ULTIMATE NEWS A publication of the Ultimate Players Association
Vol. 24 No. 3 - Fall 2004
2004 WORLD ULTIMATE & GUTS CHAMPIONSHIPS August 1—7 Turku, Finland
Ultimate Players Association 741 Pearl Street, Side Suite Boulder, CO 80302
VOTE!
2004 UPA
Board Election Ballot inside or vote online
In This Cover: JD Lobue of Team USA v Team Finland in the open division at the World Ultimate & Guts Championships. Photo by Juha Kankaanpää. This page: The masters US team celebrates winning the gold. (inset) Team Canada v Team Finland in the women’s final. Photo by Juha Kankaanpää.
ISSUE
Table of Contents
2004 World Ultimate & Guts Championships
8 9 11 12 17 23
2005 World Games News Briefs Seven on the Line Board Candidate Statements Board Election Ballot Player Profiles
6 18 18 19 20 20
Photo Gallery Final Standings Spirit of the Game Scores Player Journals Team USA Rosters USA/Canada Game Results
24 25 26 27 28 30
Review: Ultimate Techniques & Tactics Innovation Grants Update Women’s Ultimate: Get Involved Strategy: Offense against Junk Defense Preview: 2004 Club Series Beach Ultimate World Championships SUMMER FALL 2004 3
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Top row (l to r): Canada v Finland in the women’s final. Photo by Juha K circle. Photo by Joe Seidler. Turku church. Photo by Shannon O’Malley. Open division USA team dinner hosted by the Foxes. Photo by Joe Seid Photo courtesy of Gwen Ambler. US masters and US junior open teams 3rd row (l o r): Junior open division USA v Canada. Photo by Mikael Arn Andrew Lugsdin gets the disc against the US open team. Photo by Juha Mikael Arneborn. Women’s division US v Japan. Photo by Mikael Arnebo courtesy of Gwen Ambler. Youth Director Kyle Weisbrod appears a little Team USA. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. Junior open division US v Finlan A fan jogs along the sideline with his team’s flag during the US open divi
Kankaanpää. The junior open team rests up for the big game. Photo courtesy of a parent. Open division USA v Finland. Photo by Juha Kankaanpää. Open division USA and Canada post-game Mixed division USA v Germany. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. Junior open division USA v Canada. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. 2nd row (l to r): US and Canadian flags. Photo by Shannon O’Malley. dler. Scotty Conway of the USA mixed team makes the catch against Germany. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. Team USA junior girl. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. USA women rest on the sideline. s celebrate their world champion titles. Photo by Daryl Fefee. Open division USA v Canada. Photo by Juha Kankaanpää. USA junior women get settled into town. Photo by Shannon O’Malley. neborn. A US and Japan player exchange jerseys at Trade Night. Photo courtesy of Gwen Ambler. Team USA mixed division cheers on the sideline. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. Team Canada’s a Kankaanpää. Open division USA v Finland. Photo by Juha Kankaanpää. 4th row (l to r): Team USA’s Will Sutton reaches for the disc against New Zealand in the mixed division. Photo by orn. Junior women’s division US v Japan. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. Junior open division US v Finland. Photo by Juha Kankaanpää. The US women run on field to receive their medals. Photo e frazzled as he supervises the junior open and junior women’s teams during their 10-hour layover in Amsterdam. Photo by Shannon O’Malley. The New Zealand mixed team does a cheer for nd. Photo by Juha Kankaanpää. Women’s division US v Japan. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. Canadian masters team captain Lee Ling gives a post-game speech. Photo by Todd Demetriades. ision game against Australia. Photo by Mikael Arneborn.
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“By all accounts, this (the World Games) is a big deal for Ultimate; we may not have heard much about the
UPA announces
SELECTION PROCESS for 2005 World Games Team
As a result of the strong finish at the 2004 World Ultimate Championships, the US will be one of six nations sending a team to the 2005 World Games, an international multi-sports event hosted by the International World Games Association (IWGA), under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Although the World Games will occur July 14 – 25 in Duisburg, Germany, Ultimate competition will take place July 22-24. A total of 66 Ultimate athletes will participate on mixed teams of 11 from each of the qualifying nations (Canada, US, Finland, Australia, Japan and Germany) Through the tenacious efforts of 2001 World Games team member Heidi Pomfret, a number of resources from 2001 were contacted to seek their input on the best way to proceed in 2005, among them selection committee members, the former UPA executive director, applicants and eventual members of the team, articles from the UPA newsletter, and finally postings on rec.sport.disc. The crux of the input received was that UPA needed to name the team as early as possible and that details of the process and who could apply needed to be made clear to everyone. In an effort to do this, in addition to the information printed here, the UPA will be releasing this information through a variety of sources, including the UPA website, rec.sport.disc., UPA national, regional and sectional coordinators, key volunteers in local and regional disc organizations, and team contacts. As a result, the following selection process timeline has been developed: Sept 15 Oct 1 Oct 15 Oct 22
Open invitation for applications from players and coaches Coach applications due Coach(es) selected Player applications due Nominations from Club Championship teams due Oct 28-31 UPA Club Championships (review of applicants by Select. Comm.) AND/OR Late Nov Tryout camp for players, site TBD Dec 15 Team and coach(es) announced
Once again, the UPA will be choosing a select team to represent the UPA and the United States at the World Games. Based on the mission statement approved by the UPA board of directors in 2001, World Games players “should represent the best of US Ultimate in play and in sportsmanship. Players will be chosen based on high skill as prerequisite, with service to the sport, championship experience, ambassadorial qualities, and ability to fit into the team all valued highly in the selection process.” A total squad of 17 (men and women) will be selected (11 members and six alternates). Based on the input of the 2001 team, it has also been recommended that high level coaching would enhance the probability for success of the 2005 US World Games team. As such, the UPA hopes to identify an individual(s) to coach this select team. Coach(es) will be chosen with the same 8
ULTIMATE NEWS
World Games before, but they weren’t foolin.’ I hope—I think—the 60 athletes and the staff and the entire sport acquitted itself well. Maybe this was the start of Ultimate’s rise to the next level of sportsdom, and maybe we’ll be an Olympic sport one day. Or maybe, just maybe, we have already arrived…. We had way more fun than anyone else, we caught everyone’s attention, we played our hearts out, we played with spirit, and we stood tall, dirtied, bloodied, bruised, and proud amongst peers and friends. Personally, it was an honor and a unique experience….” Bill Rodriguez, captain, 2001 US World Games team
high standards and qualities as players (high skill, service to the sport, championship a n d ambassadorial qualities), but will also be required to demonstrate the best of US Ultimate in coaching ability, communication and conduct as well as leadership skills and the capacity to unite a team of elite male and female players.
Who Can Apply for the Team
Any Ultimate athlete who believes that he/she can fulfill the ideals set forth in the World Games Player’s Mission Statement noted above and who completes the application posted on the UPA website, and who agrees to the guidelines established by the UPA and WFDF, is eligible for consideration. Although room and board at the World Games will be covered by the IWGA and local organizing group, players must be able to pay for travel to and from the World Games, as well as expenses related to a number of training weekends and tournaments in preparation for the World Games. ONLY THOSE PLAYERS WHO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR SELECTION TO THE TEAM.
Obligations if Selected
In addition to submitting an application, players and coaches who wish to be considered for selection must be willing to comply with all rules and guidelines established by the IWGA, WFDF and the UPA. Players and coaches should recognize that selection to and participation on the 2005 World Games squad is a significant commitment of time (including ongoing workouts in their home community and communications with teammates and coaches) and financial resources, and must be willing to accept this responsibility.
Although at press time it had not been finalized if this will be necessary, applicants may be required to travel to selection camp and to pay for all expenses related to participation. Players and coaches must be willing to personally finance all travel and training expenses related to practices and tournament participation in preparation for the World Games (events and dates TBD). Player accommodations, meals and local travel at the World Games will be provided by the event organizers, but travel to and from the event will be borne by the “It is 17-14, Canada. There are five minutes to go. We call a time out…I participants.
enter the circle to two smiles on the faces of Teens and Billy, who look around and say, ‘So here we are, playing that game we always play. This is great; let’s do what we know how to do.’ And I’m thinking, ‘These people are INSANE. Their bodies are broken, but their minds and hearts are steel. I love them, and we are going to do this right now.’ And then we do. We tie at 17-17. Yeah, the shootout did not happen, but I would change nothing about that moment: passion embodied and living large with the most extraordinary group of superheroes there ever was, who simply leave nothing behind.” Heidi Pomfret, Team USA
Player application information is available at the UPA website at: www.upa.org/programs/ intl/worldgames2005. ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED via electronic format no later than October 22, 2004.
Update:
OBSERVER
Training Program
Efforts to formalize the training and development of observers have been undertaken sporadically over the years. For a variety of reasons, some such efforts have been more successful than others, and none has resulted in a sustainable, quality observing program (although there has been some recent success in the college division). Although the process undoubtedly will take time, the UPA may be making some headway toward the long overdue goal of ensuring that as many qualified, trained observers as needed are available to assist players at both UPA and non-UPA events.
NOW OPEN!
The UPA Observers Committee recently huddled up for a weekend in Boulder to discuss numerous issues relating to observing, with a goal of beginning to create a program that can properly serve the needs of the players. Though in its formative stages, what is on the drawing board is a scheme to recruit, train and certify observers in each of the UPA’s geographic regions. The proposed program will be submitted to the UPA board of directors this winter, and if approved, we will begin in earnest to try and make it a reality. A primary aim of the proposed program is to maintain in each UPA region a coordinator responsible for organizing observers in that region. Other significant program elements include training clinics, an evaluation and certification process, continuing education and experience requirements, a significant expansion of existing training materials, and a mechanism for communicating with the UPA and its members about observing issues. We also anticipate working closely with the UPA’s Standing Rules Committee and Conduct Committee on various issues. Available space in this issue of the newsletter limits a lengthier discussion regarding observing; please look for more substance in an upcoming edition. In the meantime, if anyone has any questions, comments or concerns about what we are attempting to accomplish, or any other insightful information or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact a board member or the chair of the Observer Committee. If you are interested in getting involved in the program as an observer or an observer coordinator, we would especially love to hear from you. --Will Deaver
Through a special effort between the UPA and College Sports Television (CSTV), CollegeSports.com will be offering free streaming video of the 2004 UPA College Championship semifinal and final menʼs and womenʼs division games, which took place May 28-30 in Seattle, Washington. Go to www.collegesports.com/sports/c-ultimate/cs-c-ultimate-body.html to watch.
The UPA will unveil its very own Hall of Fame as a part of its 25th Anniversary Celebration. Where: Club Championships in Sarasota, FL When: October 28-31, 2004
You are invited. Be there or be square.
--Steve Mooney
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H o st
a
UPA
Champion s h i p
Series
Event
The UPA is looking for host sites for its 2006 High School, College and Club Championships and Series qualifying events. The interest and cooperation of fired-up local Ultimate organizations are essential to pulling off UPA championship events that are a highlight of the Ultimate year. Running a championship tournament with the UPA can be an exciting, challenging and ultimately very rewarding experience. Benefits include: exposing the Ultimate community to your little part of the world, exposing your little part of the world to some amazing Ultimate, financial opportunities for your club and your city (form partnerships with the local convention and visitors bureau or sports commission), and the intangible rewards that come with teamwork and the smiles on the faces of Ultimate players as they chase their dreams on the fields that you set up.
UPA AUDIT INFORMATION STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION ASSETS
2002 $153,567 10,571 280
28,973 (10,561) 18,412
24,512 (8,044) 16,468
$270,877
$193,338
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS CURRENT LIABILITIES: Accounts payable $7,386 Accrued liabilities 8,193 Deferred revenue 60,840 Total current liabilities 76,419
$34,349 19,409 8,600 62,358
NET ASSETS: Unrestricted Total net assets
194,458 194,458
130,980 130,980
Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet): The balance sheet depicts the overall status of UPA finances at a fixed point in time. It totals all UPA assets and subtracts all its liabilities to compute its overall net worth (or net loss).
$270,877
$193,338
Statement of Activities and Changes in Net Assets (Income Statement): Denotes how much money the UPA earned (revenue) and subtracts how much has been spent (expenses), resulting in how much the UPA has made or lost during both 2002 and 2003. Therefore, the Income Statement gives you a sense for how well the UPA is operating.
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, at cost: Furniture and equipment Less accumulated depreciation Equipment – net TOTAL ASSETS
TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES & CHANGES IN NET ASSETS SUPPORT AND REVENUE: Membership dues Championship series Corporate sponsorship Merchandise sales Cost of sales Outreach Advertising Donations Miscellaneous Sanctioning Interest Total revenue EXPENSES: Program services: Championship series PR/communications Member services Youth development Marketing Outreach International SOTG/rules Total program services Supporting services: Headquarters Board of directors Fundraising Total supporting services Total expenses CHANGE IN NET ASSETS NET ASSETS, beginning of year NET ASSETS, end of year 10
ULTIMATE NEWS
2006 Championship Events *HS Easterns/Westerns: mid/late May, bid deadline 12/31/04 *College Championships: late May, bid deadline 12/31/04 *Youth Club Championships: mid Aug, bid deadline 12/31/04 *Club Championships: late Oct, bid deadline 5/31/05 Please review the bid outline document(s) online and submit your bid to UPA headquarters before the deadline. For questions and/or to submit a bid, contact: Will Deaver Championship Director Ultimate Players Association 741 Pearl Street, Side Suite Boulder, CO 80302 1-800-872-4384 (303) 447-DISC (3472) (303) 447-3483 (fax) will.deaver@upa.org
Statement of Cash Flows: The cash flow statement depicts changes in UPA’s cash position during a specific period.
