was happening. We had some pretty significant accomplishments and people were starting to recognise the IFDA's role in them a lot more. We were becoming a lot more relevant with the Irish ultimate community. I liked the positive feedback we were getting (as well as the complaints. At least it showed people were paying attention) and I still felt I had some things I wanted to do. My energy was still up and I still had the drive to make things happen so why not?

Having worked so successfully with one committee for 12 months, how did you find the changeover to the new committee? The change over was great. Everyone jumped right in to their roles. It definitely helped having 4 people return to the committee along side me but the new members were putting forward their own ideas and commenting on existing projects right from day one. I doubt

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 any of us could have asked for more.

Your second term in office has seen the IFDA expand in many directions. Which of these do you think is the most important? There's no way I can pick one. As a player, I'd say the standard of and services offered at tournaments is great. Lined pitches, scoreboards, water containers and long games are now the norm. All these things allow me to focus on playing, landing in bounds and making sure my team has the best chance possible to win.

As an ultimate fan, I'd say the expansion of womens and schools play. Competitive trials to make the Irish Junior team and a warm up tournament before Worlds. 5 womens tournaments in one season which will lead to bigger and better events in the future.

As an administrator, I'd say the policies and procedures we have brought in. The Emergency Fund (although under utilised so far) and the Grants Scheme. The bidding procedure and guidelines for All-Ireland Championships. The work towards Irish Sports Council recognition (if the proposed amendments pass at the AGM, we will have met all but one of the criteria and even that is being worked on).

What are your main memories from the second year at the helm? Probably how tricky it was to stay on top of everything. There was so much going on that I, and I think some others on the committee, frequently lost track of things. We tried on a few occasions to get other people on board to look after specific aspects but the response wasn't great. I have to admit that I found this quite disappointing. From my point of view there are lots of people out there playing ultimate but it feels like the vast majority just want to turn up at the appointed time, run around for a few hours, leave and then have nothing to do with it until next week.

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While I fully understand that desire, we are not yet big enough to survive if so many people behave that way. I frequently felt that people expected ultimate to be there for them but weren't willing to put any effort in to making it happen or continuing the growth. As the people who do step forward begin to tire (or get older!) unless new people step forward the sport will stagnate and then shrink. Instead of celebrating how we manage to have so many Irish teams at a tournament we will start to lament how competitions used to be so much bigger.

I'm not saying that I expect everyone to become an ultimate zealot. Simply that every little helps. If you know of a youth club near your house, get in touch and see if you can come do a session. If you have a skill or qualification off the pitch, see if it can help your club, another club or even the association as a whole (any chartered accountants out there willing to help audit and file our accounts with the Companies Registration Office?). If everybody chips in a little bit we will all benefit. It will also mean the people who want to do more will stay motivated and will help make the big changes happen and the big jumps forward to occur.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 In what areas do you see Irish Ultimate growing over the next few years? I think we will start to see more clubs starting up in different places. Rebel and Hammertime are perfect examples. Hopefully more people will seize the initiative and set up something in their home town or area. Can you imagine what would happen if 5 people set up clubs in their local youth group? Also, I think we will further improve the quality of events we provide for each other. We will soon get to the point of presenting top quality events that not only meet all the participants needs but also allow for the sport to be showcased to an external audience.

Where do you think future committees should focus their energies? Raising the profile of the sport. By telling more and more people about ultimate, it becomes easier and easier to take part in demonstration days, to work with new schools and to get coverage in local and national media.

A big challenge, which I hope the committees will accept, is to keep the community united. It would be very easy for people to fall in to cliques, regardless of club or college membership, which will be detrimental to the sport as a whole. If different groups are scattered around working independent of each other, they will only ever achieve so much. By working together, both on and off the pitch, there is no limit to what can be done. Uniting under the IFDA's banner and following a clear plan as a whole will take ultimate in Ireland to heights that a lot of us would never have dreamed possible.

Personally speaking, I think your drive and energy has been an asset to the IFDA over the past 24 months. The association runs in a professional manner similar to those with full-time staff and for that I thank you. Enjoy the life of a layman now!

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Thank you. I love the sport and I was lucky enough to have the chance to help others enjoy it too. Fingers crossed I've been able to make a positive impact on the sport and its players. Now it's time for me to get in shape and try to represent Ireland on the international stage again. Europeans here we come!

