USA Ultimate Magazine: 2010 Winter by USA Ultimate

Y SPIRIT C C RWINNERS E C A P 8 Q• &J A R •W MEMBERSHIP O R L D S I N TREACHES E R V I E WALL-TIME 5 • BOD HIGH C A•NUSAU’S D I D ATONLY E S 2 QUADRUPLE 9 • P H I L LYCROWN F U S I OWINNER N 36

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OFFICIAL O F F I C I A L MAGAZINE M AG A Z I N EOF O FUSA U S AULTIMATE U LT I M AT— E WINTER — FA L L 2 201 0 10

TAKING THE FIFTH

LET THIS B ’T

DON

FURY UNLEASHES ITSELF TO PUSH CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK TO FIVE

LAS T

YOUR RENEW RSHIP E MEMB DAY O IS

USA ULTIMATE 4730 Table Mesa Dr., Suite I-200C Boulder, CO 80305

SPIRIT Y C C RWINNERS E C A P 8Q•&JAR• MEMBERSHIP W O R L D S I NREACHES TERVIEW ALL-TIME 5 • B OHIGH D C A• N USAU’S D I D ATONLY E S 2QUADRUPLE 9 • P H I L LY CROWN F U S I WINNER ON 36

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YOUR RENEW RSHIP E MEMB DAY O YO

LAS T

REVOLVER SPINS CIRCLES AROUND IRONSIDE FOR OPEN DIVISION TITLE

LET THIS B ’T

ROTATIONAL FORCE

DON

O F F I C I A L MAGAZINE OFFICIAL M AG A Z I N EOF O FUSA U S AULTIMATE U LT I M AT — E WINTER — FA L L 2 201 010

The numbers don't lie. Ultimate is the fastest growing team sport in America.*Anew era is coming. What do we want our sport to look like when we get there? We've always included the phrase â&#x20AC;˘from the end zone to the dance floor" in our mission statement because we believe in the unique set of attributes that make our sport not just an amazing past-time, but a defining lifestyle. The athletic excellence, the commitment to Inclusion and community, and above all the integrity that Is ingrained in our sport are not just fundamentals, but vehides for self-improvement and community-building that we will all appreciate long after our last dance on the Ultimate field. As hundreds of thousands of youth, college, and club players join our sport

over the next decade, what will we have to do to maintain our core values? How do we expand our services and capacity without losing touch with the reasons we started Five Ultimate in the first place? How can our business help build not just a bigger community, but a better community? We care about these questions and promise that, to us, a pair of shorts will always be more than just a pair of shorts. Five Ultimate is a family business In a niche market, but that doesn't stop us from thinking big. Join us, and let's take Ultimate to the next level. www.FiveUttimate.com â&#x20AC;˘ Sporting Goods Manufactwers Association (SGMA) Sports and Fitness Participation Report

SPIRIT Y C C RWINNERS E C A P 8Q•&JAR• MEMBERSHIP W O R L D S I NREACHES TERVIEW ALL-TIME 5 • B OHIGH D C A• N USAU’S D I D ATONLY E S 2QUADRUPLE 9 • P H I L LY CROWN F U S I WINNER ON 36

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O F F I C I A L MAGAZINE OFFICIAL M AG A Z I N EOF O FUSA U S AULTIMATE U LT I M AT — E WINTER — FA L L 2 201 010

RAWR! LET THIS B ’T

DON

POLAR BEARS ATTACK DISTRICT 5 FOR MIXED DIVISION CROWN

LAS T

LET THIS B ’T

DON

YOUR RENEW RSHIP E MEMB DAY O

LAS T

YOUR RENEW RSHIP E MEMB DAY O IS

REPEAT

Get your copy at www.hodags.org Watch our trailers at: www. youtube.com/hodaglove

SPIRIT WINNERS Q & A • MEMBERSHIP REACHES ALL-TIME HIGH • USAU’S ONLY QUADRUPLE CROWN WINNER

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YOUR RENEW RSHIP E MEMB DAY O YO

LAS T

SURLY TURNS IN A MASTERFUL PERFORMANCE AGAINST BONEYARD IN SARASOTA

LET THIS B ’T

MASTERS OF THE HOUSE

DON

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF USA ULTIMATE — WINTER 201 0

I I I

'V'

SCOTT ROEDER CRITICAL MASS – TEN PLAYERS GET IN ON THE ACTION DURING THE REVOLVER VS. FURIOUS GEORGE POWER PLAY POOL MATCHUP IN SARASOTA.

USA ULTIMATE 4730 Table Mesa Dr. Suite I-200C Boulder, CO 80305 303.447.3472 www.usaultimate.org info@usaultimate.org USA ULTIMATE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Peri Kurshan - President Gwen Ambler – Vice President Seth Grossinger – Treasurer Joshua Seamon – Secretary Ben Banyas William Bartram Audrius Barzdukas Jason Chow Mandy Eckhoff Matt Farrell John Terry Henry Thorne USA Ultimate Staff Matthew Bourland – New Media Manager Melanie Byrd – Director of Membership & Sport Development Dr. Tom Crawford – Chief Executive Officer Will Deaver – Managing Director of Competition & Athlete Programs Byron Hicks – Championship Series Manager Andy Lee – Director of Marketing & Communications Michelle Ng – Championship Series Manager Baker Pratt – Education & Youth Programs Manager Anna Schott – Membership & Sport Development Manager Meredith Tosta – Director of Coach & Youth Development Erin Wolter – Office Manager

USA Ultimate is a non-profit organization and serves as the national Governing Body for the sport of Ultimate in the United States. Founded in 1979 as the Ultimate Players Association (UPA), USA Ultimate is one of the first flying disc sport organizations in the world and the largest, with more than 40,000 members and a national volunteer network. USA ULTIMATE USA Ultimate is the official publication of USA Ultimate, published quarterly. All ideas expressed in USA Ultimate are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of USA Ultimate, the National Governing Body. USA Ultimate assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Editor-in-Chief Andy Lee Advertising Complete rates and specifications are available online at www.usaultimate. org/sponsors Change of Address USA Ultimate is not forwarded by the post office. To update your address, please contact USA Ultimate. For a complete list of contacts, please visit www.usaultimate.org

T A B L E

02 03 04 10 14 16 21 22 24 32 37 38 40 42 44 47 50

O F

C O N T E N T S

President's Column

V 30. 4

A Look Back…and Ahead

A Letter to Our Members The Ultimate Youth Revolution

Double Dipping

Revolver Adds Club Championship to World Title

Iron Will

Ironside’s loss in Sarasota yields optimism for 2011

Club Championships Q&A

Spirit Award Winners Bart Watson & Michelle Ng

Tsang: the Art of Winning

Fury Captures Fifth Straight Women’s Division Crown

Q&A with Blayne Ferguson

Marty Bakko Spirit of the Game Award Winner

Through the Lens

Photos from the 2010 USA Ultimate Club Championships

Maintaining Masters

Staying Surly and Being Boneyard

Breaking the Ice

Polar Bears capture Mixed Division Title in Sarasota

What's the Call

Injury Substitutions and Unspirited Stalling?

Ultimate History

Ultimate’s Lone Quadruple Crown Winner

Coaches' Playbook presented by Five Ultimate Advanced Throws

Above the Competition Program Design and Periodization

Injury Timeout Hip & Pelvis Injuries

News & Notes

Happenings at USA Ultimate and Around the Sport

A Letter from the Editor Huddle Up People

Mission Statement

To advance the sport of Ultimate in the United States by enhancing and promoting Character, Community, and Competition.

ON THE COVER(S): 1 - FURY’S ALICIA WHITE MAKES A GRAB OVER CAPITALS’ ALYSON WALKER IN THE WOMEN’S FINAL (P: SCOTT ROEDER) 2 - JOHN LEVY OF REVOLVER SKIES OVER IRONSIDE’S MATT REBHOLZ IN THE OPEN FINAL (P: SCOTT ROEDER) 3 - POLAR BEARS’ DANIEL NARUO MAKES THE CHAMPIONSHIP-CLINCHING CATCH IN THE MIXED DIVISION AS DISTRICT 5’S JOHN KORBER DEFENDS (P: SCOTT ROEDER) 4 - THE SURLY DUO OF PHIL BOWEN AND PAUL ANDERSON SKY FOR THE DISC OVER BONEYARD’S JASON RECTOR IN THE MASTERS’ FINAL (P: KEVIN LECLAIRE) WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG 1

P R E S I D E N T ’ S

C O L U M N BY: Peri Kurshan, President USA Ultimate Board of Directors

A Look Back... and Ahead AS I SIT DOWN TO WRITE MY LAST PRESIDENT’S COLUMN (MY TERM EXPIRES AT THE END OF THIS YEAR), IT IS EXCITING TO REFLECT ON ALL OF THE CHANGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THE SIX YEARS I HAVE BEEN ON THE BOARD. WHEN I JOINED, THE BOARD WAS LARGELY FOCUSED ON SUPERVISING THE WORK OF THE UPA STAFF, INSTEAD OF ON POLICY-SETTING AND LONG-TERM PLANNING. was hiring a new CEO that has brought to our organization years of experience in sport national governing bodies. Tom Crawford has expanded and reorganized the staff, identified areas for governance improvement, and in general brought a higher level of professionalism to our fledgling organization.

Today, USA Ultimate is on track to continue to grow and expand in order to keep pace with the rapidly increasing number of Ultimate players nationwide. For the first time ever there are more Youth members than Adult members of our organization! USA Ultimate is growing from the bottom up. This is in part due to the fact that growing youth Ultimate was a top priority identified in the Strategic Plan we implemented a few years back. Setting the long-term direction for the organization was one of the biggest achievements of the Board in the last several years. Another great achievement

With the potential explosion of our sport’s membership clearly visible on the horizon, we are working hard to make sure that the infrastructure is in place to accommodate this growth. Reorganizing and increasing the staff, as well as recruiting more volunteers, is one step of the process. Revamping our IT system and launching a new business technology platform to increase capabilities and efficiency is another. Bringing more sponsors in as an additional revenue stream is a third. Continuing to improve the quality and expand the scope of media coverage of our sport will widen our audience and continue to grow our base. Working to improve the quality of our existing events, as well as increasing playing opportunities by adding a beach Ultimate division as well as a regular season for college (and soon, club) play, are also priorities. All of these initiatives and many more are currently underway.

KEVIN LECLAIRE

In fact, the UPA did not have any long-term plans in place to guide the staff, making it difficult to assign a priority to any specific initiative. Our membership was growing quickly, but the organization was not quite able to keep up with demand given our limited infrastructure and human resources.

Seeing the progress that’s been made (even if much of it is behind the scenes), and the degree to which the organization and the sport are poised to expand, makes me proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last six years. Although I’ll miss being a member of the Board, I know that USA Ultimate is in very good and capable hands, with a terrific, hardworking and talented staff, as well as a smart and innovative Board of Directors. I would like to end by welcoming the incoming Board members, and thanking all of the Board members that I have served with over the years for their help and service. And finally, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the hundreds of volunteers across the country for the amazing amount of work I have watched them accomplish during the last six years, without whom none of this would be possible.

USA

FOR THE FIRST TIME, USA ULTIMATE CLAIMS MORE YOUTH MEMBERS THAN ADULT MEMBERS.

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

L E T T E R

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M E M B E R S

BY: Dr. Tom Crawford, USA Ultimate Chief Executive Officer

The Ultimate Youth Revolution

MATT LANE

WOW…THIS IS EXCITING! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR ORGANIZATION’S HISTORY, OUR YOUTH MEMBERSHIP HAS EXCEEDED OUR ADULT MEMBERSHIP. WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS DEVELOPMENT FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS THAT THROUGH OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS YOU ALL TOLD US TO MAKE THIS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY… BY A LONG SHOT. I BELIEVE THIS INFLUX OF YOUNG ATHLETES AND THEIR FAMILIES WILL REQUIRE THE ORGANIZATION TO ADAPT IN SEVERAL IMPORTANT WAYS WHICH I’D LIKE TO DESCRIBE.

WE BELIEVE THE CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE.

First, this big influx of youth is a great example of why we need to continue to evolve our structures and processes. The average age of our members continues to drop, and the average years of experience with the sport is also dropping significantly across the membership. The orientation of the past players association was great for the evolution of the sport when most players were adults and had significant experience playing the game. Young athletes and their parents will depend on us as an NGB to develop the sport on their behalf, and assume that

we’ll contemplate issues and make good decisions, since they will not have the experience, or most likely the desire, to make those decisions. Second, we need to continue to welcome parents into our organization that have never played the game, and don’t want or expect to play. Parents will add a huge new resource of volunteers and support for our sport, and will want to feel like they are welcome and appreciated by the community, despite having no experience with the game. They will also expect us to protect their children and have coaches and other professionals available to help them. We’ll also have to develop new competitive playing opportunities at the youth level with specific beginning and ending times of games so parents can plan ‘drop-offs’ and ‘pick-ups’ in regular time slots. Without these adjustments, parents will direct their children to the sports that do have this infrastructure in place. Third, we will have to adapt and change the way we present our sport to this new group of young fans. This influx will give us the fan base we have hoped for and discussed over the years. And they will bring their parents along, who will also become part of the fan base. Given this new future, we must be sure that our top events such as Club Championships and College Championships are presented in a way that encourages families to either get or keep their children involved. This means that some of the “partying” elements that have accompanied these events should not be front and center

and should be out of the public eye, and athletes and teams will need to become cognizant of the image of the sport they are portraying. On-field language and behavior will need to meet the same standards it does in other sports where fans are present. Thus, some team names, pre- and in-game team cheers, and the sometimes high volume/spirited profanity during and around games, will no longer be appropriate (we have already heard from some parents about these issues). This is particularly true as we promote the sport to youth serving organizations such as YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs, who will often bring large numbers of youth to events, and with “Spirit of the Game” as a strong selling point to families and kids. Perhaps most important of all, we will need a TON of new coaches!! Sport at the youth level is delivered to young athletes by coaches. We will not succeed without large numbers of our community being willing to ‘give back’ by becoming a coach for the youth teams and leagues. We have to become an organization of not just players, but also of coaches, parents, instructional observers, observers, league organizers and administrators. We have to become a community of teachers! And we have to continue to evolve into a stable, robust and forward thinking National Governing Body that advances the character, community and competitive elements of our sport in the United States. The Ultimate Decade is underway. Please join us!

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

SCOTT ROEDER

USA

REVOLVER’S JOHN LEVY COMES DOWN WITH THE DISC OVER IRONSIDE’S MATT REBHOLZ IN THE OPEN DIVISION FINALS IN SARASOTA.