2003
2002
$402,082 125,132 60,749 29,101 (30,150) 28,772 16,800 10,996 7,995 2,045 1,556 655,078
$427,593 72,035 50,244 64,920 (66,647) 14,284 450 7,724 529 3,600 3,360 578,092
175,419 102,525 92,347 63,188 33,002 31,925 11,199 10,459 520,064
155,412 54,532 77,378 39,418 26,589 46,912 14,794 4,579 419,614
45,301 21,625 4,610 71,536 591,600
117,280 15,698 132,978 552,592
63,478 130,980 $194,458
25,500 105,480 $130,980
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOW CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: Change in net assets Adjustments to reconcile changes in net assets to cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation Changes in assets and liabilities: Increase in accounts receivable Decrease in prepaid expenses Increase in contributions receivable Increase in inventory Increase in security deposit Decrease in accounts payable Decrease in accrued liabilities Increase in deferred revenue Total adjustments Net cash provided (used) by operating activities CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Purchase of property and equipment Disposal of property and equipment Increase in certificates of deposit Net cash used by investing activities NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of year CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of year
741 Pearl Street, Side Suite Boulder, CO 80302 1-800-872-4384 www.upa.org • info@upa.org
Executive Director SANDIE HAMMERLY
2003
1,620 2,200 8,632 176,870
Ultimate Players Association
President KATE BERGERON
2005 Championship Events *High School Easterns: Seattle, WA, May 14-15 *High School Westerns: Pittsburgh, PA, May 21-22 *College Championships: Corvallis, OR, May 27-29 *Youth Club Championships: Blaine, MN, Aug 13-14 *Club Championships: TBA, late Oct/early Nov
$202,904 21,315 8,918 850 8,689 2,200 7,589 252,465
CURRENT ASSETS: Cash and cash equivalents Certificates of deposit Accounts receivable Contributions receivable Inventory Security deposit Prepaid expenses Total current assets
ULTIMATE NEWS
2003
2002
$63,478
$25,500
5,515
2,523
(8,638) 1,043 (850) (7,069)
4,686 (8,632)
(26,963) (11,216) 52,240 4,062 67,540
2,676 (2,200) 24,521 12,899 (120,321) (83,848) (58,348)
(13,765) 6,306 (10,744) (18,203)
(19,029) 3,965 9,762 (5,302)
49,337
(63,650)
153,567
217,217
$202,904
$153,567
Editor STEPHANIE KURTH Board of Directors DEIRDRE ABRAHAMSSON KATE BERGERON TODD DEMETRIADES JEFF DUNBAR DENNIS KARLINSKY ELIZABETH MURRAY MIKE PAYNE TOMMY PROULX CHRISTIAN SCHWOERKE JOE SEIDLER HENRY THORNE ERIC ZASLOW UPA Staff MELANIE BYRD, Outreach & Membership WILL DEAVER, Championships TIM DORAN, Program Assistant SANDIE HAMMERLY, Executive Director KITT HODSDEN, Systems Programmer KYLE WEISBROD, Youth Development For a complete list of UPA contacts, please visit www.upa.org.
Ultimate News is the official publication of the Ultimate Players Association. All ideas expressed in Ultimate News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the UPA. Ultimate News assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Advertising Complete rates and specs are available online at www.upa.org. Change Address Ultimate News is not forwarded by the post office. To update your address, go to www.upa.org/members, call 800872-4384, or email info@upa.org.
Seven on the Line
How does U.S. Ultimate compare with Ultimate in the rest of the world? In my opinion, the huge difference is the existence of a strong college division in the U.S. (which is in fact related to the campus life phenomenon, I guess). In Europe the athletic and often very competitive young players are forced to play in the open division. It can sometimes spoil the spirit between and within teams. Balazs Hegedus Budapest, Hungary/Columbia, MO Csoda/Mutants
Ultimate in the U.S. is definitely more standardized than in some other countries, but that’s only because we’ve known of the sport longer. Some know of it as early as high school and become addicted from there, while others pick it up in college. In other countries, such as the Philippines, you get the same intense play, but it’s on a smaller scale since fewer people learn of Ultimate early on. That gives you fewer games, and no one but the players knows anything about the sport. Joe Bondoc Sacramento, CA Sacramento Ultimate Players Association
Despite huge differences in cultures around the world, Ultimate really seems to bring people together. At worlds this summer, I felt that all of the junior girls teams we played had awesome spirit and were there, like us, because of their love of the game! Amy C. Smith Atlanta, Ga Rival (co-ed), Luna (Emory Womens)
I played for a club team in Brisbane, Australia called the Moreton Bay Buggers in the fall of 2002 and traveled to the Aussie National Championships held in Melbourne. I found the level of play and adhesion to the rules and Spirit of the Game to be very close to that of a college regional tournament here in the States. We did, however, determine the 5th/6th consolation game with a brief barefoot soccer match on the last day of competition, after two hard days of cutting in the rainy muck. Shawn Walding Minneapolis, MN The Chad Larson Experience
In the rest of the world, I’ve come across a whole variety of new problems—like how to translate terminology or more importantly, how to teach Spirit of the Game to people who think it’s just all ‘flying plates’ and laying out a lot. At times there is less fun and more competition than I remember in the States. At other times it’s fantastic to see how many people, with such a variety of previous experiences, are flocking to this ‘new’ sport. Sonia Mariano Moscow, Russia Moscow women’s No Nails
After participating at Worlds in Turku with the Miami Refugees, it’s obvious that the U.S. and Canada have the upper hand against the rest of the world. The Europeans seem to play their own style across all divisions, which is effective, but the North Americans seem to be a little more athletic. In my humble opinion, it will be years before the elite teams of the world conquer the elite teams of North America. Parker Gillum Madison, Alabama
America has the advantage of dense populations in most places, creating great environments to foster leagues that quickly help players improve their game to a much higher level faster. It creates a intense environment where teams can compete at a high level constantly, improving themselves, and at the same time, others. Australia has a major problem getting players together into leagues and teams to train and improve since the population is so spread out and sparse. Brett Matzuka Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Hawaiian Ultimate Lovers Association
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Vote
f o r y o u r U PA R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s
It’s Time to
During the month of October, UPA members (including you!) are heading to the polls to elect four new representatives to the UPA board of directors. This year, the membership will elect one new director each from the Northeast and Northwest regions, as well as two At-Large (representing all UPA members) directors.
CURRENT BOARD Kate Bergeron, President At Large Rep, ‘01-’06
The board is responsible for ensuring that the UPA achieves its mission to grow Ultimate in both quantity of players and quality of services to those players. As a member of the UPA, your personal vision of how Ultimate should grow and further solidify its base should guide your selection of Regional and At-Large representatives.
Elizabeth Murray, Vice President At Large Rep, ‘03-’05
Undoubtedly, each of us takes pride in the grassroots nature of Ultimate— past, present, and future. At the same time, it’s important to recognize that the past several years have seen the sport make enormous strides, due in part to the coordinated efforts of the UPA to professionalize many of its programs. The fact that the UPA has six full-time employees working in a dedicated and targeted fashion to make Ultimate more rewarding for each of you is a sign of the sport’s maturation. (A few years ago we had only one full-time employee, no coordinated youth program, no TV sponsorship for the college series, etc.) Our progress isn’t over yet, though—not by a longshot! The impetus to root Ultimate in high school and college athletic programs and to further develop coordination between the many community leagues throughout the country is going to require sustained, focused leadership that comes only from choosing representatives to the board who have vision, commitment, skills, and energy.
Christian Schwoerke, Secretary Mid Atlantic Rep, ‘04-’06
When you read this year’s candidate statements, consider how your vote is going to help determine the direction our sport takes. Which candidate best represents your interests? Is it women’s Ultimate, elite competitive Ultimate, rules changes, better league administration, or some other direction? We are convinced that this year’s group of candidates is more qualified and diverse than any in the past, so we think that whatever facet of the game you feel needs attention, there is a candidate representing that position. To vote, please use either the paper ballot enclosed with your magazine, or go to www.upa.org to vote instantly online!
Tommy Proulx, Treasurer Northeast Rep, ‘01-’04
Deirdre Abrahamsson At Large Rep, ‘03-’05 Jeff Dunbar Southwest Rep, ‘04-’06 Todd Demetriades South Rep, ‘03-’05 Dennis Karlinsky Northwest Rep, ‘02-’04 Mike Payne At Large Rep, ‘04-’06 Joe Seidler At Large Rep, ‘02-’04 Henry Thorne At Large Rep, ‘97-’04 Eric Zaslow Central Rep, ‘03-’05
Don’t wait—vote now!
Mission Statement
The UPA’s mission is: • to promote and support the sport of Ultimate and its players, • to increase participation in the sport at all levels, • to uphold the Spirit of the Game, including personal responsibility and integrity, • to provide a framework for players to organize and conduct competition and other activities related to Ultimate.
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Charter Statement
We, individually and as a group, must take an active role to ensure the success of the UPA. As we strive to achieve our vision, we will: • Conduct and play in the Championship Series and other events • Establish, maintain, and provide official rules of Ultimate • Assume everyone is playing ethically, respect and tolerate different points of view, and resolve differences • Learn and teach skills, strategy, and etiquette while actively encouraging new participants • Invest players with pride and responsibility for the success of Ultimate and the UPA • Invest in youth for the future • Recognize and reward athleticism and spirited play in our teammates and opponents • Challenge ourselves and our teammates to achieve a higher level of skill, ability, and sportsmanship • Encourage creativity and experimentation • Ensure the UPA has the assets and personnel to succeed • Create, maintain, and provide guidelines and lessons learned to become a well run organization • Plan events in a timely manner • Maintain open lines of communication • Let the world know about Ultimate
At-Large Candidates Paige Anderson
current programs.
registration/verification.
Since 1996 I have been involved in the Ultimate community as a player, captain, coach, organizer, and teammate. Over time my involvement has included the college and club series, leagues, and perennial favorite coed tournaments. After receiving some serious body pain from a demanding sport, I am looking for another way to contribute. I want to be a UPA board member so I can influence the sport in a way that is more long term and sustainable than my career as a player.
Currently, I am a full-time graduate student and a part-time consultant for an international nonprofit organization. In my working role, I leverage funds from federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations, manage project budgets, and interface with the organization’s executive director and governing board of directors to accomplish organizational objectives. I also have corporate and nonprofit marketing experience, long-term strategic planning skills, and financial management experience with budget allocation, justification, and balancing. As a UPA board member, I anticipate successfully combining my knowledge of Ultimate and its unique community with my applicable professional skills in the nonprofit sector.
I am currently pursuing a J.D. and M.S. in information economics at the University of Michigan. At North Carolina I received a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Journalism—both of which allowed me to study the public relations efforts and organizational structures of nonprofit organizations and sport-specific companies (Eurosport, Great American Lacrosse Company) alike. I’ve studied the dynamics of boards of directors via a law school seminar, and I believe that I will bring a knowledgeable and enthusiastic perspective to the boardroom. I look forward to serving the UPA.
The important issues I will focus on as a UPA board member are: Representation of the female Ultimate community: Across the board—from league play to the Fall Series—we need to reach out to recruit more women into the sport. Only three of the 12 current UPA board members are women. Co-ed teams struggle to meet the gender quota for lack of women. Tournaments consistently host 12 women’s teams and 16 men’s teams. There are only 300 college women’s teams compared to 500 for the men. We need more women! By involving more women from the beginning (i.e. the youth development level), we could foster relationships between women and girls in Ultimate and develop female role models for young Ultimate players to admire. Clinics and development camps need to cater to female players and engage female coaches. There should be more female-only leagues. Bottom line: we need to make a concerted effort to increase awareness of women’s Ultimate. Expansion of the national Ultimate community: The Ultimate community is growing rapidly and in several directions at once. As a club player I would love to see more competitive teams across the country, especially in underrepresented regions. But such an expansion relies on the expansion of the youth, college, and league levels. My ideas for UPA support on the college level include: providing scholarships to fledgling programs, and recruiting club players to visit area colleges to present skills workshops and provide mentorship to new programs. On a league level: provide new leagues with “starter packets,” which provide strategies for procuring fields, advertising and sponsorship ideas, and sample league formats. Success stories abound of strong college programs, well-attended leagues, and intense youth development programs. I want to see that success spread. As an At-Large UPA board member, I would dedicate myself to the creation of a unified UPA outreach strategy that strengthens and builds on the UPA’s
Thank you for your support.