Dominick Smyth: IFDA President 2008-2010

Photos from around Irish Ultimate

Johnny Chimpo’s Alan Doyle in action against BUG at the IFDA All-Ireland Championships in Belfast

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010

A spectacular catch by Ireland’s Kevin Timoney at the World U-23s Championships in Florence

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Captain (and TD!) Fiona Mernagh in action for Jabba’s Huckers against Little Miss Sunshine at this year’s Huck o’ the Irish in Santry 29

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Cian Quinn has a go at the Accuracy competiton at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural All-Ireland Overall Championship in Gonzaga

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Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chris Hunter with a low release forehand against the Swedes at the World U-23 Championships in Florence

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Magon (aka ‘Megan’) on offence against 2009 UPA Champions Chain Lightning at WUCC 2010 in Prague

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Trinity’s now captain Cian Quinn shows a safe pair of hands despite a huge bid by UCC’s Steven Kehoe in last year’s Intervarsities Open Final in Maynooth

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Captain Ian French patrols the sidelines at the World U-23 Championships in Florence

DCUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Whacking Day Open Division final saw Corkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Skulltimate emerge victorious against Rebel

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Section Two: Further Afield

International News: -

No more UPA! The long-standing UPA (Governing Body of Ultimate in the States) has been replaced by USA Ultimate. There have been many interesting changes as a result and it seems like the admin side of USA Ultimate is ready to tackle every issue going. Visit the USA Ultimate website for more details.

Beach Ultimate is now an officially recognised disc sport! The World Flying Disc Federation member poll voted in July and there were 62 votes in favor, 0 against, and 0 abstained. More info on the BULA blog.

The European Club Ultimate Finals (EUCF) took place near Barcelona recently. The Open Division was won by Flying Angels Bern (SUI), and the Womens Division by Hot Beaches (CZ) . More information on the tournament website.

The ever-popular Ffindr has undergone some changes - you can now rate tournaments! Check it out.

During the summer Clapham won the UK Nationals title for the 10th year in a row. The tournament was run by the same team that ran EUC 2007 and, in my opinion, has raised the bar for all TDS. Have a look at the very impressive site here.

USA Ultimate has new club champions! Over the course of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Halloween weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the club titles were won by Revolver (Open), Fury (Womens), Polar Bears (Mixed) and Surly (Masters) in Saratosa, Florida.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Ultimate Online: The simple aim of this section is to share sites from around the world that may be of interest and/or help to Ultimate players around the country.

INFO Name: Australian Institute of Sports Address: http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/recipes/survival_I Details: A little bit of a random one, but this site has some excellent recipes. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re easy to make, are very healthy and are aimed at high-end athletes.

NATIONAL WEBSITE Name: Ultimate in the Phillippines Address: http://www.philippineultimate.org/pua/ Details: A big region with an excellent website. If nothing else the pictures will take your mind to sunnier climes!

PHOTOGRAPHY Name: Neil Gardner/NZ Snaps Address: http://www.nzsnaps.com/Ultimate Details: Neil and his team seem to cover every major event in Ultimate. They produce excellent photos and capture the game both on and off the field with a professionalism and dedication that impresses.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 BLOG Name: I am Ultimate Address: http://iamultimate.com/ Details: A Canadian blog edited by a player called Tushar. There’s a lot on here – videos, tournament reports, tactical musings and so on. A very good read.

FILM: Name: Play Ulty Address: http://www.playulty.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_15&zenid=44f7e1d1d3f090a9ae915ef135cc589d Details: Play Ulty is a site made for ‘Educational & lifestyle products for Ultimate Frisbee’, some of which are DVDs. It’s a well laid out, well stocked and pretty interesting site.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Dietary Advice for Elite Ultimate players: An Interview with Ben Lewis (Director of Pulsin’ Foods) Mark Earley

Hi Ben. Thanks very much for taking some time out of your schedule to talk to us. Before we get to the main focus of this interview (the ideal diet for an Elite Ultimate Player) can you tell us the how, the who and the where about the start of Pulsin'? Pulsin’ was started 4 years ago in London by myself and two friends from Bristol University: Simon Ashburner and Nick “Hargreaves” Bildner – some of you may know him from his days with Clapham Ultimate. I had just finished a 3 year course in Nutritional therapy and become extremely keen to develop a range of natural sports snack bars, without sugar, dairy, gluten and other artificial ingredients. The other guys liked the initial prototypes so we decided to give it a go for real and started producing them from a friend’s business kitchen after work. This led us to getting our own small factory kitchen 6 months later and expansion into health food stores nationwide. After a year of development we able to release our first protein bar, which was a major milestone, and paved the way towards the creation of the Protein Sport bar – our current best seller, and in my opinion, our best product.