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

FEATURE ARTICLE

Double Dipping

By: Ian Toner

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

IT MIGHT BE EASY TO THINK THAT REVOLVER’S 2010 USA ULTIMATE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP WAS MERELY A YEAR IN THE MAKING—A PRODUCT OF THE DESIRE TO AVENGE LAST SEASON’S LOSS TO CHAIN LIGHTNING. WHILE THAT DEFEAT WAS CERTAINLY A MOTIVATING FACTOR AND INFLUENCE IN REVOLVER’S TRAINING AND PRACTICE, A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TEAM’S HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY REVEALS THAT THIS HISTORIC, “DOUBLE CHAMPIONSHIP” SEASON HAS AS MUCH TO DO WITH PRINCIPLES FROM ITS INAUGURAL SEASON IN 2006 AS IT DOES ADJUSTMENTS AND ADDITIONS IN 2010. Revolver concluded its exceptional 2010 campaign these principles. They help us to not blink in the face with the title that’s eluded the team since its inception, of adversity and to keep the faith in our team.” despite prior runs deep into the championship “IHD has been around since 2006,” adds 2009 Farricker tournament. For many San Francisco players, this was Spirit Award winner Robbie Cahill. “That has always the first major title they had ever captured on U.S. soil. been important for us and in our huddle after winning “I lost the championship game three times at Colorado this year, there was a lot of talk about how proud we and once on Bravo and Revolver,” explains standout are to have stuck by these values.” defender and former Callahan nominee Mac Taylor. Cahill also refers to the team’s founding when he “The team was full of players with near misses – states that this year’s championships were years Stanford alums with their ridiculous semis streak, as in the making. “The plan, ever since 2006, was to well as former Berkeley and Jam guys who’ve made build a program, not just a team,” he adds. “We knew deep runs at nationals. With the exception of a few great teams take many years to build, and we had players, no one had won a title. In that way we were that philosophy from the beginning. The key for us in all on the same page, and we knew with the team we building a great team was to stick to the core beliefs— had, this year it was ours to take.” intensity, humility, discipline—and culture even as we To guide the team through a lengthy season that grew and added new players.” demanded peaks at both the World Ultimate Club Revolver’s leaders had been discussing potential Championships in Prague and the USA Ultimate changes and additions for the 2010 season since the Club Championships in Sarasota, Revolver’s leaders finals loss last year. With a third of Revolver’s original relied on one of their founding philosophies: IHD, 2006 roster still intact, a number of key additions which stands for intensity, humility, and discipline. returning from 2009, and some crucial pickups Nick Handler, Marc Weinberger, and Chris McManus from other clubs and open tryouts in the Bay Area, brought these core values to Revolver during its first Revolver’s leadership knew it had the right pieces in season, and veteran Josh Greenough describes it as place as 2010 began. vital to the team’s preparation and execution. “When we’re stuck in a tough situation like we were in the This is not to say that everything went perfectly for Doublewide [semifinal],” he explains, “we can rely on San Francisco from the get-go. At Texas Shootout WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

in May, Revolver failed to play up to its potential and let two games slip away on double-game point. The team needed to find that competitive energy again, new players had to gel with the returning Revolver incumbents, and even captain and 2010 Farricker Spirit Award winner Bart Watson admitted that there were a few hiccups in that process.

it, so see them now, look at them to work on them and know that your teammates will help you overcome them.’ There was a lot of trust in these exercises and it helped us know each other better. This was very basic sports psychology, but it helped us as we prepared.”

competition along the way. Revolver then cruised through its Sectional and Regional tournaments to qualify for Sarasota. In the practices leading up to nationals, Revolver’s captains wanted the team to keep two mentalities in check: the first being humility stemming from its 2009 second-place finish and a pair of losses to an undefeated Ironside; and the second being confidence on the heels of their recent world championship.

USA

For Revolver, 2010 was split into two seasons. The team began practicing and But Revolver learned from its Shootout training from the time of tryouts in April experience and adapted. Team leaders through Worlds in mid-July. The training, Nationals would prove to be a trying worked to use the squad’s depth to its trust, and mental toughness of this first half experience for the team. Some Revolver advantage more than it had in previous years of the year paid off when Revolver defeated players talked about the difficulty of by helping players find their specific roles Australia’s Colony, Japan’s Bunka Shutta shedding their own high expectations, and on the team and then trusting each man on Buzz Bullets, and Sockeye on its way to an captains had to work hard to keep the team the roster to do his job. One of the knocks undefeated tournament record (11-0) and focused on playing complete games. On on Revolver’s 2009 finals performance was world title. The Worlds victory was a sweet a lighter note, some even struggled with that the team ran too short a rotation, but one for San Francisco and a great indicator getting to bed early while their hometown that would not be the case in 2010. Young of what the team could do when it played Giants were playing in the World Series. players saw important playing time in both up to its full potential, especially on the But when it came time to play the games, of Revolver’s championship games. Sam defensive side of the disc. But given the Revolver answered the call. Kanner, who didn’t make the trip to Prague, fact that the tournament in Prague was not Regional rival Furious George gave Revolver was on the field with Taylor and others as competitive as the Club Championships, its first real scare during power pool play, for key defensive points against Ironside and that many players were still without a breaking Revolver’s offensive line several in Sarasota. Russell Wynne chalked up USA Ultimate title, the Worlds victory was times late in the second half. But their some major minutes against both Sockeye not enough. Everyone on the team wanted defense responded with four breaks of its in Prague and Ironside in Florida. Writers “the double”—a feat only two American open own to win the game. The next day, in the around the Ultimate community have teams had ever accomplished. semifinals against a powerful Doublewide acknowledged that Revolver’s defensive The Emerald City Classic, which took place team, Revolver’s defensive line struggled depth was one of its greatest assets in both in the middle of August, kicked off San to cash in on break opportunities, creating championship tournaments. Taylor Cascino, Francisco’s second season and was the first pressure on the offensive line to hold one of Revolver’s own experienced defenders, time Revolver took the field after staking its (which it did). Says Greenough, “This gave sang the praises of Revolver’s defense when claim as the best team in the world. The team us strength going into finals because both he said, “I think that our biggest advantage had taken a one-month break from training sides of the team had picked the other up at at Worlds (and throughout the season) was and struggled to shake the rust off, losing a moment when we could have faltered. We our depth. We remained balanced, subbing twice to Ironside and once to Sockeye. “In talked a lot about believing in each other throughout the tournament, and our ability the long run,” Watson believes losing a few and everybody doing their job. In these two to throw line after line of intense defensive games at ECC, “was great for us; rather than moments everybody was tested and I am pressure throughout the week really played shaking the team’s confidence, it reminded happy to say that we remained supportive of to our advantage in the later stages.” us how much work we had put into our first each other in the face of adversity.” Revolver also used its losses to focus its season (Worlds) and how much it would take In the finals, Revolver did practically training sessions throughout the season. to win the second one (nationals). We knew everything right. Stiff marks took away many Beau Kitteredge, one of the best athletes to our system worked, so it was just of matter of of Ironsides break-side looks and contained ever play the game, developed the “Loser’s getting the team back up to speed.” huck looks. An army of aggressive downfield Ladder,” a brutal hill workout that utilizes Kanner also believes that Revolver’s ECC defenders made Boston cutters work for a steep stretch of Wisconsin Street in San performance, “at the very least, added fuel every bit of open space, and Revolver’s Francisco. The workout helped the team to the fire. Over the course of the season, I offensive line was patient and faithful to its break mental and physical barriers after realized that Revolver was an extremely offensive strategy. Revolver’s fundamentals losing and served as a deterrent against hard working team at practice and in our were so sound that there was no need for future losses. Greenough also points out that pod workouts, but that we were also a ‘big individuals to do too much—they just had to a common mantra during Loser’s Ladder and game’ team. That is, when we really feel like do their individual jobs to help the team win. other training sessions before Worlds was, our season is on the line, we can bring our While Boston certainly matched Revolver’s “Remember Shootout.” play to another level. For some reason, that intensity, Revolver had greater all-around Team leaders made sure Revolver was didn’t happen in Seattle. Maybe it was too discipline on the field, and that won the day mentally prepared for the season’s challenges early in the season.” for the Bay Area boys. by meeting with Chuck Kindred for a sports After ECC, Revolver had new reasons to hit “Beyond talent, I think we benefited from psychology lesson before heading to Prague. the Loser’s Ladder and a new direction to two distinct perspectives,” says Cascino. Greenough recounted the team’s meeting: focus its training: preparation for a run at “First, we had a lot of young players on our “The best way to describe the session was a national title. As the fall season came to team that didn’t know any better. Why [Kindred’s] opening set up: ‘Your doubts a close, Revolver showed glimpses of the shouldn’t we win nationals and Worlds will come up at the worst time and in the big game mentality that Kanner alluded in the same year? If we’re the best team biggest moment because they are already to when it brought home a Labor Day title, at one tournament, we should be the best inside you. If you don’t acknowledge them beating Doublewide, Sockeye, and other stiff team at the other. Second, we had a lot of they will show up when you can least afford

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

SCOTT ROEDER

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

MATT LANE

REVOLVER’S NICK HANDLER AND IRONSIDE’S JOSH MARKETTE LAY OUT FOR THE DISC.

MARK SHERWOOD CATCHES THE DISC BETWEEN IRONSIDE DEFENDERS ADAM SIMON AND JEFF GRAHAM.

veteran leadership that recognized from the start that a double peak is a tremendous challenge and we did not have history on our side. The young players kept us hungry, and the veterans kept us disciplined.” There is much to be made of Revolver’s 2010 season. It is a testament to the Bay Area, which has produced two open champions in three years with just three common players between the champions. It is a nod to Revolver’s completeness, as younger players like Kanner and Wynne have gained big time experience in the form of championships under their belt (that they must now defend), and older players like Greenough, Mike Payne, and Alex Ghesquiere can hang the cleats up with their heads held high. Most importantly, this Revolver team will go down in the Ultimate history

books as one of the best American open teams to take the field, having been just the third to win a world and national title in the same season. “It definitely means a lot to me to win with a new team and help a lot of guys who didn’t have rings get their first,” says Watson. “That said, I like to remember Tom Brady’s response when asked about his favorite title, to which he replied ‘my next.’ Not sure how many nexts I have left, but the minute you start waxing poetic about any title, it’s probably your last.” It certainly sounds like Watson and Revolver are ready to reload for another championship run in 2011.

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

SCOTT ROEDER

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

FINAL STANDINGS 1 – Revolver (San Francisco, CA) 2 – Ironside (Boston, MA) 3T – Doublewide (Austin, TX) 3T – Sockeye (Seattle, WA) 5T - Chain Lightning (Atlanta, GA) 5T - Truck Stop (Baltimore, MD) 7T - Ring of Fire (Raleigh-Durham, NC) 7T – Southpaw (Philadelphia, PA) 9 - Johnny Bravo (Denver, CO) 10 – PoNY (New York, NY) 11 - Madison Club (Madison, WI) 12 - Furious George (Vancouver, BC) 13 – Machine (Chicago, IL) 14 – Tanasi (Nashville, TN) 15 – Streetgang (San Diego, CA) 16 – Madcow (Columbus, OH)

PETER FARRICKER SPIRIT AWARD WINNER Bart Watson - Revolver

FARRICKER AWARD WINNER BART WATSON OF REVOLVER SETS HIS SIGHTS ON THE DISC.

TEAM SPIRIT RANKINGS

KEVIN LECLAIRE

*4.7 - Ironside 4.7 - Machine 4.6 - Tanasi 4.6 - Revolver

INDIVIDUAL SPIRIT NOMINEES

4.6 - Madison Club

Chain Lightning - Jason Simpson

4.4 - Streetgang

Doublewide - Andrew Walch

4.4 - Madcow

Furious George - Alex Davis

4.3 - Sockeye

Ironside - Paul Batten

4.3 - PoNY

Johnny Bravo - Mitch Schminke

4.3 - Johnny Bravo

Machine - Taylor Kraemer

4.3 - Doublewide

Madcow - Jeff Kula

4.3 - Chain Lightning

Madison - Brian Hart

4.1 - Furious George

PoNY - Isaiah Bryant

4.0 - Truckstop

Revolver - Bart Watson

4.0 - Southpaw

Ring of Fire - Larry Durgin

4.0 - Ring of Fire

Sockeye - Dave Bestock

* won tiebreaker

Southpaw - Carl Deffenbaugh Streetgang - Mike Bevers Tanasi - Tim Brady Truckstop - George Hughes-Strange

IRONSIDE’S ADAM SIMON IS FLANKED BY THE REVOLVER DUO OF RUSSELL WYNNE AND TYLER GRANT AS THE THREE SKY FOR THE DISC.

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S REVOLVER

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STATISTICS GOALS

ASSISTS

1 - Brian Garcia

4 - Jon Levy

5 - Taylor Cascino

6 - Josh Wiseman 7 - Russell Wynne

PLAYER

GOALS

ASSISTS

1 - Teddy Browar-Jarus

2 - Seth Reinhardt

3 - George Stubbs

4 - Matt Rebholz

5 - Michael Zalisk

8 - Eric Halverson

6 - Peter Prial

9 - Cassidy Rasmussen

7 - Will Neff

10 - Robbie Cahill

8 - Seth Crockford

11 - Nick Handler

9 - Misha Sidorsky

12 - Nick Chapman

10 - Jacob Goldstein

13 - Tyler Grant

11 - Dan Forseter

14 - Mark Sherwood

12 - Ben Kleaveland

15 - Joel Schlachet

13 - Brandon Malecek

17 - Jit Bhattacharya

14 - Sam Rosenthal

19 - Ryo Kawaoka

18 - Jim Foster

20 - Nick Schlag

19 - Colin Mahoney

23 - Mike Payne

20 - Adam Simon

24 - Alex Ghesquiere

21 - Jeff Graham

27 - Ashlin Joye

23 - Ryan Holmes

28 - Martin Cochran

24 - Andrew Vogt

29 - Bart Watson

27 - Nasser M’Bae Vogel

32 - Sam Kanner

34 - Josh Markette

37 - Jon Hester

75 - Paul Batten

40 - Mac Taylor

77 - Daniel Clark

50 - Beau Kittredge

99 - Joshua Greenough

TOTALS

MATT LANE

PLAYER

IRONSIDE

IRONSIDE’S JEFF GRAHAM MAKES A SPECTACULAR CATCH DESPITE A SOLID EFFORT FROM MARK SHERWOOD.

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

FEATURE ARTICLE

MASTERS MIXED By: Jonathan Neeley OPEN WOMEN’S

Iron Will

IRONSIDE COULD ONLY WATCH THE FINAL THROW FLOAT DOWN INTO THE OPEN ARMS OF REVOLVER’S TYLER GRANT. AS GRANT LEAPT INTO THE AIR JUST BEFORE THE CATCH TO ENSURE THAT HE WOULD BE IN THE ENDZONE, BOSTON PLAYERS MET THE REALITY THEY HAD BEEN STAVING OFF SINCE GETTING BROKEN TWICE TO START THE GAME’S SECOND HALF: REVOLVER, THE 2009 RUNNER-UP, HAD OUTPLAYED THEM IN THE FINALS. THE FINAL SCORE WAS REVOLVER 15, IRONSIDE 10. Despite how mightily Boston fought to keep up with their Bay Area opponent, the effort was futile. Revolver’s speedy defense and patient, steady offense teamed up with the Florida heat to hand Ironside its first and only loss of the season. There is a big difference between 45-0 and 44-1, and when the Club Championships wrapped up— after the preparation and hard work of an entire season had come and gone— Ironside felt it. Boston came up just short in 2010. But after the dust settles, the team will have reason to look toward 2011 with optimism. At the Club Championships, teams become contenders as they accumulate collective experience. Future title hopefuls will need to know what it is like to train at the highest levels, face the highest expectations, and feel the gravity of a single game and its result. And they’ll need to know how to do all of these things together. Ironside will know in 2011.

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Reflecting back on 2010, Ironside co-coach Nathan Wicks made quite the understatement when he noted wryly, “We had a pretty decent season overall.” Leading up to the Club Championships, Boston was nothing short of dominant. In the early parts of the summer, they went without a loss at all three of their tryout tournaments, using the Philly Open, Cazenovia Ultimate Tournament, and Boston Invite to give newcomers difficult match-ups and tinker with individual player assignments.

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

In July, the team joined four other American teams (2009 USA Ultimate Champion Chain Lightning, Revolver, Sockeye, and Doublewide) at the World Ultimate Club Championships in Prague. Going in with a mix-and-match roster that included many of the now-departed 2009 players that helped earn the bid, the team placed fifth after a nail-biting quarterfinals loss to Sockeye. For the 2010 Ironside players in attendance, the entire Worlds experience helped set the stage for one of the best summers of Ultimate they would ever play. “The laid back nature of the tournament’s early stages was a nice reminder of just how much joy we get out of the game,” said veteran Adam Simon, “but that quarterfinals loss to Sockeye was one that stuck with us for the rest of the year. I made a picture of the scoreboard the wallpaper on my iPhone.” When August rolled around, the team was ready to shift into high gear. “We did everything we could to raise the stakes in practice,” said co-coach Josh McCarthy. “Whether it was bragging rights or picking up the winner’s bar tab, we pushed our [offense] and [defense] to compete as though they were at a tournament.” The increased focus paid off when Ironside attended two of the year’s marquee events, the Emerald City Classic in Seattle and the Chesapeake Open in Maryland. The team beat Revolver twice while out West, and in Maryland, they took down Chain

KEVIN LECLAIRE

J. BOSION

IRONSIDE’S COLIN MAHONEY SKIES ABOVE TEAMMATE TEDDY BROWAR-JARUS AS REVOLVER’S BART WATSON LOOKS ON.

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Lightning. On the field, Boston was firing on all cylinders: integral big men Will Neff and Colin Mahoney were back after staying home for Worlds; Brandon Malacek joined Jacob Goldstein and Seth Crockford to form a defensive handling unit that brought smothering coverage while showcasing the ability to grind out long possessions or throw deep instantly after a turnover; Simon and Josh Markette’s addition to the offensive line allowed Matt Rebholz to shoulder less of a load; and the preparation and in-game adjustments that new coaches Josh McCarthy and Wicks brought to the table were proving effective.

