USA Ultimate Magazine: 2009 Summer by USA Ultimate

COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP • EASTERNS & WESTERNS COVERAGE • STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

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U LT I M AT E P L AY E R S A S S O C I AT I O N — S U M M E R 2 0 0 9

Ultimate Players Association 4730 Table Mesa Dr., Suite I-200C Boulder, CO 80305

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Carleton College’s Jerome Potter and Colorado’s Dan Gruber look to the observer for confirmation of Carleton’s second UPA College Championship.

Ultimate Players Association 4730 Table Mesa Dr. Suite I-200C Boulder, CO 80305 303.447.3472 www.upa.org info@upa.org President Peri Kurshan Board of Directors Gwen Ambler William Bartram Mandy Eckhoff Seth Grossinger Peri Kurshan David Lionetti Doug McLaughlin Mike Payne Joshua Seamon John Terry Henry Thorne Kyle Weisbrod UPA Staff Matthew Bourland, Championship Series Manager Melanie Byrd, Membership & Sport Development Will Deaver, Championships Director Byron Hicks, Championship Series Manager Anna Schott, Membership & Sport Development Meredith Tosta, Youth Development Director

The Ultimate Players Association (UPA) serves as the national governing body for the sport of Ultimate in the U.S. The UPA is a player run, not-forprofit organization based in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Founded in 1979, the UPA is the largest organization for the sport of Ultimate in the world. USA Ultimate USA Ultimate is the official publication of the Ultimate Players Association, published quarterly. All ideas expressed in USA Ultimate are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the UPA. USA Ultimate assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Editor Sandie Hammerly Copy Editor Rich Coker Advertising Complete rates and specs are available online at www.upa.org/ sponsors Change of Address USA Ultimate is not forwarded by the post office. To update your address, visit www.upa. org/members For a complete list of UPA contacts, please visit www.upa.org

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contents V 29. 2

President's Column

Changes to UPA Board selection process

Call for Candidates UPA Board of Directors

High School Eastern Girls Championship Recap High School Eastern Open Championship Recap State High School Championship Results High School Western Girls Championship Recap High School Westerns Open Championship Recap College Open Championship Recap College Women's Championship Recap What's the Call? Picks

Injury Timeout Chronic Knee Injuries

Q & A with Outgoing Executive Director Sandie Hammerly

Mission Statement

To advance the sport of Ultimate in the United States by enhancing and promoting Character, Community, and Competition. COVER SHOT: Carleton College’s Jerome Potter looks to haul in the championship catch at the 2009 UPA College Championships in Columbus, OH. Photo: Brian Canniff

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P resident ’ s

C olumn BY: Peri Kurshan President, UPA Board of Directors

Recent change in methodology for determining the Board of Directors The two most important attributes of a board of directors are: a) that it is representative of the interests of its constituents, and b) that it is an effective governing body for the organization, shepherding its growth and improvement. In order to best achieve these outcomes, the UPA Board has recently approved a change to the way in which the composition of the Board is determined.

Furthermore, effective governance of our organization relies on having a Board comprised of individuals that bring more than just Ultimate experience and passion to the table. It has become increasing clear to us over the last several years that having Board members with specific areas of expertise (e.g. legal, IT, management, financial, marketing, etc) enables us to govern much more effectively and efficiently.

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The UPA Board has come to the conclusion that the best way to achieve these two aims (becoming more representative and governing more effectively) is to appoint a small number of Board members in order to fill the gaps left by our current, purely electoral system. Many non-profit organizations have boards that are partially or completely appointed rather than elected. Of course, the UPA is a membership organization, and therefore we believe that it is extremely important that the Board of Directors remain a largely elected body, in order to ensure direct accountability to the membership. However, we believe that having a minority of appointed Board members (25%) will serve to fulfill some of the aims outlined above, without dramatically altering the character of our Board and our accountability to the membership.

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With this in mind, and after much discussion and deliberation, the Board decided to make some changes to the current system. Currently, six Board members are regional representatives, elected by their regional members, and six are at-large reps, elected by the membership as a whole. Under the new system, the six regional seats are unchanged, but the at-large seats are divided among three elected members and three appointed members, resulting in a final composition of nine elected and three appointed Board members. This mix ensures that the Board is still made up of a super-majority of elected members. In any given year, two regional reps and one at-large rep will be elected by the membership, while one at-large rep will be appointed by the current Board (this will result in the 9:3 mix being achieved over the course of the next three years). The Board is currently working on determining the best process for making these appointments, one that will ensure the fair and appropriate use of this new system. We are excited about this change in the UPA’s approach to governance, because it preserves our values as a member-driven organization while ensuring that the Board has the right skills and representation to be effective in guiding the ‘next stage’ of growth for the UPA and for Ultimate in the United States.

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There are two ways to think about what makes a board more likely or able to represent the membership. One is the idea that the board should be elected by the membership (and thus accountable to them), and the other is the idea that the board should be made up of a cross-section of membership demographics (however those may be defined). These two goals sometimes come into conflict, such as when the results of an election lead to a board that lacks representation of some constituent group. For example, if no candidates with any youth Ultimate experience run for the board for several years in a row, we could end up with a board that does not adequately represent the interests of youth players/coaches/etc.

BY: 2009 UPA Nominating Committee: Mike Payne, John Terry, Josh Seamon

C A L L

F O R

C A N D I d T A T E S

Become a member of the UPA Board of Directors! If you want to play an important part in shaping Ultimate in the United States — now and in the future — you might be a great candidate for the UPA Board of Directors. The Board is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the management), or long-range planning is a plus. organization achieves its mission: “To advance the sport of Ultimate • Good Organization and Communication Skills – Not only will you in the United States by enhancing and promoting Character, have to communicate with other Board members, but it is Community and Competition.” Joining the Board is the best way important that you also communicate with membership. Good to ensure that areas of Ultimate you are passionate about (e.g., city writing and speaking skills are necessary for the job. leagues, or collegiate women’s Ultimate) are represented when • A Passion for the Sport – Whether you are a player, coach, or spectaimportant decisions are made. We also have a fun time doing it! tor, knowledge of the sport makes it easier to communicate about This October, the UPA will hold elections for THREE members of its the organization. You must be dedicated, and be able to represent Board of Directors - TWO representatives from the Mid-Atlantic and both your own ideas as well as the ideas of the membership you are Southwest as well as ONE At-Large representative. representing. As mentioned in Peri Kurshan’s President’s Letter (see page 2), • Familiarity with non-profit organizations – Because the starting in 2009 one Board member each year will be appointed management of non-profit organizations differs from for-profit rather than elected. This is why only one At-Large representative corporations, any experience with non-profit organizations would will be seated through the election process this year, as opposed be useful, especially in the area of policy reading & writing. to past years when two At-Large seats per year were elected. Beyond the qualifications listed above, there are select ‘types’ of For more details on the UPA’s refined approach to Board seat members that we feel could be better represented on the Board. selection, please refer to Peri’s letter. If you fall into the following categories of membership, we are What type of commitment and responsibilities are especially hopeful that you will consider running: - Current or recent college players or coaches we talking about here? (or college club sports administrators) The focus of the Board is to set policy, determine rules, ensure that - Parents of current or recent youth players the UPA’s Strategic Plan is put into effect, review and approve the - Ultimate ‘alumni’ (players who have played a good deal of UPA annual budget, and represent the membership’s wants and needs. Series Ultimate in the past but are playing much less frequently You will be responsible for attending two in-person weekend or not at all currently) meetings per year: one in January and one in July. These meetings focus on a mix of short-term policy decisions and long-term planning activities. Email and phone, including conference calls, make up the remainder of the communication. You will also be responsible for doing some work outside the meetings as part of task forces designed to address specific issues/ projects (e.g., working with other Board members and headquarters to revise the UPA Communications policies). On the whole, you should expect to spend at least 1-2 hours per week, and maybe more (depending on your ambition!). What type of people are we looking for? We desire that a prospective Board member have some of the following qualifications: • Professional Skills – The UPA is a large, complex, organization that requires skillful oversight to ensure resources are used responsibly on behalf of our members. Because of this, it is helpful for Board members to have some sort of professional experience. Any experience with finance, management (especially meeting facilitation or project

What does the election process entail? You should contact a member of the UPA Board’s Nominating Committee (upa_committee_nominating@upa.org) during July/ early August to discuss your potential candidacy You must submit a Candidate Statement to the Nominating Committee and UPA Headquarters by August 15th for inclusion in the Fall magazine and posting on the UPA website You should campaign during August, September, and October. Balloting will be officially open during the month of October, ending October 31. Final results will be announced in mid-November If all of this interests you and you can commit time over the next three years, we encourage you to check out the Guide for Prospective Board Members on the UPA website at www.upa.org/upa/board for more information or email us at upa_nom_com@upa.org. Furthermore, if you know of someone who would make a good candidate, please let us know! We will be sure to contact them about it. WWW.UPA.ORG

EASTERN GIRLS’ 2 0 0 9 U P A H igh S chool U ltimate C hampionships

RECAP BY: Paul Ratajczak

Unrelenting wind, but pleasant temperatures, greeted eleven girls’ teams from the eastern side of the Mississippi River in Lebanon, OH. Zone was the name of the game on Saturday and all of the girls met the unfavorable conditions head on. After winning Easterns in 2008, the ladies from Paideia looked again to be the dominant force, even though Amherst Varsity was determined to retake this year’s trophy from their rivals. There was a clear divide between the upper echelon of teams, those who have been playing for a number of years, and those whose programs are relatively new. Games seemed to end up as either complete blowouts or nail-biting thrillers. Experience helped win the day, but none of the girls were intimidated and put on an impressive display of tenacious Ultimate.

POOL PLAY Pool A got kicked off with eight seed Woodside taking on nine seed Hampton. Clearly outmatched and overcome by an aggressive zone defense, Woodside trailed 8-0 at half. They did their best to pull things together, but Hampton cruised through the second half winning 15-2. Meanwhile, three seed Andover faced off against six seed Columbia in a long, tough match up. Hard-core defense was prominent and the game went all the way to hard cap where Columbia pulled out the impressive upset 10-4. Columbia carried their momentum into their next game and absolutely annihilated Woodside 15-0. After enjoying their first-round bye, one seed Paideia set to work on Hampton and matched Columbia’s victory with a shutout of their own. Junior Kalli Perano and senior Kenia Kagel ran a focused offensive and showed the competition that Paideia Groove was a force to be reckoned with.

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Undeterred by their loss to Paideia, Hampton took on Andover, determined to pull off another upset. With a helpful Callahan in the first half by Sydney Huerbin, Hampton narrowly defeated Andover 9-8 by the flip of a coin, given that neither team could score upwind. Finally, Paideia resolved to finish pool play quickly against Woodside. And while the wind made things go less than smoothly, Paideia pulled together and won 15-1.

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The first game of Pool B, between four seed Yorktown/HB Woodlawn and eleven seed Oakland Catholic, was somewhat reminiscent of the first game of Pool A. YHB’s zone appeared unstoppable and they overpowered Oakland 13-1. Amherst JV looked to make a strong statement in their first game against L.C. Bird, but the game stayed relatively even until half. Eventually, the JV girls summoned all of their skill and experience and defeated Bird 13-7. Seeking continued success in their second game, YHB went up against a tough Stuyvesant team. Angel Li, #11, created numerous opportunities for the offense and helped put Stuyvesant up by two. YHB tried hard to catch up, but could only trade points at best and fell 8-6. Amherst JV got things moving quickly in their game against Oakland and was up 7-1 at half. Oakland’s Maria Bajzek reenergized her team in the second half and brought the score close. In the end, however, Amherst pulled off another victory 16-9. YHB, somewhat rattled after their tough loss, came out with all guns blazing against L.C. Bird and thrashed them winning 12-0. Amherst Varsity played against Stuyvesant as though no wind existed and routed Sticky Fingers 13-0, thus providing the fourth shutout of the day. With pool play finished for the day and more to come on Sunday, it was clear that Amherst Varsity and Paideia were the teams to beat.

P: MWSPIX.COM Paideia’s Julia Fuster stretches over Amherst’s Claudia Tajima in the first half of the UPA High School Easterns Girls’ final.