Once the company was up and running, what were the main goals for you? I have always wanted to create a snack that offers a genuine alternative to a balanced meal in a convenient bar form, and that it would be recognised internationally as leading its class in terms of both nutritional quality, functional benefits and taste.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Pulsin' advocates a balanced diet, something difficult to achieve focus on for athletes who have work, family and much more to balance around their training. What is the key to this balancing act? It is true that achieving a balanced diet with a busy work and training schedule is challenging and I believe the secret is simply planning and cooking weekly meals in advance. This starts with the food shop: ensuring you have sufficient quantities of high quality ingredients in stock at home, with adequate amounts of protein, vegetables and whole grains. However the real key to success is bulk cooking when you have free time, so you always have your own ready meals available when needed. Soup is an excellent example as it can be made from virtually any combination of ingredients, can be made very nutritious using meat and pulses, requires little preparation and attention (e.g. set it on a low simmer while you go for a run) and stores well in the refrigerator.

So, in your opinion, what poses the biggest threat to an athlete's diet? Overall this would have to be time: both for preparation time (previously mentioned) and digestion time. A conventional balanced meal should be eaten 2 hours before training to allow proper digestion and to avoid heaviness, a stitch and poor nutrient assimilation. You also need to eat 1-2 hours before bed, and get a good nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sleep of 8 hours to aid muscle recovery... this doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave much time for training after finishing work! Fortunately for athletes there are now plenty of alternatives: energy bars, protein bars and protein powders which can deliver the nutrition far more quickly and effectively than standard food, which allows digestion time to be cut down significantly and gives more time for training!

What are the key components to a diet for an elite level Ultimate player ( training 3 or 4 times a week)? The key component in every good diet is a focus on low glycaemic natural whole foods, to ensure that every meal and snack is nutritionally balanced to include high quality protein, slow releasing carbohydrates (vegetables and grains), essential fats and fibre. An athlete needs to eat significantly more than the average sedentary person so would need to spread the daily diet over 5-6 meals (and snacks) to avoid overeating,

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 digestion problems and to help maintain even blood sugar levels. The correct protein intake is very important and commonly misunderstood, although your ideal requirements can be calculated. For a frisbee player I would recommend 1.5g protein/kg/day, which for an athlete weighing 80kg is 120g/day, and over 5 meals per day is 24g per meal (approximately 80g chicken breast or 27g whey protein isolate). This level of protein intake will insure that your body maintains a positive nitrogen balance throughout the day, to encourage efficient muscle repair and recovery. Fruit and vegetables are also an essential component of an athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diet. The government recommends 5 a day for ordinary folk, although elite players need to be consuming 8-10 portions per day, as they need more antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fibre to operate at peak performance levels. These are ideally selected seasonally to give a mixture of colours (each colour gives different antioxidants) with a particular emphasis on the green leaf varieties as they are rich in magnesium (essential cofactor for ATP producing enzymes).

In Ultimate the demands on the body are specific and intense. What would be your recommended approach to both the build up to and the two days of, a weekend-long tournament? As the tournament approaches it would be wise to consider the effectiveness of your carbohydrate nutrition. If you have been feeling tired, weak or out of energy towards the end of training, then you probably need more carbs! The best way to correct this is to ensure that you begin each game with higher levels of muscle glycogen, which means eating more low GI carbohydrates with every meal (e.g. brown rice, oats, wholemeal bread/pasta, sweet potatoes, squash, green vegetables) . Ideally you need to find this balance during pre-tournament training, and if not then you will need to top up before games with energy bars or fruit, and during games with energy drinks and gels. Remember, if you weigh 80kg and train for 4 hours per day you may need to consume as much as 800g of carbohydrates per day to meet you requirements!

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Success means good organisation, so make sure you have considered all of your nutritional needs before the tournament, and bring everything you need with you!

And a week-long tournament? A week-long tournament is very physically challenging so make sure you take extra care to meet your protein and carbohydrate needs. We have been supplying frisbee teams with snack bars for many years, and they have all found the Energy Bomb! range incredibly effective at combating the cumulative exhaustion that builds up during tournaments. The reason they work so well is the combination of quick and slow releasing carbohydrates, guarana (natural caffeine) and ginseng (which improves endurance and recovery times). Some players are shocked by how alert and energised they feel after dropping da bomb! It is also very important to maintain optimum hydration levels throughout a tournament, and in addition to drinking at least 2 litres of water a day the body needs electrolytes. I would recommend a carton of Vitacoco coconut water every day: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loaded with potassium (680mg), magnesium, phosphorus, sodium and calcium, plus itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s totally natural unlike most chemical sports powders.