Jonathan Brodhag My involvement with Ultimate began with Juniors Coach and Former UPA Board Representative Ed Fox. Since then, I’ve been involved with open programs at the Universities of North Carolina and Michigan, where my roles have varied from player to captain to tournament director to assistant coach. I play in the Fall Series with Michigan-based BAT. I have had the good fortune to participate in both college and club nationals…all while the Charlotte Summer League trophy eludes me. Strategically, I’m focused on the development of juniors and college Ultimate. I began an Ultimate club at Myers Park High in Charlotte, which has produced players on no less than seven different college campuses, including eight graduates on UNC’s roster at 2000 College Nationals. Development at the juniors level, I believe, is the key to sustaining and improving Ultimate at all subsequent levels. With a strong series foundation for middle and high school players, growth possibilities are virtually limitless. I support the Callahan/X-Rules because I support a fast-paced game, and I founded the Queen City Tune-Up in Charlotte with the goal of providing another Callahan-officiated tournament for college teams. I believe juniors and college Ultimate is marketable, and as your board representative, I would encourage the UPA to make decisions that increase the game’s exposure to a larger audience. That exposure, in my mind, is the starting point for greater membership and better funding. I support all efforts to make UPA materials and documentation electronically accessible, and encourage the adoption of online roster
Kevin Draeger DON’T VOTE for Kevin Draeger without thoroughly understanding the following: Hello, I’m Kevin Draeger and I approve this message. Just when you thought you were done hearing all the campaign messages, I’m here to ramble on about why you should vote for Kevin Draeger as an At-Large UPA board member…I’ll try to keep it short. I’ve been playing Ultimate for the better part of a decade and like most of you wake up every day to a room covered with discs. I’ve been the Lake Superior Sectional Coordinator for the past three years and am looking forward to a fourth. I was president and treasurer of UW-Whitewater’s team before transferring to UW-Milwaukee to found a team there. Nope, never been to nationals, but enjoyed every small indulgence of starting a team, from pudding wrestling fundraisers to large budget proposals for the school. I understand how difficult it is and what kind of dedication it takes to start a team. If elected to the board, I hope to get the UPA more involved with such processes by opening the lines of communication between the players themselves, the school and the UPA. This would eventually spawn new college and junior teams. Well, it’s safe to say that if you have made it this far, you clearly have looked at everything else in this newsletter and had nothing better to do today, so why not go and vote Kevin Draeger as an At-Large UPA board member? Thanks so much. Your friend and ally, Kevin Michael Draeger
Dave Lionetti When Jesse Jackson ran for President in 1988, he was criticized for lacking detailed plans to address the nation’s problems. Jackson replied, “I am a tree shaker, not a jelly maker.” FALL 2004
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At-Large Candidates Jesse Jackson was a big idea guy—a visionary, and he was implying that he would surround himself with people who could do the hard work of turning his vision into a working reality. Well, in the Ultimate community, as well as in my professional life, I like to think of myself as a jelly maker. What I feel I’m best at is understanding the details and pinpointing the inefficiencies of the visions and goals of our community. I sincerely enjoy finding ways to make them work, and make them work well. This is what I’ve tried to do in the dozen years I have been an active member of the Pittsburgh Ultimate community. For instance, as the Mars tournament director for the past eight years, I’ve overseen the re-emergence of this oncedefunct Pittsburgh tradition into a three-day, 36-team Fourth of July festival. There are a lot of unique things about Mars, from the scramble format to the karaoke and boat-races at the party, and I’m proud of the role I’ve played in harnessing the ideas and energy of the many creative players we’re lucky to have here in Pittsburgh. I’ve tried to play a similar role as the vice president of the Community for Pittsburgh Ultimate (CPU) board of directors. When our growing summer league went to a draft format, our first draft took over eight hours to complete. For the next year, I worked with the commissioners to design a computer program to make the process run more smoothly and much more quickly. I’ve also served as fields coordinator for our city, working on the sometimes thorny task of scheduling over 500 recreational players, four leagues and multiple club teams. Our community has grown from eight to 24 summer league teams in the time I’ve been here, and I’m pleased to be a small part of that, and of the exciting growth we’re having in many areas of Pittsburgh disc. My role on the CPU board reflects my philosophy of what a board like ours, or the UPA’s, should do. I don’t believe that great ideas should always, or even often, come from a select few. As an architecture student at Carnegie Mellon and now working as a medical imaging software developer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, I’ve known many creative people. But no group I’ve known is as visionary and energetic as the UPA membership. If I’m elected to the board, I will work hard to understand the visions of my colleagues and fellow players, and work with them to turn those visions into concrete realities that will benefit our community and our sport. 14
ULTIMATE NEWS
Brett McCall I started playing the game back in 1993 on Margaret Island in Budapest, Hungary. That spring, before returning to the USA, I traveled to more than a dozen tournaments. I loved seeing the same people weekend after weekend, because it is they who make the sport so magnificent. Since my first tournament on New Year’s Eve in Vienna, Austria, I have played at all levels of the sport from the first co-ed nationals to running local hat tournaments, organizing pickup to playing with some of the best players in the game on NoTsuOh at Paganello this year. I have thrived the past ten years eating, dreaming, and breathing Ultimate. People in the Warren Wilson College community know me as “the Ultimate Brett.” In 2002, I sparked the development of a strong outreach program in Asheville, creating a middle school league that has grown to six teams in two seasons. Last year I started working with high school players in their skills and strategy. Coaching and spreading the game is where my attention goes, and this is why I want to be involved with the UPA as a board member. By serving on the UPA board of directors, I am confident that I will make significant contributions to cultivating strong bonds as Ultimate experiences a major growth spurt. I have been a board member and outreach committee chairman of the Asheville Ultimate Club since 2000. In 2000, I started the Warren Wilson College Ultimate Club and in 2001 started the GreenMan open division traveling team in Asheville, North Carolina. This year, GreenMan has its sights set for taking 3rd at Sectional Championships and continuing to turn heads at the Regional Championships. I am honored that I have been invited to return to my alma mater, Warren Wilson College, to coach the team this year.
Tommy Proulx I’m currently completing my first term on the board, serving on the Executive Committee for all three years and as Treasurer for the past two. Over the past three years, I have been instrumental in many positive developments within the UPA, most notably the development of our youth program and our commitment to increasing our communication with local leagues, to name just a few. At my first annual meeting, I helped spearhead the allocation of funds to hire a full-time youth director and provide significant funding to develop the youth program to what it is today. During
this period our youth membership has more than doubled every year. Recently, I presented a proposal to create a National League Conference taking place this November (I am the chair of its steering committee) that will provide a forum for local organizers and the UPA to share ideas in order to improve the quantity and quality of Ultimate and accelerate its growth. If elected, I will continue to develop strong, mutually beneficial relationships with the local leagues throughout the country. I will pursue additional emphasis on the college community by way of developing intramural programs and improving support to college teams. I’m an advocate of improving sectional and regional tournament experiences for our club players, since most do not get to experience the quality of Nationals. In addition, we must continue to improve our technological infrastructure in order to better support our current membership base and the tremendous growth that we are and will continue to experience in the coming years. Our members deserve the infrastructure to easily renew their membership, register their team for UPA series and sanctioned events, and receive quality communication and timely information from our organization. I will continue to be an advocate for these and many other initiatives. I have, and will continue to be, a strong proponent of investing a portion of our reserves into new programs and initiatives that have the potential to grow the organization and the sport as a whole. I’ve been playing Ultimate for fifteen years. I’ve played college and club Ultimate along with playing, organizing, and coaching local Ultimate in the greater Boston area. I’m an organizer for BUDA, a local Ultimate organization in Boston with over 3,000 players. For much of the past nine years I have been their administrator, running day-to-day operations on a volunteer basis. I am also the coach of the Andover High School boys and girls teams. I am the tournament director for sanctioned events like the Boston Invitational/ Easterns, Mixed/Masters Easterns, and Northeast Regionals. I was the tournament director of the 2001 UPA College Nationals and have provided my assistance at almost all of our Nationals events the past three years. As administrator for a local non-profit Ultimate organization, I know firsthand of many of the issues affecting the local recreational player. I feel like I can offer an important viewpoint to the board and the UPA. I am more than able to represent all the players (club, college,
At-Large Candidates youth, and recreational), as I have experience and relationships with all these segments of Ultimate. I am always willing to receive input, good and bad, and take great care to understand the concerns of all Ultimate players. In the end, I am your advocate and voice and will do my utmost to represent you. Finally, as you would expect of all interested candidates, I bring a very strong passion and drive to all that I am involved with, and this has and will continue to be no exception.
Nob Rauch I have been involved with Ultimate as a player and administrator for much of the last thirty years. In this 25th anniversary year of the founding of the UPA, I ask for your support to be elected to the board of the UPA. My perspective includes a personal understanding of Ultimate played at the grass roots and at the highest levels of national and international competition. The key issues being discussed today by the UPA—media, sponsorship, referees, growth, and Spirit of the Game—are the same issues we were grappling with fifteen years ago. I have significant business expertise and acumen, and had previously applied it in transforming the UPA into a more business-like and player-oriented organization in the late 1980s. My objective is to ensure that the UPA as an organization continues to be responsive to the needs of the players at each level of competitive strata, preserving those things which have always made Ultimate “special,” while responding to the demands of today’s generation of players for the changes needed to keep the sport vibrant. I began playing Ultimate in the mid-1970s as a co-founder of WUFO, the Williams College club team. In the 1980s and early 1990s, I played with Windy City, Rude Boys, Kaboom!, and New York, winning four UPA Open Division Championships and four World Championships. In the early 1990s, I played with teams that won the first two UPA Masters Division Championships and the 1994 Worlds Masters Division Championship as Team USA. I had played in 23 of the first 25 April Fool’s Frisbee Fests in Washington DC, and won for the fourth time playing with WesWill in 2002. I was elected head of the UPA in 1987, at which point it was the same loose, volunteer organization that had been established at its genesis. On the organizational side, we drafted
new bylaws, reinstated our corporate and notfor-profit status, set up an office with an 800 number, and got a field liability insurance policy in place for tournament directors. We changed the corporate organization chart, setting up corporate officers and a separate board of directors. On the play side, we came up with the ninth edition of the rules, improved the National Championship Tournament Series, set up the first discipline policy and the Certified Observers Pool, developed the approved disc program, and supported the development of the juniors program and local leagues. After resigning as executive director at the end of 1990, I was on the UPA board as Chair of the Executive Committee for two years and helped Neal Dambra and Cindy Fisher get the first headquarters established. I was president of the World Flying Disc Federation from 1992 to 1994, focusing on many of the same organizational and financial issues, in addition to preparing the successful applications for GAISF and the World Games, and I remain involved as President Emeritus. I continue to be involved with Ultimate, recently working with Nick Jr. Magazine this August to put together a “how-to” piece for disc sports, getting an Olympics feature story in the Wall Street Journal, and co-chairing the alumni reunion committee for the 25th anniversary. I have been working in finance for 24 years, and am currently director of research for a hedge fund specializing in emerging markets securities. I met my wife Katie playing at the first World Club Championship in Germany in 1999 and still enjoy playing an occasional Sunday morning pickup game in my hometown of Chappaqua, NY or throwing a disc with my three kids. I love the sport of Ultimate and want to continue to make it great.
Joe Seidler I would like to continue on the UPA board of directors as an At-Large member for another term. As the father of an Ultimate player, I have attended over 250 college and club games, including every club nationals and club worlds since 1997. I maintain an Ultimate founders website (www.santabarba raultimate.com/founders), a parents website (www.santabarbaraultimate.com/parents www.santabarbaraultimate.com/parents) and the Santa Barbara Ultimate website. I also co-founded the S.F. Bay Area Youth Ultimate league (www.seidler.com/bayu www.seidler.com/bayu). I love the sport and respect its athletes. Professionally I ran marketing departments in high-tech
companies for 20 years, and the past ten years I have been performing marketing consulting for software and ecommerce companies (www.seidlerconsulting.com www.seidlerconsulting.com). During my past three years on the board, I was a major contributor to the search for our new executive director, filled in as acting treasurer, was on the Executive Committee for two years, and I am the chair of this year’s 25th Anniversary Taskforce that has spawned efforts for a 25th anniversary reunion and an Ultimate Hall of Fame. A few initiatives will be on my agenda. I have been a strong advocate for technical website staff because I believe the UPA website can and should be a strategic tool to attract and serve its members. We are making progress, but I think we have a long way to go. Secondly, the UPA needs to put a higher priority on alumni (ex-members). UPA alumni can offer great benefits to the organization including becoming observers, board members, financial contributors and coaches; and many more coaches will be required to continue the growth and stability of the youth division. The UPA membership is now close to 20,000, and the annual budget is almost $1M. As we get larger, it becomes more difficult for board members to stay in touch with the membership and be adequately trained to fulfill their growing duties. In my opinion, being an avid player of the sport is no longer enough to be an ideal board member as we require experience in long range planning, policy making, technology and finance… and the appropriate time commitment. I started the Board Development Program to begin improving the board’s performance, and I proposed an annual online questionnaire to solicit the members’ evaluation of UPA services. My polling proposal was not approved, but I will continue to push for it. And the most important task I will support is for the board to begin the process of setting a direction for the organization. We need a long-term vision of what we want to look like in five to 10 years and a strategy to get there. An example that came up at a recent board meeting was about a Division II to allow nonelite teams a better competitive experience. I am prepared to work on the UPA board for another term if you want me. I encourage the membership to read the candidate statements and vote in this election. Thank you.
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Northwest Candidates Kristen Dailey I started playing Ultimate in the co-ed league in Boulder 12 years ago, and I was hooked. My passion for both playing the game and volunteering has steadily increased over the years. I currently play on Seattle Riot, co-ed leagues, and I served on the board of DiscNW, the local organizing nonprofit, for five years. This past year, I was also the main organizer for the 9th Annual Women’s Clinic in Seattle. In my professional life, I’ve worked in nonprofit organizations for the past 10 years and have a masters in public affairs with a focus on nonprofit management. My skills include nonprofit fundraising, budgeting, board-staff relations, and advocacy. I believe that having a solid, professional nonprofit organization is the only way we can promote the sport of Ultimate and support the growing diversity within our community of members. I have seen the changes in Ultimate in the Northwest over the years with the amazing growth of the juniors program, new leagues and tournaments in response to demand, Potlatch becoming highly competitive and a great time for players of all levels, battling the city council for more and better access to fields, and I’ve seen the changes on the field when one generation is replaced by the next. These changes are happening in cities throughout the nation, and the UPA will need to become better equipped to respond to similar changes, support local organizations, and grow its membership in order to fulfill its mission. I believe that Ultimate deserves more recognition as a sport. This could come about through corporate sponsorship, getting amateur sports status with the US Olympic Committee, or getting Ultimate on TV. But I believe that increasing the number of people playing at all levels will have a longer lasting effect and will increase the likelihood of getting sponsorship, funding, and coverage. So the bigger challenge for the UPA is to create an organization that new players want to join, and one that can respond to a much larger number of members, while maintaining a shared vision and mission. Vote for me and I’ll work to represent you and your ideas.