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Pool A reconvened the following morning to the joy of more pleasant weather conditions and even more determined teams. Courtesy of India Stubbs and Sophie Darch, Paideia started the day off right with another shutout 15-0 over Columbia. Meanwhile, Andover took on Woodside and proved there’s more than one team from Massachusetts worth paying attention to. Woodside’s Alexis Quatro hucked the disc with precision, but was matched by Andover’s Kayla Walsh and Emily Peterson. Andover earned the win 10-2 and began to ready themselves for quarters. Pool B provided the lowest score of the girls’ division in the match up of Amherst JV and YHB. With Amherst excelling on defense and YHB having a more dominant offense, YHB used their height with more than a few deep puts. A non-stop battle for points saw a final score of YHB 7 - Amherst JV 3. Amherst Varsity, on the other hand, had no problem at all in their game against L.C. Bird. They came out to the fields just a calmly as they had left the night before and secured a spot in quarters with a 13-1 victory. The final pool play game pitted Oakland Catholic against Stuyvesant in a zone D battle. Several points in row, however, gave Stuyvesant the final spot in quarters after their 8-6 win. QUARTERS Paideia’s quarterfinal game against Amherst JV boggled the mind beyond comprehension. Amherst continued to display the fantastic skill that they exhibited throughout the tournament. But this skill was no match for Groove. Sophie Darch constantly amazed in the handler position by picking apart the Hurricane’s cup for easy goals. Paideia won handily, 15-2, and led many to believe that two points was all that a team could score on them. Amherst, however, insisted on one-upping their rivals in their game versus Andover. Afra Danai moved the disc with a killer low release as though her defenders were non-existent. The experience of Amherst clearly outmatched even the best that Andover had to offer and the Hurricanes finished the game with yet another shutout, 15-0.

hucks. The strategy was to no avail, though, and Paideia continued to prove that two was the maximum number of points that could be scored on them with their 15-2 victory. Amherst, unfazed by Paideia’s accomplishment, took on YHB in their semifinal game and held them to zero points until the second half. Handlers Lauren Baecher and Hannah Yee completed throws with surgical accuracy for the Hurricanes. Unfortunately, YHB picked up their intensity a little too late and didn’t have a hope of catching up. Amherst finished the game 15-2 and headed into the finals against their longtime rivals with the clear intention of their dethroning. FINALS The match-up in the finals of Easterns wasn’t much of a surprise. The jaw-dropping skills of Paideia and Amherst showed why, beyond a shadow of a doubt, these two squads of girls deserved to face each other. Both teams executed several shutouts and held every team they played to a miniscule amount of points. Scores aside, the sheer level of play from these ladies was head and shoulders above the rest, and their consistent and unwavering play served as a clear example. No two teams all weekend were more deserving of competing and both squads summoned every ounce of speed, endurance, intensity, and experience in the battle for superiority. Amherst sophomore Hannah Yee exploded out of the gate with a layout D and things went from there. Quick, yet patient, disc movement was evident on both sides and Amherst’s zone surprised Paideia momentarily early in the game. The always impressive Sophie Darch commanded her team and marched down the field in spite of Amherst’s Keri Lambert playing tight D in the cup. Finally, both Paideia and Amherst saw true competition as both teams had to fight for every point. Amherst’s Claudia Tajima merited several Ds, but the precision passing of Paideia proved too much. Senior Rachel Kessler connected in the end zone with Sophie Darch for the game-winning point at 13-7, thus concluding Paideia’s trip to Easterns with winning the team Spirit Award as well as back-toback championships. P: MWSPIX.COM

Both squads appeared cool and self-assured, ready for whatever the second day held in store.

Less wind in the later part of the day allowed Stuyvesant to mix things up in their game against Hampton and throw a man defense. It paid off in the end, despite Hampton’s aggressive style, and the Stuyvesant squad solidified a place for themselves in the semifinals, winning 15-8. Lastly, YHB took on Columbia with each team opting for a different defense. Columbia seemed content with their zone, while YHB transitioned to the man D. Up 8-2 at half, YHB kicked into high gear and emerged victorious, 15-6.

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SEMIS Motivated by their exceptional play all tournament long, Paideia faced off against Stuyvesant in an uncharacteristically sloppy game. Both teams refocused quickly, however, and upped their intensity. Sophie Darch appeared invincible on offense, as usual, and even controlled the cup on D. Down 8-2 at half, Stuyvesant put in their best D line in an attempt to stop the utter assault from Paideia’s handlers, which expanded to include Julia Fuster’s laser-guided

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Columbia’s Maddy Weltchek throws through the acrobatic footblock ATTEMPT of Woodside’s Katherine Diaz.

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2009 U PA Hi g h School Eas ter n Cham pi ons h ips Girls’ Final Standings: 1-T he Paideia School Atlanta, GA 2-A mherst Regional HS Amherst, MA 3T - Yorktown/HB Woodlawn Arlington, VA 3T - S tuyvesant HS New York, NY 5T - A mherst Regional HS JV, Amherst, MA 5T - C olumbia HS Maplewood, NJ 7T - A ndover HS, Andover, MA 7T - H ampton HS, Allison Park, PA 9-L C Bird HS, Chesterfield, VA 10 - O akland Catholic, Pittsburgh, PA

HB Woodlawn/Yorktown’s Kelly Duncan pulls one down against Oakland Catholic.

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Stuyvesant’s Krystal Lau look for an open teammate as Amherst’s Keri Lambert closes in.

11 - W oodside HS, Newport News, VA

2008 High Sc h o o l E asterns Te a m S p i r i t Ranki ngs Girls’ Division: 4.71 - Paideia School 4.17 - Andover HS 4.14 - Stuyvesant HS 4.14 - A mherst Regional HS JV 3.83 - LC Bird HS 3.81 - Amherst Regional HS 3.67 - Columbia HS 3.64 - Oakland Catholic HS 3.60 - Woodside HS 3.50 - Hampton HS 3.43 - Y orktown/ HB Woodlawn HS

EASTERN OPEN 2 0 0 9 U P A H igh S chool U ltimate C hampionships

RECAP BY: Paul Ratajczak

For the second time in three years, Lebanon, OH set the stage for many of the top high school open teams to make a run for the championship. Columbia HS, Amherst Regional HS, Pennsbury HS, and Paideia all came out strong on Saturday eager to prove their dominance. The wind was something fierce on the first day and necessitated a crisp offense. With the wind serving as an equalizer and the return of so many of last year’s teams, upsets would be inevitable. Which, if any, of the top seeds would fall, and which team would orchestrate that defeat? Pool Play Pool A was a bit of a yawner for number one seed Amherst, but the lack of suitable competition didn’t phase the Hurricanes as they played every point with aggression. The final game of pool play, however, did provide a lower seed upset. After falling beneath the sheer force of Amherst’s O and D, thirteen seed Urbana turned things around and crushed twelve seed Red Bank 11-3. Two seed Pennsbury made quick work of all of the teams in the B pool; never allowing more than three points scored against. Many of the guys didn’t even appear to have broken a sweat. The team from Pennsylvania managed this feat without senior Matt Bode, who was sidelined with a knee injury. Another upset came in the second game of pool play where seven seed Woodside faced off against eleven seed Holy Family. Captain Will Teller of Holy Family confided that a tight zone shut down Woodside’s handlers and eventually led to Holy Family emerging victorious 12-9 on an unfinished hard cap point, thus making this the second year in a row that Holy Family has defeated a team four seeds higher. Fourteen seed Ridgefield put up a tough fight in all of their games, but finished the day with a disappointing 0-4.

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With two of the top seeded teams proving why they deserve to win the tournament, Pool C gave a bit of a scare to three seed Paideia Gruel. In a game that looked like a complete blowout on paper, fifteen seed Martinsville held their own against Gruel and stayed within one point for most of the game. A final goal for Paideia during hard cap showed their excellent depth and determination. After their loss to Paideia, Martinsville couldn’t refocus against ten seed

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North Hills. North Hills’ sophomores Pat Earles and Max Thorne put up mind-boggling stats during the game, scoring ten points and throwing nine assists respectively. Meanwhile, Paideia, undoubtedly frustrated by their performance, refocused during their bye and won against Watchung Hills 12-6. Pool D finally saw the dethroning of a top seed. Four seed Columbia HS powered through their first two games against Henry Clay and Needham despite an early Callahan by Needham’s Theo Thompson. Five seed L.C. Bird was also strong in their early games and got a Callahan of their own thanks to Hunter Taylor and brought that intensity to their match up with Columbia. Bird jumped to an early 3-0 lead, and despite Columbia’s best efforts—including numerous layouts—continued to score points. Columbia rallied in the second half, and scored four unanswered. With the game tied at nines, L.C. Bird scored two more to finish what they started. Dominique Gibson provided the final D and assist to add to the day’s list of upsets. Pre-quarters Pre-quarters offered still more upsets as a full day of Ultimate began to take its toll on some of the teams. After defeating a seven seed, Holy Family looked to defeat a six seed in the form of Watchung Hills. Both teams did a fantastic job of moving the disc, but Watchung Hills proved the better of the two teams in the end. Meanwhile, Pat Earles and Max Thorne of North Hills continued to astonish fans and players alike in their game against Woodside and pulled v out the first of the two upsets in pre-quarters. After their loss to L.C. Bird, Columbia came out against Urbana set to become back-to-back champions. While

P: MWSPIX.COM With an athletic layout bid Columbiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jordan Taylor challenges Josh Smith of LC Bird in the pool play 4-5 seed match-up.

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20 0 9 UPA H i g h School East er n C h a m p io n sh ip s Open Final Standings: 1 - Pennsbury HS, Fairless Hills, PA 2 - Amherst Regional HS, Amherst, MA 3T - North Hills HS, Pittsburgh, PA 3T - Paideia School, Atlanta, GA 5T - Columbia HS, Maplewood, NJ 5T - Watchung Hills HS, Waren, NJ 7T - LC Bird HS, Chesterfield, VA 7T - Needham HS, Needham, MA 9 - Holy Family Catholic Home Educators, Cincinnati, OH 10 - Martinsville HS, Martinsville, IN 11T - Woodside HS, Newport News, VA 13T - Red Bank HS, Red Bank, NJ 13T - Stuyvesant HS, New York, NY 15T - Henry Clay HS, Lexington, KY 15T - Urbana HS, Ijamsville, MD

Te a m S pi r i t R an kin g s Open Division: 4.83 - Red Bank HS 4.71 - Stuyvesant HS 4.50 - Watchung Hills HS 4.50 - Amherst Regional HS 4.43 - H oly Family Catholic Home Educators 4.20 - Ridgefield HS 4.17 - Woodside HS

LC Bird’s Dominique Gibson soars above a pack of Columbia defenders to make the catch.

the game was hard-fought by both squads, Columbia emerged victorious. Finally, nine seed Needham’s victory over eight seed Stuyvesant supplied the second upset of prequarters. When Saturday’s games were all said and done, #1 Amherst, #2 Pennsbury, #3 Paideia, #4 Columbia, #5 L.C. Bird, #6 Watchung Hills, #9 Needham, and #10 North Hills remained in contention. While some teams showed visible disappointment after their performance on day one, others came away ecstatic from their play and began mentally preparing for the grueling second day of competition. Quarters With the wind gusting only occasionally instead of the gale of the previous day, Sunday offered better conditions for Ultimate. Determined to improve on last year’s performance, North Hills went up against a resolute L.C. Bird team. Undaunted by Bird’s performance on day one, Earles and Thorne destroyed L.C.’s four-man cup and seemed to be running away with the game. Senior Josh Smith of Bird, however, rallied his team and brought the score within one. It was then North Hills’ turn to rally and put the game away 15-12.

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11T - Ridgefield HS, Ridgefield, CT

4.17 - Needham HS 4.00 - Paideia School 4.00 - Columbia HS 4.00 - Henry Clay HS 3.86 - Urbana HS 3.83 - Pennsbury HS 3.67 - Martinsville HS 3.33 - LC Bird HS 10

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3.00 - North Hills HS

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Amos Adams of Amherst Regional makes a great grab in front of Pennsbury’s John Burger.

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In what was arguably the most intense game of quarters, Paideia and Columbia faced off in a defensive extravaganza. With frequent Ds for both teams, Gruel was able to capitalize while Columbia was not. Paideia began racking up points thanks to the sweet hands of Jericho Barbour only to have the game switch gears and allow Columbia to go on a run. Finally, #3 Chris Kocher ended Columbia’s hopes of two championships in a row with a massive sky and assist. Paideia coach Jason Simpson stated that they managed to work out their kinks from the day before which helped them with their win. While North Hills battled L.C. Bird, a team seeded 5 spots higher, and Paideia clashed with last year’s champion, Columbia, Amherst continued to show why they are consistently one of the best high school open teams. Leading 8-0 at half over Watchung Hills, there appeared no reason not to pick the boys from Massachusetts to win it all. Watchung was clearly outmatched even though Wes Pak and Stephen Silva moved the disc with precision, and Amherst finished the game 15-2.

Undoubtedly the more intense of the two semifinal games, Paideia and Pennsbury took the field in brutal showdown. The level of intensity and heart with which both teams played was jawdropping and the list of amazing plays was practically endless. Paideia’s Joe Reidel and Chris Kocher threw caution to the wind and bid for everything in sight. Pennsbury’s Matt Bode even ignored his knee injury from the day before and gave it his all. Much like in the Amherst/North Hills game, however, things degenerated into a huckfest. But Pennsbury’s patience near the goal line brought them a 15-9 win and earned them a spot in the finals where the one and two seeds would begin their battle to determine the winner of the 2009 Eastern Championships. Finals Looking back over the previous games, the road for Amherst and Pennsbury hadn’t been all that difficult. With pool play a walk in the park, both teams only began to see any real competition in

the quarters and semis. A quietly confident, patient Amherst squad appeared content to do what they had done all weekend; move the disc carefully and exploit the opposition’s weaknesses. Pennsbury also moved the disc well, but they were more apt to throw deep on a whim. In reality, though, the championship game was a grudge match, not only because of the fact that both teams had won Easterns in years past, but for a more personal reason. Pennsbury beat Amherst in the finals of the Amherst Invitational and Amherst beat Pennsbury at Pennsbury’s home tournament. Obviously, winning Easterns would be the deciding factor in the quest for supremacy. Pennsbury started things off with a bang scoring two quick points in a row. Amherst seemed a little stunned at first, but soon settled into their usual rhythm. However, Pennsbury’s superb deep game began to undermine Amherst’s confidence. The Hurricanes tried to match their rivals’ deep game with their own, but couldn’t keep up despite Amherst’s Spencer Diamond running like a madman up and down the field creating opportunities for his handlers and Misha Herscu playing his heart out. Both teams were evenly matched, but Amherst couldn’t close the point gap. Pennsbury’s #15 Dennison Bechis and #19 Isaac Saul helped solidify their lead towards the end of the game. In the end, Pennsbury emerged victorious thus capping the final and most thrilling upset of the tournament, winning 15-11.