McCarthy. “They were the best team we played all season, hands down.” Indeed, Revolver slowed Ironside’s offense down by clogging Boston’s deep lanes, applying tough marks, and moving the disc effectively after forcing turnovers. Defensively, Ironside could not do too much better, struggling to keep up with Revolver’s speed and failing to convert many of their chances to break back. But Revolver’s excellent play is not all that took Ironside out of its comfort zone. After going down 5-2 early in the game, Boston was clearly in uncharted territory. As uncharacteristic hucks went up and KEVIN LECLAIRE

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

IRONSIDE’S JOSH MARKETTE MAKES THE GRAB AS TEAMMATE JIM FOSTER AND REVOLVER’S RUSSELL WYNNE ALSO TRY TO MAKE A PLAY.

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“This year was surreal,” said veteran Sam Rosenthal. catches that looked like sure things turned into drops, “I’ve never been on a team where so many impact Ironside looked less and less like the force it was all players were all having good years at the same time. year and more like a team that was unsure of how to [George] Stubbs, Colin [Mahoney], [Will] Neff, Jacob play from behind. [Goldstein], that’s the best I’ve ever seen those guys “We really had not been broken twice in a row all play. We just kept winning.” season,” noted Rosenthal. “That was the first time we Even more important than the wins was the bond that had been down beyond 2-1 or 3-1, and it would have was forged among Ironside teammates as the season been good to know what a comeback win would feel grinded on. Every victory produced greater admiration like.” and trust among teammates, and the dedication on While the game was still close at halftime, Revolver the practice field and track that followed only led to began to close the door in the second half, running more success. the score to 10-6. At 11-8, Ironside had a chance to “We take pride in how much work we put in for our get back within two, but when Revolver scored to teammates, and we always want to be the harder go up 12-8, the game was all but out of reach. From working team when we take the field,” said Rebholz. there, the teams would trade out until Revolver broke “We also have a great time playing together. We have for the win. long practices and workouts together and really push “At the end of the day,” McCarthy said, “we didn’t each other, but no one minds the time commitment make plays and the other team did.” because we have a blast.” In any sport, second-place is no easy pill to swallow. Ironside’s joyride would continue as it headed into While every team that did not play in the finals would Sarasota, where the team would go largely untested happily trade places with the runner-up, none of until late in the tournament. After defeating Austin’s them can grasp the disappointment that a squad feels Doublewide and Raleigh-Durham’s Ring of Fire, after failing to take the championship when it was so Ironside beat Sockeye for the second time in as many nearly within reach. Couple this letdown with the fact days, this time in semifinals. In the ninth game of the that it plays out on the game’s biggest stage, and it weekend, Ironside faced a finals match with Revolver. becomes easy to see why finishing second can be a After a season where everything went so well, it is very painful affair. hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. But in Ultimate’s Club Open Division, a silver medal “To start, Revolver played an outstanding game,” said carries with it a glimmer of hope: teams almost

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

It takes supreme confidence to play your best Ultimate when the season is on the line, a mindset that is difficult to reach until the “what if we lose?” question is eliminated. While Ironside turned in a spectacular season in 2010, Revolver was able to draw on 2009’s defeat and the lessons that came with it. There is no question that the Bay Area was the more calm and collected team in this year’s finals. “Losing is a huge part of winning,” commented Lou Burruss, who won a title with Sockeye in 2004 and played on runner-up teams in 1996 and ’97. “Jam spent a few years losing to Sockeye [before winning in 2008]. Sockeye lost to Furious before they won it. Furious lost to Condors, and Condors lost to DoG. Even New York lost one to Chicago before they started their streak [of five in a row].” While 2010 did not finish the way they would have liked, this phenomenon is not lost on Boston. “[Losing in the Finals] will definitely help us,” said Rebholz. “Every time you play in a big game, the experience helps you get over the nerves a little bit more. You also learn a little bit more about what you need to do to get in the right mindset for that type of game, and how to react more automatically in tough situations you may find yourself in because once the game starts, time flies.”

While the letdown of this season is sure to turn into hunger for the next, it is difficult for Ironside to know what to expect in 2011. Memories of 2010 are still fresh, and the roster shake-ups that relocations and retirements have put on the horizon have yet to come into focus. For now, players are still content to reflect on the great season that was. “Regardless of who Ironside is next year, this year was amazing,” said Simon. “I’ll miss it.” But the Boston area is a magnet for ultimate talent and with 2011 serving as a qualifying year for the World Ultimate Championships in 2012, players and coaches are certain that Ironside will be back and ready to compete. “Right now, it’s hard to say exactly what we’ll look like,” said McCarthy. “A number of guys could move away or retire. But Ironside will be Boston’s team in 2011, and it will be competing to win a championship.”

IRONSIDE’S MICHAEL ZALISK LAYS OUT FOR THE DISC.

MATT LANE

To be fair, Ironside was here just two short years ago. In 2007, a Boston super team was born when what remained of Death or Glory, the city’s storied winners of six titles in a row from 1994-’99, merged with Twisted Metal to form Boston Ultimate. A year later, under the

name Ironside, the team would lose in the Finals to San Francisco’s Jam. This year’s squad, however, contained only ten holdovers from 2008, and it is safe to say that 2010 was its first Finals loss as a unit.

MATT LANE

always have to lose before they can win. In fact, since the Club Championships expanded from five teams to ten in 1982 (and then from 10 to 12 in 1987, 12 to 14 in 1996, and 14 to the current 16 in 1999), only five teams have won the tournament without having finished in the semis or better the year before: Rude Boys (’82), Windy City (’83), Tunas (’84), Tsunami (’88), and Sockeye (’04).

IRONSIDE’S PAUL BATTEN IS MARKED BY JOEL SCHLATCHET.

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10 QUES with Peter Farricker Spirit of the Game Award Winner

Q: What do you do for work in real life?

A: I’m a PhD candidate in Political Science. If you know of a research university that needs a professor who can teach political economy, European politics, or innovation policy, let me know! Q: What are some of your favorite Ultimate memories?

A: Hard to narrow down, so I’ll give a top 3: Beating Grey Tide with Stanford at Kaimana in ‘02. Great tournament, great teams, great game. Second is winning the Club Championships with Jam in ‘08. I’ve never seen a team work harder throughout a tournament. It was amazing because it brings back a lot of other great memories of Jam. I’m not sure that was the most talented team I played on, but it definitely had the best Championships. It felt like vindication for the entire Jam program and was a great win not only for that team, but for the other players who have worn a Jam uniform over the years. But my favorite memory was watching as one of 12,000 fans and erupting with them as Chinese Taipei mounted a comeback against Japan in a stadium built for Ultimate (among other things) at the World Games. Even as a spectator, it still gives me chills thinking about it. While a crowd that size was certainly exceptional today, there is no reason it can’t be typical in the future.

Q: What do you think about the college and club restructuring underway at USA Ultimate?

A: I like it. Change will be necessary as the sport grows and evolves. Q: What challenges or strides do you see trending in the Open division on the Club, College and Youth levels?

A: Overall, I think balancing the needs of the recreational community with the more dedicated, full-time players is always a challenge. At the youth level, getting enough experienced players who are willing to coach and teach will be critical to keep up the vast improvements in quality that have occurred in the last five years. What teammates say about Bart:

“As one of the most visible players of our time, he has a special responsibility to embody Spirit of the Game, and he does in spades. He has been a leader on every team he has played for from Winter League to World Champion teams, and leads by example in all aspects of the game.” - Robbie Cahill

Q: What are some of your notable contributions to the sport?

Q: Why do you care so much about the sport & dedicate your time to it, especially as a captain? A: The community of players, both on my team and all across Ultimate. There are a lot of things you can do to keep your body and mind in shape, but few are as pleasurable as sharing the field with other Ultimate players. I’ve actually only been a captain intermittently in my career. When I have been one, it’s because I feel I have something special I can bring -- past experience, work ethic, strategy, etc., that will help the team. Q: What does winning the Farricker award mean to you? A: It’s an amazing honor, both because of what it stands for and because it means I get to share space with the other incredible players who have won in the past. Reading the list of past recipients is pretty humbling, a wonderful collection of players and, more importantly, people. I’ve always tried to play the game the right way and I’m happy to see the Farricker as a validation that I’ve succeeded in some measure.

Q: How do you wish to see the sport change or stay the same? A: At this point, I’d just like to see it keep growing. I think the direction that growth moves in is a challenge for the next generation. Q: Would you like to give any shout-outs? A: I’d just like to say that there’s no way I’d have gotten here without a lot of great teachers and compatriots in this sport. It’s hard to single anyone out without turning this into huge list, but I have been blessed with numerous influences who were not only great players, but great role models. It is hard to narrow it down since there are so many, but if pressed I’d say Mike Payne as a teacher of the game, Damien Scott as a player, and Greg Husak as a leader. MATT LANE

A: Does bringing back the lefty Scoober count? More seriously, I was involved last year in the first UK skills clinic (which I hope to continue in the future) and in the past have led practices in various other countries (Denmark and France) on research trips. Spreading the game to new players is the best contribution I can think of.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? A: Hopefully teaching at a university and helping out with the college team there.

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BART WATSON

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

Bart Watson

STIONS with Kathy Pufahl Spirit of the Game Award Winner

MICHELLE NG

MATT LANE

Q: What do you do for work in real life?

A: I am an architect/planner at a small non-profit that designs and develops green affordable housing. (Editor’s note: Since this interview, Ng was hired by USA Ultimate as Championship Series Manager for its College division.) Q: What is your favorite tournament?

A: My favorite tournament to play in was definitely the College Championships – the level of emotion is unmatched. My favorite tournament as an organizer is Women’s College Centex because it is basically a big celebration of all of the great things about Ultimate. Q: What are some of your favorite Ultimate memories?

A: Qualifying for the Championships (twice in college and twice in club thus far) has been a special experience every single time. Aside from that, watching the skills clinics at Midwest Throwdown and Philly Fusion and seeing hundreds of college players learn from all of these Ultimate legends was pretty mind-blowing. I felt so proud of the people involved in running those events and lucky to have had the chance to work with them to build something cool. Q: What are some of your notable contributions to the sport? A: I’ve run over a dozen tournaments over the past few years, captained four different teams, run some skills clinics, done a little bit of coaching, helped to create the College Women’s Ultimate Resources Manual, served on a couple of USA Ultimate task forces, and done a lot of mentoring of college players. I don’t think any of that is particularly notable, but I’ve really tried to create more playing opportunities, both by running tournaments as fundraisers for college teams as well as building quality events for teams to attend in parts of the country where there aren’t as many opportunities. I’ve focused on doing that by building collaborative relationships with players and teams, and connecting people. What teammates say about Michelle:

“If you play Ultimate and have not heard of Michelle Ng, then come out of your cave and join the human race!” - Mia Iseman Q: Why do you care so much about the sport & continue to dedicate your time to it? A: Ultimate has been such a life-changing experience for me and I feel lucky to have had the friends, teammates, mentors, and opportunities that I have had over the past six years. I feel like it’s my responsibility (and privilege) to be able to give back and to help create those kinds of experiences and opportunities for other players. Every once in a while, I’ll get a really amazing email from a teammate or a college captain or a rival across the country and it

Michelle Ng

reminds me of the great people who play our sport. I think those people are the ones who make all of the time and effort worthwhile.

Q: What does winning the Pufahl award mean to you?

A: Being nominated by my team was the biggest honor. I was floored to be recognized alongside some of my biggest Ultimate heroes, especially Miranda Roth, Lindsey Hack, and Peri Kurshan— I will be happy if I am able to even do half of what they have done for this sport. Winning the award was totally unexpected and humbling because there are so many others, like the three I named above, who deserve the award more than I do. Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? A: Five years ago, I would not have seen myself where I am today, so I honestly have no idea. My grad school classmates once voted me “ Most Ambitious” on a random Sunday night in the computer lab, but I think I was on my way home from an Ultimate tournament at the time, so interpret that however you’ d like. I guess I hope to be playing and organizing Ultimate with people I love. Q: What challenges or strides do you see trending in the Women’s division? Do you see things changing as a result of some of your initiatives? A: Well, I wouldn’t give credit to “my” initiatives—there have been a ton of people and teams who have been the force driving these projects forward. I am just lucky to have been a connector. I think the biggest challenge in the women’s division right now is the relative disparity in the quantity and quality of playing opportunities across the country. It is going to take a big investment of time and resources from a few dedicated leaders and teams to change this. I think the biggest assets that women’s Ultimate has going for it are a sense of community and teams’ willingness to collaborate. There is some serious potential there and I hope people look to work together to create more opportunities on both a local and regional scale. Q: How do you wish to see the sport change or stay the same? A: I love the community aspect of Ultimate and I hope that’s something that stays the same for years to come. Q: Would you like to give any shout-outs? A: I feel blessed to have been on teams who have been extremely supportive of my “crazy” ideas and who have given me the freedom to run tournaments across the country, build relationships with competitors, and just generally think outside the box. My current teammates, Cara Crouch and Tina Woodings, have been especially supportive of my ideas and have really shaped my way of thinking about Ultimate, both in terms of our team as well as on a bigger scale. There are a lot of other people who really inspire me and who have done so much for me on a personal level, and Abby Stephens, Gwen Ambler, and Lindsey Hack are at the top of that list. Winning this award is a huge honor, but if anything, I think it speaks to all of the amazing people who have sparked ideas and helped me turn them into a reality. WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

FEATURE ARTICLE

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S By: Carolyn Matthews

Tsang

the Art of Winning

AFTER WRAPPING UP ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP IN SARASOTA, FURY RETURNED TO SAN FRANCISCO JUST AS THE GIANTS WON THE WORLD SERIES. WITH BLUE RIBBONS AROUND THEIR NECKS, FURY PLAYERS AND COACH MATT TSANG WERE WELCOMED BY A CITY ELECTRIFIED BY A NATIONAL TITLE – AN APPROPRIATE HOMECOMING FOR THE FIVE-STRAIGHT USA ULTIMATE WOMEN’S CLUB CHAMPIONS.

Tsang

SCOTT ROEDER

the Art of Winning

USA

CREE HOWARD MAKES A CATCH DESPITE SOLID D FROM CAPITALS’ LAUREL BERKOWITZ.

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

Fury’s victory was worthy of a ticker tape parade. In a 15-9 win over the Capitals, the Bay Area powerhouse wrote itself into the history books as the first women’s team to win five straight USA Ultimate Club championships. The Godiva dynasty strung four titles together from 1995-98 and the Lady Condors got four from 1984-87. Today, women’s Ultimate has a new standard of excellence. Going into Nationals, Tsang was well aware of the game’s significance. “I didn’t tell the team but personally I really wanted the record,” Tsang said after the game. Rather than putting added pressure on his team with thoughts of a record, Tsang advised Fury to keep their warm-ups light. Captains Snyder and Nancy Sun heeded his advice.

Tsang did not become a coach overnight. He played for UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley in the early and mid-‘90s before he was sidelined with an ACL tear. He was still interested in being involved with Ultimate and began his coaching career with the UC Berkeley Pie Queens in 1997. “I got the chance to help build a program from the ground up,” Tsang said. During his eight years as coach at Berkeley, he helped form a B-team, the Tarts, and led the A- team to the quarterfinals at the College Championships. Before joining Fury, Tsang coached for another Northwest club team, the now defunct Homebrood. “Through this process, I learned how to coach. I made mistakes and saw what worked. I learned a lot about recruiting, chemistry and retention. I learned more than just how to coach strategically but also how teams work.”

wanted to use that knowledge,” said Captain Anne Pogoriler. This year’s underdog story, Nemesis, utilized two coaches Pfil Broering and Akira Yamaguchi. The coaches pulled together the young players and cagey veterans with a cohesive, rehearsed offense. This approach, along with months of intense cross-training, helped Nemesis break seed and jump from 10 to seven in the final rankings. For new coaches, Tsang preaches patience and humility. He advises coaches to keep their egos in check and meet players where they are. SCOTT ROEDER

“As we were driving through the city from the “Matty has an unmatched ability to bring people airport on Monday night, they were winning it,” together,” Snyder said. “He’s great at making Captain Alex Snyder recounted. “The city was the effort to connect with people on the team going crazy. We just pretended it was for us.” individually. He’s a phenomenal leader.”