Dave Dreher I have been a UPA member for most of the last ten years and started playing through the intramural program at UC Berkeley in 1991. I recently moved to Seattle and am getting involved in the affairs of DiscNW, but I have spent most of my time playing and organizing in what many people would consider the “backwaters” of the Ultimate world: Burlington, Vermont and Corvallis, Oregon. 16
ULTIMATE NEWS
When I began playing regularly in Vermont, I was just one of those people who started showing up at weekly pickup. However, my involvement in the organizational aspects grew quickly. Whether it was pulling together people to travel to tournaments or assisting in efforts to establish a summer league, a notfor-profit organization, and the Ho-Lay Cow tournament, I got involved and helped out wherever it was needed. While in Vermont I also cut my teeth working with youth Ultimate by helping students organize a team at the high school I taught at and taking them wherever they needed to go to get games, including two very memorable trips to the Amherst Invitational. After moving to Corvallis in 2000, I became involved in running the summer league. My primary responsibility as the contact person with the parks department gave me valuable insight into the politics of field procurement. I also began a very rewarding and successful effort to promote the development of youth Ultimate in western Oregon. Using money from the UPA’s Innovation Grants Program, I spearheaded the development of a Corvallis youth league and a high school tournament. From those small first steps, the number of teams in the state has grown to over a dozen, two annual youth tournaments are now firmly established, and we ran the 2004 UPA High School Championship Tournament in Corvallis. While my experiences with youth Ultimate and my desire to be closely involved in the UPA’s actions in this area are my primary motivation to be part of the UPA board, I also believe that the experiences I’ve had at many other levels would allow me to serve the multitude of interests represented in the entire UPA membership.
Ryan Seguine UPA Members, Since my sophomore year in high school, now a distant memory, Ultimate has been one of the most important elements of my life. I have received much from Ultimate and have sought to give back to it. Serving on the UPA board of directors will allow me to do just that. I have played Ultimate for the Overlake School outside of Seattle and then for the University of Washington. I currently play for Seattle Sockeye. I have run Potlatch since 2000. During my tenure, I have grown the tournament from 75 to 100 teams, built positive relationships with vendors and venues, increased the event to three days, and made it more fiscally sound while maintaining the grass roots spirit of Potlatch for its participants. I served on the board of directors for the
Northwest Ultimate Association from 1999 to 2003 and am the All-tournaments Coordinator, directing or coordinating seven to 12 events annually. I am interested in sponsorship, youth/outreach programs, the college division, and defining the club division for possible sponsorship opportunities. I would like to contribute to the rules as they change with and for the sport, and to tournament formatting manuals for new tournament directors and local organizations. Thank you for your support.
Jay Sexton BACKGROUND I have been a player since 1982, where I started with the Corvallis Slugs in Oregon. I was the UPA Northwest Sectional Coordinator of the Western Region during the late 80’s and ran numerous tournaments, the most ambitious of which was the 1986 Western Open Regionals. In 1986 I helped found the Corvallis Ultimate Summer League, now in its 18th year with 24 teams from an area with a population of 50,000. I have coached high school Ultimate for three years, including two State Championship teams. In 2004 I was the field and scorekeeper czar for the UPA High School Championships in Corvallis, and will fill a similar role in the 2005 UPA College Championships, also in Corvallis. I have raised four sons who are players in league, high school, and collegiate teams. QUALIFICATIONS I have great respect and love for Ultimate. I value the non-contact, highly athletic play that, when crowned with the Spirit of the Game, make Ultimate uniquely admirable among team sports. I have been active in local government and disc sports and developed good organizational and communication skills. I am willing to spend the time it takes to do a good job as a UPA board member. GOALS At this point in my Ultimate career, I am primarily interested in league play and youth Ultimate. I feel these are the foundation that will allow Ultimate to continue to grow and gain acceptance. I feel Ultimate should work toward full acceptance by the communities and spectators it hopes to attract, and through this, continue toward worldwide growth. I will work to keep Ultimate and the UPA on track to improve the sport and the organization. I will listen to the membership and help the UPA respond to their insights. SUMMARY I will work for the benefit of this sport we all love. Ultimate is ready for worldwide growth because of the simplicity and the values it embodies. I would like this opportunity to work for you, and for the benefit of Ultimate.
Northeast Candidates Albert Hsu A relative latecomer to the sport, I squandered an opportunity to play collegiate Ultimate while in school at MIT. Ultimate has been my life outside of medical school, as I traveled to pickup games and tournaments across the Northeast. The team building, leadership, and Spirit of the Game in our sport has also translated very well to my activities as a medical student activist. My greatest strength lies in organizing games and tournaments, most notably as Metro NY Open Sectionals coordinator in 2001 and 2002 and tournament director for Purchase Cup 2002. Merely two weeks after the events of 9/11, I was privileged to help bring our local Ultimate community back together as tourney director for club sectionals. That fall, I also volunteered at UPA Nationals in Sarasota. Locally, I have participated in our Westchester Summer League for the past seven years. As their spring league coordinator this year, I brought three expansion teams into that league. In my first year of leading the Einstein Medical School “Spin Doctors,” we qualified for co-ed Club Regionals in Devens, Massachusetts. Last year, I encouraged the formation of the Fordham University woman’s Ultimate team, which qualified for College Regionals in its very first year.
If elected to the UPA board, I will bring my focus on outreach and building grass roots Ultimate to the national scene, to help others discover Ultimate frisbee as early as possible. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at ahsu@aecom.yu.edu with any questions you may have. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to working with you all!
Peri Kurshan When I first began playing, Ultimate was a way of keeping in shape and meeting some new people. Today it is more like a way of life. The sport has never ceased to captivate me, be it through the hard work and dedication necessary to achieve a high level of play, the endless fascination with thinking up new strategies, or the reward of passing the joy of the sport on to others. I have been playing Ultimate for eight seasons. I started playing Ultimate at Brown University where I played four years of college Ultimate. Since then I have played women’s club for three different teams (including my current team, Lady Godiva), as well as for a co-ed Ultimate team abroad and at club Worlds. However, my commitment to the sport extends beyond playing. I currently coach the Brandeis college women’s team. I have been an observer at the last two College Championships, and was selected to observe the women’s final last
year in Seattle. This year I ran the women’s division of the Boston Ultimate Disc Alliance’s Learning League. I have experienced the game of Ultimate from many angles: as a member of a high-level women’s club team, a college player, a co-ed player, a coach, an observer, and an organizer. If elected to the UPA board, I plan to bring not only a love of the sport, but a dedication to improving the way the sport is played by becoming an active member of the Rules Committee. Although great strides have been made recently in clarifying and improving the rules of the game, certain areas are still open to interpretation, which sometimes leads to conflict on the field. I also hope to help the sport evolve while working to balance the role of observers with personal accountability and Spirit of the Game. Finally, I would like to help raise the profile of Ultimate as a respected sport, while maintaining those aspects of the game that make it unique. I believe that my love for the game, my experience and my current involvement with high level women’s Ultimate, as well as the success I have enjoyed in my roles as player, leader, coach, and volunteer, make me well qualified for a position on the UPA board. Thank you for your support.
UPA members may EITHER mail this ballot to headquarters (photocopies are ok) OR vote online at www.upa.org. ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
ALL VOTERS:
AT-LARGE CANDIDATES (vote for two)
Northwest Voters ONLY:
NORTHWEST CANDIDATES (vote for one)
Northeast Voters ONLY:
NORTHEAST CANDIDATES
Paige Anderson Jonathan Brodhag Kevin Draeger Dave Lionetti Brett McCall
______ Tommy Proulx ______ Nob Rauch ______ Joe Seidler __________________ Write in __________________ Write in
______ Kristen Dailey ______ Dave Dreher ______ Ryan Seguine
______ Jay Sexton __________________ Write in __________________ Write in
______ Albert Hsu ______ Peri Kurshan
__________________ Write in __________________ Write in
(vote for one)
NAME: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ UPA ID or LAST 4 DIGITS OF SSN: ________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY/STATE (required for Northeast and Northwest voters): ____________________________________________________________________ You must provide the information above so we can verify your membership status and ensure your vote is only entered once. ELECTION RULES: Each member in good standing may vote once, electronically or via mail. If you vote online, you may update your ballot through 11:59pm MST October 31. If both an electronic and paper ballot are received from the same voter, only the electronic ballot will count.
MAIL TO:
UPA Election 741 Pearl Street, Side Suite Boulder, CO 80302 (must be postmarked by October 31)
Board Election Ballot FALL 2004
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Top row (l to r): Junior open division USA v Canada. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. The junior women’s team enjoys some down time by the river in Turku. Photo by Shannon O’Malley. Open division USA v Finland. Photo by Juha Kankaanpää. 2nd row (l to r): Women’s division USA v Japan. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. Masters division US team. Photo by Todd Demetriades. Mixed division USA v New Zealand. Photo by Mikael Arneborn. Junior open division USA v Finland. Photo by Juha Kankaanpää.
Op
WORLD
Ultimate
e n d i visi o n
1. Canada 2. USA 3. Australia
& Guts
Championships
1. Canada 2. Finland 3. USA
1. USA 2. Canada 3. Germany
1. USA 2. Canada 3. New Zealand
1. Japan I 2. Republic of China 3. Japan II
1. USA 2. Canada 3. Great Britain
1. Canada 2. USA 3. Sweden
Spirit Turku, Finland August 1-7, 2004
OPEN DIVISION
Ireland 9.45 Italy 9.27 Republic of China 9.20 Australia 9.17 Canada 9.09 United States 8.91 Switzerland 8.90 Brazil 8.90 Germany 8.80 Finland 8.67 South Africa 8.64 Denmark 8.33 Sweden 8.18 Russia 8.10 Great Britain 8.08 Lithuania 7.80 Netherlands 7.73 Japan 7.09
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ULTIMATE NEWS
MIXED DIVISION
Australia 9.50 Czech Republic 9.20 South Africa 9.20 Belarus 8.80 Austria 8.80 Spain 8.70 Germany 8.40 New Zealand 8.40 France 8.40 United States 8.30 Finland 8.30 Great Britain 8.20 Switzerland 7.80 Sweden 7.30 Japan 7.10 Canada 6.90
WOMEN’S DIVISION
Ireland 9.20 Denmark 8.90 Latvia 8.70 Australia 8.64 Netherlands 8.40 Italy 8.40 Canada 8.11 Great Britain 8.09 Finland 8.00 Sweden 7.91 Germany 7.90 Russia 7.90 United States 7.82 Japan 6.82
JUNIOR OPEN DIVISION
Australia 9.45 United States 9.33 Finland 9.25 Switzerland 9.22 Russia 8.82 Canada 8.58 Sweden 8.30 Japan 8.09 Germany 7.83 Great Britain 7.64 South Africa 7.45
MASTERS DIVISION
Japan 9.67 Australia 9.44 United States 9.30 Great Britain 9.27 Netherlands 9.11 Sweden 9.09 Russia 9.00 Germany 8.75 Canada 8.73 Finland 7.78
JUNIOR WOMEN’S DIVISION
Great Britain 9.00 Australia 9.00 United States 8.75 Canada 8.56 Japan 8.44 Finland 8.13 Sweden 7.78
SCORES
In August, the UPA sent six teams to the World Ultimate & Guts Cham-
Q&A
Our congratulations go out to all the athletes around the world who competed in Finland. Also, special thanks to our Team USA sponsors, Discraft and Patagonia.
What were your expectations going into the tournament? Donner always expects to win. We also expect to have a whole lot of fun doing it and to conduct ourselves in a manner that is true to the game of Ultimate and in respect to our country whom we are representing. Yet there is no denying why we are here… gold. This is Donner Party’s swan song, so there is a lot of pressure to go out with a bang.
pionships to represent the USA. Each team returned with a medal. Several players kept journals recording their impressions of and experiences at the tournament. On the following pages, you’ll find excerpts from these some of these journals, along with rosters, scores, final standings and more.
Thoughts going into the tourney
Women’s
At the 1999 UPA Club Championships, Fury had earned the right to compete at the WUGC 2000 in Germany. Despite high expectations, the team failed to earn a medal by coming in fourth after losing to Finland in the game for third (having lost to Japan in the semifinals). Four years later, Fury found itself in the same position of winning the UPA Club Championships and getting to represent the USA at the WUGC. This time the team was determined to win a medal at the WFDF event. The opening ceremony had been planned with the intention of all the teams parading from the main cathedral to the Parvo Numi stadium and showcasing all the different flags and uniforms. Unfortunately, the skies opened up and rained on this parade in such a downpour that all any onlookers were likely to see was a group of people huddled under umbrellas or their rain jackets as they hurried to the shelter that the stadium promised. Especially after watching the men in the opening game slip and slide over the field during play, people on the team were anticipating a sloppy week of play.