P: Julian Summa

Semi-finals With North Hills on a high due to their surprising upsets against several teams and Amherst playing it cool, the semifinals saw the collision of two completely different playing styles. The consistent lessening of the wind also opened up more availability downfield. But while Amherst was patient with the disc and moved methodically down the field, North Hills appeared frantic. While they made Amherst fight for every point, North Hills simply couldn’t stop the Hurricanes. In the second half, the inevitable happened. Down in points and confidence, North Hills began hucking wildly hoping for a miracle. Amherst capitalized on every missed connection and a catch by #9 Misha Herscu off a long huck solidified Amherst’s place in the finals. Final score, Amherst 15, North Hills 3.

Paideia’s Jack Barrow wheels around Mike Auld of Pennsbury to deliver a pass upfield.

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Not to be outdone, however, Pennsbury continuously put up points against Needham HS although Needham did their best to keep the game close. A morale boost for Needham came in the second half when #10 Tyler Chan skied his defender for an amazing grab. But this did not seem to faze Pennsbury, and they ran away with the game winning 15-4. For the record, Needham scored the most points on Pennsbury in their 4 games up to that point.

Isaac Saul of Pennsbury scans the field for an open pass.

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STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

2009 UPA High School STATE Championships

RESULTS

California – April 25th/26th Open – 16 teams 1. Alameda HS, Alameda, CA 2. Castro Valley HS, Castro Valley, CA 3T. South Pasadena, South Pasadena, CA 3T. Thousand Oaks HS, Thousand Oaks, CA Spirit Award: Miramonte HS, Miramonte, CA

Idaho – May 9th Mixed – 9 teams 1. Borah HS, Boise 2. Bishop Kelley HS, Boise 3. Boise HS, Boise 4. Timberline HS, Boise Spirit Award: Timberline HS

Colorado – May 2nd/3rd Mixed – 11 teams 1. Heritage HS, Littleton 2. New Vista HS, Boulder 3. Broomfield HS, Broomfield 4. CIVA Charter School, Colorado Springs Spirit Award: Compass Montessori, Golden

Indiana – June 27th/28th Open 1. Martinsville HS, Martinsville, IN 2. Center Grove HS, Greenwood, IN 3. Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory, Indianapolis, IN 4. Noblesville HS, Noblesville, IN 5. Bloomington HS, Bloomington, IN Spirit Award: Noblesville

Colorado – May 9th/10th Open – 12 teams 1. Denver East HS, Denver 2. Lakewood HS, Lakewood 3T. Boulder HS, Boulder 3T. Colorado Academy, Denver Spirit Award: Bear Creek HS, Lakewood

Kentucky – Date TBD

Georgia – April 22nd Girls – 3 teams 1. The Paideia School, Atlanta 2. Woodward Academy, Atlanta 3. Grady + Heritage, Atlanta Spirit Award: Grady + Heritage

Maryland – May 16th Mixed – 3 teams 1. Magruder HS, Rockville 2. Paint Branch HS, Burtonsville 3. Montgomery Blair HS, Silver Spring Spirit Award: Paint Branch HS

Georgia – April 25th/26th Open – 12 teams 1. The Paideia School, Atlanta 2. Woodward Academy, Atlanta 3. Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe, Fort Oglethorpe, GA 4. Grady HS, Atlanta, GA Spirit Award: Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe

Open – 6 teams 1. Urbana HS, Urbana 2. Mt. Hebron, Ellicott City 3. Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Bethesda 4. Magruder, Rockville Spirit Award: Tuscarora, Frederick

USA

Colorado Girls – Scheduled for Fall 2009

Maine – May 24th Open - 8 teams 1. Greely HS, Cumberland 2. Hyde HS, Bath 3. Deering HS, Portland 4. Brunswick HS, Brunswick Spirit Award: Falmouth HS, Falmouth

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Massachusetts – May 31st Girls – 10 teams 1. Amherst Regional HS, Amherst

2. Longmeadow HS Varsity, Longmeadow 3. Four Rivers Charter School, Greenfield 4. Amherst Girls JV A, Amherst Spirit Award: Longmeadow HS Varsity Open – 41 teams 1. Amherst Regional HS, Amherst 2. Nipmuc RHS, Upton 3. Lincoln-Sudbury HS, Sudbury 4. Macononmet HS, Topsfield Spirit Award: Amherst Regional HS Minnesota – June 6th/7th Girls – 8 teams 1. Cathedral HS, St. Cloud 2. Minneapolis South HS, Minneapolis 3. Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul 4. Eden Prairie, Eden Prairie Spirit Award: Minneapolis South HS Open – 36 teams 1. Hopkins HS, Hopkins 2. Minneapolis South HS, Minneapolis 3. North St. Paul HS, St. Paul 4. Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul Spirit Award: Orono HS, Orono Missouri – May 2nd/3rd Open – 13 teams 1. DeSmet, St. Louis 2. Priory, St Louis 3. St. Louis University HS, St. Louis 4. Francis Howell Central, St. Peters Spirit Award: Priory New Jersey – May 23rd/24th Girls – 3 teams 1. Columbia HS, Maplewood 2. Watchung Hills HS, Warren 3. Madsion HS, Madison Spirit Award: Watchung Hills HS Open – 16 teams 1. Columbia HS, Maplewood

Tennessee – April 25th/26th Open – 7 teams 1. Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville 2. McCallie HS, Chattanooga 3. University School Nashville 4. Blackman HS, Murfreesboro Spirit Award: McCallie HS

Open – 10 teams 1. Holy Family Catholic, Cincinnati 2. St. Xavier, Cincinnati 3. Kenston, Chagrin Falls 4. Ottawa Hills, Toledo Spirit Award: Olentangy Liberty HS, Columbus Oregon – May 9th Open – 5 teams 1. Churchill HS, Eugene 2. South Eugene HS, Eugene 3. Dallas HS, Dallas 4. Jesuit HS, Portland Spirit Award: Jesuit HS Pennsylvania – May 23rd/24th Girls – 9 teams 1. Lower Merion, Ardmore 2. Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh 3T. Cardinal O’Hara, Springfield 3T. Mt. Lebanon, Pittsburgh Spirit Award: Haverford, Havertown Open – 16 teams 1. Pennsbury, Yardley

NEW JERSEY

Open – 10 teams 1. LC Bird, Chesterfield 2. Yorktown/HB Woodlawn, Arlington 3. Woodside, Newport News 4. WT Woodson, Fairfax Spirit Award: LC Bird JV Washington – April 25th/26th Girls – 7 teams 1. The Northwest School A, Seattle 2. Nathan Hale, Seattle 3. Seattle Academy, Seattle 4. Lakeside, Seattle Spirit Award: Lakeside Open – 12 teams 1. Lakeside A, Seattle 2. The Northwest School A, Seattle 3. Seattle Academy Varsity, Seattle 4. Nathan Hale, Seattle Spirit Award: Nathan Hale JV Wisconsin – May 30th Open – 8 teams 1. Memorial HS, Madison 2. Madison East HS, Madison 3T. Madison West HS, Madison 3T. Marquette University HS, Milwaukee Spirit Award: Memorial HS B

PENNSYLVANIA P: MAX

Ohio – May 16th/17th Girls – 2 teams 1. Mt. Notre Dame, Cincinnati 2. Ursuline Academy, Cincinnati Spirit Award: Ursuline Academy

Virginia – May 16th/17th Girls – 7 teams 1. Yorktown/HB Woodlawn, Arlington 2. LC Bird, Chesterfield 3. Woodside, Newport News 4. Yorktown/HB Woodlawn JV, Arlington Spirit Award: LC Bird

VIRGINIA

COLORADO MISSOURI

P: BLAKE NOYES

North Carolina – May 2nd/3rd Open – 10 teams 1. Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill 2. Page HS, Greensboro 3. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham 4. Calvary Baptist Day School, Winston-Salem Spirit Award: Jordan HS, Durham

Vermont – May 23rd Open – 8 teams 1. Vermont Commons Varsity, South Burlington 2. Champlain Valley Union, Hinesburg Spirit Award: Spaulding HS, Barre

P: BRANDON WU

New York – May 30th/31st Open – 10 teams 1. Stuyvesant HS, New York 2. John Jay HS, Cross River 3. Brighton HS, Rochester 4. Beacon HS, New York Spirit Award: Fayetteville-Manlius HS, Manlius

P: DAN PAK

2. Haverford, Havertown 3T. North Hills, Pittsburgh 3T. Mount Lebanon, Pittsburgh Spirit Award: F ranklin Regional HS, Pittsburgh

P: PATRICK LUSK

2. Watchung Hills HS, Warren 3T. West Windsor-Plainsboro HS North, Plainsboro 3T. Westfield HS, Westfield Spirit Award: Clifton HS, Clifton

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2 0 0 9 U P A H igh S chool U ltimate C hampionships

WESTERN GIRLS’ RECAP

For the superstitious, thirteen is unlucky. With a registered roster of sixteen, Seattle’s Nathan Hale probably had a sense of foreboding when they arrived at the 2009 UPA High School Western Championship with only thirteen athletes. Despite the fact that Hale had a long history of success at Westerns – champions in 2005 and 2006, semi-finalists in 2007 and 2008 – two very sick players and gale-force winds undoubtedly worried coach Chris Forsberg. This might not be Hale’s lucky year to recapture the Westerns title. Day One of the 2009 Western Championships opened cold and blustery with game time temperatures for the start of the first round at 40 degrees with stiff west wind. Mother Nature’s harsh hand dealt well for the tournament’s lower seeds, however, with four of five matches in the first round resulting in upset wins. Despite great efforts on defense by Alameda’s Marisa Rafter, Natalie Mckee and Anna Paulukonis with seven, five, and three d’s respectively, fifth seed Alameda fell hard to tenth seed Cathedral 6-11. In one point games with no upwind points scored, sixth seed Hopkins squeaked by third seed Minneapolis South and ninth seed Lakeside won over eighth seed Lakewood. 2008 semifinalist Cretin-Derham Hall was the only higher seeded team to survive the round with a win over tournament newcomer Robbinsdale Armstrong. Was the ill-omened first round loss for second seed Nathan Hale against city rival Seattle Academy a portent of things to come? In the second round, the only team with a first round bye, the Northwest School (2008 Champions) took the field and seemingly began to dispel the early myth that a lower seed might be a lucky draw by beating Lakeside 7-5. Playing with lots of heart (including a Callahan by senior Alyssa Carlough), bottom seed Robbinsdale Armstrong came within one point of defeating Nathan Hale. However, additional wins by lower seeds – Lakewood over Hopkins, Alameda over Cretin-Derham, and Cathedral over Seattle Academy seem to reinforce Mother Nature’s need to control the cards. Cathedral’s win included an upwind score resulting from a big D, big huck, and an assist by senior Ali Lanz hitting Grace Belfanz for the score to take half 7-5.

Finally, in round three, Nathan Hale finally began to see the tide turn against the wicked west wind – and the bad luck of having lost the flip - scoring its first upwind point for the final score and a 9-8 win against Alameda in a game that Alameda’s Natalie McKee later recognized as “their most intense and exciting... the wind during the game was probably the worst I’ve played in, in my four years of playing Ultimate.” The Northwest School continued to play strong, beating Lakewood 9-1. A Callahan by senior Devon Thorsell enabled Lakeside to take the win over Minneapolis South, Seattle Academy defeated Robbinsdale, and Cathedral improved to 3 – 0 with a win over Cretin-Derham. In a barn-burner of a game, Nathan Hale’s Amanda Kostic and 2008 Minnesota State Champion Cretin-Derham Hall’s Natalie DePalma went throw for throw, and despite some beautiful left-handed hucks of over 40 yards for a couple of scores, Nathan Hale ended the day with a well-earned 13-10 win and a 3-1 record for the day. Seattle Academy and Lakeside also ended the day 3 – 1. Two teams ended the day undefeated –Northwest School (3-0), as expected, and surprise ten seed Cathedral (4-0), including its first round upset of the thirteen star-crossed athletes of Nathan Hale. Sunshine and light winds welcomed the teams on Day Two of the 2009 High School Western Championships. As pool play concluded in the A Pool, Northwest School remained undefeated. Lakeside took second at 3-1. A three way tie at 1-3 went to point-differential, with Minneapolis South (+4) moving on to the championships bracket over Hopkins (0) and Lakewood (-4).

USA

A focused Simone Barley-Greenfield of Seattle Academy throws around Nathan Hale’s Katie Fellows in the teams’ Sunday rematch.In an upset win the day before, seven seed Seattle Academy took the pool play match against two seed Nathan Hale.

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

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P: DAN STEDMAN

P: Perry Nacionales

20 0 9 UPA H i g h School WES t e r n C h a m p ion sh ip s Girls’ Final Standings: 1 - Nathan Hale HS, Seattle, WA 2 - Northwest School, Seattle, WA 3T - Cathedral HS, St Cloud, MN 3T - Seattle Academy, Seattle, WA 5T - Alameda Community Learning Ctr, Alameda, CA 5T - Hopkins HS, Minnetonka, MN 7T - Lakeside HS, Seattle, WA 7T - Minneapolis South HS, Minneapolis, MN 9 - Cretin-Derham Hall, St Paul, MN 10 - Lakewood HS, Lakewood, CO 11 - Robbinsdale Armstrong HS, Plymouth, MN

Callie Mah of Nathan Hale makes a mid-air adjustment to snag the disc over Maddie Hudek of Hopkins.