“Ultimate players warm up too much. In a game like this, it’s easy to get overamped,” Tsang continues to run skills clinic at Tsang said. Fury clearly listened to the Berkeley and he coaches two middle school wisdom of their coach and the team came teams at the school where he teaches out composed and calm. The Caps started off nutrition and ecology. At one point last year, forcing forehand and Fury quickly worked it he was coaching six days a week. to the goal line and Snyder scored easily on an oven cut. “It was a bit much,” Tsang laughed. “But I love it. I could talk about Ultimate all day.” Fury’s forehand person defense smothered the Caps offensive serve. Fury scored off a break to More women’s club teams are seeking out Alicia White to make it 2-0. From there, Fury coaches. Of the field of 16 in 2010, 11 teams COACH MATTY TSANG IS CREDITED FOR MUCH OF built up an insurmountable 6-0 lead. had coaches at the Club Championships. FURY’S SUCCESS, INCLUDING HIS TEAM’S 2008 TITLE The role of the coach varies from team to OVER RIOT. “We came out similar to last year’s finals. team, but all teams are looking for one thing: “If something’s not working, it’s not because We scored the first few points as first you’re doing something bad or the player is external leadership. possessions,” Tsang said. “Scoring like that doing bad. It’s not because they’re not good gives us the mental edge. It makes the other “It’s good that there’s more coaching. Ultimate enough or they’re not listening. You may need team feel like they can’t turn it over.” is often seen as a do-it-yourself, alternative to figure out a different approach. Go through activity. But I’ve seen many opponents the window instead of the front door.” The closest the Caps came to Fury was three underperform because they have no coach,” points, at 6-3 and 7-4. Fury’s Cree Howard said Tsang. “It takes a huge burden off the The presence of a coach certainly does not made a beautiful grab over two Caps players guarantee success. The semifinals were captains – particularly in sub-calling.” to bring the game to half at 8-4. After half, the split evenly between teams with coaches Caps scored three in a row but the effort was too Many teams boast coaches with notable and teams guided by strong captain cores. little, too late. They squandered an opportunity Ultimate prowess including Brute Squad’s The Capitals and semifinalists Riot are both on the goal line and Fury quickly converted it Billy Rodriguez, a former Death or Glory strong captain-driven squads. and the next D to put the game away at 15-9. legend and Phoenix’s Tully Beatty, a former The Capitals are a fusion of a Toronto club Team USA player and Ring of Fire great. Despite the timing of the San Francisco Giants’ team (Lotus) and an Ottawa club team victory, Fury’s reign is more analogous to that Phoenix Captain Lindsey Hack credits Beatty (Stella). The team was formed for the sole of basketball’s Los Angeles Lakers. Since its for coaching the team to an eighth-place purpose of competing in Sarasota. Alyson formation in 1999, Fury earned seven first- finish in its inaugural visit to Sarasota. “He’s Walker, Danielle Fortin, Kaitlyn Lovatt and place finishes in Florida and took gold at not only a great coach in terms of strategy Kristin Laurin are captains for both Lotus and Worlds twice in 2008 and 2010. but he’s also our positive life force.” the Capitals. Tsang started coaching Fury in 2006 and Colorado’s Molly Brown was another new “We used the entire team,” said Fortin of their much like the former Bulls and current Lakers team this year and they tapped former effort in Sarasota. The fourth-seeded Capitals coach Phil Jackson, Tsang understands University of Colorado Mamabird coach upset the number one seeded Riot in a close Zen and the art of winning championships. Catt Wilson to lead the fledgling squad that and exciting semifinal that ended 15-13. Tsang has a blue ribbon for every year he finished ninth overall. “Every player on this team worked hard,” coached Fury and he brings intangible and “Catt has championship experience and we Caps star Anne Mercier said, “On paper, invaluable lessons to the 26-woman squad. WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

Captains Gwen Ambler and Sarah Griffith lead the deep Riot roster with composed and meticulous control. In Sarasota, the team used the whole field, broke marks effortlessly and hucked with precision. They primarily ran a split stack in the open field that condensed into a vertical stack in the endzone. Miranda Roth, Rohre Titcomb, Liz Duffy, Shannon O’Malley and the rest of Riot’s talented squad are guided by Ambler and Griffith who make many of the strategic calls. It’s a leadership duo that consistently leads to victory – most notably three wins against the otherwise undefeated Fury this season. The Capitals and Riot both had coaches at one point in their histories but now are guided by captains and strategy committees. “The hardest thing is finding the right coach. The wrong coach can be very detrimental. We are so lucky to have Matty,” Snyder said.

acknowledging good teams. At first, I was met with a lot of resistance when I would tell [Fury] in a huddle that, ‘Hey, this team’s defense is good.’ One captain pulled me aside and told me that saying good things about other teams really didn’t fire her up.”

MATT LANE

maybe we don’t match up with Riot but we work hard, started strong and kept it strong.”

However, as the guard changed and the team bought into Tsang’s philosophies, Fury only got better. “Some players think that acknowledging other teams is a sign of weakness. But really, we can only learn and get better from appreciating other teams.” In a classic example, Fury uses a Japanese defense but they also try to replicate their Worlds opponents’ mental stamina. “We love playing and learning from the Japanese team. They are very mentally strong so we decided to emulate that.” Tsang may or may not coach Fury in 2011 but his message will be captured for years to come. Fury started recording Tsang’s

MATT LANE

Tsang’s strategic mind and leadership are keys to Fury’s success, but he also brings something else. For the second year in a row, Fury won the team spirit award. This year’s final game was incredibly spirited with only a handful of calls. In the team’s early days, Fury was not exactly known for its spirit.

CAPITALS’ ALYSON WALKER AND FURY’S ALICIA WHITE SKY FOR THE DISC IN THE WOMEN’S DIVISION FINALS.

“When I moved over [from Homebrood], I wanted to change Fury’s relationship with other teams,” Tsang said. He fosters a respectful, positive team atmosphere that radiates from his players. After the finals game, Caps and Fury players were seen dancing and celebrating together.

“We originally wanted to use it against Riot but it worked against Brute’s handlers,” Tsang said, referencing their semifinals win against the Boston squad. The defense is essentially a zone in the back field and a loose wall that puts pressure on handlers. In the finals, Fury threw several defenses at the Capitals to fluster handlers and minimize hucks. The strategy succeeded. Tsang admitted that one of Fury’s defenses was borrowed from the Capitals and tweaked over the years. The defense shows zone in the back and a loose wall in front to stop quick handler movement and hucks. Recognizing other teams’ strengths and adapting their strategies are ways Tsang demonstrates the true essence of Spirit of the Game.

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“It’s a fine balance to have an insular team who has the ‘all-about-us’ mentality and

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

CAPITALS’ DANIELLE FORTIN IS GUARDED BY ALICIA WHITE IN THE FINALS.

pre-game pep talks and other sermons. But Snyder points out that recorded or not, Tsang’s message is carried by all his players.

MATT LANE

In terms of strategy, Tsang noted that the reigning champions experimented with a new zone adapted from a Japanese defense they saw in Prague.

“Matty is famous for his speeches in the huddle. A common theme is being present and recognizing that we are privileged to be where we are,” Snyder said. “I always walk away from those huddles with my heart fully in it.”

Want to learn from Tsang or other expert Ultimate coaches? Attend one of USA Ultimate’s Coaching Education Workshops in 2011

FURY’S CREE HOWARD GETS OFF A THROW WHILE MARKED BY CAPITALS’ LAUREL BERKOWITZ.

Finding the Fury By: Carolyn Matthews

Tryouts: Every year is slightly different when it comes to trying out for Fury. Last year, the team ran early and short tryouts to prepare for the WFDF World Ultimate Club Championships held in early July in Prague. In March, Fury teamed up with Bay Area teams Zeitgeist and Slackjaw to host a women’s “mixer.” More than 100 players of all levels showed off their stuff during scrimmages and in skill sessions led by each team. From there, Fury invited potential players to four exclusive tryouts throughout April. Recruiting: Given the invite-only status of Fury’s tryouts, it is clear the team is not without good recruits. The Northwest region cultivates talent starting in middle school and up through college programs like Stanford and UC-Berkeley. Fury Coach Matt Tsang, who led the Berkeley Pie Queens for eight years, coaches two middle school teams in the Bay Area. Additionally, San Francisco attracts veteran players from all over the country who move to the area for jobs or school and Ultimate (not always in that order). Fury meets for a weekend every January to celebrate the previous season’s success and to begin the process of forming the next year’s team. Players will announce if they are planning to return and they will share any news of talent from local college teams or players planning on moving into the Bay Area.

transparent.” Each member will suggest an ideal roster size then rank all returners and new tryouts. A committee of five – consisting of Tsang, captains and other elected teammates – will sort through the forms, tabulate results and balance the most wanted players with the desired roster number. The committee will then contact all tryouts with either good news or feedback about strengths and what to work on for next year’s tryout. “We have trouble turning people away,” Snyder said. “We have grown every year since I joined the team but we strike an amazing balance of all the right things.” Tsang added, “We try to provide a lot of input to players we have to turn away. We try to do everything as best we can – including running a good tryout where feelings don’t get hurt.” MATT LANE

Year after year, Fury attracts top tier talent to adds to its already strong roster. College phenoms and veteran transplants quickly integrate into the winning system. So, how exactly do they find, form and fine tune the team?

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

LEFT: FURY’S CREE HOWARD CATCHES THE DISC OVER CAPITALS’ ELIZABETH LOVE AS TEAMMATES LOOK ON.

BELOW: ALICIA WHITE SKIES FOR A CATCH AHEAD OF THE CAPITAL’S DANIELLE FORTIN.

KEVIN LECLAIRE

What Fury wants: Very simply, Fury is looking for athleticism and a basic skill set. In addition to disc fundamentals, Tsang is always thinking about defense. “We run a lot of defensive drills in tryouts. Many college teams don’t focus enough on defense. So, we test basic footwork and positioning. Then we like to see how quickly people pick up our drills.” Tryout tip: “Show us what you do best,” Tsang advises players considering Fury’s ranks. “Some years we’re looking for handlers but we don’t want our tryouts thinking, ‘I should be a handler.’ Instead we want to see what each individual can bring to the team.” Skills and Drills: Tryouts run like a typical Fury practice: roughly three and a half hours long with a warm-up, targeted drills and several half field and full field scrimmages using the team’s offenses, defenses and calls. “We just do what we do,” said Captain Alex Snyder. “It’s the truest gauge of how they’d do [on the team].” Fury doesn’t time 40 yard sprints or measure verticals but the team does do shuttle runs to gauge speed and athleticism. Selection: Once tryouts are completed, all returning players fill out a selection form. “It’s a super complicated voting system,” Snyder half-joked. “It’s kind of epic but we want to be very upfront and WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STATISTICS CAPITALS PLAYER

FURY PLAYER

GOALS

ASSISTS

GOALS

ASSISTS

00 - Lisa Di Diodato

3 - Shannon Becker

4 - Sarah Kidd

3 - Karen Brimacombe

5 - Anne Mercier

4 - Alex Snyder

6 - Meredith MacNaughton

5 - Emily Damon

7 - Kate Cavallaro

6 - Alicia Dantzker

11- Danielle Fortin

7 - Kaela Jorgenson

12 - Carla Difilippo

8 - Nancy Sun

13- Alyson Walker

9 - Alicia Barr

15 - Sonia Komenda

10 - Genevieve Laroche

16 - Martha Paterson

11 - Lauren Casey

18 - Josee Guibord

13 - Cree Howard

19 - Kaitlyn Lovatt

14 - Liz Penny

21 - Kristin Laurin

17 - Nicole Beck

26 - Natalie Fitzgerald

18 - Amanda Leahy

44 - Elizabeth Love

19 - Alicia White

50 - Laurel Berkowitz

20 - Kari De Leeuw

55 - Mal Lundgren

22 - Arlie Stern

59 - Marie-Celine Alexander

23 - Megan Schoellhamer

60 - Dominique Rioux

24 - Jody Dozono

79 - Alena Papayanis

25 - Abby Christopher

88 - Kate Werry

27 - Ness Fajardo

34 - Robin Davis

TOTALS

41 - Yelena Gorlin

42 - Darragh Clancy

66 - Lakshmi Narayan

71 - Manisha Daryani

88 - Manu Argilli

91 - Georgia Bosscher

TOTALS

INDIVIDUAL SPIRIT NOMINEES Bent - Minnie Muzquiz Brute Squad - Peri Kurshan Capitals - Kathleen Cavallaro Fury - Arlie Stern Molly Brown - Anne Pogoriler Nemesis - Kelly Johnson Ozone - Anna Bucher Phoenix - Lindsey Hack

FINAL STANDINGS 1 – Fury (San Francisco, CA) 2 – Capitals (Toronto, ON) 3T - Brute Squad (Boston, MA) 3T – Riot (Seattle, WA) 5 – Traffic (Vancouver, BC) 6 – Scandal (Washington, D.C.) 7 – Nemesis (Chicago, IL) 8 – Phoenix (RaleighDurham, N.C.)

Pop - Sarah Weeks Revoloution - Tasha Parman Riot - Miranda Roth Safari - Amy Little Scandal - Jenny Fey Showdown - Michelle Ng Storm - Helena Skrotzky-Boisvert Traffic - Eva Cham

KATHY PUFAHL SPIRIT AWARD WINNER 20

USA

Michelle Ng - Showdown

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

9 - Molly Brown (Denver, CO) 10 – Bent (New York, NY) 11 – Showdown (Austin, TX) 12 – Ozone (Atlanta, GA) 13 – Pop (Minneapolis, MN) 14 – Revoloution(St. Louis, MO) 15 – Storm (Montreal, QC) 16 – Safari (San Diego, CA)

TEAM SPIRIT RANKINGS 4.9 - Fury 4.6 - Showdown 4.6 - Pop 4.6 - Ozone 4.4 - Traffic 4.3 - Storm 4.3 - Riot 4.1 - Nemesis

4.1 - Molly Brown 4.1 - Brute Squad 4.0 - Revoloution 3.8 - Scandal 3.8 - Phoenix 3.6 - Bent 3.3 - Capitals 2.7 - Safari

10 QUESTIONS with Marty Bakko Spirit of The Game Award Winner

Blayne Ferguson

A: I am a Project Coordinator in the IT Branch of the Canada Revenue Agency. Q: Who did you play for in college? A: No one. I discovered the sport in my mid 20s after college. Q: What is your favorite tournament? A: Definitely the USA Ultimate Club Championships because every game means something and there are no teams that you can look past. If you are not ready to play hard every game it could cost you the tournament and everyone else plays the same way. Q: What are some of your favorite Ultimate memories? A: That would have to be my three and a half year-old daughter presenting me with my gold medal this past summer in Sherbrooke, QC at the Canadian Championships. It was the first time she had seen us win a championship and I think she was more excited than I was. Q: What are some of your notable contributions to the sport? A: Over the years in Ottawa I have been a part of numerous teaching clinics for players. But I have enjoyed the time I spend working with different schools in the city and helping to introduce the sport for the next generation of players even more. I have also led a former team’s toy donation program in gathering hundreds of toys to be given at Christmas to underprivileged families. Q: Why do you care so much about Ultimate & continue to dedicate your time to it? A: Honestly, it is because of the people you play with, against or who dedicate their time to volunteer at tournaments. I’ve played hockey, football and baseball my entire life but the people I’ve met during my Ultimate career are unlike any others and are what makes the sport so special. Q: What does winning the Bakko Award mean to you? A: It was a pretty humbling experience actually because I first had to be nominated by my own team which was an honor in itself. Then to have the other teams you compete against echo those sentiments and feel you are deserving of the award is pretty amazing. With everything I have been through off the field with fighting cancer twice and luckily being able to return to competition, I look at the Marty Bakko award as not a memorial award after his passing but as celebration of life award, While he was alive he embodied that philosophy and it’s the way I have tried to live every day since my battles.

but I felt compelled to pass along any encouragement I could and I wanted to tell him to fight and that it was possible to survive. We talked about our families as we both have two young girls. This past October I had the pleasure of meeting his family at the award ceremony which was very emotional for all of us. When I heard of Marty’s passing last year I was very sad to hear the news and my immediate thoughts went out to his family and teammates. After playing Surly again at last year’s Championships I passed along my condolences for the friend they lost and was surprised to hear that a lot of them already knew about our conversation from the year before. While I only knew him for a short time, I can honestly say he was a man deserving of an award in his name. What teammates say about Blayne:

”In many ways, Blayne and Marty are kindred spirits; both have shown competitive fire, leadership and spirit in fighting cancer the same way that they fight for their team on the field” - Mike Hill Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? A: I see myself on the sidelines of whatever sport or activities my two daughters are involved in and cheering them on however I can. I hope that at least one of them is involved in Ultimate because I think the current rate of growth and level of competition of the sport is fantastic and I would love to have my girls experience that and be a part of it. I think it’s safe to say that I’ll still be involved in the sport five years from now whether playing, coaching or volunteering because the memories and friendships I’ve made thus far have all been very positive. Q: Would you like to give any shout-outs? A: I’d like to thank the Bakko family and the members of Surly for all their efforts to make this award a reality. Being the inaugural winner of it is something I hold in extremely high regard and is something I will speak to my children, family and friends about with great pride. MATT LANE

Q: What do you do for work in real life?