Semis & the bronze medal game
Playing Canada in the semis was our team’s chance to redeem ourselves for our loss earlier in the week. The women’s division was the only division where Canada and the US had no chance of meeting in the finals, and both teams wanted a chance to play in the Veritas Stadium the next day. Canada took the pull but quickly scored without any turnovers. 1-0. The offense for both teams looked efficient, and after two more no-turn points, the score stood 2-1 for Canada. Then the US faltered while the Canadians seemed to play flawlessly. We were sloppy on offense and not putting enough pressure on the Canadians while on defense, regardless of whether we played man-toman or zone defense. Canada scored seven points in a row to go up 8-1. Despite some great plays by the US in the next few points, the score at halftime stood at 9-3, Canada. Both teams traded points in the second half until 11-5 when Canada got another break. Over the next four points, there were no turns for either team, but after scoring to make the score 14-8, we were unable to convert another point. The Canadian defense forced a number of low-percentage choices from the US, but we were unable to generate turnovers in kind. Final score: Canada 17, USA 8. As disappointing as it was to lose in the semifinals, the Canadians played a far superior game and deserved to advance. It was clear that the Canadians had spent a lot of time on conditioning and footwork, and we often found ourselves turning a
split second slower or getting beat to the disc. Part of this is that we didn’t seem to have the same focus and commitment before Worlds that we did before Nationals last year, and realizing some of the team’s weaknesses at this point in the season will provide a good base for what we have until October on which to improve. In spite of our semis loss, we could not overlook our last game of the tournament. We now had to play Japan again in the game for the bronze medal. Japan had by this time lost three games, as had the USA. Japan had been narrowly defeated by Australia in their pool play (13-15), and even more narrowly by Great Britain (13-14) in their crossover game. In both cases Team Japan had fallen behind early, but then clawed its way back to within one or two points by the end of the game. The real heartbreaker for Japan, however, had been the semifinal game against Finland in the stadium. Playing Finland for the second time during the week, and again before a large, partisan audience, they were unable to replicate their earlier 17-13 win. This time they lost a capped squeaker, 11-14. Japan’s three losses had come by a total of only six points. Starting out uninspired, the US went down 3-1 to the Japanese. All of a sudden, the wind started to pick up a little and so did the energy on the US sideline. Even Japan’s patient, ineffable offense and amazing tolerance for making dozens of low-risk passes were having trouble against the aggressive zone D. Japan was also very tired from their close battle with Finland in their semifinal. Wind, weariness, and the containment of the four-person cup forced turnovers. This time, we took advantage of chances on offense and scored the next five points in a row to lead 6-3. In almost a mirror-image of our previous game against Japan, we took half 9-4.
with Donner Party’s Frankus Flores
How did you prepare for the tournament? I learned to say, “Hello, my name is Frank, and I’m a single, rich American,” in every Scandinavian language. I spent countless hours on Friendster and Myspace emailing with different European female friends to spend time with while I was there. The team spent countless hours on gifts to other teams. A group of us created handmade stained glass peace signs to represent how we feel about our country and the violence that our nation is involved in…two for each team to go to the most spirited individuals chosen by the captains of their respective teams. How did the team dynamic change over the course of the tourney? We have always used our deep game early and made sure that the defense never lagged, even in the ‘easy’ games. Donner’s focus has (no surprise here) been on the strength of our women. We planned to use these strategies throughout the entire tournament. Our history has shown that transition D has worked like a charm in the co-ed division, so we seldom vary away from it. This team gets more focused and intense as a tournament progresses, but this time it was partly out of bitterness toward the way it is being run, especially with the damn busses! What were your impressions of the other teams? All of them were fun and very good natured. There was a lot of camaraderie and incredible sportsmanship in all our games…more than I’ve experienced at any other tournament. This was the best part of the games.
The second half we carried our momentum from the first half and continued to generate turnovers with our zone defense. Never willing to give up, Japan posted a comeback run to 15-10. By this time, the game was capped, and even the amazing work ethic of the Japanese couldn’t prevent the US from scoring one more point to win the game 16-10. Despite not making it to the finals, we had still achieved our goal of winning a medal at the tournament and got to display them proudly against our long-sleeved Patagonia jerseys at the medal ceremony. Playing tough games against teams from four different continents was an amazing experience and testament to the quality and growth of women’s Ultimate around the world. What an honor to be able to represent our country at such an international event. --Gwen Ambler
FALL 2004
19
OPEN DIVISION
Day 1 v Italy 17-7 v Ireland 17-2 Day 2 v Australia 17-8 v Lithuania 17-0 Day 3 v Finland 17-11 v Switzerland 17-9 Day 4 v Denmark 17-9 v Canada 13-17 Day 5 v Great Britain 17-12 v Finland 17-15 Day 6 v Australia 17-10 (semis) Day 7 v Canada 12-14 (final)
The US Open, Women’s, Mixed and Masters teams were selected by the UPA based on the results of the 2003 UPA Club Championships, which were held in Sarasota, Florida last fall. The top finishing U.S. team in each division was invited to represent the United States at the World Championships. The US Junior Open and Junior Girls teams were determined through a rigorous application process, which included two tryout sessions held this spring in Atlanta, Georgia and Burlington, Washington. Thirty-eight talented young athletes from across the country came together under the expert coaching of Tiina Booth, Michael Baccarini, John Sandahl, and Vida Towne to represent the USA in the juniors division of the tournament.
Women’s
OPEN DIVISION
Day 1 v South Africa 17-3 v Switzerland 17-8 Day 2 v Republic of China 17-0 v Sweden 17-12 Day 3 v Germany 17-10 v Denmark 17-6 Day 4 v Great Britain 17-10 v United States 17-13 Day 5 v Italy 17-10 v Japan 17-11 Day 6 v Sweden 17-8 (semis) Day 7 v USA 14-12 (final)
MIXED DIVISION
Day 1 v Belarus 17-5 v Finland 17-8 Day 2 v Germany 17-8 v Switzerland 17-6 Day 3 v Australia 17-11 Day 4 v New Zealand 17-10 v Austria 17-7 Day 5 v Czech Republic 17-5 Day 6 v Germany 17-9 (semis) v Canada 17-13 (final)
MIXED DIVISION Day 1 v South Africa 17-2 v France 17-3 Day 2 v Great Britain 17-6 Day 3 v Japan 17-7 v Sweden 17-3 Day 4 v Czech Republic 17-2 v Spain 17-2 Day 5 v Australia 17-12 Day 6 v New Zealand 16-13 (semis) v USA 13-17 (final) 20
ULTIMATE NEWS
Mixed
FURY 00 0 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 24 27 32 33 44 49 71 72 75
Jennifer Donnelly Maggie Mathias Kirsten Unfried Gwen Ambler Amanda Dauphinee Heidi Binder Alicia Barr Amy Little Arlie Stern Julie Baker Leean Nounnan Robin Knowler Martita Emde Shannon Overly Nicole Beck Samantha Salvia Jennifer Beck Erin Percival Stacey Schoemehl Jody Dozono Bryn Martyna Karli Sager Heather Wolnick Claire Meneely Alicia White Danielle Manning Janet Wong Alexia Beer
San Jose, CA Santa Cruz, CA Davis, CA Palo Alto, CA Palo Alto, CA Oakland, CA Roseville, CA Redwood City, CA Oakland, CA Davis, CA Felton, CA San Francisco, CA Santa Cruz, CA Palo Alto, CA Santa Cruz, CA Oakland, CA Santa Cruz, CA San Francisco, CA Santa Cruz, CA San Francisco, CA Santa Cruz, CA San Francisco, CA Palo Alto, CA Santa Cruz San Diego, CA Davis, CA San Jose, CA Oakland, CA
Open
Masters
REFUGEES
DONNER PARTY 00 1 2 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 23 25 28 31 39 44 59 66 71 77 88 99
Tim Weil Daryl Nounnan Tim Peterson Katy Carman Jeffrey Marvan Dawn Grass Lilith Anderson Andrew Neill Hilary Sturtevant Jamey Eichert George Grass Christine Johnson Annie Dixon Tara Sechler Gina Montesano Jennifer Mader Frankus Flores Will Sutton Scott Conway Jeff Fillinger Mary Burke Jim Frost John Flandrick Toby Johnson Stephanie Turner John Brokaw
Reno, NV Felton, CA Kings Beach, CA Kings Beach, CA San Francisco, CA Tahoe City, CA Truckee, CA Corvallis, OR Pacific Grove, CA Kings Beach, CA Tahoe City, CA Tahoe City, CA Kings Beach, CA Corvallis, OR Kings Beach, CA Truckee, CA Emeryville, CA Missoula, MT Truckee, CA Truckee, CA Kings Beach, CA Incline Village, NV Kings Beach, CA Kings Beach, CA Truckee, CA Kings Beach, CA
0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 17 20 21 22 23 24 26 33 35 36 37 44 57 66 69 77 96
Steve Fisher Erik Peterson Dave Kelly Dave Dewitt Kevin Bogusky Todd Demetriades Cesar Serrano Pablo Saade Monte Adler Woody Brown Steve Fowler Parker Gillum Oscar Detoffoli Darius Khonsary Brent Shannon Richard Gongora Kurt Dahlenburg Doug Schick Camilo Salazar Richard Powers Luis Casteleiro Garrett Crosbie Richard Opton Gary Saltzman Brett Marinelli Jimmy Price Daryl Fefee Milan Hooper III Bob Counts Butch Brown
Jupiter, FL Miami, FL Coral Gables, FL Pinecrest, FL Miami, FL Orlando, FL Miami, FL Coconut Creek, FL Miami, FL Largo, FL Coral Springs, FL Madison, AL Miami, FL Miami, FL San Jose, CA N Miami, FL Miami Lakes, FL Miramar, FL Miami, FL Ft Lauderdale, FL Miami, FL Miami, FL Jupiter, FL Miami, FL Tampa, FL Tampa, FL Orlando, FL Gainsville, FL Oldsmar, FL Land O Lakes, FL
Junior Open
Junior Women
4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 19 22 24 25 31 34 44 77
3 8 10 11 13 14 16 18 19 21 22 23 29 39 42 44 85 95
CONDORS 00 1 2 3 4 6 7 9 12 13 15 16 19 20 22 26 28 30 33 43 44 50 83
James Studarus Brandon Steets Adam Glimme Brian Cameros JD Lobue, Jr Rhett Nichols Ken Leiserson Ryan Yarbrough Kevin Buchanan Andy Fisher Chris McManus Jason Seidler Nick Fiske Brian Bogle Whitney Clark Mike Namkung Eric Boyd Corey Sanford Steven Dugan Tommy Burfeind Jaime Arambula Ian Ranahan Greg Husak
Goleta, CA Santa Barbara, CA San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Anaheim Hills, CA W Hollywood, CA Berkeley, CA Santa Cruz, CA Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara, CA San Luis Obispo, CA Oakland, CA Santa Barbara, CA Malibu, CA Goleta, CA El Cerrito, CA Santa Barbara, CA Los Angeles, CA Buellton, CA Brea, CA Berkeley, CA Goleta, CA Long Beach, CA
Bradley Cochi Tommy Hendrickson Will Neff Nate Raines Sam Harkness Jacob Goldstein Joshua Torell Misha Sidorsky Robert Wang Evan Johnson Sam Roberts Darden Pitts Connor Maloney Gregory Swanson Michael Vandenberg Ayron Jones Eldon Creer Nathan Segal Sean Foreman Joe Kershner
Atlanta, GA Pittsburgh, PA Leverett, MA Hanover, NH Seattle, WA Coral Gables, FL Carrboro, NC Shelborne Falls, MA Amherst, MA Greenfield, MA Leverett, MA Amherst, MA Richmond, VA Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Seattle, WA Duluth, GA Boston, MA Boulder, CO Tuscon, AZ
Nora Johnson Esther Warren Jenny Fey Shannon O’Malley Amy Smith Kayla Burnim Rohre Titcomb Leila Tunnell Georgia Bosscher Yayoi Tsutakawa-Chinn Southey Saul Emily Baecher Andrea Duran Vanessa Low Laura Masulis Maisie Richards Lillian Berla Nora Sluzas
Seattle, WA Haverford, PA Fredericksburg, VA Seattle, WA Atlanta, GA Amherst, MA Lakeville, CT Atlanta, GA Madison, WI Seattle, WA Amherst, MA Amherst, MA Arlington Maplewood, NJ Nashville, TN Decatur, GA Ann Arbor, MI Lakeville, CT
Masters
7-29-2004: First impressions
Arrived in Helsinki today. Oh my god, is it wet. To add insult to injury, we had to walk outside in the rain to get on the bus. Things did not look good. It seems like six months of training for this is going to somehow disappear into the mud. We heard that because of the rain early on in the tournament, the whole thing was almost canceled by the city of Turku. That would have obviously sucked. Can you imagine 1600 players without a game? OK, Turku is nice, but let’s face it, after a couple of days you’ve pretty much seen everything.
to participate in, that you have to be in good shape or you will keel over from a heart attack. Canada was taller and faster, but I suspect our endurance may have been better. It also seemed as if their rotation was limited, which too would be problematic if endurance was actually an issue. The day was windier and that helped limit some of Canada’s deep game, which was effective against us in the first game. The hats really go off to our defense, which carried us through this entire tournament. Our defense really took the disc away from many teams and put us on their shoulders.
WOMEN’S DIV
reality is that North Americans make more calls. And within our happy, dysfunctional family, some teams more than others. One of the cool things about WFDF Ultimate is the time limits. You have 75 seconds between points. If you are not ready in time, you are charged a timeout. If you do not have timeouts—depending on if you are pulling or receiving—the disc is placed at a particularly advantageous or disadvantageous spot. It really gets the game moving.