The number thirteen took on a more positive twist for Nathan Hale as they won Pool B with a 13-3 win over previously undefeated Cathedral. “We just played outstanding starting the day,” Nathan Hale Coach Chris Forsberg stated, “After our opening round loss Saturday morning we did what we had to do to win our pool.” The remaining quarterfinal spots from Pool B went to Cathedral (4-1), Seattle Academy (3-2), and California’s Alameda (2-3).

Te a m S pi r i t R an kin g s Girls’ Division: 4.50 - Lakewood HS

As the quarterfinals began, it appeared likely – at least statistically – that Seattle teams would again take the field for the championship match. Of the eight teams, half hailed from the Emerald City, three from Minnesota, and one from California. Within the mix was the upset-minded Lakeside and Cathedral, both of whom had come into the quarters with only one loss despite entering pool play as nine and ten seeds respectively. Only Seattle Academy entered the quarters with fewer players than Nathan Hale, and it was anyone’s guess how much of a toll the tough conditions of the prior day had taken on all of the teams, much less the already banged-up Nathan Hale.

4.43 - A lameda Community Learning Center 4.43 - Robbinsdale Armstrong HS 4.29 - Cretin-Derham Hall 4.17 - Minneapolis South HS 4.00 - Cathedral HS 4.00 - Seattle Academy 3.86 - Northwest School 3.33 - Lakeside HS 3.31 - Nathan Hale HS

P: BOBBY BAKER

3.00 - Hopkins HS

At least one Seattle and one Minnesota team were destined not to see the finals as Cathedral faced Minneapolis South and Seattle Academy faced Lakeside in two of the four matches. Despite a hard fought first half between the two Seattle squads, Seattle Academy took half 8-5, and with the help of a strong zone O cruised to the win 15-6. Despite the loss to a hometown rival, Lakeside’s MacKenzie Ruoff expressed support for the opportunity to compete at Westerns in addition to her state championships, “Competing at Westerns is always a blast because you get to play against new teams. It is nice to play against teams you know well because you know what to expect, but its always exciting to see what tricks a team from a different region has.” The quarterfinal match between Minneapolis South and Cathedral was the fourth between the two Minnesota squads. Minneapolis South won the first by a point, and Cathedral dominated the next two, 13-7 and 13-5. Racing out to an 8-3 halftime lead, it again looked like Cathedral would take it to South – until South roared back to within two at 12-10. “We changed our mentality after falling behind,” South’s Frieda Manthei said, “ we didn’t pay attention to the score, we just played as hard as we could and had fun.” Cathedral’s Ali Lanz got her team back on track with a big throw, which Kari Neutlzing tracked down and then threw to Cami Nelson for the score. While South scored the next two, Cathedral finally pulled out the win 15-13.

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Anna Reed launches to make the grab against Minneapolis South.

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

Fortunately, for Nathan Hale, its semifinal matched them against one of the two teams in the tournament with fewer players on the roster than they did: Seattle Academy with twelve. With memories of the first round upset of Hale by SA still fresh in everyone’s memory, the game started out with what appeared to be a classic battle. The teams traded off the first eight points of the game to make it 4-4. Nathan Hale battled on to take half 8-5. They then dominated the second half to take the 15-7 victory and a spot in the final. On the other side of the bracket, Northwest took an early 7-4 lead, but Cathedral countered with a three-point run to tie it at seven. Northwest countered with a four-point run of its own to make it 117. Cathedral closed to within three at 11-8 and 12-9 but could get no closer. An Anna Reed and Julia Snyder give-and-go down the sideline closed out the game 15-10. The final came down to the one and two seeds – Seattle’s Northwest School and Nathan Hale. The two teams’ roads to the finals had been remarkably different and before the match began it appeared the advantage definitely rested with Northwest. A squad of almost twenty for Northwest faced a mere thirteen for Hale. Four games to hard cap during pool play for Hale (a tough loss and a number of very close wins) against the mostly dominant victories for Northwest. Based on the line-up of pools in the eleven team event, Northwest had played 6 games thus far in the weekend; Hale seven. And more importantly, unforgotten losses by Hale to Northwest earlier in the season: once during league play 11-10 where Hale had a larger squad (with a number of players who were not at Westerns), and more recently at the Washington State Championships 10-4.

injuries, including members of Hale’s already beleaguered squad. Nonetheless, Hale scored again to take the half 8-3. After a quick halftime, Northwest switched to man defense and Hale appeared to start running out of gas. Northwest scored three of the next four points. Soon it was 11-7 with less than ten minutes to hard cap, then 11-9 with less than three minutes to hard cap. Some tough D caused a Nathan Hale turnover and Northwest swiftly moved the disc up the field and scored just before the hard cap. Despite some good chances, some near misses, some forced looks, even a chance or two in the endzone, Hale could not punch in the winner against the tough Northwest defense. With its typical perseverance, Northwest managed to tie the championship 11-11. After getting turned back twice from victory on D’s by Northwest’s Lindsey Miller and Carey Hert, Hale got the disc one more time. Senior Rachel Karpelowitz threw to the end zone, and the disc was tipped by defender Michaela Fallon. On a full layout dive, freshman Naima Antolin grabbed the disc and the victory for Nathan Hale at 12-11. “I didn’t know I was in the end zone,” Antolin said, “My goodness, I’m so happy.” According to senior standout Callie Mah (who has only been playing Ultimate for a little over a year), “It was a great match-up, and well played by both teams.” And it looks like thirteen is not so unlucky after all. P: Perry Nacionales

In the remaining quarterfinal matches, the Northwest School and Nathan Hale posted dominant wins over Alameda and Hopkins, setting up the two semifinal contests: The Northwest School vs Cathedral and Nathan Hale vs Seattle Academy. It now appeared likely a team from Seattle would again bring home the title, but would it be one of the early favorites?

Hale showed early success with solid movement and good throws by its offense against a tricky and shifting Northwest zone. Hale took a 4-0 lead, then 6-1. At 7-3, three different players went down with

P: Perry Nacionales P: Perry Nacionales

Minneapolis South Spirit winner Brenna Kruse delivers the smooth backhand against Hopkins.

Alameda’s Marisa Rafter reaches over for the disc

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2 0 0 9 U P A H igh S chool U ltimate C hampionships

WESTERN OPEN RECAP

BY: Matthew Spillum

High School Westerns 2009 opened under perhaps less-than-perfect conditions for ultimate. Slate gray skies, 25 mph winds, and temperatures in the 40s had more than a few people casting rueful glances at the date on their cell phones. Could this really be May? Welcome to the northern plains, my friends. Since the high school championships split into Easterns and Westerns in 2005, the powerhouse schools at Westerns have been the polished squads of the Pacific Northwest. The defending champion Lakeside School, three-time champion Northwest School, South Eugene, Churchill, Nathan Hale, Seattle Academy, Roosevelt all hail from Washington and Oregon. Joining that contingent was Alameda Community Learning Center (Oakland, CA), Fayetteville (Fayetteville, AR), East Wichita (Wichita, KS), and six Minnesota teams (Cathedral, Cretin-Derham Hall, Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Minneapolis South and White Bear Lake). Would any of them be able to break the Northwest lock on the championship? In more favorable conditions than Saturday had to offer, the more polished, athletic teams might have had an opportunity to display what Hopkins coach Louis Abramowski called the current “state of youth Ultimate: using defense to set up good field position and going early and often to the long game.” But the cold, potent winds whipping over the National Sports Center fields would change all that. Success on that day would require a different brand of Ultimate, predicated on possession, opportunism, and endurance. Pool Play Wichita coach Steve Maack, before the first game, hoped that his team’s experience playing on the plains might give them an edge: “Well, being from Kansas… we hate [the wind], but we’re used to it.” In most cases, the weather was less an equalizer than an opponent. Teams with more wind experience still found it difficult to move the disc into gusts that topped twenty mph. The main effect was that teams that relied on the long game and athleticism remained frustrated at their inability to showcase their abilities. Despite the wind, the first round of the day produced no real upsets. Long points with many turnovers and very few upwind breaks were the order of the day.

USA

The second round, however, showed that playing in the wind regularly could pay dividends, with Minneapolis South matched up against first-overall seed Lakeside School. The defending champions had to this point in the season, “lived and died by the huck,”

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

according to coach Jeremy Cram. But the powerful throws of #3 Justin Norden and #96 Julian Childs-Walker were not enough in the wind. The Squall, on the other hand, seemed energized by it; after all, it’s right there in the name. In the second half, South got a Callahan from #22 Ben Schmit to go up 10-7. Though Lakeside applied more pressure, time became yet another factor to contend with. As the champs worked the disc into the wind, the hard cap sounded, rendering their final upwind break score moot as they fell (10-9). The weather was beginning to wear down some of the throwers by this point. The sheer length of points, with every round going to hard cap, exacted quite a toll on some teams. Other matches of the round went more according to script, and, while there were some close games, no other surprises arose. The third round opened with the afternoon sun breaking through the clouds. The winds also seemed to ebb a bit. Minneapolis South continued their strong play, as their familiarity with the Midwestern weather continued to pay off in a close (13-11) upset of Churchill. Wichita, playing Nathan Hale for a spot in the pre-quarters, also finally capitalized on their experience in the wind, coming back to draw level at fives. After a long, turnover-laden sequence tied the teams at sevens, hard cap on, Wichita finally found the end zone and victory (8-7). The final thriller of the round saw Cathedral down 8-3 at half, with Seattle Academy looking to cruise to the win. Cathedral made adjustments, however, and had a shot at three straight after half following a Seattle turnover. Seattle’s #9 Simon Montague managed to get the layout D but landed awkwardly. After a visit from the trainer, an ambulance was called for what would turn out to be a separated shoulder. Unfortunately for Cathedral’s comeback hopes, the wait took the game past hard cap. Seattle would take the game in bittersweet fashion (8-5). The last round of pool play held few surprises. Minneapolis South prevailed over White Bear Lake (12-8) to take Pool A. Other games

P: DAN STeDMAN

Asa Gotlieb of Hopkins gets this one in the ongoing marquee match-up with South Eugeneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dylan Freechild.

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P: PERRY NACIONALES Ever-determined to make the play, Lakeside’s Julian Childs-Walker saves the errant throw.

of the round saw the Northwest School and Hopkins winning their pools and earning their spots in the quarters, while Roosevelt, Cretin, Lakeside, Alameda, Churchill and South Eugene rounded out the pre-quarters field. Pre-Quarters With the wind continuing to flag, the pre-quarters were far more like what we had all been expecting. The long game became a factor upwind, and many of the teams looked eager to stretch the field. Gone were the 10-9 games won at the cap. Roosevelt found their groove early in their game against Alameda, and, while the Oakland side would give what they had, Roosevelt took out their day’s frustrations on them to prevail (12-5). South Eugene would continue the trend in their game against Cretin, moving the disc against the weakening wind for a crucial break at 3-1. The two teams traded down wind for a few, but Cretin seemed to tire as the half wore on, and a few more upwind breaks put the game out of reach (15-5). Cathedral and Churchill played out very similarly, with Cathedral taking the all-important upwind goal on a sweet inside-out backhand from #1 Andy May to #22 Coady Mahowald. While Churchill worked the disc well, their possessions were plagued by turnovers at critical moments. Cathedral’s opportunism won out, and they cruised into the quarters (14-4). The last pre-quarter game was a novel meeting of the one and sixteen seeds. Lakeside School faced East Wichita in the ultimate test of the wind as leveler. But Lakeside was quick to squash any nascent thoughts of an upset, coming out strong to a 5-1 lead, and cruising to their Sunday meeting with Hopkins (15-6). Quarters In stark contrast to Saturday, Sunday dawned bright and considerably less windy. The race to take home the trophy was down to South Eugene, Seattle Academy, Cathedral, Lakeside, The Northwest School, Minneapolis South, Roosevelt, and Hopkins. One side of the championship bracket consisted of the top four seeds as a shake-out of Saturday’s upsets, while the other bracket held the eleventh and twelfth seeded party-crashers, Roosevelt and Minneapolis South.

USA

One of the best things about the growth of youth Ultimate is the opportunity for the sport to attract really excellent athletes. Westerns had its share of top-flight players. Such talents as Roosevelt’s Matt

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

Rehder and South Eugene’s Dylan Freechild already played significant roles on top-level club teams. Other players, like Minneapolis South’s Ben Schmit, Northwest’s Cooper Schumacher and Wichita’s Dan Overholt seemed to be the engine that drove their teams. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the top two seeds, Hopkins and Lakeside, had such a glut of top players. Lakeside’s Justin Norden, Chris Pigott and Julian Childs-Walker were a force in every game, while Hopkins got outstanding contributions up and down its roster, particularly from Robbie Shapiro, Asa Gotlieb, Simon Gottlieb, Michael Tradewell and Colin Camp. Saturday’s weather kept most of these players from showing off their true potential, and Sunday, they looked to shine. The match between South Eugene and Minneapolis South had an eerie familiarity to the Oregonians. South Eugene had been the similarly low-seeded Monroe’s first Sunday victim on the way to their 2008 Finals appearance, and, as Dylan Freechild put it, “one thing we are not looking to do is lose again in the quarters.” The game began close, with South Eugene suffering a huge blow when Aaron Honn went down early with an ankle sprain. After the teams traded points for most of the game, Eugene’s athleticism proved to be the difference, and they advanced (15-11). The Northwest School was obviously in no mood to squander its chances against Cathedral. Both teams opened the game with huge hucks for scores. However, Northwest’s superior disc handling and depth would prove too much, with Northwest’s #39 Khalif El-Salaam getting a hand block Callahan to take half 8-2. In the end, Northwest would cruise comfortably to advance (15-5). With Seattle Academy missing Simon Montague, and Roosevelt’s strong, athletic game having a chance to shine, this looked like trouble for SAAS. The game began with both teams flexing their deep looks. Even without Montague, SAAS looked strong, and the teams stayed close all first half, which Roosevelt took (8-7). After the break, Seattle came out more focused, pulling ahead 12-10. Roosevelt brought it to 12-11, just in time for the cap to go on. SAAS kept Universe point at bay, however, with #10 John Raynolds hitting #3 Peter Bender for the win (13-11). Noting that “they were going to have to play Hopkins at some point,” Lakeside coach Jeremy Cram hoped his team would utilize the lessons learned the previous day about the short possession game, while bearing in mind that “the long game looks to be better today.” The game began with both teams putting up huge throws and strong match-up D. A Callahan by Hopkins’ #2 Simon Gottlieb put Hopkins up 4-3. Lakeside answered by moving to their short game to pull ahead (6-5). With the game tied at sevens, a Lakeside drop gave Hopkins the disc, and Robbie Shapiro found Simon Gottlieb for the score to take half. The run continued after half, and by the time Lakeside scored again, it was 11-8. For the defending champs though, the Hopkins run proved too much to come back from, and the Minnesotans advanced (15-12). SEMIFINALS Continuing gorgeous weather for the semifinals saw Seattle Academy facing South Eugene. Both squads traded points back and forth for most of the game, with excellent disc movement alternating with uncharacteristic drops and turnovers. Down 6-5, however, Eugene rattled off three straight to take a long half (8-6). As time wound down in the second half, both teams struggled to hold the edge. The soft cap went on at 9-8, Eugene, and another long point ensued, taking the game to the hard cap where Eugene ended the issue on a Vigil to Freechild score (10-8).