Q: What can you tell us about your relationship with Marty Bakko? A: My relationship with Marty was unfortunately very short as our first meeting was two years ago at his last Club Championships (my first) I noticed that Surly was wearing the number 42 on their sleeves during our game on Day 1 and after asking one of their players about it, they told me about Marty and I immediately sought to find and talk to him. At that point I was only one year into my recovery

FERGUSON RECEIVES THE MARTY BAKKO SPIRT OF THE GAME AWARD FROM THE BAKKO FAMILY.

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

MATT LANE

SCOTT ROEDER

MIXED TOP LEFT: CASEY HOGG OF DOUBLEWIDE GRABS THE DISC OVER SAM HARKNESS OF SOCKEYE TOP RIGHT: BUCKET’S ADRIENNE TECZA AND SLOW WHITE’S JULIE EAGLE FOCUS ON THE DISC

BOTTOM LEFT: KATE WERRY OF THE CAPITALS AND CAITLIN CORDELL OF RIOT DIVE FOR THE DISC BOTTOM RIGHT: JUSTIN SEGOOL OF DISTRICT 5 AND DOUG JACOBS OF CLX JUMP FOR AN INCOMING DISC

MATT LANE

OPEN

USA

WOMEN’S

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

MIXED

MATT LANE

WOMEN’S

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

MATT LANE

MIXED

MATT LANE

MASTERS

SCOTT ROEDER

KEVIN LECLAIRE

WOMEN’S

TOP LEFT: ALI HARRIS OF NEMESIS PASSES THE DISC AS SHOWDOWN’S REBECCA SHELTON DEFENDS BOTTOM LEFT: JUSTIN SEGOOL OF DISTRICT 5 COMES DOWN WITH THE CATCH OVER JAKE HENDERSON OF DRAG N’ THRUST TOP RIGHT: JASON FLOCK OF DOG MARKS J.D. LOBUE OF THE BEYONDORS MIDDLE RIGHT: FURY’S CREE HOWARD MAKES THE GRAB OVER KATY HARRIS OF PHOENIX BOTTOM RIGHT: OSCAR POTTINGER OF FURIOUS GEORGE LAYS OUT ON D WHILE LEON CHOU MAKES THE CATCH

OPEN

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

KEVIN LECLAIRE

USA

BONEYARD’S JASON RECTOR AND SURLY’S RON KUBALANZA JUMP FOR THE DISC IN THE MASTERS FINAL.

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

FEATURE ARTICLE

Maintaining Masters: Staying Surly and Being Boneyard

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

By: Tony Leonardo

AFTER A DYNAMIC SHOOTOUT BETWEEN SURLY’S RON KUBALANZA (FIVE GOALS THROWN, THREE GOALS CAUGHT) AND BONEYARD’S RAY PARRISH (TWO GOALS THROWN, FIVE CAUGHT) ENDED WITH SURLY’S STEELY 15-9 VICTORY AND THEIR SECOND MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP IN FOUR YEARS, THE COURSE HAD BEEN SET. IF SURLY REPEATS IN 2011 – THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DIVISION – THEY CAN BE CALLED THE BEST TEAM THE DIVISION HAS SEEN. No Masters team has won three titles. Colorado’s Old In The Way and Seattle’s Keg Workers of America finished with two. Surly will look to make it three next year with a team returning its core and adding more. Surly has made the finals four straight times and serves as a model for how to keep up a high-level Masters club with a social prerogative, a core group of former Open teammates and steady recruiting. The 2010 edition brought in noticeable big-name talent from the Open division in guys like Ricky Eikstadt, Charlie Reznikoff, Don Tom and Kubalanza, all with elite-level success. They joined what was already a remarkably deep, experienced team behind guys like Dan Rydel, Phil Bowen, Randy Gage, John Sandahl, John Chandler, Mark “Paco” Enright, Eric “Turtle” Lonsdorf, Chris York, Dave Boardman, John Fenske and others. Many others. “We were so deep this year,” said Eric Enge, one of the original Surly members. “We had 20 players that would start on any Masters team. Adding Tom and Kubalanza made us even stronger.”

having fun, so you don’t want to trim the roster like that because there’s a camaraderie that’s been established. Plus we want to be able practice in town instead of jamming the roster with out-of-town talent. It’s a balance that Surly’s been able to maintain and hopefully we’ll keep doing it.” That being said, Boardman also confided that a number of top-level recruits were already on his radar for next year. It can’t hurt a team’s camaraderie to be sponsored by a prize-winning craft beer in Minneapolis’ Surly Brewing Company, started by Omar Ansari, one of the founders of the antecedent 2002 Twin Cities’ Masters team Grey Expectations and still a competitor on the Surly roster. According to teammate Russ Adams, the brewery has been quite successful. “Even after several major expansions in capacity, they still can’t meet the demand within Minnesota alone.” SIMILAR TEAMS WITH THE SAME GOAL Raleigh-Durham’s Boneyard hopes to emulate Surly’s success.

John Sandahl said after their 15-11 semifinal win over “Surly’s talent ran deeper than any team in the entire Real Huck – the closest game they played in Sarasota – division this year,” wrote Boneyard co-captain Mark that Surly had played 27 of the 29 guys on their roster. Britt. “If we can keep our core players and add depth, we should be able to compete with them. And maybe Because some Masters teams eschew tryouts for we need to get a local brewery to sponsor us, too.” a number of reasons, recruiting is an essential component of success—but with a twist. “If you want Both teams started from the ground up, locally, and to stay competitive you have to cut people and bring have been competing and improving as a team at the in new talent,” explained Boardman. “But Masters Championships for at least five years now. They are is a little different. We wouldn’t play if we weren’t also aware of what winning in 2011 would mean. WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

MATT LANE JOHN SANDAHL (16) EMBRACES HIS TEAMMATES AFTER CLINCHING THE MASTERS TITLE.

USA

Next year’s champion—if they are American, standout O-line pickups like Parrish, Daran championship team. Top Masters teams and they might not be because Ottawa’s Edmonds, Matthias Mueller and Brian Lang. routinely finish in the top three or four at third-place finisher GLUM will be a strong “The reason we did better this year is because Sectionals, but could Surly have taken out a contender—will represent Team USA at we added those younger, better players. In few Open teams at the Championships this 2012 Worlds. That means many teams will 2005 I was one of the top seven players on year? be gearing up to win and other talent-laden the team. Now I’m one of the bottom seven – “I think we would have gotten 16th,” laughed clubs are sure to arise. and it’s not because I’ve gotten worse.” Boardman. “We played Madison Club and “There is a long time between now and Maintaining a structure needed for success Sub Zero at Sectionals and lost. At some next year’s tournament and the possibility can be difficult for Masters players with busy point on the roster you end up getting beat.” of representing USA in the 2012 WUGC schedules. Practices are naturally different History has shown that elite teams can carry championships will bring out more folks,” than what they were for Open or Mixed. “For rosters laden with the aged and succeed. In explained Boneyard’s Alan Hoyle. “I think players in town we hope they can come to Ultimate you only have to look at JAM’s 2008 we will set similarly high standards for our practice, but people miss them all the time,” championship roster and count the number performance.” explained Boardman. “In Open there is an of “3s” in the age column. But it’s clear that obligation to be at practice even if you’re “Worlds is a factor,” wrote Enge. “We will a team does need young legs. The Miami hurt or don’t want to be there. But now with have people fighting for spots on the roster. Heat may have won the NBA Championship families and work we just don’t have the We have never represented our country and in 2006 behind 30-somethings Shaquille time. We work on basic stuff and not intense really want to be that team.” O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton and strategies.” Antoine Walker but without 24-year old TRYOUTS AND PRACTICES “We have two practices a week and a track Dwyane Wade they didn’t stand a chance. For both squads, picking up players from the workout and always enough for a full “When we play Ring of Fire at a tournament local Open team is a surefire path to success. scrimmage,” wrote Hoyle. “But as Masters there is often a case of beer riding on the One of Surly’s main components is ex-Sub many of us have other commitments game,” wrote Hoyle. “At NC Sectionals in ‘09, Zero members and a player even admitted throughout the season so attendance varies. we beat the spread and won the case. This to “cannibalizing” the Open team in recent For example, Boz, one of our captains, missed year it was a push.” years. Likewise, a core of Boneyard comes a few weeks of practice when he flew his plane to Haiti to transport supplies and help So what was the point spread? Ten. from successful Ring of Fire teams. with the earthquake relief effort.” “We would definitely finish 16th in Open,” “Everyone in the Ultimate community around said Hoyle. “But we would have the best cars here knew we were going to be a top five TAKING ON ANOTHER DIVISION? when we got home.” team this year, especially those who were Watching the speed of Boneyard and the at Nationals in other divisions last year. success of Surly’s offense (scoring on eight STAYING CONNECTED The word got around, and as a result we of eight possessions) in the finals, one had over 50 guys trying out for the team. It’s another sign of Ultimate’s continued couldn’t help but consider that these teams We were able to pick up some excellent growth that talent levels keep rising. Masters could compete in Open or defeat a Collegiate new recruits,” said Britt, likely referring to teams stay together longer as clubs and less

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

as glory-based Open reunion teams. The sport itself is still a youthful 42 and everyone who plays knows it can be a lifelong pursuit. That helps explain why so many Masters players spend time with the next generation. Surly’s John Sandahl has been involved with Youth Ultimate since 2004. This year he served as the head coach for the Girls bronze-winning Junior Worlds team that competed in Heilbronn, Germany. “We have a core of people in this city and this team who are very committed to bringing Ultimate to the next generation,” explained Sandahl. “I benefited greatly from the adults who took time to show me how to play, including our fallen Surly teammate Marty Bakko who was my first real club captain. I know I’m one of many who want to return the favor here in the Minnesota area. It’s amazing how many times I’ve heard someone say, ‘if only I had a coach when I was in high school!’”

Ultimate is relatively new,” explained Sandahl. “This current generation of players is growing up with Masters, Mixed and Open/Women’s players teaching them. And so often the best part of coaching is that the coaches are learning just as much as the players. If there’s a parallel between Youth and Masters it’s that they are learning together at the same time.”

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER All of these factors that make a great team were on display at the Championships as both Surly and Boneyard dominated pool play and quarterfinals on a collision course to the finals. Only GLUM seemed up to the challenge, managing to withstand a gamepoint 14-10 deficit to take it to double-game point at 16s before finally succumbing to Boneyard in an exciting semifinal match. This past summer Surly lost a half-time lead and then the game in the finals at the World Championships in Prague. It was a disheartening loss in a match they could have won. But it gave them the incentive needed to win the inaugural USA Ultimate Club Championships.

“A number of Boneyard players have leadership positions, either in the Triangle Flying Disc Association or as college, high school, or youth coaches,” said Britt. “I coached my kids in the Triangle Youth Ultimate League’s U-14 division this year and Alan “This sounds funny, but right after we lost to Troubled Hoyle coaches the Duke women’s team. Most of us Past we knew we we’re going to win Nationals,” are either captains or mentors to the younger players.” recounted Sandahl.

KEVIN LECLAIRE

RIGHT: BONYEARD’S BRIAN LANG GETS THE JUMP ON SURLY’S MARK SEVERT. BELOW: RON KUBALANZA LAYS OUT FOR A NICE GRAB IN THE FINALS VS. BONEYARD.

KEVIN LECLAIRE

Continued Britt, “In my experience parents are seeking “We should have won that game and every single an alternative to the hypercompetitive youth soccer person on the team wanted to make sure that didn’t leagues. Many kids don’t get the chance these days happen again,” wrote Enge. “We tightened our for unstructured play, and youth Ultimate can —and offense to play more ball control and only had two in my opinion should—be as close to unstructured as breaks total for quarters, semis and finals combined.” possible while still working within the fundamental Simple, right? Lose Worlds, don’t turn the disc over, concepts of the game. The kids will come to love the win the Club Championships and come home to a game for the Spirit, and will play more because of it, sweet ride. and everything else will come with experience.” Tony Leonardo is the co-author of Ultimate: In Minnesota there are over 50 high school teams The First Four Decades and author of Ultimate: and the numbers are growing. “It’s worth saying The Greatest Sport Ever Invented By Man which you that most Masters players had no formal coaching in can impress your friends with by navigating to www. Ultimate when they learned how to play. There were thegreatestsporteverinvented.com. always captains and veterans but the idea of coaching

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S SURLY

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STATISTICS GOALS

ASSISTS

0 - Ricky Eikstadt

1 - Fritz Burkhardt

2 - Ron Kubalanza

3 - Eric Lonsdorf 4 - Jim Mott

PLAYER

GOALS

ASSISTS

1 - Jason Rector

2 - Mark Britt

3 - Dwayne Purper

4 - Christoph Boshoff

5 - Tim Lupo

6 - Bill Cooper

6 - Brian Sherry

7 - Paul Anderson

7 - Ray Parrish

8 - Dave Steglich

8 - Brian Lang

10 - Kenny Faase

9 - Matthias Mueller

11 - Mark Enright

10 - Rodney Guajardo

12 - Randy Gage

11 - John Boswell

13 - Jeremy Alden

12 - Terry Kramer

14 - Phil Bowen

13 - Nathan Fritze

16 - John Sandahl

15 - Eric Davis

17 - Dan Rydel

17 - Brett McCall

18 - Seth Grossinger

19 - Bobby Wilson

21 - Don Tom

20 - Derek Dail

22 - Dave Boardman

21 - Daran Edmonds

24 - Allon Katz

23 - Bobby Veit

25 - Adam Goff

28 - Jeff Plentl

27 - Grady Hannah

29 - Sunny Lo

28 - Eric Enge

30 - Jon Proctor

33 - Mark Severt

34 - Augie Kreivenas

35 - Charlie Reznikoff

41 - Trent Morrow

36 - Russ Adams

42 - Alan Hoyle

37 - John Chandler-Pepelnjak

47 - Roger Lassiter

39 - Chris York

54 - Rich Mason

79 - Steve Ridgely

98 - Christopher Shepard

86 - John Fenske

0 TOTALS

TOTALS

15 MATT LANE

PLAYER

BONEYARD

USA

SURLY’S RON KUBALANZA IS MARKED BY BONEYARD’S BRETT MCCALL.

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

FINAL STANDINGS 1 – Surly (Minneapolis, MN) 2 – Boneyard (Cary, NC) 3 – GLUM (Ottawa, ON) 4 - Real Huck (Chicago, IL) 5 – Figjam (Calgary, ALB) 6 – Beyondors (Santa Barbara, CA) 7 – Chesapeaked (Washington, D.C.) 8 – DoG (Boston, MA) 9 - Le Tigre (Santa Fe, NM) 10 - Ball and Chain (Atlanta, GA) 11 – Rumble (Boston, MA) 12 - Slow Country Boil (Charleston, SC)

TEAM SPIRIT RANKINGS *4.7 - Figjam 4.7 - Slow Country Boil 4.6 - Surly 4.6 - GLUM 4.4 - Rumble 4.4 - Real Huck

INDIVIDUAL SPIRIT NOMINEES

4.4 - Le Tigre

Ball and Chain - Chris Hatton

4.4 - Beyondors

Beyondors - John Frantz

4.3 - Ball and Chain

Boneyard - Jason Rector

4.1 - Chesapeaked

Chesapeaked - Clayton Coltman

3.8 - DoG

DoG - Marshall Goff

3.4 - Boneyard

Figjam - Kerry Karter

* won tiebreaker

GLUM - Blayne Ferguson Le Tigre - Brett Linder Real Huck - Chris Reynolds Rumble - Jimmy Biancolo Slow Country Boil - Jimmy Brice Surly - Dan Rydel

MARTY BAKKO SPIRIT AWARD WINNER

KEVIN LECLAIRE

SCOTT ROEDER

Blayne Ferguson - GLUM

PHIL BOWEN CELEBRATES SURLY’S VICTORY.