One of the other neat things is the post-game exchange. Both teams circle up and talk about what a great As I said earlier, I am on offense. game it was and how well the other 8-3-2004: Trade Night So thank you, my defensive friends. team played. Often teams exchange Trading night was tonight. That is gifts in the circle. We gave the teams where everyone comes and brings stuff a USA Ultimate disc, to trade. It is like a Persian which sounded like a good Bazaar: “I will trade you idea before the tournament, a disc and a hat for that Random Comments on Guts from an but typically went over like shirt. No good? What if I Ultimate Player (8-7-2004) a lead balloon. “Hi, here is throw this swanky, hardly a disc with our team name I watched Japan and Taiwan sqaure off today. Guts is ever worn old t-shirt with on it to commemorate your essentially five guys standing on a line facing another a LOGO on it?” Clearly loss. It is red. Enjoy.” I five guys standing on a line. They do not hate each cotton is fading from also gave out astronaut other. the limelight these days. ice cream to each team’s Everyone wants to trade So far, so good. It looks normal. Where it gets MVP. microfiber. Can’t wipe a frat-house-esque is when someone takes a disc and disc off with that. I got a The South African juniors whizzes it a bazillion miles an hour at the five guys very cool Russian Ultimate sang some really neat on the other line. These other guys are not standing jersey and some brand new battle song from their far away. Gaia shorts. These were country. It sounded Oh yeah, not only is the goal not to die, you are also my best deals. I also got awesome. The Japanese supposed to catch the disc with one hand. some crapola for some hands down did the circle crapola. I vaguely remember playing a version of “arena guts” the best. Thanks! in college with a buddy of mine in our dorm. But 8-7-2004: Just being at a tournament that version involved alcohol, some fire alarms, and Championship!!! of that size and diversity is broken exit signs. And a frisbee. Usually. Because of our previous great. It has a different feel loss to Canada, we headed It is crazy to watch. I love it. I especially love the than Nationals. The UPA into the semifinals seeded fact that I am not doing it. I would hate to insure Championship is much second. That meant those guys. more down to business. facing the UK again. It is shorter, and there is Again, we went on another less partying. At WUGC large run. Again, the or WUCC, it is more The Canadians were great. On Brits came back. Their size, speed, festive. First of all, there is a greater another day, it definitely could and lane poaching really gave our a disparity between the teams. Many have gone there way (it already had offense fits at times, which resulted in once). They fought hard. Ling did a know that they are not going to finish turnovers. Although they came back stupendous job as a captain. He gave highly, and that is ok. They are there at 12-12, they never went up a break. perhaps the most eloquent post-game for the show and the good time. It is Our defense went on a tremendous run also really cool playing against teams speech I have ever heard. It is easy to to take the game. from other countries. You get exposed sound gracious when you win, much to different offenses, defenses, more difficult when you don’t. Ling Canada beat Sweden 17-12, which throwing styles, and most importantly, did both. We hold the Canadians in meant a rematch for the final. personalities. the highest regard. Here is a question: “How can you 8-30-2004: Ultimate in the All of the real credit goes to Kurto, tell it is time to play Masters?” The who has been the center of our team Olympics? answer: “When you throw your back Watched some of the sporting events out warming up.” Thank heavens from the beginning...well before I Woody is a chiropactor, or I wouldn’t joined. The Refugees wouldn’t even from the Olympics, and it seemed like the attendance was terrible. In fact, be on the map without him. have been able to play. Our offense I would bet that some of the games functioned OK. We gave up one or 8-7-2004: World’s observations at Worlds were better attended than two goals that game, but that was it. For those who have never had the some events in the Olympics. Is the Whoever pulled the disc for Canada privilege or honor to compete at Olympics really that important for us? could really put some wicked angle on Worlds, it is quite an event. It is If it is such a far off and unrealistic it. I usually caught it off the bounce. awesome, once you get past the dream and if it is often poorly viewed, All of the months of training paid where-is-the-spirit-in-North-America do we really want to play in it? off. Our cardiac style of offense is discussion. This, by the way, is --Todd Demetriades so stressful to watch and sometimes a mandatory discussion, and the
Day 1 v Sweden 15-12 v Canada 10-17 Day 2 v Great Britain 17-12 v Ireland 17-1 Day 3 v Netherlands 17-1 Day 4 v Latvia 17-5 v Japan 10-16 Day 5 v Italy 17-2 v Australia 17-12 Day 6 v Canada 8-17 (semis) v Japan 16-10 (3/4 game)
WOMEN’S DIV
Day 1 v Netherlands 17-1 v USA 17-10 Day 2 v Sweden 17-4 v Latvia 17-1 Day 3 v Great Britain 17-8 v Ireland 17-1 Day 4 v Finland 17-9 Day 5 v Australia 16-8 v Italy 17-10 Day 6 v USA 17-8 (semis) Day 7 v Finland 17-13 (final)
MASTERS DIV
Day 1 v Germany 17-12 v Japan 17-9 Day 2 v Sweden 17-9 v Canada 13-14 Day 3 v Netherlands 17-3 v Australia 17-5 Day 4 v Great Britain 15-12 v Finland 17-14 Day 5 v Russia 17-5 Day 6 v Great Britain 17-13 (semis) v Canada 17-10 (final)
MASTERS DIV
Day 1 v Netherlands 17-3 v Great Britain 17-12 Day 2 v Finland 17-10 v USA 14-13 Day 3 v Russia 17-4 v Sweden 15-13 Day 4 v Japan 17-8 v Australia 17-6 Day 5 v Germany 17-9 Day 6 v Sweden 17-13 (semis) v USA 10-17 (final) FALL 2004
21
JUNIOR OPEN
Day 1 v Russia 17-3 v Switzerland 17-1 Day 2 v Great Britain 17-4 v South Africa 17-2 Day 3 v Canada 16-15 v Australia 17-4 Day 4 v Sweden 17-5 v Japan 17-3 Day 5 v Finland 17-4 v Germany 17-7 Day 6 v Finland 17-9 (semis) v Canada 17-9 (final)
JUNIOR OPEN
Day 1 v Finland 17-3 v Sweden 17-4 Day 2 v Switzerland 17-2 v Russia 17-1 Day 3 v USA 15-16 v Great Britain 17-4 Day 4 v Japan 17-2 v Germany 17-4 Day 5 v Australia 17-2 v South Africa 17-5 Day 6 v Germany 17-10 (semis) v USA 9-17 (final)
JUNIOR WOMEN Day 1 v Sweden 17-2 v Great Britain 17-0 Day 2 v Canada 15-11 Day 3 v Japan 17-6 Day 4 v Finland 17-1 v Australia 17-3 Day 5 v Sweden 17-3 (semis) Day 6 v Canada 8-17 (final)
JUNIOR WOMEN Day 1 v Great Britain 17-0 Day 2 v USA 11-15 v Japan 17-7 Day 3 v Finland 17-5 Day 4 v Australia 16-8 v Sweden 17-3 Day 5 v Great Britain 17-1 v Japan 17-8 (semis) Day 6 v USA 17-8 (final) 22
ULTIMATE NEWS
Day Three: Training Camp
We are coming together as a team, and it’s starting to show on the field. Today was more skills practice and learning the offenses we will be throwing at our competition, including a stack/flow and a spread offense. To really get these under our belt, we did a lot of scrimmaging. Every scrimmage was more and more intense: turnovers were decreasing, huge layout bids and more importantly D’s were picking up, and our timing improved. By the end of the day, there was an excitement in the air. A feeling of “We are Team USA.” The exhaustion of yesterday was missing because now we are getting excited. A team meeting followed dinner. This meeting was exciting because we got our jerseys. For those of you that know, just think about: your entire Ultimate career, you have wanted the chance to hold that coveted jersey. To see USA on the chest and know its made for you. We are almost ready…
Day Five: First Day of Competition
Well, both the junior boys and girls teams had dominating days. The boys beat Russia 17-3 and Switzerland 171 while incredibly having only one turnover; the girls dispatched Great Britain 17-0. We also found out that the bussing/playing field system isn’t the easiest thing to master, as we searched for about a half hour for our first field and were about to play on a sand/grass parking lot behind a random housing complex in Eastern Europe, probably Finland. We ended the day of play feeling positive as we went to dinner. Dinner was served on the third level of a stadium overlooking the Sweden vs. Canada juniors game (our two strongest rivals). A small side note: this was the only game that we were told not to watch so that we wouldn’t focus on our opponents, but our uncontrollable draw gave our team a great view of an exciting game. Soon
Junior Open
after dinner some of us went to watch the end of the junior girls game as others returned to the hotel, and we all finished our day by going to bed after many games of poker.
Day Seven: Facing Canada
Today was the big showdown: us versus Canada. Both teams were extremely excited to have some more equal competition, as both teams had not given more than four points in a game. The first point set the tone of the game—emotional, hard-fought and good spirited. The US team ended up taking half 9-6 after playing much more confident Frisbee. In the second half, the Canadians ramped up their game and scored four straight to pull ahead. Then after trading points, the US team earned a break at 14-14 to have double game point (capped to 16). Canada scored once again, but our team had an error-free point to win the game 16-15. After the game, both teams held high the intensity and spirit of the game. The second game of the day was against Australia. After a warm up directly in front of the GUTS competition, we had a fun-filled game against the spirited Aussies. The game ended with a score of 17-3 and gave us time for dinner before trade night. Trade night was a blast with our coach, Tiina Booth, leading the charge in trading Amherst High School gear across the world.
Day Ten: The Finals
Today was the day we had all been waiting for – semifinals and the finals. We woke up excited as our team had slowly been coming together, and we wanted to make our last day playing together one where we walked away with the gold. But first we played Finland, a team that we had beaten handily the day before. Because of this earlier victory and our anticipation of a rematch against Canada, we did not come out with our best game, and Finland matched points with us
throughout the first half. We took half 9-8 in a very close game. Halftime calmed us down as we came out with much more intensity and allowed only one point in the second half to take the game 17-9.
After the game we were informed that our final was moved two hours later and into the Veritas Stadium. This stadium was the place we had dreamed we would be playing, and due to the poor condition of our formerly assigned field, we got our wish. But before our anticipated rematch, we had a five-hour wait during which we watched other semifinal games and unfortunately the loss of the junior girls team to Canada in their final. During this wait we tried to stay out of the sun and to keep calm about our game for the World Championship. When game time came, our team was surprisingly relaxed considering the venue and value of the game. We came out hard with incredible defensive intensity and a quick strike offensive mentality that the Canadians were unable to handle. We took half 9-3. Early in the second half, Canada made a mini-run, scoring two in row. Immediately following this run, Canada threw zone as we went upwind. I think this point really put Canada under as we threw about sixty passes upwind to score, deflating the Canadian team. We had the game under control and ended up winning on a greatest play by Eldon Creer. That whole night we were ecstatic about our victory and still did not even understand how much of an accomplishment it really is. Some of us moseyed to the party that night but were too tired to stay long, and we went to bed feeling like we had done something incredible. --Jacob Goldstein
Junior Women
What an amazing week it has been! Our team has come so far since playing the blanket name game in Amherst during training camp. I now feel like I know all 17 of these girls and all four of the coaches so well, yet only a week and a half has passed. Though I know I will have the opportunity to play with or against almost all of the girls in the near future, as the bus pulled out, I sensed the ending of something so wonderful, and I just about choked back a tear or two. Every hug I gave and received was so full of emotion; it’s amazing how our common talent and passion brought such a diverse and interesting group of girls together and produced strong friendships. On March 31 when the team list was posted on the UPA website, I never expected to have those names turn into a team in every sense of the word. I never expected to experience the highest level of Ultimate on the junior level I have ever known. I never expected to grow so much as a player from just 12 days of Ultimate with those names. I never expected to feel the loss I know will ensue when I go back to my high school Ultimate team. I can’t wait to play with everyone again, and I already miss the vibrant atmosphere that seems to follow the teams wherever they go. It’s late, so goodnight and kiitos Team USA!
--Rohre Titcomb
ELDON CREER Age:18, Freshman at Berry College Hometown: Duluth, GA Current and previous teams: Paideia, Berry College Titles: National Champion 2002, Georgia State Champion 2004, World Champion 2004. I may be forgetting something. Why do you play? The people and my love for sports. How did you start? I was lucky enough to go to a school where Ultimate reigned supreme. How do you train? I stay in good shape by playing other sports (basketball, tennis) and trying to throw whenever there is someone to throw with. Do you have any pre-game rituals? Mike Baccarini was a firm believer in visualization, but I like to remind myself that games are supposed to be fun. What are your hobbies besides Ultimate? Hanging with friends, eating, playing basketball, trying new sports. Who’s your Ultimate role model? Jason Simpson What was the most memorable moment at Worlds? Throwing the Greatest on the final point of the championship game, and all of the sick players I got to play with. Does anyone else in your family play? My family hardly knows the game; they are basketball people. What are your hopes for the future of the sport? ESPN, SportsCenter Highlights, X-Games or Olympics.
This issue’s PLAYER PROFILES focus on two Ultimate players who competed with the US Junior Worlds teams.