P: dan stedman The Northwest School’s Olin Olmstead comes down with the disc against Cathedral.

Hopkins and The Northwest School met in the other semifinal. All tournament, Hopkins had used their depth to wear out opponents and their impressive disc skills to shred defenses. The Northwest School was probably the only other team that had similar depth. The calmer day had both sides gunning long. A short run of big defensive plays and long throws (many of both by Shapiro) put Hopkins up at half. Much as in the quarters, Hopkins would continue to surge afterwards, with Shapiro finding targets downfield twice to make it 10-5. Northwest struck back with two quick scores, and Shapiro’s arm seemed to have lost some of its zip. At this point, Hopkins began to slow the pace of the game, calling both of its timeouts as the round wound down. The hard cap passed during the second of them, and despite scoring the final point, Northwest fell to Hopkins (14-12).

FINALS Hopkins’ Asa Gotlieb mentioned that they hadn’t “really played against World’s caliber players much this season.” After two thrilling games to the wire against some of the best teams in youth ultimate, they certainly had. On the other side of the match, South Eugene had climbed to the finals without a coach and with one of the shortest rosters at the tournament. Still, they were just as used to success at Westerns, having finished in the top half for three straight years, and, led by the savvy play of Dylan Freechild, they were not about to back down to anyone. The game started with still more of the long game, though both sides set up their hucks well with strong flow on offense. The teams traded points until a long Hopkins throw overshot its mark, and South Eugene flowed up field to get the first break 6-5. However, if there is one thing that Sunday had shown, it was that one woke up Hopkins near halftime at one’s peril. Three straight points gave Hopkins the lead at half, and one more after pushed the lead to 9-6. This run seemed like it might be enough, but all over the field, the Axemen kept running and gunning. Big throws, big D and ridiculous catches were the rule. Still, the long weekend had to be wearing on Eugene. In the end, Hopkins went back to the well, with Shapiro finding Asa Gotlieb for the winning score to take the 2009 Westerns Championships. All weekend long, Hopkins was a machine, never seeming to be bothered by Saturday’s wind, and rising to the challenge of top team after top team on Sunday. Robbie Shapiro, who played out of his head all day Sunday, perhaps summed it up when he said, “We set our goal and our truck never stopped rolling.” Through weather changes, worldclass opponents and the pressure of playing in front of a huge home crowd, Hopkins never did stop rolling.

P: Peri Nacionales

Charlie Wilson-Moses of South Eugene attempts to make Cretin-Derham Hall’s Carlos Lopez’ PANCAKE Catch more difficult.

2009 U PA High Sc h o o l We ste rn Cham p ions h ips Open Final Standings: 1-H opkins HS, Minnetonka, MN 2 - S outh Eugene HS, Eugene, OR 3T - Northwest School, Seattle, WA 3T - Seattle Academy, Seattle, WA 5T - Lakeside HS, Seattle, WA 5T - M inneapolis South HS, Minneapolis, MN 7T - Cathedral HS, St. Cloud, MN 7T - Roosevelt HS, Seattle, WA 9-C hurchill HS, Eugene, OR 10 - A lameda Community Learning Ctr, Alameda, CA 11T - E den Prairie HS, Eden Prairie, MN 11T - C retin-Derham Hall, St Paul, MN 13T - F ayetteville HS, Fayetteville, AR 13T - Nathan Hale HS, Seattle, WA 15T - Wichita East HS, Wichita, KS 15T - W hite Bear Lake HS, White Bear Lake, MN

Te am Spirit Rank ings Open Division: 5.0 - E den Prairie HS 4.83 - R oosevelt HS 4.83 - W ichita East HS 4.60 - S eattle Academy 4.43 - A lameda Community Learning Ctr 4.40 - F ayetteville HS 4.40 - M inneapolis South HS 4.40 - W hite Bear Lake HS 4.16 - C athedral HS 4.16 - L akeside HS 4.10 - N athan Hale HS 4.08 - C retin-Derham Hall 3.92 - H opkins HS 3.83 - S outh Eugene HS 3.80 - N orthwest School 3.29 - C hurchill HS

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P: Andrew Davis

With the championship on the line, Kristie Bowen of California-Santa Barbara and Nora Carr of Washington both vie for the disc.

P: Andrew Davis Chris McCarty of Stanford robs Wisconsinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Adam Drews in the quarterfinals.

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P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

USA

Callahan winner Will Neff proves his worth with a tide-turning D in Michigan’s pre-quarters comeback victory.

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

OPEN RECAP BY: Chris Spittal

The 2009 UPA College Championships ended a year of change for college Ultimate. Talk of a new competitive structure in the fall led to a new spin on the 2009 Championships. Growing the field of competitors to 20 teams required a new format and an extra day of competition, and an experimental rules vote offered a different take, albeit temporary, on how some calls were made. While some old traditions may be changing, looking back on the weekend, the teams and players brought the same intensity and played at the level of competition that has always made the College Championships the best tournament of the year.

Under the new format, teams played just two pool play games on each of the first two days, and the Pre-Quarters were played in the last round on Saturday. Two games a day may sound like a great format, and it was generally well received by the teams who traveled to Columbus, but it definitely forced teams to change they way they approached the weekend.

“The format with a lot of byes did change the way we approached the tournament,” said California captain Choongil Fleischman, who added his team struggled a bit rebounding from longer layoffs. “We were able to call tighter lines, (but) in general I think it favors teams who are smaller and less deep.”

P: BRIAN CANNIFF

“The new format transformed the Championships from a tournament into an event,” said Pittsburgh captain Nick Kaczmarek, adding that by stretching out pool play over two days, coaches were able to scout teams and players were able to recover/stay fresh for later matchups. “These benefits made it possible for games to be tests of skill, strategy, athleticism, and willpower.”

Take a team like the University of California Santa Barbara, who played back to back games in pool play, but didn’t step on the field until 3:15 p.m. Or look at Stanford, who woke up early on Friday for a first round game at 8:30 a.m. to take on the University of California San Diego, and then waited seven hours before playing Virginia. “I think it really worked to our advantage,” said Stanford captain Ryan Thompson. “We played early in the morning like any other tournament, and we were able to focus our whole team on UCSD in the week leading up to the tournament. After the game, the players left the fields and the coaches stayed, giving us a great advantage by minimizing distractions and allowing us to focus on hydration and our bodies while the coaches worried about our next opponents.” Thompson said Stanford was able to treat the first day of the Championships almost as if it were two different days altogether, which helped him and his teammates be at 100 percent for both match-ups. While most teams were enthusiastic with the new format, some remained skeptical about whether or not it gives some teams an advantage.

Colorado’s Kevin Schipper gets in front of Carleton to chase one down.

Teams like Luther, and to some extent, Texas, were able find success in playing tighter lines, as Luther jumped up to finish third in its pool and Texas played its way into the Semifinals. “It’s great to keep players like Stephen Presley, Matthew Bierschenk and Matt Campbell on the field for longer,” said Texas captain Jeff Loskorn. “It came especially into play in the Quarters. I think our win against Virginia was the product of us being able to outrun and outlast our opponent.” WWW.UPA.ORG

OPEN RECAP P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

2009 COLLEGE

and Ted Phillips, Colorado’s deep game would soon be more than Texas could handle. Presley and Loskorn were able to keep Texas in it with a deep game of their own, but Mamabird seemed to be finding its groove as the first half came to a close. Both teams looked fresh and neither was at a loss for speed, but unforced turns would doom Texas and Colorado came away with a 15-10 win. In the other Semifinal match-up, Carleton College was coming off a nail-biter against Pitt, but rebounded nicely against Stanford. Stanford’s defense could not catch up to Sam Kanner, Grant Lindsley, Chris Kosednar, Jerome Potter and the rest of the Carleton cutters. While the score was close early at 4-3 Carleton, Cut’s D eventually caught up with its offense. Carleton built a nice cushion that Stanford could not overcome and Cut reserved its spot in the Final with a 15-10 win.

Jim Boley of Virginia’s Night Train hauls in the disc despite attempts at derailment by Stanford’s Chris McCarty.

While one can debate all day whether or not the new format gives some teams an advantage over another, most teams focused on how the tournament allowed for each team to bring their best game to each match-up. “We were able to prepare for each individual team at a more detailed level,” Kaczmarek said. “We weren’t waiting until five points in to swap match-ups and change defenses. We brought a specific defensive and offensive game plan into each game, with planned changes in defense, match-up changes, and coverage shifts.” Stanford’s Thompson said the format still allowed deeper teams to rotate in defensive specialists, offensive weapons, and tailor their subbing to specific situations, while teams with tighter rotations still left their studs out on the field. This, he added, allowed teams to show their true colors. “I think that the format allows teams to play their best in every game,” he said, noting the number of close games at this year’s Championships. “Especially in previous years, some teams might have folded in the second half to rest up for the next game. But with so much time, there was always incentive to fight back and grab a win.” Just under one-fourth of the games in pool play were decided by two points or less, and four others were decided on universe point. In addition to providing some of the best games of the weekend, this showed that regardless of who you were playing, teams had to bring their A-game and be ready for a fight every time they set foot on the field.

While the Final gave the fans the 1 vs. 2 match-up everyone had been hoping for, Carleton was a team on a mission as a season full of expectations would soon be realized. CUT looked like the team that was outrunning their opponents all weekend (except for one near stumble), as they jumped out to a surprising 7-0 lead. While CUT came out of the gate and connected on a huge right hook, Colorado looked like a stunned fighter that could not slug back. After taking half 8-2, all Carleton had to do was hold on. Colorado was able to find its legs a bit in the second half, but at this point, Carleton was just playing smart Ultimate and trying to not let them back in the game. In the end, Kosednar connected with Potter with an easy forehand and a well-deserved 15-11 win. After years of fighting to get back to the top, Carleton finally stood alone as the best team in college Ultimate. “It’s what makes you come to practice, it’s what makes you get on the track, it’s what makes you get in the weight room - but you never quite think about yourself holding up that trophy. It’s pretty incredible,” Kanner said of the win. “Me and Chris have worked them so hard mentally and physically throughout the season, and it really showed (that) whole weekend. The heart and the joy that we have playing with each other really showed. That was really special.” For a tournament that ended with the top two teams squaring off in the Finals and top-seeded Carleton College winning the 2009 College Championship, this year’s tournament had plenty of fireworks. There Hungry for the win, California-San Diego’s Mark Johnston and Minnesota’s David Eddy battle it out late in pool play.

USA

In the Semifinals, Texas and Colorado showed off the depth that allowed them to cruise into the final four. Loskorn led a fired up Texas defense to take the first score, but with Mac Taylor, Zander Padgett

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

P: ANDREW DAVIS

“But this tournament still requires a deep team. This year is the perfect example,” Loskorn said. “All four teams in the Semis do not rely on just a few players. Each team used its entire roster throughout the tournament.”

P: MICHAEL IGNACIO P: MICHAEL IGNACIO Greg Shirbroun shows that 18 seed Luther College is ready to play on the way to their seed-breaking finish.

was 10th seeded Texas winning its pool and taking out a defending champion in Wisconsin before falling just short against Colorado in the Semis. There also was Pittsburgh, the 15th seed who played its way into the Championship Bracket and gave Carleton a big scare in what might have been the game of the tournament. Then there were teams like Minnesota and Luther who claimed two of the last three spots in the field of 20 and showed that they could play with the traditional heavy hitters at the Championships. “Minnesota and Luther both proved that we belonged at this tournament,” said Minnesota captain Russ Taylor. “Coming out of a Region with two perennial top-five teams makes the whole Region tougher, and those teams that manage to battle into those to three or four spots deserve to be at the Championships.” More than anything, expanding to 20 teams and changing the tournament format evolved the 2009 College Championships into the perfect showcase of the parity that we enjoy right now in the college game.

While one may look at the list of teams and argue there were between five and 10 teams with a legitimate shot at the Championship, each team in Columbus was in control of their destiny all weekend and a bigger field produced one of the more exciting UPA College Championships in recent memory.