BONEYARD’S DARAN EDMONDS MAKES A NICE GRAB AHEAD OF JOHN SANDAHL.

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

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FEATURE ARTICLE

MASTERS MIXED By: Matthew Spillum OPEN WOMEN’S

Breaking the Ice:

First Year Team Polar Bears Introduce Themselves to the Series With a Championship

THEY LINED UP FOR THE FIRST PULL OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST CONNECTICUT’S DISTRICT 5 (ANOTHER FIRST-YEAR TEAM). GREG MARLIAVE, EMMA DOBBINS, ROBERT GORMLEY, BEKAH SEXTON, ADAM RATY, AN-CHI TSOU AND CLAY MILLER: SEVEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO HAD WORKED TOGETHER, ALONG WITH ALL THEIR COMRADES ON THE SIDELINES, TO GET TO THIS POINT. THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP MIXED DIVISION FINALS LOOMED BEFORE THEM, AND IT REMAINED TO BE SEEN IF THEY HAD PUT THIS TEAM TOGETHER AS WELL AS THEY MIGHT HAVE. SCOTT ROEDER

It had all started at Santa Monica, California’s Lei Out 2010 beach tournament. “We formed the team with no anticipation of competing at the series, just a group of friends going to a fun tournament together,” says captain An-Chi Tsou. According to Tsou, Polar Bears found itself in the finals “thanks in large part to warming up to “Party in the USA,” by Miley Cyrus. After a great weekend, we thought, hey, why not bring this team to the series?” The name itself sprang from the kind of tradition that Ultimate teams often use to entertain each other while out among the general public. At every team dinner, the group that would become the 2010 Mixed Division Club Champions would have a team Rochambeau, with the loser consigned to trot out this tired pickup line on the waitperson (or some other unsuspecting soul): “How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice. Hi, I’m…”

USA

POLAR BEARS CELEBRATE DANIEL NARUO’S GAME WINNING CATCH IN THE MIXED DIVISION FINALS (OPPOSITE PAGE).

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

While the running gag became ingrained enough to spawn the team’s name, captains Tsou and Marliave did not say whether anyone had used the line to any notable success. Having watched them on their stealthy-good campaign to win it all in Sarasota, however, I can only say I wouldn’t bet against a set

SCOTT ROEDER

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

KEVIN LECLAIRE POLAR BEARS’ AN-CHI TSOU AND DISTRICT 5’S ALEX MORRONE GO HEAD-TO-HEAD FOR THE DISC

of digits changing hands at least once. Polar Bears may not have been the most highly touted side in the pack, or the most explosive or athletic, but this group simply found ways to win games. In a year where parity was the by-word and nothing could be taken for granted among the top eight teams, this group of northern Californians managed to put their first-year lineup up against the higher seeds and come away with the wins. Enough to break the ice, indeed.

USA

Though the origins of the team were all fun and games, the Polar Bears’ story belies the oft-noted stereotype of a Mixed team made of “vacationing” all-stars looking to win a title without practicing. “We formed the team with serious players and serious goals, so there was no question that we would be practicing hard,” notes Marliave. “In our minds you cannot play your best come tournament time if you haven’t been working at practice and on the track.” The results of that work were a solid season, marred mainly by a disappointing loss to Mischief in the Northwest Regional final. “We actually fell short of our primary goal from the beginning of the season — winning regionals,” says Tsou. “There was certainly a lot of excitement at qualifying for (Club Championships), but the team was disappointed and bitter about losing to Mischief in the finals. That served as a little extra motivation for Sarasota.”

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

That team, motivated and hungry though would make or break a team when it counted. they might have been, was put to early tests Perhaps it was the cohesive nature of their in the opening rounds of the Club Champion- team, born in jests, Miley Cyrus and beaches ships. Their core of players was built for the that gave them the calm needed under preslong haul, however. When, after going up 5-2 sure. “Forming out of a group decision (after in the Championship finals, the Bears saw Lei Out) rather than a couple of captains District 5 storm back to slip ahead 7-6 right deciding to form the team, we had a good before half, a lot of teams as young as they start to the roster before tryouts,” says Marare (average age a bit under 24) might have liave. “It helped us that we had players from buckled. But what they lacked in years, the Cal and LPC (Las Positas College) who had Polar Bears felt they made up for in big game played together before, even if this was our experience and cohesiveness built over the first season.” season. “While our roster is young, it is filled That chemistry seemed properly formulated with Ultimate experience. We had two playfor finals. Most teams in Sarasota have their ers that were named to Team USA at junior stars, and Polar Bears were no exception. worlds and one player who won college However, with a roster of only 21 in Sarasota, nationals,” says Marliave. “An-Chi captained every person on the team had to be prepared the Pie Queens to quarters at college nationto pull their weight. While much of the team’s als this year, adding further experience at the offense began with the handling of Michael big show. Polar Bears had played together at “Bob” Liu, the vital play of (with or without finals of Lei Out, semis of Potlatch, finals at the disc) Tsou and the boundless downfield Sectionals, and finals at Regionals, as well as energy of David “Robot” Naruo, Polar Bears making deep runs at virtually every tournawon games with defense. Especially when ment we played this year.” deployed in their zone, Polar Bears managed Those experiences held firm in the face of to control the pace of most of their games, the pressure of Championship finals, as Polar making their opponents fight for every inch Bears broke back to take half, and wisely of turf gained, and often quickly converting switched to a zone look to push their lead any turns. As District 5 captain John Korber still further after the break. In a year where put it after the final, “even when we scored, parity was so prevalent, it was moments of we had to work really hard. Not that they such savvy – a characteristic perhaps more weren’t working hard, but they made it look expected from a veteran squad – which easy.”

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

So, how did the gang hailing from Castro Valley, California make it look easy?

AN-CHI TSOU LAYS OUT FOR THE DISC AMIDST SOME TENACIOUS D BY JASMINE DRAPER OF THE CHAD LARSON EXPERIENCE. MATT LANE

Mostly, as it turned out, by working hard. From the group of friends gathering to have a good time on the beaches of Santa Monica, the Polar Bears transformed into a tough, gritty side ready for the rigors of the series. Though the history of the Mixed division has a few teams that might refute this, Marliave maintains that, “the only thing I would say about a team trying to win Club Championships their first year is that there are no shortcuts. Of course, you need talented players and team chemistry. The majority of the work comes after you pick your team, though.” Like a lot of the successful teams in every division, that work involved a ton of running and the kind of tactical proficiency that can only come through practice. While never the flashiest team on the fields of Sarasota, that early season dedication paid big dividends as the hot days took their toll on players. As Marliave said before the finals, “the hard work we put in early in the year really showed in the second half of games. All year, we’ve felt that tired teams make mistakes, so we wanted to still have energy late in big games.” It has been a common axiom of Mixed Ultimate that the team that best uses their women wins. It has been just as common an observation that many Mixed teams abandon their women under pressure, turning to their men for big plays. Nearly every squad competing in Sarasota mentioned how they were going to win games with their women, and almost as many dismissed the women of their opponents (or criticized the opponent for not using them more). Not all of them could be right, of course, but the perception was telling in a year when so many teams had a legitimate shot. Polar Bears certainly had a sound core of women. Tsou certainly was a force all weekend, but she was not alone. Especially given their smaller roster, the Polar Bears’ women needed to contribute up and down the ranks, and the team made that a special priority in training. “If you want to win in Mixed, you need to have strong women,” says Marliave. “Our women might have been our biggest question mark going into the season, but they were clearly a strength by the end.” From the youthful energetic play of 2010 YCC Mixed champion Lisa Pitcaithley to the savvy veteran leadership work in the zone brought by Bekah Sexton, Polar Bears’ women were a force all weekend long. So there it is, the blueprint for building a Club Championship team from scratch: One core of good friends, a few folks brought in through tryouts and recruiting, strong emphasis on practice, track work and playing against elite competition, a focus on integrating both men and women in all aspects of the team and one silly pick up line. For the Polar Bears, the results spoke eloquently for themselves. How much does a Polar Bear weigh? Exactly one Championship medal more each.

FINAL STANDINGS 1 – Polar Bears (Castro Valley, CA) 2 – District 5 (New Haven, CT) 3T – Chad Larson Experience (Ames, IA) 3T – Drag’n Thrust (Minneapolis, MN) 5 – Overhaul (Ann Arbor, MI) 6 – Bucket (Atlanta, GA) 7 – Mischief (San Francisco, CA)

8 – Slow White (Boston, MA) 9 – Snowbirds (Montreal, QC) 10 – LA Metro (Los Angeles, CA) 11 – wHagonweel (Raleigh-Durham, NC) 12 – AMP (Philadelphia, PA) 13 – Scientific Method (Iowa City, IA) 14 – Barrio (Tucson, AZ) 15 – Conspiracy Theory (Dallas, TX) 16 – Dirty Birds (Austin, TX) WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

MASTERS MIXED OPEN WOMEN’S

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STATISTICS

POLAR BEARS

DISTRICT 5

PLAYER

GOALS

ASSISTS

00 - Jeff Ho

3 - Emily Estrada

4 - Mary Glickman

5 - Dwight Harris

GOALS

ASSISTS

1 - Michael Liu

5 - Robert Gormley

8 - Bekah Sexton

9 - Greg Marliave

PLAYER

10 - Emily West

6 - Chris Mazur

11 - Jacob Serrano

7 - Liz Middleton

12 - Elijah Kerns

8 - Brandon Redding

13 - Ernst Westphal

10 - Maren Schultz

16 - AJ Shankar

11 - Karin Burghardt

17 - Natasha Won

13 - Sterling Dumas

20 - Alexa Kirkland

14 - Justin Segool

22 - Matty Sung

15 - Liz Harrison

24 - Emma Dobbins

17 - Zac Roy

25 - Daniel Naruo

18 - Kendra Frederick

26 - Lisa Pitcaithley

22 - Will Murphy

35 - Lucas Dallman

23 - John Korber

50 - Clay Miller

24 - Mary Kate Hogan

55 - Kwai Philpott

25 - Judy Winglee

76 - Adam Raty

26 - Andy Bosco

82 - An-Chi Tsou

33 - Jacob Kravitz

48 - Kevin Garrity

51 - Rafe Steinhauer

52 - Ryan Strobel

60 - Nick Schiener

67 - Sara Zuba

68 - Jordan Kravitz

81 - Alex Morrone

TOTALS

88 - Brenda Shaylor

TOTALS

INDIVIDUAL SPIRIT NOMINEES Mischief - Shirley Wu

Barrio - Kasi Kiehlbaugh

Overhaul - Jessica Sipperly

Bucket - Chelsea Murphy

Polar Bears - Daniel Naruo

Conspiracy Theory Peter Doyle

Scientific Method - Nick Moore

Dirty Birds - Greg Clark

Snowbirds - Raynald Nemours

District 5 - Kendra Frederick Drag’n Thrust - Pete Carr

The Chad Larson Experience Steph Jacobs

LA Metro - Samuel Chen

wHagonweel - Adam Pike

USA

AMP - Preeti Nalavade

Slow White - Meriden D’Arcy

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

TEAM SPIRIT RANKINGS 5.0 4.7 4.6 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.3

Barrio Snowbirds Drag’n Thrust Overhaul District 5 Chad Larson Experience Scientific Method AMP

4.2 - Conspiracy Theory 4.1 - Polar Bears 4.0 - wHagonweel 4.0 - Slow White 4.0 - Mischief 4.0 - LA Metro 3.8 - Dirty Birds 3.6 - Bucket

W H A T ‘ S

T H E

C A L L ?

BY: J on Bauman, Chair of USA Ultimate 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 CLARIFIES COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE RULES. If an injured player subs off the field, may they return during an injury substitution in the same point?

THE RULES REGARDING SUBSTITUTIONS are described in sections VI and VII of The Official Rules of Ultimate 11th Edition. In general, if something isn’t prohibited, it is allowed. Since there is no rule restricting which player may replace an injured player, it is legal for it to be one that left the game earlier in the same point. One additional note about the legality of actions not addressed in the rules: Having to describe every legal action would unduly limit innovation, so it is the case that legality is the assumption. However, it is also infeasible to address every conceivable illegal action, so at some level common sense must prevail. For example, training a pet bird to attack your opponents as they are trying to catch the disc is not prohibited, but common sense tells us this is not part of the game of Ultimate.

Does the continuation rule apply to an injury time-out? What happens if an injury call occurs prior to the act of throwing and the thrower fails to acknowledge the injury call and throws incomplete?

RULE XVI.C STATES “Any time an infraction is called, the continuation rule applies. …”. Since an injury time-out is not an infraction, the continuation rule does not apply. The continuation that occurs in this scenario is described by rule XVI.C.2:

A receiver catches a pass and their momentum carries them into the end zone. A defender calls the receiver “not in” and the marker begins a stall. The receiver is confused as they thought the goal line was the back line. The marker reaches 9 before the receiver (now thrower) throws a goal. Is it unspirited to continue stalling while the receiver figures out what part of field they are standing on?

IT IS NOT UNSPIRITED TO STALL a thrower who is confused, unless the confusion is the result of an injury. However, if a discussion occurs, play stops according to rule II.S. What constitutes a play-stopping discussion is somewhat subjective. If the receiver never verbally disputes the “not in” call and continues to play (e.g., pivots, looks for receivers), play should not stop. However, if the thrower stops playing and argues the call, play should be considered stopped and the stall suspended.

To submit rules questions, please email src_chair@usaultimate.org

KEVIN LECLAIRE

The time-out is retroactive to the time of the injury, unless the injured player chooses to continue play before the time-out is called, in which case, the time-out begins at the time of the call. If the disc is in the air or the thrower is in the act of throwing at the time of the injury or of the call when the player has continued play, the time-out begins when the play is completed. When the injury time-out begins depends on whether the injured player continued playing or not, but in either case, if it begins before the act of throwing, play stops at that time regardless of the outcome of the throw. Also, note that when an injury occurs, the injured player (or a teammate) should call an injury time-out as soon as possible. COMPETITORS WORK OUT A CALL AT THE 2010 USA ULTIMATE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SARASOTA.

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

ULTIMATE HISTORY One of a Kind

It was the Fall of 1979, gas costs $0.86 a gallon, introduces the By: Joe Seidler Sony Walkman, the UPA is just coming into existence, and a college freshman at UMass walks onto an Ultimate Frisbee field for the first time. Neither he, nor anyone in the UPA, could possibly know that this freshman would be the only Quadruple Crown Winner* in the sport 31 years later. Ultimate is often considered an unconventional sport, and this new Ultimate player fits the description perfectly. After his first year he drops out of college and hitchhikes to Santa Barbara where the surfing is great. He tries out and makes the Condors in 1981 and immediately wins a national championship at age 21. Then he goes

the Masters division, he was the toughest guy to cover on his team.” Another UMass teammate remembers: “Picture this, Amherst, Mass. – winter, ice and snow – Buzz shows up and says to me ‘want to go out for a catch?’ Two hours later and about 100 huge layouts each, we walk off satisfied. Buzz is someone very good at ulty and yet so spontaneous and psyched to simply play disc.” Now a college graduate with Ultimate creds, Buzz can merge his love of Ultimate and surfing wherever he wants. So he plays on Boston Titanic for three years where the captain remembers clearly: “Buzz is the first to reach the Quad for one reason… he’s the fittest person I know. While his first sporting love may have been surfing, we know that Ultimate won him over. Always up for another game. Always ready to cover the other team’s best player. Always smiling. Buzz is one of the greats!”