Finally, what would your advice be to those preparing for a 8 or 9 month build up to the European Championships next July? The advantage of preparing this far in advance is it gives you time to get your diet individually balanced, as it can take a surprising amount of time to establish new habits. I would recommend experimenting with different routines and fine tuning your nutrient intake to find what works for you, especially protein and carbohydrate consumption. For example switching from 3 meals to 6 meals a day would require a lifestyle change, but the resulting improvements in blood sugar control, glycogen storage, muscle growth and recovery, will make the benefits fairly obvious. Thanks again for your time Ben!

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Irish Ultimate Players Abroad Fred Moran

I was introduced to ultimate 8 years ago when a friend of mine (Barry McCaul, founder of DCU Ultimate) played for an Irish mixed team in a tournament in Brussels. The team called themselves ‘Oh Yeah Brussels’. I only went to watch and support the Irish team but I returned with a new found passion for this previously unknown sport. Needless to say, I was really impressed with the speed, accuracy and passion that the teams displayed on the field but it was off the field that I fell in love with the sport. Teams mingled together in between games, some renewing old friendships, some starting new friendships, everyone happy to be there, absolutely no animosity or bad spirit between the teams. The party was something to be remembered too. Dom and myself were the last ones standing, proving that non-drinking Irish people not only exist but can also party just as hard. ☺

My search for a team took me to Arendonk, a small town on the border of Belgium/Holland. The teams’ name: Alpha Strike. I played there for 4 years, hosting 4 successful tournaments before the team disbanded but it was during those years that I got to know a host of Ultimates’ finest characters and, more importantly, got known to them as ‘that Irish guy’ playing in Belgium.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010

My current team, Schijnwerpers, (don’t even try to pronounce it) is a real mix. We’ve got some of the best players in Belgium and some complete beginners. Everyone gets their chance to play though. Some may play more than others but everyone contributes. It’s a great system that makes all club members feel like part of the team and gives vital experience to those who need it most. We are currently the highest ranked team in Belgium that plays with women in the open division. We have at least 1 girl on the line whenever possible and, personally, I feel that we would be worse without them. Women’s roles in any team should not be underestimated and it is typically through being underrated by the opponents that our girls bring us wins. Not only that but having women in the team and on the field generally leads to a better spirit in the team. Resulting in us walking away with the Spirit prize at almost every tournament we attend.

As some superhero once said, with great power comes great responsibility, well, with lots of Ultimate experience comes a teaching role. I have to say I get a real buzz out of teaching newcomers how to throw the disc flatter or make a cut faster. Teach them well, the future of ultimate is in their hands.

I’m a big believer in hat tournaments. Especially, beach hat tournaments. Getting the chance to play with those that you usually play against, is a great way to pick up new skills and find flaws in your game that might go unnoticed playing the same role week-in week-out in your regular club. My advice, play as often as you can in a role that’s outside your comfort zone. Become a complete player.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Over the years I’ve become a bit of an ultimate slut playing for just about anyone that will put up with me. I’ve played with most Belgian teams, Skulltimate (Cork), Wall City (Berlin), Cambo Cakes (Amsterdam), Eulchtimate (Lille), WCU All-Stars (invitational team) and most recently Ultimate De Lux (Luxembourg) in the WUCC in Prague. WUCC was definitely the pinnacle of my playing career. Playing in the mixed division (something I’ve always preferred) against some of the best teams and players in the world was a fantastic experience. It’s very rare that you get to play with and against teams where every player is so committed to winning each and every disc. It really showed me, that even after 8 years of experience, just how much more there is to learn about this game that I love.

Never stop learning.

===

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Lookfly First To Launch 100% Fully Recycled Technical Shirts For Ultimate Mark Earley

As a part of their continued mission to be kinder to the environment, Lookfly are set to launch their upcoming line of fully recycled premium ultimate gear called “New Life”, ready in time for the 2011 season. Not only is “New Life” a technical fabric made with 100% recycled plastic bottles (and other PET) generated by European-based recycling centres, it is milled less than 20 miles from Lookfly’s manufacturing facility in the UK ensuring each jersey has a low carbon footprint in its production cycle.

As the clothing industry starts to pay consideration to their environmental responsibilities, more examples of 50% and 100% recycled fabrics are coming to market, the majority of which sadly make compromises on performance, feel, weight and durability. However, the last 12 months has seen Lookfly spending much time investigating and testing countless examples of recycled yarn in order to find one that demonstrates the same characteristics as virgin polyester yarns.