No Soup for you! Matt Campbell takes the disc in Texas’ upset win over Wisconsin.

P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

“I liked having 20 teams there,” Loskorn said. “There are always good teams that get left out of the Championships, so it was good to see some teams that have been so close actually get out there.”

“It was great to see so many people at the Championships,” Thompson said. “I’d love to make it even bigger.”

Chris Brenenborg of Pittsburgh makes the adjustment to keep the disc up in the nail-biting quarter final against Carleton College.

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2009 COLLEGE

OPEN RECAP

OPEN Final Statistics CARLETON Player

COLORADO Goals

Assists

D’s

TO’s

1 - Ty Thorsen

2 - Grant Lindsley

3 - Rob Bradley

4 - Mike Clark

6 - Adam Fagin

7 - Dan Mammel 9 - Dan Curme

Goals

Assists

D’s

TO’s

4 - Harrison Fast

5 - Marty Freeman

6 - Brian Holligan

7 - David Barnes

10 - Craig Manahan

11 - Evan Padget

13 - Matty Zemel

10 - James Munson

16 - Kevin Schipper

11 - Christian Foster

17 - Jack McShane

12 - Sam Kanner

19 - James Moses

13 - Alex Evangelides

21 - Zander Padget

14 - Robert Carlton

23 - Jared Winegrad

15 - Sam Keller

24 - Brian Clarkson

16 - Hai Ngo

28 - Jackson Kloor

17 - Patrick Roberts

30 - Hylke Snieder

18 - Peter Karian

36 - James Mitchell

19 - Chris Kosednar

40 - Mac Taylor

21 - Adrian Chow

42 - Jonathon White

31 - Ben Sullender

46 - Ted Phillips

44 - Luke Powers

63 - Michael Charrier

46 - Alex Kinsey

65 - Jacob Coate

87 - Jerome Potter

85 - Calvin Delamere

99 - Dan Gruber

Totals

12 Totals

USA

Ken Porter extends to make the play for North Carolina State.

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

P: DAVID SWAYZE

P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

Player

Justin Kaminsky of Kansas makes a ridiculous grab to take half against NC State, 8-7.

2009 UPA COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP Open Final Standings 1 Carleton College 2 Colorado 3T Stanford 3T

Texas

5T Michigan 5T Pittsburgh 5T Virginia 5T Wisconsin 9T Cornell 9T Williams 11T Luther 11T

Tufts

13T California – San Diego 13T Minnesota 15T North Carolina State 17T Illinois 17T Kansas 19T California 19T Georgia

Team Spirit Rankings 5.000 Illinois

P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

15T California – Santa Barbara

freshman Tyler Degirolamo gets up to serve a wake-up call to Erec Hills in Pittburgh’s first round upset of California.

4.833 Michigan 4.833 NC State 4.800 Georgia 4.714 Luther 4.667 Minnesota 4.667 Texas 4.600 California 4.571

Tufts

4.500 Cornell 4.500 Pittsburgh 4.429 California – San Diego 4.429 Williams 4.00 California – Santa Barbara 4.000 Colorado

P: ANDREW DAVIS

4.500 Virginia

4.000 Stanford 3.833 Kansas 3.833 Wisconsin

Colorado players bring it in during the final of the UPA College Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

3.143 Carleton College WWW.UPA.ORG

P: BRIAN CANNIFF

USA

Pennsylvania’s Octavia Payne hauls in the game winner against North Carolina in the first of the 20 seed’s upset victories on its way to the quarter finals.

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

WOMEN’S RECAP BY: Michelle Ng

This year’s UPA College Championships featured a new 20-team format, with the Southwest receiving four bids, the Central and Northwest receiving three bids apiece, and each remaining region receiving two bids. With the expanded field and the new four-day format, the College Championships provided one of the best venues for playing and watching some top-tier college women’s Ultimate. The West Coast once again asserted its dominance, with the Northwest Region placing all three teams in Semifinals and the Southwest Region featuring two teams in Quarterfinals. The historically weaker Metro East Region had its strongest showing in years, with two teams breaking into the Quarterfinals. Saint Louis, Iowa State, and Southern California made their first trips to the College Championships, and while none broke into the championship bracket, each laid an important foundation for future program success. Washington University, UNC-Wilmington, Pennsylvania, and Illinois all made return trips to the College Championships for the first time in their current players’ tenures, re-establishing themselves among the best in their respective regions. The College Championships are always special because they are where many 5th year players say farewell to college Ultimate and where many young superstars are born in the throes of a thrilling bracket play game. All but one team’s season ends in disappointment, and months of practices, track workouts, and intense physical and emotional commitment culminate in the biggest weekend in college Ultimate. For every player whose season ends in triumph, there are dozens of other players whose seasons end in heartbreak. The College Championships are also the last time these groups of players will take the field together, making for an emotionally charged weekend in which everyone leaves it all on the field before it’s time to say goodbye. With the 2009 college season in the record books, we take a look at some of the biggest stories of Memorial Day weekend. We reflect on the underdogs, the champions, the players, and the teams that left their mark on Columbus, OH this year. We begin with one of the most inspiring stories of the weekend: Pennsylvania, who came into the tournament seeded dead last with zero experience against any of the other teams at the College Championships. It had been over ten years since Venus last qualified for the Championships and with 15 freshmen on their roster this year, perhaps not even Venus themselves expected the team to qualify, let alone finish the weekend as a Quarterfinalist.

Venus had one of the most unstoppable thrower-receiver connections at the tournament, with Raha Mozaffari putting up beautiful hucks to Whitney Viets at every opportunity. Both Mozaffari and Viets brought valuable club experience from Philadelphia-based mixed team AMP, and their confidence and field leadership did wonders for the young Venus team. Mozaffari’s arsenal of throws and incredible poise made her one of the best offensive players at the tournament and Viets was nearly unstoppable downfield, providing a consistent deep option for Venus. Under the tutelage of coach Mark Stachowski, Penn had a season of steady improvement and was peaking at exactly the right time. After opening up with a win over UNC-Chapel Hill, a Day 2 win over Iowa State allowed Penn to take 3rd in their pool and earned them a pre-quarters matchup against perennial College Championships Qualifier Carleton Syzygy. Syzygy had captured second in Pool A after beating 8th seed UNC-Wilmington 15-11, and led by captains Becca Sheridan and Julia Busiek, Syzygy seemed poised to break into the Quarterfinals for the third year in a row. The Octavia PayneNicky Bloom matchup featured a number of highlight reel plays, with both players coming down with a number of big grabs and making massive bids. Penn took half 8-7, then rattled off three straight thanks to dominant cutting by Viets. Viets would prove to be the difference in the second half, with Kate Anthony and Mozaffari taking control of the offense, hitting Viets repeatedly for scores. Carleton, sparked by Anna Snyder’s throws and Bloom and Busiek’s tireless cutting downfield, refused to die, but Penn pulled away for the 15-9 win to advance to Quarterfinals, continuing their fairytale weekend. Their Quarterfinals draw was the University of Washington Element, a 2005 College Championships Finalist and a 2008 College Championships Semifinalist. One of the most respected programs in college Ultimate, Element has had extremely successful back-to-back

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2009 COLLEGE

WOMEN’S RECAP

seasons in the face of great adversity. In February 2008, Element lost their captain Sarah Plants to a brain tumor the week their season was set to kick off. Plants was one of the team’s most inspirational players and her passing left Washington and the greater Ultimate community shocked and saddened. Element captain Claire Suver said, “The memory of Sarah Plants definitely helped drive our team to excellence this season… We work hard, but we also play hard. That's certainly a legacy she has left behind, an integral part of the spirit of this team.” In the wake of such a tragedy, Element has played some of their best Ultimate and came into the weekend poised to make a run deep into bracket play. Many felt that this Quarterfinals matchup would be one of the most lopsided of the round, but Penn had other ideas and came out ready to challenge the much more experienced Washington squad on every front. Razzafari, Viets, Payne, and Anthony led the charge for Venus and stuck to the game plan that had worked for them all weekend long: Razzafari and Anthony moving the disc and waiting for deep shots to open up to Viets and Payne. The first half remained close, with both teams trading leads and Penn holding the biggest lead of the half at 6-3, before Element’s trio of Shannon O’Malley, Lindsey Wilson, and Suver led Washington on a run of their own to tie the game at 6s. When Penn took half 8-7, the energy on the Venus sidelines was palpable.

USA

The game remained close throughout the second half and in the end, Washington rattled off the needed breaks to put the game away. Suver’s field leadership and crisp throws held down the Element handling core, while Suver and Wilson played more fluid roles, keeping the disc moving in the backfield, but also tearing up the cutting lanes downfield. With Jillian Goodreau, Laura Holcomb, and Nora Carr adding additional depth as cutters, Penn simply did not have enough gas left in their tank to be able to stop one of the most

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

In the other Quarterfinals matchup on that side of the bracket, Wisconsin Bella Donna faced off against Stanford Superfly. 2008 Callahan Award winner Courtney Kiesow and 2009 Callahan Award winner Georgia Bosscher created opportunities downfield for Bella Donna all weekend long, leading Wisconsin to a key win over Oregon Fugue in pool play and earning the team a bye into Quarterfinals. The matchup against Stanford featured physical play and a number of intense matchups. Sophomores Amber Sinicrope and Emelie McKain held down the handling duties, battling Stanford seniors Jenny Founds and Emily Damon on every possession. Downfield, Wisconsin rookie Sandy Jorgensen was tasked with matching up with Stanford veteran Liz Cassel in the battle of the former varsity track stars, while Kiesow and Bosscher faced off against Krystal Barghelame and Danielle Platt. The game remained close throughout, with each team applying tight marks and an enormous amount of pressure downfield. Superfly went up two breaks late in the game, but Bella Donna refused to give up, with Jorgensen playing huge downfield and Kiesow laying out for a trailing edge score to bring Bella back within one. In the end, Supefly’s top players edged out the 15-13 win to send them to the Semifinals. Cassel, especially, had a dominant run, making plays for Stanford on both sides of the disc. The Stanford-Washington Semifinals game was one of the most exciting games of the weekend, with the teams trading points for nearly the entire game. The hillside overlooking the field was littered with fans and Superfly and Element did not disappoint, putting on a show with athletic plays all over the field. Cassel continued her inspiring run, while O’Malley lit up the field for Washington. TienTien Chan and Holcomb also had fantastic games for Stanford and Washington respectively. Their incredible speed and layout ability

Dartmouth’s Molly Roy steps out to throw around the long mark of Carleton college’s Jess Schueler.

P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

Tina Snodgrass of Oregon sticks the catch over the outstretched arms of her Wisconsin opponent.

P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

talented teams in attendance at the College Championships. The Element roster featured ten players with high school experience, a number of whom have also played on local club teams Riot, Viva, and Shazam. Element is a clear example of the impact youth programs can have on a college team and Washington will be reaping the benefits for years to come.

On the other side of the bracket, Oregon Fugue beat the Ottawa Lady Gee-Gees to earn a spot in Semifinals. Led by Molly Suver, Julia Sherwood, and freshman sensation Bailey Zahniser, Fugue made its second straight trip to the College Championships out of the ultracompetitive Northwest Region. Suver, battling some injuries over the course of the weekend, was a dominant force for Fugue, putting up big hucks and breaking marks with 40-yard hammers. Her gutsy play gave Fugue a great deal of confidence and with Sherwood and Shannon McDowell keeping the disc moving quickly for Oregon, Fugue’s offense was very difficult to contain. Zahniser was by far and away the most impressive freshman at the tournament. Her athleticism and field sense made her a huge contributor, and her play was key to allowing Fugue to knock off Michigan and Ottawa, en route to making the Semifinals. Oregon led comfortably for much of the game against Ottawa, but the game never felt out of reach for the Lady Gee-Gees, as their veteran players were able to bring it to 12-13 late in the game. Anne Mercier, Alex Benedict, and Danielle Fortin led Ottawa to a successful season that included a Semifinals appearance at Pres Day, a tournament win at Women’s College Centex, and wins at both Upstate NY Sectionals and Metro East Regionals. Ottawa featured perhaps the most accomplished team in college women’s Ultimate, with 1 Junior Worlds gold medal, 3 Junior Worlds silver medals, 1 Worlds bronze medal, 10 Canadian women’s gold medals, and 9 Canadian women’s silver medals among their players’ accolades. With a continued supply of juniors players, they will likely be a force in the Metro East for years to come. In the other Quarterfinals matchup, UC-Santa Barbara took care of business against regional rival UCLA in a game that was never in question. Despite solid play from BLU standouts KC Vampola and Adrienne Baker, the Burning Skirts were able to take control early, working to take half 8- and never looking back. The Burning Skirts also came out strong in their Semifinals game against Oregon, though Fugue battled hard and used a number of players on offense. Neither team led by more than two until 13-10, when Fugue's fatigue began to show and the Skirts took full advantage. Suver, Sherwood, and McDowell kept the disc moving well for Oregon and rookie Tina Snodgrass came down with a number of big grabs to keep the game close throughout. UCSB focused on taking away Oregon’s up-the-line cuts and used their plethora of athletic defenders to play tight defense on cutters downfield, forcing Fugue to work the disc up the field with lots of short passes. Carolyn Finney and Kaela Jorgenson connected a number of times to put the game away for the Skirts and UCSB took the game 15-11 to earn its third consecutive College Championships Finals appearance. Following disappointing losses to Stanford and British Columbia in the Finals the past two years, the Skirts were more motivated than

ever coming into this season. Seven of their top players played for the Lady Condors during the club season, allowing the Skirts to gain additional experience. Jorgenson led the charge early for UCSB in the Championship, chalking up five assists in the first half. The game was on serve until 5-4, when UCSB got their first three breaks of the game to take half 8-4. UCSB’s zone-to-man defense was effective at taking away Washington’s deep looks early in the possession. Suver, O’Malley, and Wilson worked the disc up for Element, but small miscues led to opportunities for the Skirts, who were determined not to let another championship slip through their fingers. Washington closed the gap to 8-10, but after a timeout to regroup, UCSB pulled away to a 15-10 victory, earning their first College Championship in almost two decades. P: ANDREW DAVIS

made them favorite targets for their teams’ big throwers. Both teams moved the disc well, utilizing quick dish passes to set up easy break mark throws and big hucks. The athleticism and disc skills of both teams’ top players were incredibly impressive, and in the end, the Suver, O’Malley, and Wilson were able to dig deep and pull out the 15-14 win to send Element to the Finals.