ROHRE TITCOMB Age: 16, High School Senior Hometown: Seattle, WA College plans: I’m still looking around, but Brown and Harvard are both extremely attractive at this point... Current and previous teams: SCDS Whirling Dervish, SCDS Spin Doctors, the Hotchkiss Naugahyde, Andover Hotchkiss. I’ve also played on the Venezuelan national team for a game or two at the World Disc Games, as well as other European teams during the summers. Titles: Ultimate-wise, the teams I’ve been part of have won a bunch of Spirit of the Game titles; one year we won the NMH B pool tournament and the Hotchkiss tournament. Why do you play? I play Ultimate because it combines the intellectual, the physical, and the artistic; Ultimate is still extremely competitive, but not at Spirit’s expense. How did you start? Back in 5th grade, my brother Xtehn started playing with Mary Lowry after school, and I joined in along with my two other brothers and dad; my sister soon followed. We all got into it and learned from each other and Mary. Disc sports turned into a family activity that brings all of us together. In fact, my three older brothers were in Portugal representing the U.S. at BULA Worlds and took home the gold! How do you train? I carry a disc with me just about wherever I go. When I run, I bring one with me and practice throwing it to myself and jumping to catch it; I throw around outside in free periods with other kids on the Ultimate team, and when I’m around my siblings, we often end up talking Ultimate strategy, so training for Ultimate is a daily thing that just sort of happens. Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions? Not really...I’m not superstitious, but I try to get everyone around me excited by spooning for example, or wearing funky clothes. What are your hobbies besides Ultimate? I love other disc sports (Golf, Distance, Freestyle, etc), but I also enjoy skiing, snowboarding, traveling, learning new languages, reading, and jewelry making. Who’s your Ultimate role model? I have quite a few, but the most prominent are Mary Lowry and Vida Towne. What was the most memorable moment at Worlds? After the finals we gathered with the Canadian team, and in our circle we talked about how amazing the level of play that we had all experienced that week was. The bar had just been raised for all juniors across the world. I looked around at the other players and was so impressed because the best 36 players our age in the world were standing there, with their arms around each other. What are your hopes for the future of the sport? In my application to prep school in eighth grade I wrote the following: “This year the U.S. Junior Women’s National Ultimate team won Worlds in Germany. My dream is to make that team and help them win again.” I have realized half of that dream and am content, but I would also like to see the sport grow without losing the element of Spirit of the Game. I would be ecstatic if Ultimate made it to the Olympics in my lifetime. SUMMER FALL 2004
23
Review: ULTIMATE TECHNIQUES & TACTICS by Dan ‘Stork’ Roddick By a rough count on my shelf, this may be about the 20th book that has been written with disc play of one sort or another as its principal topic. Of course, we started in 1972 with Goldy Norton’s The Official Frisbee Handbook. Since then, we’ve had several general introductions to play. The next level of coverage got more specific and gave somewhat detailed instructions on how to play the various games. Then in 1982, Irv Kalb and Tom Kennedy gave us the first book that really focused on one disc game in great detail, Ultimate Fundamentals. That book was a significant breakthrough in terms of depth of coverage. Then, of course, we began to have some more specialized videos and DVDs that reached this more specialized level of coverage. However, amazingly, about 20 years passed until we got another detailed treatment of Ultimate. Last year, James Studarus did a nice job of updating the Ultimate Fundamentals book.
topics like throwing, cutting, catching, handling, and defense are presented, but each topic contains some gems of insight beyond the basics that are really helpful. Actually, I think these chapters will also be very interesting to spectators of the game, not just those who play it. Looks like an ideal gift for Ultimate parents and spouses. You owe them some help when everyone else on the sideline starts shouting, “It’s the clam! It’s the clam!”
Beyond that however, there also are some unexpected features to the And now, another very significant book on Ultimate is added to our book. Part III is a very interesting section that discusses how to build a discography as James Parinella and Eric “Zaz” Zaslow have written Ul- successful team. Included is discussion of such things as the role of offtimate Techniques & Tactics. From a historical the-field players and implications of the team’s standpoint, one of the most significant things social structure. It’s good stuff. “One of the most sigabout this new issue is that it is published by Human Kinetics, the leading publisher in You’ll also find that Ultimate Techniques & nificant things about this the sports and fitness field. I can remember Tactics handles Spirt of the Game very well. new issue is that it is visiting their booth at many national physical Though the goal of the book is to help the published by Human Kineteducation shows over the years and looking at reader play winning Ultimate, the authors the impressive library of offerings that they often mention the underlying spirit that makes ics, the leading publisher made available on more conventional sports. Ultimate unique. They also had an interesting in the sports and fitness When I mentioned disc sports, they always solution to the challenge of how to handle field....We’re finally on showed some interest, but we never really got the male/female conventions in their writing. any steam going in a project because Human Players on offense are always male, and the the shelf with the big Kinetics wasn’t convinced that we were here defenders are female. It works a lot better than dogs! It’s a full-sized 8.5” to stay. Obviously, our history must have overthe invented “s/he.” by 11” volume with 195 come that resistance. We’re finally on the shelf with the big dogs! It’s a full-sized 8.5” by 11” So, in short, if you are interested in playing pages.” volume with 195 pages. The cover features any level of competent Ultimate, you must a really cool action picture taken by Scobel make this book your own. For this parWiggins. Inside are lots of black and white ticular book, you can do that in several ways. photos, mostly by Tom Roberts. You can order the title from Human Kinetics directly for $19.95 at www.HumanKinetics.com. They also have offices in England, Australia Jim and Zaz are certainly the team to write such a book. They bring and New Zealand. And, of course, you can find it and the Studarus a ton of competitive Ultimate experience to bear, and their depth of book through such disc resellers as Wrightlife.com or Dtworld.com. If knowledge is obvious in every paragraph of the text. Both writers have you want to go mainstream, you can pick it up through Amazon.com or their roots in Boston Ultimate, having played for Death or Glory (DoG) BarnesandNoble.com. It’s been hanging on at about #5000 in the Amaand won many National and World Championships. They’ve also made zon sales ranking since its release. other far-ranging contributions, including teaching and team building. Both Jim and Zaz have served the Ultimate Players Association: Jim Now, of course, I believe that any disc player should support disc play was a board member from 1998 to 2003 and was the board president publishing efforts, no matter what their discipline. There are a good from 2000 through 2001; Zaz is currently on the UPA board. many of us these days, and we need to bring our economic clout to bear. Show Human Kinetics that they were right about Ultimate. The coverage of the book is impressive without being overwhelming. By that I mean that the writing should keep the attention of relatively --Stork inexperienced players even though it is quite detailed. All the essential 24
ULTIMATE NEWS
INNOVATION
Grants
In May of this year, the UPA awarded Innovation Grants to eight projects focused on the growth and development of Ultimate in North America. The following are updates on the progress of a few of these projects: Ultimate introduced at Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games
Missoula Youth Ultimate Program
Ultimate Blue: High School Ultimate Club
On July 24th, 15 Canadian Ultimate players introduced Ultimate at the Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games (MISG). Held in the northern community of the Pas/Opaskwayak Cree Nation, the games drew approximately 1,500 athletes and recreation directors. Young athletes dropped by the Ultimate clinic wearing their provincial championship game medals. Some stayed long enough to learn a few new Ultimate throws, some participated in the scrimmage and many watched Ultimate from the sidelines with their families while holding their new UPA discs! A top representative of provincial funding, Sport Manitoba also watched the demo game and now wants to meet with Manitoba Ultimate representatives and the Manitoba Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Council this autumn to discuss the potential creation of northern Ultimate outreach programs by next summer. Working with two different city programs, Ryan Applegate ran several Ultimate workshops over the summer, all targeted at exposing younger players to the sport of Ultimate. Three half-day workshops were run through the Missoula Flagship program and were attended by sixth through eighth graders from three Missoula middle schools. Four other sessions were run through the ‘Kids in Action’ program. The joint effort with city programs was a great success, and both programs have expressed ongoing interest in an ongoing relationship with the sport! Matt Krehbiel is working with students in the high school where he teaches to develop an Ultimate club. Matt has the following to report: Following our Junction City high school club and activity fair, I have 120 names of students who are interested in playing Ultimate. I had done some deliberate public relations to spread the word, but I was absolutely bowled over by the positive response. I know that many of them will end up having conflicts with other activities and won’t be able to attend regularly, but again, I was simply overwhelmed with the response. Having the 2003 College Championships playing on a DVD next to my sign-up table was a big draw.
If you are interested in applying for a 2005 grant, or would like to volunteer as a member of the Innovation Grant Committee, please visit the UPA website at www.upa.org/grants www.upa.org/grants. The mission of the Ultimate Innovation Grant Program is 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 and excellence.
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WOMEN’S
Ultimate:
get involved with your local college women’s team
EXPERIENCED FEMALE ULTIMATE PLAYERS: This is a guide to help you understand why it’s so important for you to support your local college women’s team. Support can range from buying a disc to coaching (see below). Any type of involvement goes a long way. Experienced male Ultimate players are more than welcome to support college women’s teams in similar fashion, however I target females because to beginning female college players, attaining the skill level of an experienced female player can often seem like a more realistic goal than attaining that of a male player of equal talent.
Why you should help
Have you ever wondered why there isn’t a competitive women’s club team in your city? Have you ever been to a tournament that’s hosted 20 men’s teams but only six women’s teams? Have you ever wondered why men’s Ultimate often seems to be of a higher caliber than women’s
Ultimate? (This is more prevalent at the college level than at the club level.) Arguably, it’s because there are more males playing Ultimate than there are females, so men’s teams have a larger pool of participants from which to choose and subsequently retain. Concomitantly, beginning men have a larger group of experienced role models from which to emulate. Thus, a larger participant pool leads to higher quality Ultimate. Illustrated another way, most women’s college teams seem only to have two to three really outstanding players max (the top 10 teams in the country notwithstanding). These talented women will likely graduate near or at the same time, and the caliber bar of the team will almost inevitably slip a notch. Enter post-college experienced players. They can help with a number of things including fundraising, recruiting, or coaching. Any or all of these tasks can help increase the number of female players, elevate the number of experienced role models, and keep the caliber bar stable, if not rising.
your role:
helps the team by:
financial contribution: • buy team merchandise; support team car washes, bake sales, etc.
• •
increases budget (for tournament fees, travel, equipment) reduces time spent fundraising → more time to finish extra-Ultimate activities (homework, employment) → more time to attend practice
advertising / promoting: • help distribute team flyers, help make team ads/posters
• •
advertises in places they might not otherwise be able to increases awareness of the team in the community → more potential for funding from local establishments
attend practice: • participate in drills and scrimmages
• •
shows rookies how drills are supposed to be done elevates the intensity and competitiveness of scrimmages
• • •
enables captains to work on their own game a few times a month gives an objective perspective of team dynamics helps captains pinpoint problem areas
• •
helps team attain highest potential provides a positive, constant role model for team
coach: part time • once a week or twice a month coach: full time • attend most, if not all, practices + most tournaments
How you can help
The table on this page has several ways you can help your local college team. Tasks are listed from least to most time commitment and involvement.
Benefits to you
The activities listed in the table all lead to a single goal: to increase the participation of women in Ultimate, which will increase the caliber of women’s Ultimate nationwide and hopefully heighten awareness and respect of the sport in the greater community. If along the way, you get a warm fuzzy feeling from donating your money, time and/or guidance to these budding Ultimate stars, that’s an added bonus. --Michelle Tseng
COM I N G T H I S FA L L . . . . .
Women’s College Kit! Starting and maintaining a new team can be difficult. The UPA is currently creating a kit specifically designed to help new or young women’s college teams get a program started at their school. This new kit will include everything you need to help start a new team and get them through the first season. This kit will include a manual, cones, discs, posters and more!! Please visit www.upa.org for more details or email melanie.byrd@upa.org with questions. 26
ULTIMATE NEWS
Strategy: OFFENSE AGAINST JUNK DEFENSE
Defenses will attempt to disrupt the rhythm of the offense by playing hybrid defenses such as the clam or a zone for a few passes. The first task for the offense is to recognize the defense, communicate “junk!” to one another, and reorganize their structure. These defenses often have several defenders near the disc, so one or more handlers must be prepared to come back all the way to help out. To tell whether the defense is playing the clam or a zone, take a look at what the marker does immediately after the throw. If she stays with the thrower, it’s probably the clam. If she heads toward the thrown disc, it is probably a zone. Patience is of the utmost importance. These defenses attempt to confuse or trick the offense into taking dangerous throws. The thrower might focus on the cutter and the defender originally lined up next to him and not realize that another defender in the clam was about to pick up the cut. The thrower must wait to confirm that the cutter is indeed open. Taking this to an extreme is good, conservative strategy for dealing with junk defenses. The offense decides to minimize the risk of a turnover and accept the disruption of the called play, taking short, conservative passes until the transition. If the defense is a clam, flood the area near the disc with three or even four players, and play catch. When the transition occurs, yell it out and fast-break or run the called play. You might end up with a favorable match-up or two—so exploit them. A more aggressive approach is to try for a yardage-gaining pass beyond the first line of defense before the transition. The offense will then have
more players downfield than the defense does. The handlers have to be willing to hold onto the disc deeper into the stall count to wait for the breaking cut and to keep the pass count down, relying on the other handlers to get open if necessary. Against a clam, one way to penetrate the first line is to flood the strong-side defender with two or three nearsimultaneous cuts. At the level of offensive formations, horizontal or split-stack formations offer a more ready response to a clam, which was created to defend the standard stack.
Recognizing a zone
Several cues, though not foolproof, will often reveal that the defense will be setting up a zone, giving the offense a few extra seconds to get into position. These cues include the following: • The pulling team makes no effort to match up on particular offensive players. • When the pull is in the air, if an offensive player crosses from one side of the field to the other, and no defender crosses with him. • Two or three players will sprint down on the pull to set up as the points and perhaps the middle-middle. • These same players might unscrupulously be off side to get a head start. Don’t be afraid to ask for a repull. At the least remind them before the next point to hold the line. • One or two players barely jog down (because as deeps they won’t be involved in the first few passes). • The puller might deliberately throw the disc out of bounds to set up the zone (although this is just as likely to be a setup for a junk defense). • When an out-of-bounds pull is being walked in, defenders appear to be covering positions instead of players. Ideally, a player on the sideline or uninvolved in the called play should be watching for the zone or for a transition from zone to one-on-one coverage. Cues for such a transition include the following: • One defensive player yells out a code phrase (“Let’s go!”) and others repeat it. • Defenders stay with one offensive player instead of trying to cover an area or a throwing lane. • Defenders turn their backs to the disc to find or cover an offensive player. • The marker making a clumsy effort to foul the thrower, with the transition coming at the first stop in play. (Fouling the thrower is illegal and a violation of the Spirit of the Game.) • The players on the sideline, after initially counting each throw out loud, stop doing so.