KARL COOK

After Boston, he heads off to Australia and New Zealand for more surfing where Ultimate pops up again and he plays in the Australian National Championships with the NZ team. In regards to his attempts at Maximum Time Aloft (MTA), a quote from the New Zealand Association’s June 1989 newsletter read: “Buzz, our American rookie (yeah, sure), tried to spend as much time in the air diving for his MTA throws as his discs did in flight.” But Santa Barbara is calling and he moves back to play on the Condors from 1989-91. In 1992 he moves to his final (and first) real home, Denver, where he and his family still live. He travels to play on the Santa Barbara Beyondors Masters team at nationals two times and then finds his Ultimate home on the Old and in the Way Masters team in Colorado. Here he wins two more national championships in ’99 (age 39) and ’05 (age 45), and plays on the team through ’08. According to a long time Ultimate buddy and OAITW captain, “His effort and spirit really set him apart as did his pulling ability. What separated Buzz’ pulls from others was how hard they were to catch due to the angle he could put on the disc, yet still have it land in the field of play. Great height, depth and high degree of difficulty to field.” But his Santa Barbara friends are never far from his thoughts and it’s back to playing on the Beyondors at nationals ’09-’10. The UPA (now USA Ultimate) creates the new Grand Masters division in ’09 and gives him the opportunity to win in another division. He plays on Confluence GM in ’09 and Old and in the Way GM in ’10 where he completes his journey with another national championship at age 49. Buzz Ellsworth becomes the first player to win a national title in four divisions.

PLAYING FOR UMASS IN 1984, ELLSWORTH GETS HORIZONTAL ON DEFENSE AGAINST KABOOM’S PETER ZASULY.

back to college and wins another national title at UMass in 1986 at the age of 25. At UMass, he took nearly every dance, martial arts, movement, and physical education class that was offered.

USA

According to a UMass teammate: “At the start of every game, Buzz Ellsworth would be called upon to perform his “rave up” routine which included his patented dance moves and a lot of jumping and spinning. He was one of the fittest players that I have ever played with; and when competing against him years later at nationals in

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

When asked about his feat, Buzz says he “feels lucky to have stayed healthy long enough to play” and “believes his teammates and opponents gave him the opportunity to play and win.” To Buzz, “the team is a family.” A close friend said “Buzz is the ‘Everyman’ of Ultimate, partly because it seems he knew everyone and everyone knew him.” Another friend since ‘81 describes him as someone who “is a connoisseur of microbrews, enters and wins dance contests, and would kill to see a live set by Ron Hacker and the Hacksaws.” And yet another of his many friends who knows about Buzz’s efforts

SCOTT MOORE KNOWN FOR HIS PULLS, ELLSWORTH LETS ONE RIP AT THE 2010 USA ULTIMATE GRAND MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BOULDER.

with Colorado leagues believes he is “the True Ultimate Ambassador.” Buzz has been running the Denver Youth Ultimate Program and coaching the Boys YCC team since 2005. This past summer he was traveling to Boston constantly because his Dad was dealing with cancer, and Buzz was still running the youth leagues in Denver and Boulder, as well as coaching the Colorado select youth boy’s team, Cutthroat. His new goal is to sprout a middle school-aged development program where YCC kids work within that program. He has three children – his oldest son plays Ultimate at CU and his other son plays in high school.

David ‘Buzz’ Ellsworth Quadruple Crown Winner

• UPA Club Open: Condors – 1981 • UPA College Open: UMass – 1986 • U PA Masters Open: Old & in the Way – 1999, 2005 & WFDF Masters Old & in the Way – 2000 • U SA Ultimate Grand Masters Open: Old and in the Way – 2010 Here’s how a few close friends describe Buzz:

About the author: Joe Seidler has been an avid fan and spectator of Ultimate since his son started playing at UCSB in 1992. Joe was the first nonplayer on the UPA Board of Directors 2002-2004 and published the first book on the history of the sport “ULTIMATE —The First Four Decades” in 2005. He now maintains the website www.ultimatehistory.com and lives in San Francisco.

• “ His outlook is almost always positive… we could use a lot more Buzz in the world.” • “ Buzz does not only embody all of the qualities of a Hall of Fame athlete, he embodies all of the qualities of a Hall of Fame person. He changed my life by infecting me with his Ultimate Spirit.” • “ I have been blessed to have been both his competitor and, especially, his teammate.” * A “Quadruple Crown” winner must have won at least one U.S. National Championship on an American team in four out of the five divisions: Youth, College, Club, Masters and Grand Masters (where Club includes the three non-age restricted divisions of Open, Women’s and Mixed). Note: this title is my personal invention.

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

Presented by

C O A C H E S ’

P L A Y B O O K BY: Kyle Weisbrod ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Tony Porter

Advanced Throws

Beyond The Backhand, Forehand And Hammer AFTER PLAYERS HAVE BECOME COMPETENT AT THE BASIC BACKHAND AND FOREHAND THROWS, THEY CAN BEGIN WORKING ON OTHER THROWS AND RELEASE POINTS THAT WILL HELP THEM TO BE A MORE COMPLETE THROWER WITH THE ABILITY TO BREAK THE MARK AND PUT THE DISC WHERE THEY WANT. FOR THE MOST PART ALL THROWS THAT ARE COMMONLY USED ARE SIMPLY VARIATIONS OF EITHER A FOREHAND OR A BACKHAND AND EMPLOY ONE OF THOSE TWO GRIPS. THROWS UTILIZING THOSE GRIPS WILL BE EASIER TO USE IN GAME SETTINGS AS THEY ARE EASIER TO TRANSITION TO AND THROW QUICKLY. THIS EDITION OF COACHES’ PLAYBOOK COVERS THREE COMMON THROWS, HOW TO EXECUTE THEM AND WHEN THEY ARE MOST EFFECTIVE. High Release Backhand The high release backhand is a frequently used throw, most often used against a force backhand mark. The grip for the high release backhand is the backhand grip with the thumb on the flight rings and the rest of the fingers curled under the rim in a fist (figures 2.1a-b). Some throwers choose to extend the middle, ring and pinky fingers under the disc with the pads of the fingers on the bottom of the disc in order to provide more control of the release angle. Depending on the position of the mark and the quickness with which the thrower is trying to release the disc, the footwork can vary for the high release backhand. In most cases, the throw is intended as a quick release to take advantage of a gap in coverage by the mark. In the quicker form of the high release backhand the thrower does not step, but simply shifts his weight from the non-pivot foot to the pivot foot while bringing the disc forward flat from the non-throwing shoulder and releasing the disc in the direction of the receiver. In some situations the thrower will choose to pivot in order to move away from the mark (figure 2.2). As the thrower steps across his pivot foot with his non-pivot foot he once again brings the disc forward flat from the non-throwing shoulder and releases the disc in the direction of the receiver. In most situations in which the thrower pivots to throw a high release backhand, the disc will be released just prior to the non-pivot foot hitting the ground. This can be an effective start of a give-and-go. In either the quick high release backhand or the pivot high release backhand, the release should be flat or slightly inside-out. The thrower should snap the wrist to impart as much spin as possible on the release.

USA

Because it is more difficult to impart spin on the disc when throwing a high release backhand than a standard backhand, the high release is best utilized in light wind or when throwing downwind. It is particu-

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

2-1.a.

FIGURE 2-1a 2-1.a.

FIGURE 2-1b 2-1.b. 2-1.b.

2.2

In the regular release off-hand backhand the disc begins at elbow level and the throwerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arm moves out away from the normal throwing arm and releases the disc in the direction of the receiver. This throw is an effective short reset pass against a force forehand mark where the thrower does not feel comfortable with the short forehand, a difficult throw because of the amount of touch that is required.

FIGURE 2-2

While it may seem counterintuitive to throw with your off-hand, it can be an effective skill if developed. With the growing number of players starting at young ages, off-handed skills will only become more common and necessary.

Scoober The Scoober is another useful throw that is most often used to break the mark. The Scoober is thrown upside-down out of a forehand grip (figure 2.5).

larly effective against a force backhand mark to break the mark to the forehand side or to start a give and go to the backhand side.

Off-Hand Backhand The off-hand backhand is becoming a common throw in many levels of Ultimate. The off-hand backhand is a backhand that is thrown with the non-throwing hand, the left hand for right handed throwers. The grip for the off-hand backhand is the same as the backhand grip but in the non-throwing hand. There are two types of off-hand backhand throws. The footwork for both is similar to that for throwing a forehand. The thrower should step with the non-pivot foot to the forehand side. As the thrower transfers weight to the non-pivot foot the arm motion should begin (Figure 2.4). For the high release off-hand backhand the disc should begin at shoulder level and move forward and across the body to release the disc in the direction of the receiver. This throw is effective as a short breakmark throw against a force forehand mark.

FIGURE 2-4

FIGURE 2-5

There are two main variations with the footwork for the Scoober. The pivot for the Scoober is identical to that for the backhand with the throwers non-pivot foot moving across the pivot foot. In some cases, the thrower can throw the disc before the non-pivot foot contacts the ground. This allows for a quicker release, but is more difficult to throw for distance and accuracy. In most cases, the thrower will transfer weight from the pivot foot to the non-pivot foot while executing the throw. Regardless of the footwork the throwing mechanics of the upper body and arms for the Scoober remain the same. The thrower brings the disc across the upper body upside-down in the forehand grip and then forward before releasing it towards the receiver (figure 2.6). The angle of release can be adjusted between horizontal to the ground and almost vertical to the ground to change the flight pattern of the throw. A disc thrown more horizontal will fly flatter while a disc thrown more vertical will arc. Typically discs thrown more vertically are released at a higher point than discs thrown horizontally. The Scoober is most effective as a short breakmark throw against a backhand mark and particularly effective against a zone defense. The Scoober can be thrown such that it arcs over defenders to receivers and can be used like a hammer, except at a shorter distance.

FIGURE 2-6

WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

A B O V E

T H E

C O M P E T I T I O N

BY: Tim Morrill, NSCA-CSCS, ACSM-HFS, USA-W

Building The Foundation Part 4 of a 4 Part Series: Program Design & Periodization 101 PARTS ONE THROUGH THREE OF THIS FOUR-PART SERIES DISCUSSED THE IMPORTANCE OF ULTIMATE PLAYERS TO DEVELOP A STRENGTH BASE VIA RESISTANCE TRAINING. IN ADDITION, I MENTIONED THAT AS ULTIMATE PLAYERS, WE NEED MORE THAN JUST STRENGTH; WE NEED TO BE EXPLOSIVE! WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO CALL UPON OUR STRENGTH BASE TO PERFORM ATHLETIC MOVEMENTS IN A COORDINATED AND EXPLOSIVE MANNER. How do you devise a training schedule in order to maximize the strength and power needed to be at your personal best? How can you design your training program so that you reach your peak at the proper time? In this issue I will seek to answer these questions as I present some basic concepts and framework in developing a quality strength training program.

Organization of Training In order to rise to the pinnacle of our athletic ability we must strength train during the majority of the calendar year. We must also strength train in a pre-planned and educated fashion. A well constructed program should consist of multiple periods of training. Each period serves to potentiate the effects of the preceding period promoting constant improvements. Throughout the course of the year systematic fluctuations in volume, intensity and specificity should be made. This effective program design strategy is known as periodization. In periodization terminology the training year is known as the macrocycle. Traditionally, the macrocycle is broken into four distinct periods; off-season, pre-season, in-season and post season. Within each training period are mesocyles, or, phases targeting a specific quality or goal. These phases are then broken down into training weeks and individual sessions known as microcycles (NSCA, 2008).

Understanding Basic Principles In order to structure an effective program, you must first understand some basic concepts. The principle of progressive resistance states; a training adaptation only takes place if the degree of the training load is above the routine level (Zatsiorsky, 2005). In other words, your body will adapt to the stresses of training; in order to constantly improve you must modify the stimulus in a progressive fashion. Periodization applies this principle of progressive resistance by manipulating three variables: volume, intensity and specificity. Volume is the quantity of work done in a training session (i.e. number of sets and reps). Intensity is the quality of work performed (i.e. the weight on the bar; speed of movement) (NSCA, 2008). Specificity is the degree to which your exercises resemble your sport (Cissak, 2005).

USA

Your initial training should begin with high volume and low intensity. As your body adapts to the training stimulus the principle

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

of progressive resistance can be applied by decreasing the volume while increasing the intensity. The early stages of your program should consist of general exercises and shift towards more sport specific exercises as the season approaches. See figure 1 - white

Step 1: Developing Your Yearly Plan (Macrocycle and Periods) See figure 1 - blue Now that you understand these basic concepts you can begin to design your program. Break your calendar year into four major periods; • In-season. When do your major competitive tournaments begin? When does the series begin? For example, a college player’s “in season” may begin in February and culminate at College Nationals in May. • Pre-season. Typically the pre-season period is 6-8 weeks prior to your in-season date. • Post-season. Determine roughly how much time you will take off after your season. Generally 4- 8 weeks will do. • Off-season. This should be the longest period, as it is the time between your post-season and your pre season. This off-season will serve as your major strength training period.

Step 2: Break Your Periods Into Phases (Mesocycles) See figure 1-blue Typically each period of training has a broad objective. Generally speaking, the objective of the off-season is complete development as an athlete via improvement of strength, power, endurance, flexibility, speed and agility. The objective of the pre-season is to utilize your developed athleticism to prepare you for the specific demands of the approaching season. The objective of the in-season is to maintain your gains and attempt to peak for your major competitions. The objective of the post-season is recovery and restoration. These periods should further be broken down into phases (mesocycles), or blocks of training with specific training goals. Typically the offseason will consists of the most phases, as it is your longest and most vital period of training.

Period 1: The Off-season The objective of the off-season is complete development of all the components of athleticism. Of particular importance are development of work capacity, a strength base and conversion of your strength

ELITE ULTIMATE CLUB SERIES YEARLY PLAN Jan

Feb

Periods Phases and Emphasis

Mar

Apr

May

Off-Season 20 Weeks

June

July

Aug

Figure 1 Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Pre-Season 8 Weeks

In Season 16 Weeks

Post Season 8 Weeks

General Preperation 6 Weeks

Strength 8 Weeks

Conversion 6 Weeks

Sport Specific Refinement 8 Weeks

Maintance of Strength, Power and Peaking 16 Weeks

Active Rest & Recovery 8 Weeks

Volume

High

Moderate

Low

Intensity

Low

Moderate to High

High

Low

Specificity

Low

Moderate

High

Low

base into sport specific power. With this in mind we can divide the off-season into three distinct phases.

Exercises should be very sport specific and highly explosive. Length: 4-8 weeks.

Off-season Phase 1 - General Preparation Coming off the post-season this phase aims to develop general fitness, build a work capacity and prepare the muscles, ligaments and joints to endure the phases to follow. The volume is high and the intensity is low. Circuit training is an excellent way to attack this phase. Length: 4-8 Weeks.

During this period less time will be available for training due to grind of tournament play. Your main priority during the bulk of the season is maintenance of sport specific strength and power. Since your peaking time will be at the end of your season (Nationals), it is essential that you maintain your strength and power throughout the season by getting to the weight room 1-2 days per week. Include only the most important and sport specific exercises keeping the volume low and the intensity high. Peaking at the end of the season will require a fine balance of lifting, conditioning and recovery. Length: dependent.

Off-season Phase 2 - Strength Preceded by a base general preparation phase you can now begin to increase the intensity and decrease the volume. Progressively increase the weight on the bar in an attempt to become as strong as possible. This may be the most important phase of the entire year. Strength is the backbone of performance and athletic longevity. A low level of strength may inhibit overall progress and make you more susceptible to injury. Development of a high level of strength increases your potential to run faster and jump higher than your opponent. Length: 4-10 weeks. Off-season Phase 3 - Conversion Recall, power is the product of strength X speed. During this phase you will convert your hard earned strength base into sport specific strength and power. Workouts should increase in intensity and continue to decrease in volume. Keep in mind, exercises should be very ballistic and sport specific. Length: 4-8 weeks. (Concepts and terms adopted and modified - Bompa, 2005)

Period 2: The Pre-season In the weeks prior to the season continue to refine your sport specific strength. Likely you may not have as much time to lift due to try outs and the demands of metabolic conditioning as the season approaches.

Period 3: The In-season

Period 4: The Post–season The demands of a competitive Ultimate season can take a toll on the body. You must take the time to recover, both physically and mentally. Maintain your fitness by doing something but do not train at a high intensity. This phase is a great time to have some fun and try something new. Great options include basketball, disc golf, yoga and swimming. Length: 2-8 weeks.