Sophomore Laura Schott gets up for a goal in Wisconsin’s victory over Colorado.

While the Skirts featured a number of talented athletic players, the heart of the team was undoubtedly fifth year player and Callahan nominee Andrea Romano. Two and a half years ago, on the way home from Southwest Club Regionals, Romano was involved in a car accident that claimed the lives of two of her club teammates. Romano and another teammate survived, but the near-death experience has had a lasting impact on Romano, who has battled a number of injuries stemming from the accident. Previously a dominant cutter who was unstoppable in the air, Romano rounded out her game by adding an arsenal of throws and became one of the Skirts’ primary handlers. Romano, fellow 5th year Katie Barry, and captains Jorgenson and Finney, have completely transformed the UC-Santa Barbara program during their time with the Skirts. With the help of coaches Steve Dugan and Jenny Hanscom, they have led the Skirts from being a middle-tier team who had not been to the College Championships in over a decade to a national powerhouse. Finney credited the Skirts’ transformation to supportive alums, great defense, and a lot of hard work. With the return of Jorgenson and Finney, in addition to athletic players Marie Madaras , Briana Cahn, and Emily Bass, the Skirts will be looking to make another run at the title in 2010. Congratulations to the 2009 UPA College Champions, UCSB Burning Skirts! WWW.UPA.ORG

2009 COLLEGE

WOMEN’S RECAP

WOMEN’S Final Statistics USCB Player

WASHINGTON Goals

Assists

D’s

TO’s

1 - Stephanie Karba

2 - Nida Moloukas

3 - Kate Helvestine

4 - Milena Jovanovich

5 - Kaela Jorgenson

6 - Joyce Wang

7 - Arianne Johnson

Goals

Assists

D’s

TO’s

1 - Mara Isaacson

2 - Lindsey Wilson

3 - Leah Fury

4 - Sarah Wilhite

5 - Heather Underwood

6 - Margo Kelly

7 - Jillian Goodreau

9 - Courtney Wilkinson

8 - Alex Mathison

11 - Carolyn Finney

9 - Erica Petru

12 - Kristie Bowen

10 - Kristin Okinaka

13 - Alina Warner

11 - Shannon O’Malley

14 - Marie Madaras

12 - Libby Hsu

15 - Katie Barry

14 - Laura Holcomb

17 - Kaila Kero

15 - Zina Hurd

18 - Shannon Bubb

17 - Katie Paulson

20 - Briana Cahn

19 - Annie Alsheimer

22 - Emily Bass

21 - Maggie Capwell

23 - Genny Cook

25 - Niki Lesniak

24 - Andrea Romano

37 - Jenn Yeom

29 - Erin Mordacai

42 - Roberta Abbott

41 - Rachel Meek

48 - Dorothy Abuan

52 - Jessie Fix

55 - Nora Carr

88 - Claire Suver

Totals

Player

USA

P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

Shannon O’Malley of Washington bids to stop the backhand from CaliforniaSanta Barbara’s Briana Cahn in the Women’s Championship final.

ULTIMATE

2009 UPA COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN’S Final Standings 1 California – Santa Barbara 2 Washington 3T Oregon 3T Stanford 5T Ottawa 5T Pennsylvania 5T UCLA 5T Wisconsin 9T Carleton College 9T Michigan 11T North Carolina 11T North Carolina – Wilmington 13T Dartmouth 13T Saint Louis 15T Colorado 15T Iowa State 17T Northeastern 17T Washington University P: ANDREW DAVIS

19T Illinois 19T Southern California

Team Spirit Rankings 4.833 Southern California 4.667 California – Santa Barbara

Becca Richardson skies Erin Moran in Stanford’s upset quarter final win over Wisconsin.

4.600 Wisconsin 4.500 UCLA 4.286 Michigan 4.286 Stanford 4.167 Pennsylvania 4.167 Washington University 4.143 Dartmouth 4.143 Iowa State 4.143 North Carolina 4.000 Illinois 4.000 Oregon 4.000 Washington 3.667 Northeastern 3.286 Saint Louis 3.143 Carlton College 2.571 North Carolina – Wilmington 2.400 Ottawa

P: DEBRA SKARPA

3.714 Colorado

Victory! Carolyn Finney of California – Santa Barbara makes the winning catch in the Women’s final.

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USA

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ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

men’s jersey

$22

women’s jersey*

$22

unisex shorts

$18

BREAKMARK’S NEW LINE ALLOWS US TO OFFER YOU AND YOUR TEAMS AN AMAZING DEAL: $22 FOR A JERSEY WITH A ONE COLOR LOGO AND A NUMBER ON THE BACK INCLUDING SHIPPING. $44 FOR TWO JERSEYS. SHORTS FOR $18, INCLUDING A NUMBER. THAT’S $62 FOR EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE SHIPPING. ATTENTION CLUB AND COLLEGE TEAMS: CONTACT BREAKMARK NOW TO ENSURE YOU HAVE YOUR GEAR FOR WHEN YOU NEED IT. *not available in all 19 colors

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USA

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009 P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

P: ANDREW DAVIS

P: MICHAEL IGNACIO

P: ANDREW DAVIS

Team USA vS. College Al umni All-Stars May 24, 2009

w h a t ‘ S

t h e

c a l l ?

BY: Peri Kurshan, chair of UPA Standing Rules Committee STANDING RULES COMMITTEE

As players of a self-officiated sport, it is our responsibility to know the rules. This column features answers to your rules questions, and will hopefully clarify some common misconceptions about the rules. To submit rules questions please email them to upa_src_chair@upa.org.

Q A

Can you contest a “pick” call? And if so, what happens?

A pick can be contested just like any other infraction (XVI.B). Grounds for contesting a pick might include that the picked player was not within 3 meters of or was not guarding (II.G) the receiver at the time of the pick. However, unless the defense retracts their call, the outcome is the same (play stops, and the disc must go back to the thrower if the defense believes that the pick affected the play).

Does the disc always go back to the thrower if the pick was called on the person who ended up catching the disc?

No. The disc should go back to the thrower if the picked defender believes that the pick “affected the play” (XVI.C.3; in this case, that it affected their ability to make a defensive play on the pass that could have resulted in an incomplete pass). In many cases, if not most, when the disc is thrown to the receiver whose defender was picked, the defender has a good case to make that the pick affected their ability to make a defensive play on the disc. However in some situations the defender might not have had a chance at making a bid on the disc regardless of being picked - for example if they were already trailing the receiver enough that they know they didn’t have a shot at getting a D. In these situations the defender can still call a pick (provided they are within 3 meters of the receiver), play still stops, and the picked defender is still allowed to recover the relative position lost due to the pick (XVI.I.3), but the disc should remain with the receiver rather than being sent back to the thrower.

After a pick, do you go back to where the pick was or does the defense catch up to where you are?

Actually, neither one is completely cor-

rect. What generally should happen is that first, all players should go back to where they were when the pick was called. (There are two exceptions to this that involve less common situations: if the call was made after the disc was thrown and the disc goes back to the thrower, players go back to where they were at the time of the throw; and if the call was made before/ during the throw and the disc stays with the receiver, players go to where they were when the catch was made. XVI.C.4). Once everyone is repositioned in the appropriate spots, then the picked player is allowed to recover the relative position lost due to the pick (XVI.I.3). In practice what this means is that players will most likely end up somewhere between where the pick happened and where the offense caught the disc, since the receiver is usually farther out in front of the pick when the call is made or when the throw is thrown, but not as far out into the lane as they end up before coming to a stop. Also note that the rule allows picked players only to regain their relative position lost due to the pick. What this means is that if you were trailing your receiver by a few feet before you were picked, that you do not get to set up in front of them, but must set up a few feet behind them, with the same relative distance from them that you had when you were picked.

OPPOSITE PAGE // upper left: Team USA’s Jolian Dahl pleases the crowd with a layout grab. middle left: Seth Wiggins of Team USA looks to advance the disc to Beau Kittredge past the outstretched mark of Pittsburgh alum Robert Dulabon. middle bottom: Gwen Ambler secures the disc for Team USA with a two handed layout grab. upper right: California – San Diego alum Adam Bunn elevates beyond Bart Watson of Team USA for the first goal of the game. bottom right: Team USA’s Cara Crouch surveys the field.

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I N J U R Y

T I M E O U T BY: Jamie Nuwer, MD June Srisethnil, PT, DPT

Chronic Knee Injuries Due to Overuse “My knee hurts when I run but I don’t remember injuring it, twisting it, or falling.” This is one of the most common sports medicine problems we encounter. With further questioning, we often find out that the athlete is doing one or more of the following things: over-training, not strengthening the core and hip muscles, using poor body mechanics, or not listening to the body to let an injury heal. Two common areas where these types of repetitive knee pains occur are at the front of the knee and on the side of the knee. Front-of-the-knee (anterior) knee pain is often patellofemoral syndrome (PFS). It involves the irritation of cartilage, ligaments or soft tissues around or under the knee cap (patella) as shown in Figure 1. The patella moves up and down and side to side every time you bend or straighten your knee. When running, lunging, or jumping, this action is forceful and repetitive. With fatigue, overuse, poor mechanics, or sudden increases in training amounts, the patella’s movements reach a limit and will irritate the cartilage or soft tissues around it, causing sharp or achy pains. Sometimes, there is a painful grinding sensation over the patella. The basic mechanism is irritation and inflammation. Another common complaint is side-of-the-knee (lateral) pain around the lateral femoral condyle, just above the knee joint on the side of the leg (see Figure 1). This is where the iliotibial band (ITB) rubs over the hard surface of the bone every time you bend and straighten your knee, and thus the condition is called “iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS)”. Again, with repetitive forceful contraction Figure 1: Anatomy

of the quads, as with running, lunging, and jumping, the friction and repetition can irritate and inflame the ITB or the surrounding tissues and cause aching, sometimes sharp, lateral knee pain. ACUTE PHASE TREATMENT: The treatment for both conditions in the acute phase (1-3 weeks) involves rest, ice, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen or Naproxen. Occasionally, there is swelling in the irritated areas, but it is not common, so compression is not needed. Rest means backing off from irritating activities such as running, jumping, squats, lunges, pivots, and going down stairs for 2-3 weeks. PREVENTION: Long term prevention and management of recurrent PFS and ITBS includes: 1) Proper acute management of inflammation (not rushing back into sport), 2) Regular quadriceps and hamstring strengthening and stretching (Figure 2),

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3) Iliotibial band self massage on a foam roller (Figure 3), 4) Cross training and replacing high impact activities with low impact activities such as cycling or swimming 5) Strengthening the core and buttock muscles (Figures 4-6) 6) Gradual return to running and jumping activities with good body mechanics (Figure 7). This means not allowing the knee to surpass the foot in lunge positions as well as running, jumping and landing without any side to side movements at the knee. Learning to run and move this way also helps prevent ACL injures.

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Figure 2: Quad and hip flexor combined stretch – Pad the kneeling knee, tuck in the pelvis and l unge forward. Then, hold foot and gently flex knee until moderate stretch. Hold 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.

Figure 3: ITB roller – roll out the ITB and quads, moving slowly from hip to knee and back, 10 times.

Figure 4: Gluteal strengthening exercise #1 – keeping knees wide against the resistance band, do squats and side steps to fatigue gluteal muscles. Stop if painful at knee.

References Dixit S, DiFiori JP, Burton M, Mines B. Management of patellofemoral pain syndrome. Am Fam Physician. 2007 Jan 15;75(2):194-202. Review. Khaund R, Flynn SH. Iliotibial band syndrome: a common source of knee pain. Am Fam Physician. 2005 Apr 15;71(8):1545-50. Prins MR, van der Wurff P. Females with patellofemoral pain syndrome have weak hip muscles: a systematic review. Aust J Physiother. 2009;55(1):9-15. http://www.sports-injury-info.com/acl-preventionstrength.html Figure 6: Gluteal strengthening exercise #3 – Lie down on back, with legs on a gym ball. Bridge the hips up and alternate leg lifts 10 times each. Keep hips level and knees straight.