From Ultimate Techniques & Tactics by James Parinella and Eric Zaslow. Copyright 2004. Excerpted by permission of Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL. Available now by calling 1-800-747-4457 or visiting www.HumanKinetics.com. $19.95 plus shipping/handling.
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who’s
to
O I T a N
1. from a dislocated right elbow and superstar Andrew Lugsdin’s health is always questionable, but can anybody stop Jeff Cruishank? (NW1) RING OF FIRE: For a change we will over-rank Ring. With a semifinals and a finals appearance in the last two years, you can’t take team lightly. Chris Hinkle, Jared Inselmann, Ray Parrish, and Robbye Brooks will lead this hard-running, mentally-focused team 2. this back to the semis and perhaps beyond. (MA1) CONDORS: The Condors looked good at Worlds with their focus on downfield defense. New additions, including Jaime Arambula and Nichols, give the Condors new weapons. However, they were still unable to break through against Furious George in Finland. 3. Rhett Will they be able to peak again 12 weeks later? (SW1) JAM: With Damien and Idris running their offense, look for them to once again be solid. This team has never been short on receivers, it’s too bad they don’t have more handlers so that Damien can get downfield and show off his versatility. Picking up Ron Kublanza 4. but from DoG will definitely help. (NW2) SOCKEYE: With big name pick ups Alex Nord, Ben Wiggins, and Chase Sparling-Beckley, maybe they can one-up their quarterfinal from 2003. However, with the glut of talent in the Seattle area, they also face the inevitable political fractures that will 5. performance keep them out of the biggest games. (NW3) JOHNNY BRAVO: When will this team win the close ones against the top tier? It doesn’t look good this year after a 2-4 finish at ECC. pick ups Hector Valdivia, Derek Gottlieb, and some of the CU College Championship players make this team young. But it may 6. Solid be a couple of years until they break past the plateau. (SW2) FURIOUS GEORGE: Defending UPA Champion and now World Champion Furious George is looking strong again. Mike Grant is returning
open division open division open division open division open division
GOING
be happy just to get back to quarters. I’m sure they don’t see it that way. Youngster Colin Mahoney will provide this team with some 7. should height, and the heady leadership of Josh McCarthey and Fortunat Mueller will try to lead DoG back to their glory days. (NE1) CHAIN LIGHTNING 8. DOUBLEWIDE: The team from Austin looks to have reached a plateau for this year. With Sean McCall and Skippy Sewell making the 9. plays for Doublewide, look for them to be at much the same level as last year. (S2) PIKE: Pike had a strong Labor Day tourney, missing out on playing in the finals by just a few points. They will give Ring something 10. to think about at Regionals if their game is on and will be a tough third seed on Thursday of the UPA Championships. (MA3) GOAT: If Canada takes a second bid to the UPA Championships, is the “National Championship” argument going to come up again? with Boss Hogg folding and New York getting weaker ever year, look for Greater Ontario and Toronto to beat out Twisted Metal 11. Well, and head south in October. (NE2) KAOS or AXE: With four bids, Kaos and Axe will be battling it out for that last spot. Neither team has done that much and whichever 12. makes it to the UPA championships will be lucky to make it to the play-in game to quarterfinals. (NW4 and 5) MADISON: What has happened to the Central region? Well, they’ll probably get three bids to the UPA Championships, and three teams 13. will finish 12-16. (C1) SUB-ZERO: I guess it’s tough to convince all of the Carleton studs that the Twin Cities is a better place to live than Seattle. (C2) 14.
DEATH or GLORY: With some major restructuring and the loss of many key players including Nathan Wicks and Josh Ziperstein, DoG
: This team may have found what it needed during the off season to get back to the quarters. Getting rid of some internal strife and the emergence of AJ Tiarsmith as one of the best players in the game will help Chain get back in to the quarterfinals. With Jason Simpson, Crawford Shippey, and the return of John “Kid” Hammond (who may have broken his arm at ECC), this team is dangerous to any of the top seven. (S1)
A bunch of teams will be hoping that the other teams in their region got their rosters into to UPA headquarters on time so they can get a trip to Sarasota on the size or growth bids. If any of these teams make it, you’ll probably be able to hang out on the beach with them on Friday night. In no particular order: Gainesville: Talk has Gainesville making a run at a Nationals bid in the Southern region. They’ll surely give Doublewide and Chain a tough time, and given the Regionals format, they could pull off the upset to make the trip across the state to Sarasota. (S3) Electric Pig: The DC team is looking to get back to Sarasota and improve on their 16th place finish last year. It looks like the region will get the third bid. Picking up a little height in Ben Van Heuvelen will help, but will the leadership from Opie O’Connel and Benjamin Cohen be strong enough for them to play games that matter on Friday afternoon? (MA3) BAT: If the Central region pulls out the size or growth wildcard, look for BAT in Sarasota. (C3) PBR: San Diego will once again be gunning for play beyond Regionals and maybe with some of their College Nationals experience will get there if the SW gets the growth bid. (SW3) Sack Lunch: The second tier of teams in the Southwest region has been getting stronger and expanding. The region may get a growth wildcard. If so, Sack Lunch might upset PBR and bring some discs and hoodies to sell in Sarasota. (SW4) Monster: Word on the street is that there is a new LA team that is hoping to challenge for that potential third bid. This team could be strong in the next couple of years. (SW5) Chicago: The Central region is always a toss up for the top four, and Chicago could certainly find themselves at Nationals with or without an extra bid in their region. (C4) LCN: The soldiers have been making a name for themselves with hard-nosed play in the South and will certainly challenge the E-Pig and Pike for the bids from the Mid Atlantic. Look for the Rhett Russ to take the 2001 Callahan award. (MA4) New York: These guys are certainly not what the team from NY was ten years ago, but then again, who is? Look for Daniel Quaranta to make some plays for these guys as they keep their fingers crossed that the Northeast pulls in a size bid. (NE3) 28
ULTIMATE NEWS
S L a ? ON
An anonymous Ultimate sage predicts who’ll make it to the
2004 Club Championships
this year and how the top teams will finish at Regionals.
FURY: The defending UPA champions had a rough time at Worlds but were missing some of their top starts. They rebounded to win a
GODIVA: Will this be the first year in who knows how many that the storied Boston womenʼs team doesnʼt make semis? Theyʼve lost a lot of
the talent they had during the 90ʼs including Molly Goodwin. Godiva picked up 2002 Callahan Winner Pauline Lauterbach to add to their strong roster that includes Shana Cook and two other Callahan winners, Dominique Fontinette (ʼ99) and Johanna Neumann (ʼ00). (NE1) :
NEMESIS: The Chicago women will be battling in the pre-quarters on Friday to earn their spot for Saturday play. Their 2004 results have
Mixed and masters division scouting reports were unavailable at press time. Background photo: Parker Krug of Los D lays out in the final of the 17th annual Lungbuster co-ed tournament in Breckenridge, CO July 17-18. Photo by Liam Doran. FALL 2004
29
women’s division
And then there are the size and growth bids. Hey, it’s much better to be playing in the lower pools on Friday in Sarasota than sitting up in Michigan. If these teams did their jobs participating in their region’s youth development, they may have earned a spot to the UPA Championships. Brute Squad: This young second Boston area team is probably going to have to beat Stella to get that bid to Sarasota because as of this writing it doesn’t look like a third bid is coming to the Northeast. Perhaps with the MIT and Brown talent maturing, they can do it. (NE3) BNOGO: The Mid Atlantic looks like a shoe-in for the size bid this year, and the DC women would love that news so they can make a trip back to the beach. (MA3) Clutch: The Central region has been good at pulling off a third bid most years. Clutch is hoping that the strong high school program in the Twin Cities is continuing to turn out more UPA members. (C3) Lady Condors: After a year off, the Lady Condors are back in action and hoping to take the 2nd or potential 3rd bid from the Southwest region. (SW3) Collide: This team from Canton/Columbus fell one point short of making the trip to Sarasota last year. Perhaps a year of the ache that comes with that loss has driven them to get better. (C4) Homebrood: The second Bay Area team had a Labor Day win against Schwa. If they can repeat it at Regionals at the right time, they will head to Sarasota. (NW5) Strick 9: The Texas girls would love to get back to Florida, but will probably have to beat Strike to do it. Here’s a tip: get some UPA sanctioned high school Ultimate going in Texas, and you’ll have three bids next year. The South is ready for that growth bid. (S3)
women’s division
8. been average, with a tough ECC and some solid wins at Easterns. (C1) OZONE: This team looks quite different from the 2003 team after losing Lori Parham and Katharine Kidd-Shippey, who is taking a year In addition theyʼve jettisoned their coach (which apparently has been good for all parties concerned). Theyʼve still got grit, and 9. off. theyʼll still win the Southern region with Angela Lin and Holly Sommers leading the Atlanta squad. (S1) SAFARI: The San Diego women are going to have to battle against the rebirth of the Lady Condors at Sectionals and Regionals to make 10. it to the Championships. Look for them trying to play in to quarters late Friday afternoon. (SW2) STELLA:The Ottawa women are looking to get back to the UPA Championships. It will be a battle against both Brute Squad and the 11. anti-Canadian factions of the UPA. (NE2) STRIKE: The second Atlanta team is young and getting better. An upset over Ozone wouldnʼt be out of the question. Led by veteran 12. Chris OʼCleary and an athletic supporting cast, Strike could be the surprise team of the 2004 Championship Series. (S2) POUNCE: Pittsburghʼs women will be feeling much more comfortable if the Mid Atlantic region gets a third bid. That will all but insure 13. their spot at the Championships as they look to improve on last yearʼs last place finish. (MA2) BAIT: Another Minneapolis team that wishes they could keep their Carleton College players in the Twin Cities. They are forward though, and have been working on some homegrown talent in their high school league. Look for it to pay off in the next few 14. thinking years. (C2)
women’s division
6. SCHWA With four bids to the show, Portland will have to battle Homebrood to make the trip back to Nationals. If they do make it, will be led by the yin and yang of Chelsea Dengler and Tracey Satterfield, and this team will be a threat to all of the top teams as 7. they demonstrated by their strong Sunday performance at the Colorado Cup, beating Godiva and Rare Air. (NW4)
women’s division
Labor Day tournament. Led by Amy Little, Stacey Schoemehl and loaded with recent Stanford and UC Berkeley stars, look for 1. tough their four-person cup to dominate if it is windy in Sarasota. (NW1) RIOT: Itʼs been windy every other year for the past three down in Sarasota. If it is not so windy, look for the Seattle women to one-up performance from last year. Adding 2004 Callahan Winner Miranda Roth will strengthen this team that already has several stars 2. their including Vida Towne, Vivian Zayas, and Kati Halmos. (NW2) PRIME: The Northwest is a strong region, and the Vancouver women are hungry to bring the UPA championship home like their male Leslie Calder, who is back from a year off, and Anja Haman will lead this gutsy team back to the semis this year. It will 3. counterparts. be tough for them to break through to the finals. (NW3) BACKHOE: The Carolina women (Alias in ʼ03) continue to improve and look like they are ready to make it to the rounds where the like to watch. With Jessie Witt, Melissa Procter and a host of young, fiery talent, look for this team to play big on Saturday of 4. fans Nationals. (MA1) RARE AIR: Rare was disappointed about missing out on quarters last year and have made some changes and added a coach, Scott Gurst. led by Tina McDowell, Melanie Byrd and Allie Boyd, the team from the Rockies has added some USCD and CU talent to their 5. Still roster this year. (SW1)
World Champ
BEACH U l t i m a t e
The U.S. brought home two golds and a silver at the 2004 Beach Ultimate World Championships in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. The Beach Ultimate Lovers Association (BULA) hosted the five-day tournament (August 25-29), with 22 countries participating in four divisions: open, womenʼs, co-ed, and masters. Beach Ultimate is played five on five and has been growing rapidly over the past four years. There are now over 100 beach Ultimate tournaments held each year, including Paganello, a popular tournament held annually in Italy that attracts many top grass Ultimate players. To learn more about beach Ultimate and the World Championships, go to www.beachultimate.org. For information on Paganello, go to www.paganello.com.
Results Open Division 1. USA 2. France 3. Sweden 4. Switzerland 5. Great Britain 6. Germany 7. Columbia 8. Portugal 9. Spain 10. Currier Island 11. Belgium 12. Italy 13. Ireland 14. Finland SOTG: Switzerland
Co-ed Division 1. Germany 2. Great Britain 3. Austria 4. USA 5. Belgium 6. Australia 7. Brazil 8. WestEast Indies 9. Columbia 10. Hungary 11. Canada 12. Scotland 13. Spain 14. Portugal SOTG: Canada
Women’s Division 1. USA 2. Germany 3. France 4. Baltics 5. Great Britain SOTG: Baltics
Master’s Division 1. Austria 2. USA 3. Germany 4. France 5. Great Britain SOTG: Germany
30
ULTIMATE NEWS
pionships
Photos & artwork courtesy of BULA.
Magic Bus Forty adventurous souls spent two weeks traveling from the World Ultimate & Guts Championships in Finland to the World Beach Ultimate Championships in Portugal aboard a luxury coach hired by the Beach Ultimate Lovers Association (BULA). The Magic Bus itinerary included stops in Stockholm, Munich, Vienna, Innsbruck, the Auvergne Mountains, Barcelona, and Madrid...with plenty of time to eat, drink, and play disc of course!
The U.S. women’s beach Ultimate team celebrates winning the world title at the 2004 Beach Ultimate World Championships.
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