Finally, after months of research and determination working with experts in the field, Lookfly have now successfully developed a 100% recycled fabric that meets an ultimate players needs in terms

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 of softness, durability, weight and performance. “New Life” also benefits from an anti-microbial treatment, applied during the manufacturing process of the yarn ensuring that it performs for the life of the garment.

Lookfly have chosen 2010 UPA contenders Furious George to be the flagship for their upcoming line of premium ultimate gear made from 100% recycled plastic bottles (PET) and they have already reported back that they are thrilled with the results.

WIN A LOOKFLY “NEW LIFE” 100% RECYCLED ULTIMATE JERSEY! Lookfly have kindly donated the IFDA 3 x “New Life” Jerseys to give away in our newsletter. For your chance of winning, answer this easy question:

Lookfly’s “New Life” fabric uses recycled bottles and other PET generated by recycling centres where?:

1. Europe 2. Australia 3. The Moon

Three correct answers will be selected at random and you will be contacted for your size information.

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Tournament Watch: I was keen to look further afield for this Newsletter’s Tournament Watch section and luckily enough the author is a well-travelled beach Ultimate enthusiast. He’s played the sport across the globe and is the founder and chair of the Beach Ultimate Lovers Association. Patrick van der Valk took time out to write about beach ultimate in the Philippines and about their annual tournament. Take Patrick’s advice and go to play in the Philippines!

Beach Paradise! Patrick van der Valk The Philippine (Beach) Ultimate scene was completely unknown to me until a few years ago. However when BULA started to organize the World Championships of Beach Ultimate in Maceio (Brazil), I received an email from one of their players (Karen Cabrera). She was trying desperately to organize a team from Boracay Island (one of the 7,000 islands in the Philippines) to play at the WCBU. Of course we helped out as much as we could. We just thought that it would be ‘cool’ to have a team from the Philippines to participate - little did we know...

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 The Philippine team consisted of only 8 players, including one girl. One player was ‘less than officially allowed’, but who cared? They were willing to fly 20,000 km to play. They were short of stature but huge in spirit and playing! The team thrilled us all. Great plays, great spirit (they won the SOTG award), and perhaps the only reason they didn’t beat Australia in the finals (with Universe point at the end) is that they played the finals with only 6 players…

Nevertheless, the Boracay Dragons and Philippine Beach Ultimate were on the map! They organized the Asian Championships of Beach Ultimate in 2009 and that is when I got the chance to meet them in their natural surrounding. I mean: Beach Ultimate Paradise…. You arrive by regional plane on an island next to Boracay. Then you take a short boat ride over to paradise. There are only 3 cars on the island but a fair bit of mopeds on the only main street that connects the two sides of the 5 km long, 500 meter wide island. You wake up and the sky is blue, the sea is turquoise, the sand is white, and the palm trees are idyllic. All the inhabitants are very happy and many play Beach Ultimate. There is lots of fun night life and at a temperature that doesn’t require long sleeves! If I ever had to describe Beach Ultimate paradise, this is it!

Their local tournament, the Boracay Open, is usually in March and draws an international (Asian) crowd. And, if you have read only a few words of my testament above, you probably can figure out what is coming now… start saving and GO! What good is money if you can’t spend it on paradise? It is only half a day away…

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010 Wrap Up Mark Earley

Just a short note to say thanks to those that took time out to write something for us all to read. I really appreciate it and I know the people reading it do too.

Finally, do you have anything to say? Anything you really want to read about? Please don’t be afraid to get in touch at this address: ifdanewsletter@irishultimate.com - the more info you give me the more I’ll be able to give back!

Thanks for reading, Mark Earley Editor, IFDA Newsletter

Special thanks to all the contributors: Brian MacDevitt, Dominick Smyth, Patrick van der Valk, Ben Lewis, Eamon Cassells, Sinéad Byrne, Deirdre Corbett, Amy Moffat, Louise McKeon and the IFDA Committee.

To the photographers: Alan Breathnach, Paul Cronin, Mo Nguyen, Stephen Barnes, Patrick van der Valk and Mark Earley.

And, to the excellent proofreaders: Tendai Muzwidzwa, Gearoid O Fearghail and Dominick Smyth, without whom this Newsletter would be an error strewn affair.

Until next time...

Until next timeâ&#x20AC;Ś

Issue 2, Volume 3 October 2010