Figure 5: Gluteal strengthening exercise #2 – Balance on one leg, raise other leg out to the side 20 times and to the back 20 times keeping the spine and pelvis stable.

http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8889350/swissball-intermediate-exercises-fit-ball-inter.htm Thank you to my editors: Dr. Michael Henehan DO and Anna Nazarov

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A Farewell Interview with Outgoing Executive Director, Sandie Hammerly Questions by David Barkan of Barkan Consulting, Ultimate player and UPA Strategic Planning Consultant 1. With your background in non-profit leadership in multiple sports, what had you heard about Ultimate and what attracted you to leading the UPA? While I was at the US Field Hockey Association, I became somewhat familiar with Ultimate due to the fact that both the USFHA and the UPA were active with AmeriCorps’ efforts to reach youth through sports programming. Ultimate’s emphasis on spirit of the game and personal responsibility, the fact that it was NOT played with a stick and/or ball, and its low cost to implement were three of the immediate things that I thought made it attractive as a sport with lots of potential for growth. Since that time I have also come to appreciate the fact that Ultimate is a sport in which players are often “looking up/skyward” while competing, which is unlike many sports such as field hockey and soccer where the athletes’ eyes are generally looking toward the ground (where the ball is). There’s something very compelling about that from a visual and emotional perspective. 2. Talk about some of the reactions to you being an “outsider” when you first came into applying for and getting your job as ED. Being an outsider never really struck me as an issue (although until the day I left I still heard that comment). The UPA Board was looking for someone with the professional experience to improve the business management capabilities of the UPA. That was something I was good at... so it did not worry me. I was concerned that some seemed to think that unless one played Ultimate, he/she could not promote or grow the sport. I thought then, and still think now, that is an incorrect assumption. I think its advantageous to have at least a few people on the UPA staff who are not Ultimate players, who can look objectively at the sport’s strengths (and weaknesses) and make tough decisions, something that’s not always easy when the people you are sometimes making decisions about are also your teammates on the field and friends off the field.

staff sitting in a room and developing ideas, but instead was based on the thoughts of thousands of those who compete at all levels of the sport. The UPA now has a focus for what needs to be done. When new ideas come its way, they can be evaluated against this focus. We also made some great strides in how we communicate the sport and how the outside world recognizes it. For the first time, Ultimate (specifically, the College Championships) was professionally produced and broadcast on television. The finals of the UPA Club Championships were live-streamed on the internet and seen by thousands all over the world. Ultimate became part of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association’s annual survey on sports participation in America and based on this data we could factually state that more people participated than lacrosse and rugby combined. College club sports administrators (NIRSA) recognize Ultimate as one of the “big three” club sports on their campuses. Our internal publications and tools have continued to improve, including our online registration and score reporting systems. Further, I think we have made real progress in developing the skills of those who facilitate and enhance the competitive experience. Primarily, I am thinking of the UPA Coaching Development and observer training programs as well as the UPA’s efforts to create standards for these sport “professionals” in keeping with the Ultimate’s focus on Spirit of the Game. During our strategic planning research, approximately 85% of players (both the general population AND only those who had competed at Club Nationals) felt SOTG was “essential to Ultimate.” As the sport grows and coaches and observers take a stronger role, it is important that those in these pivotal roles be trained to respect/facilitate effective use of this essential component of the sport.

3. What were some of your proudest accomplishments during your tenure? There are a number of things that come to mind:

USA

I think one of the things that I am proudest of is the development of the UPA’s first long range strategic plan. I’ve been involved in this process in a number of different nonprofits and this process was unique in that it was not solely the result of the Board and

ULTIMATE « SUMMER 2009

2004 Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductions: Sandie Hammerly, Robert Rauch, Tom “TK” Kennedy, Kate Bergeron, Steve Mooney

Finally, I think one of my proudest accomplishments is the growth of our financial and staff resources (both professional and volunteer). By the time of my departure, our financial reserves had grown to the point where we could survive an unforeseen event in which we might lose a significant portion of our annual revenue, and/or also use some of our reserves to “speculate’ and introduce new programs and services until a new revenue stream could be found. I cannot say enough to thank the many Ultimate players who have been part of our staff -- Will, Meredith, Melanie, Anna, Matthew, Byron, Val, Kelley, Kyle, Mike and Tim – and our volunteer leadership. While each of them brought their individual talents, it

its long history of doing so. This is not to say that things like pro leagues, participation in the NCAA and state high school athletic associations are not appropriate for the future of Ultimate and that the UPA should not be involved in these discussions. They should be. However, pro leagues are properly organized and developed by professionals with for-profit marketing and sport management expertise. Movement to the NCAA and acceptance as part of State High School Federations will require trade-offs that affect the athlete experience. The UPA can and should play a strong role in helping players to understand the pros and cons of each of these affiliations should the players one day express a strong interest in moving in these directions. 7. What do you see in the next ten years for Ultimate?

UPA headquarters staff: Val Nigro, Anna Schott, Matthew Bourland, Will Deaver, Sandie Hammerly and Harvey, Melanie Byrd, Byron Hicks, Meredith Tosta

is their collective effort that I believe has helped the UPA to run its programs with honor, class and dignity, and therefore maintain its competitive advantage. 4. How about your biggest challenges? Unquestionably the biggest challenge has been getting Ultimate players to overcome their “inferiority complex” that the sport is somehow second class and the fact that sometimes they have to explain it to people. Ultimate players should embrace the opportunity to tell others what is unique and exciting about the sport, and to invite others to come out and participate in a local league and find out what is so compelling about playing. 5. What do you think most Ultimate players should know that they do not? Increased participation is what will make the rest of the world take notice. Soccer is not so compelling to sponsors and media because of HOW it is played – it’s compelling because of how many people play. Telling others about the sport and sharing your passion is the best way to get others involved. 6. Should the UPA try to take Ultimate to new levels of prominence in the sports world - High school athletic association/NCAA/Olympic/Professional? My personal opinion is that the UPA should remain focused on the goals that were established at its inception and reinforced as part of the strategic plan – creating programs and services to enable Ultimate enthusiasts to organize and play amateur Ultimate. Every sport needs this type of organization – and I think the UPA is uniquely and excellently qualified to provide this role based on

There is no question in my mind that participation in the sport will continue to grow. There will continue to be struggles within the community related to the role of Spirit of the Game and selfofficiating. My personal belief is that Spirit of the Game is THE most compelling thing that sets Ultimate apart from other sports and it is not something that can or should be forgotten or discarded. A former UPA board member (who I also consider a good friend) once told me that his biggest concern was that the “spirit fairies” were taking over Ultimate. I think there is just as much pull from the other direction (who call for a totally refereed game), and I hope that the future will find a happy compromise between the two. Ultimate’s integration of athletic skill with personal responsibility and acting with integrity toward your opponents is something that is not taught in any other sport in the same way. If Ultimate loses this, I think it becomes just another sport of many. And I hope it does not do so. 8. What do you see for Sandie Hammerly in the future? For the short term, I am going to practice being “retired” (suspecting that I will probably never do it for real and permanently). I’ve spent an awful lot of my free time for the past 6.5 years working for the UPA, and I’d like to take some time to enjoy the great state of Colorado, and to pursue some of my hobbies and interests, and rekindle relationships with old friends. I’ve promised a former college player from Pitt that I will finally set up a Facebook page with hope that I can not only retain contact with friends and colleagues from Ultimate, but also some of the great folks I met during my days in non-profit philanthropy (United Way), a microelectronics technical society, and of course during my tenure as part of US Field Hockey and the Olympic movement. And, of course, I still plan to dabble in Ultimate. You can’t be where I have been for the past 6.5 years and not have Ultimate become a huge part of who you are and what you care about. Hopefully, I’ll see many of you along the way.

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Improvements to the UPA Hall of Fame Selection Process Announced A committee of long time Ultimate veterans, chaired by Dan “Stork” Roddick and Tom “TK” Kennedy, convened to review and improve the Hall of Fame selection process. Along with TK and Stork, Ann Cohan, Mike O’Dowd, Robert “Nob” Rauch, and Henry Thorne devised the enhanced process, which was approved by the UPA Board of Directors in June. Two enhancements were selected by the Refinement Committee to gather information on the Spirit of the Game (SOTG) for use by Hall of Fame voters: a three point spirit rating provided by the peer group and a call to the community, with private response. These additions will improve the process by providing additional data to the voters and opening the process to allow greater input. Three Point Spirit Rating The three point spirit rating system provides a vehicle for peers to inform HoF voters about the candidate’s SOTG; a measure not reflected in the standard “championships won” dataset. The three point spirit rating, added to the existing process, provides a measurement focused on the player’s demeanor. The Peer group will rate each player on the following scale: 1. The player’s spirit significantly adds to his/her qualifications. 2. T he player’s spirit doesn’t significantly add or detract from his/her qualifications.

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3. The player’s spirit significantly detracts from his/her qualifications. Peers are asked what that rating is based upon: whether it is reflective of consistent behavior evidenced in the “heat of battle”, repeated patterns, reputation, getting to know the player off the field, etc. Call to the Community After the vetting committee has created The Slate of Eight Finalists, they will be announced on the UPA website or in the UPA e-news or equivalent. Thereafter, the community will be invited to review and/or comment on the candidates for consideration by the voting members of the UPA Hall of Fame Committee by sending an e-mail to the selection committee. 2009 Hall of Fame Nomination/Selection Timeline Candidate Procurement: Nominations are due by March 25, and completed applications are due by April 10 of each year (although the deadline for 2009 applications has been moved to July 30th). Peer Review: This will be completed by June 1 (although the deadline for 2009 has been moved to August 31). Selection of finalists: By July 15 (for 2009, the deadline has been moved to September 15). Call to the Community: September 30th, 2009

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Final Voting: October 15th, 2009, with final announcement scheduled for approximately October 26th

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A clinic setting teaches players basic skills, provides an opportunity for them to ask questions and gives them the confidence to join local league and teams. Host a women’s clinic and receive our UPA clinic kit with discs, posters, and much more for FREE! Contact Melanie Byrd at Melanie@hq.upa.org Visit http://www.upa.org/outreach/ womens/clinics for details.

Champ Series Updates

are listed, along with other important information about the Club Series and registration, in the 2009 Club Series Guidelines on the UPA website (linked from www.upa.org/club).

of 3 games. An event meeting all of the criteria earns the host Region a one team allowance toward the anti-wildcard threshold, effectively reducing it to 6 teams for 2009. A Region can only earn one of these allowances per year.

Club Series Roster Limits

Masters Anti-Wildcard Changes

The goal of these changes is to incentivize growth in the division, in order to improve the viability and quality of Masters Division events in the Club Series. Complete details can be found in the “Masters Anti-Wildcard” section of the 2009 Championships Series Guidelines (link available at www.upa.org/club on the UPA website).

By the time you read this, many of you will have your teams set for the fall, others will be going through tryouts still, or maybe you’re still figuring out what your team is going to look like. Whichever group you find yourself in, it’s important to know about the new roster limits for teams planning to compete in the 2009 UPA Club Series this fall. For those of you who didn’t catch the last couple of articles about these new limits, or who just need a reminder, the basics are this: Mixed, Open, and Women’s division teams: 27 player maximum Masters Division teams: 29 player maximum The new limits are one of the actions taken as part of the UPA Strategic Plan, in response to feedback received from the Ultimate community. Anticipated benefits include the following: - Increased number of teams, as large teams release more tryouts that will likely form additional teams. - Increased playing opportunities for individual players, as new teams are formed and build their rosters with players who didn’t have a spot on previously existing teams. - Increased local development, as practicing teams will be compelled to take players who can attend practices rather than padding their tournament rosters with out-of-towners and ballooning their practice rosters with local players. - Increased parity in competition, as powerhouse teams will be less likely to suck up all of the talent in an area. - Improved event quality, as organizers will be better able to plan for maximum participation based on known limits. These limits will go into effect only for the Club Series, starting in 2009. They

Because of its relatively small size compared to the other divisions in the UPA Club Championship Series, the Masters Open Division has fewer bids to the UPA Club Championships and as a result, a different bid allocation system. In the Mixed, Open, and Women’s Divisions, Regions are each allotted two automatic bids and can earn additional bids for strength, size, or growth. In the Masters Open Division, Regions have two bids, but can lose one, an anti-wildcard, if it does not field enough teams at Regionals. No wildcards are awarded in the Masters Open Division unless an antiwildcard has been applied. The release of the 2009 Club Championship Series Guidelines in February marked a major break from prior years. Since 2001, the anti-wildcard threshold for Masters Open has been 5 teams. In other words, for a Region to retain both bids to the Club Championships, there had to be at least five teams competing for those bids at Regionals. For 2009, that anti-wildcard threshold number jumps to seven. The original plan, just one portion of the Ultimate Revolution Strategic Plan, called for seven this year in an incremental increase from six in 2008. Due to timing issues in 2008 implementation was delayed for the initial jump to six, but it was decided to stay on schedule with the plan to move to seven in 2009. As part of the discussions to increase the anti-wildcard requirement, it was decided to allow Regions an opportunity to earn a one team allowance toward the anti-wildcard threshold of 7 by hosting a Masters Open tournament or division of a larger event. Basically, the tournament must be a UPA sanctioned event, there must be at least 4 Masters Open teams (at least 3 of which must be from the host Region), and each team must play a minimum

College Restructuring This summer the UPA will continue to move forward with its plans to add to and/or modify the competitive structure of the college Ultimate season. Two detailed alternative plans were presented on the UPA website this spring (http:// www.upa.org/college/2008_restructure) along with discussion about the pros and cons of both plans. A comprehensive survey of the entire membership will be sent out over the summer to gather feedback from the Ultimate community about specific details that should or shouldn’t be included in planning for the future of college Ultimate. Keep an eye out on the UPA website and in your email inboxes for notice about this survey, and please be sure to participate and have your voice heard. UPA Board and staff have prioritized planning for the 2010 college season. Decisions for this coming year will be based in part on the success of changes made to the college season in 2009 and in part on feedback received so far through the restructure planning process. Plans will be made with a focus on both consistency with potential long term plans and the ability to execute a successful 2010 season. If you have questions, opinions, or want to get involved, please email Championship Director, Will Deaver (will@hq.upa.org) or contact your Board representative.

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