Step 3: Construct Your Individual Weeks and Sessions (Microcycles) Now that you have a broad view of your training year you can begin to develop your week to week training sessions (microcycles) and individual workouts. Volume (sets), intensity (reps), frequency (x per week) and exercise selection should differ throughout your year. Do not make the mistake of planning each workout ahead of time, as circumstances are bound to change. Use your annual plan as a guideline and develop your workouts a few weeks before they are

scheduled. Look forward to future issues where I will discuss tactics in developing your week to week and individual strength training workouts.

Summary of Concepts Periodization involves shifting training priorities from non-sport specific activities of high volume and low intensity to sport specific activities of low volume and high intensity in an attempt to optimize performance (NSCA, 2008). When designing your training program use these basic principles as a guideline. Tailor your program to the specific needs of yourself and your team and be creative! Be aware, the content of this article is only referring to strength training in the weight room. Periodization of speed, agility, plyometrics and metabolic conditioning are also extremely important factors in rising to the top of your game. Remember, strength leads to power; power leads to making the grab, getting the D and rising Above the Competition. Great resources concerning program design include: Periodizaiton Training for Sports – Tudor O. Bompa - 2005 and Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning – NSCA 2008.

Reference: Baechle, T. R., Earle, R. W., (2008). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. (3 rd ed.), (pp. 359) (pp. 352-353) Human Kinetics. Bompa, O. T., Carrera, M. C., (2005). Periodization Training for Sports (2nd ed.), (pp. 21-25) Human Kinetics. Zatsiorsky, M. V., Kraemer J. W., (2006). Science and Practice of Strength Training (2nd ed.), (pp. 4-5) Human Kinetics. Cissak, M. J., T (2005). The Basics of Strength Training. (3rd ed.) (pp. 32)

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BY: Dr. Jamie Nuwer, M.D., MSIII;

Abby Stephens, MSII & Heidi Prather D.O.

Hip and Pelvis Injuries HIP INJURIES IN ULTIMATE TEND TO BE OVERSHADOWED BY MORE COMMON INJURIES OF THE KNEE, ANKLE, AND SHOULDER. INJURIES TO THESE OTHER JOINTS ARE USUALLY CAUSED BY COLLISIONS WITH OTHER PLAYERS OR WITH THE GROUND. IN CONTRAST, HIP INJURIES MAY START AS A NAGGING PAIN. IF THE INJURY IS NOT RECOGNIZED EARLY AND TREATED PROPERLY, THE PERSISTENT PAIN CAN AFFECT AN ATHLETE’S PLAYING ABILITY AND EVERYDAY LIFE, AND IT CAN LEAD TO IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE HIP JOINT AND SURROUNDING STRUCTURES. THIS ARTICLE FIRST ADDRESSES INJURY PREVENTION AND TREATMENT, AND THEN IT FOCUSES ON SPECIFIC HIP INJURIES. THIS ARTICLE IS NOT MEANT TO REPLACE A CONSULTATION WITH A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. RATHER, IT PROVIDES TIPS ON HOW TO MINIMIZE RISK FOR SERIOUS HIP PROBLEMS AND RECOGNIZE WHEN IT’S TIME TO SEEK FURTHER MEDICAL ATTENTION. Due to the gradual onset of most hip injuries, one of the most basic sports safety guidelines is also the first rule for hip pain: do not play through worsening pain! Because the hips are at the core of the trunk, this chain of events can lead to early arthritis and secondary injuries such as low back pain and knee problems. Repeated injuries and persistent pain in one location are good indicators that a medical consultation is needed. To avoid hip pain, start each season by gradually increasing training intensity and by always performing a thorough warm-up. While strength and flexibility are commonly recognized as important aspects to training, it’s also important to focus on achieving balanced muscle strength and length between opposing muscle groups. Muscle imbalances lead to altered biomechanics and movement patterns, which are associated with overuse injuries. For an example of a good warm-up program, see the “USA Ultimate Sports Medicine Section” at injurytimeout.org. Common imbalances that are associated with hip pain include weak gluteus medius muscles, tight hip flexors (iliopsoas muscles), and tight IT (iliotibial) bands. See Figure 1 to locate these muscles and Figure 2 for exercises to help correct or prevent these muscle imbalances. The initial treatment of hip pain due to a muscle strain is similar to other muscles. Rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory medications can alleviate acute pain and promote healing after a hard practice or tournament. Also, avoiding painful positions, movements, overstretching, and strengthening of an injured muscle past the point of pain is important. Stretching too much in an attempt to rehab a pulled muscle can actually worsen biomechanics and cause more damage. In most cases a few days of rest and a gradual increase back into activity will be sufficient to fully recover from a minor muscle “tweak.”

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However, if instead pain is worsening with time or the same injury keeps recurring, it’s time to seek medical attention. Look for a sports

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Figure 1: Front (left) and back (right) anatomy of the hip. Images modified from wikipedia.com.

medicine trained physician particularly focused on hips and/or high impact, rotational sports (e.g., soccer, hockey, etc) that involve movements similar to what we do in Ultimate. Symptoms that require urgent consultation are listed in Table 2. A doctor may suggest taping, bracing, or orthotics to temporarily relieve pain, retraining movement patterns, or permanently correcting biomechanics. These recommendations may be accompanied by a physical therapy prescription to develop an at-home, individualized therapeutic exercise program to correct faulty movement patterns, develop a maintenance program, and evaluate sport-specific activities to ensure a safe return to play. If necessary, a physician might also offer diagnostic testing (which can include imaging such as X-ray, MRI, etc.) and diagnostic and/or therapeutic injections. If a trial of these conservative care measures does not sufficiently improve your symptoms, you may require surgery. The rest of this article will focus on specific types of hip injuries.

Hip Flexor Strain

How does it happen? • Muscle and tendon dysfunction (e.g., a muscle strain or improper movement mechanics) can lead to bursitis.

What is it? • A tear to the muscle fibers that lift the leg (iliopsoas muscle)

What are the symptoms? • Pain, often at the lateral hip, groin, or buttock

How does it happen? • Explosive movements like running and jumping, especially when muscles are tight or cold

• Possible swelling, warmth, and redness that fluctuates with time

What are the symptoms? • Groin pain that is located where the thigh meets the pelvis and gets worse with activity

• Lateral hip bursitis can cause pain when climbing stairs, biking, crossing the affected leg, and applying pressure to the area (e.g., sleeping on the affected side). The pain can radiate along the outside of the hip down to the knee.

• Pain when pressure is applied to the injured area or when the affected muscle is stretched

What do I do about it? • Do not play through worsening pain! Without proper treatment, bursitis can lead to chronic tendon pathology and tears at the muscle-tendon junction.

What do I do about it? • Do not overstretch the muscle • Gradually re-build strength and flexibility within a non-painful range • See a doctor for repeated strains – repeated hip flexor strains can indicate an underlying muscle imbalance

• Correct movement patterns and muscle imbalances. Weak or inhibited gluteus medius and hip flexor muscles and short hip rotator muscles and IT bands are common instigators of hip bursitis.

Bursitis What is it? • The creation and irritation of a fluidfilled sac (bursa) due to excessive friction at the site where a tendon attaches to a bone.

• Ice, resting the muscle groups involved (e.g., try cross-training to maintain fitness), and NSAIDs are helpful. • In severe cases, a corticosteroid injection can help calm the episode.

Table 1: Guidelines for Safe Return to Play • No pain or inflammation • No muscle/joint dysfunction • Return of strength and flexibility

Table 2: Red Flags – When to See a Doctor Urgently • Painful clicking, popping, or snapping at the hip • Locking or catching at the hip • Inability to bear weight on the leg due to pain or a feeling of instability • Persistent pain and worsening symptoms that aren’t improving with rest after 2 weeks • Repeated injuries at the same location

Acetabular Labral Tear What is it? • A tear to the cartilage rim of the hip socket How does it happen? • Repetitive and forceful pivoting, hyperextension, hyperabduction, and external rotation of the hip (e.g., repeated hucking or throwing a forehand by stepping out with your knee behind your elbow – see Figure 3)

Figure 2: Stretching and strengthening exercises to correct or prevent common muscle imbalances that can lead to hip injuries. a) Gluteus Medius Strengthening – “Clam”: Lie on your side with your injured side up and your knees slightly bent. Keeping your feet together and your hips facing sideways, lift your top knee toward the ceiling, hold it for a few seconds, and then lower it back down. You should feel the muscle contraction in the upper buttock of your injured leg (where the model is pointing). Do 15 repetitions, 3 sets. To increase the difficulty, wrap a resistance band around your knees or raise your top foot about six inches into the air once your knee is raised (while keeping your knee pointed toward the ceiling). b) Hip Flexor (Iliopsoas) Stretch: Starting in a lunge position with the knee of your injured leg on the ground, push your hips toward your front foot. Keep your torso upright, and tuck in your pelvis by tensing your abdominal muscles. You should feel a stretch at the front hip of your injured leg. Hold for 15-30 seconds, repeat 3 times.

c) Piriformis Stretch: Lie on your back and cross the ankle of your injured leg over the knee of your uninjured leg. Use your hands to bring the knee of your uninjured leg to your chest. You should feel a stretch in the buttock of your injured leg. Hold for 15-30 seconds, repeat 3 times. d) IT (Iliotibial) Band Stretch: Cross your uninjured leg over and in front of your injured leg, and support most of your body weight on your uninjured leg. Without bending forward at the hips, lean your pelvis to the injured side. You should feel a stretch at the outside hip of your injured leg (where the model is pointing). Hold for 15 seconds, repeat 3 times. To loosen the rest of the IT band, forcefully rub a tennis ball (or use a foam roller) along the outside of your injured leg from your hip to your knee.

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T I M E O U T What do I do about it? • Cartilage damage does not heal on its own, so stop playing and see a doctor if you suspect a labral tear. Playing on a labral tear can worsen the damage and cause early arthritis.

What is it? • A snapping sound or sensation at either the front or side of the hip during activity.

• Find a doctor who has experience treating this kind of injury. The recognition and treatment of labral tears is still relatively new in the medical community, so ask around before choosing a physician.

• When on the side, the snapping is most often the IT band rubbing over the bony prominence (greater trochanter) of the femur.

• Depending on the severity of your pain and joint damage, your doctor may offer you PT, diagnostic injections and imaging, and/or surgery.

Osteitis Pubis

Figure 3:

Increased stress on your hip. Throwing low forehands with your knee behind your elbow increases your risk for cartilage damage in your hip joints. Safer throwing form for your hip. Keeping your knee in front of your body while throwing decreases your risk for damage to your hip. Photos courtesy of James McKenzie.

What is it? • Unknown exactly, but it might be a strain on the ligaments attached to the pelvis at the bony prominence below the lower abdominals along the midline (the pubic symphysis). • Also called “pubic symphysitis”. How does it happen? • Repetitive pivoting or running. • Most often occurs from general overuse but occasionally due to trauma.

Figure 4: Locations of common hip injuries.

Image modified from skillbuilders.patientsites.com.

• Your hip and pelvis shape can predispose you to a labral tear • Muscle strains, bursitis, and tendonitis can cause changes in your movement patterns, which can also increase your risk for developing a labral tear What are the symptoms? • Most often anterior hip and groin pain. However pain in the anterior thigh, outer thigh, and/or buttock are possible. • Usually causes a constant dull pain with periodic sharp pain that worsens with walking, pivoting, prolonged sitting, and impact activities like running

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• Limping and possible popping, snapping, locking, or catching of the hip joint during movement

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What are the symptoms? • Aching pain along the pubic symphysis (See Figure 1) that can migrate to the anterior pelvis and radiate into the groin, inner or front thigh, or abdomen. • Pain can be sharp with activity and gets worse with weight-bearing activities, pivoting on one leg, walking, running, climbing stairs, coughing, or sneezing. • Tenderness to the touch, especially when lying on your back and lifting your leg. • Limping and possible crepitus (a “snap, crackle, pop” sensation) at the pubic symphysis while walking. What do I do about it? • Resting until symptoms have resolved is usually sufficient, and NSAIDs can help relieve pain. • PT to appropriately stretch the hip and strengthen the lower abdominal muscles and anterior pelvic floor. • A pelvic stabilizing belt (i.e., SI joint belt) may relieve pain and speed recovery.

Snapping Hip Syndrome

• When in the front, the snapping is most often the iliopsoas muscle rubbing over the pelvis.

• There are other causes from within the hip socket too. How does it happen? • Usually due to tight muscles or inherent hip and pelvis bony anatomy. What are the symptoms? • A snapping sound or sensation at the hip during activity. • May or may not be painful. What do I do about it? • If it’s not painful, it’s not a problem. • If it’s accompanied by other symptoms, see a doctor and physical therapist to correct muscle imbalances. Common deficiencies include gluteus medius weakness and hip flexor, piriformis, and IT band tightness. • In severe cases, corticosteroid injections or surgical release of the snapping structure may be offered. In summary there are many causes of hip pain. To be safe, do not play through an injury. Early treatment is the fastest way to get back in the game, play your best, and prevent long-term damage. References: Hunt D, Clohisy J, Prather H. Acetabular Labral Tears of the Hip in Women. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2007 Aug;18(3):497-520. Mens J. A Diagnostic Procedure in Anterior Pelvic Pain (Osteitis Pubis). 4th Interdisciplinary World Congress on Low Back & Pelvic Pain. 2001 Nov: Montreal. Prather H. Pelvis and Sacral Dysfunction in Sports and Exercise. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2000 Nov:11(4):805-836. Prather H, Zierenberg A, Hunt D. In (eds) Berry DJ, Lieberman JR. Berry’s Surgery of the Hip. Soft Tissue Pathology: Bursal, Tendon, and Muscle Diseases. Elsevier Publishing, New York. In Press February 2010. Rouzier, Pierre. The Sports Medicine Patient Advisor. 2004.

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Renew Your USA Ultimate Membership – 2011 Now On Sale! The end of the calendar year also marks the end of your 2010 USA Ultimate membership, so be sure to renew today. You can now purchase a 2011 membership and take advantage of a special, two-year discounted offer through Dec. 31! A newly announced dues structure allows members to save on multi-year memberships with various options. In addition to participation in USA Ultimate events, your dues help support the growth of Ultimate at all levels in the United States through various educational, support and development programs. We appreciate your support and hope you continue to be a member! This could be your last issue of USA Ultimate – To continue receiving your copy of USA Ultimate, renew your membership today! The next edition, due to hit mailboxes in early spring, will be available to current 2011 members only, so in order to avoid missing a beat, be sure to sign up.

2011 Dues Structure RENEWAL OPTIONS

1 YEAR

Member Level

Youth

$29

2 YEAR (SPECIAL OFFER)

3 YEAR

Available in Dec. 2010 only

$5 discount/ year

Multi-year membership not available for this level

N/A

5 YEAR 5th year free! N/A

College

$50

$80

$135

$200

Adult

$50

$80

$135

$200

Player/Coach

$60

$90

$165

$240

Coach

$35

$50

$90

$140

Friends & Family

$25

$36

$60

$100

Lifetime

$900

$750 – Join by 12/31 and save $150

Three Elected to USA Ultimate Board of Directors

Mandy Eckhoff

Colin McIntyre

Mike Payne

Following a 30-day voting process, three individuals recently won seats on the 2011 USA Ultimate Board of Directors. At-Large incumbent Mandy Eckhoff (Quincy, Mass.) retained her seat on the board with a victory in the Northeast region election. In the Northwest region, former two-term member and board president Mike Payne (Oakland, Calif.) was voted back on. Colin McIntyre (Ann Arbor, Mich.) won the At-Large position. As the Northeast region representative, Eckhoff will replace outgoing president Peri Kurshan. Payne replaces William “Bunny” Bartram, who did not seek re-election this term. McIntyre takes the place of Josh Seamon.

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The 2011 USA Ultimate Board of Directors will next convene in midJanuary in Boulder, Colo. for its biannual meeting. The election of new officers will take place at that time.

2011 USA Ultimate Board of Directors Election Results: At-Large Colin McIntyre (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 409 Josh Seamon (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 320 Sam Dinning (Washington D.C.) 243 Stephen Hubbard (San Diego, Calif.) 192 Northeast Mandy Eckhoff (Quincy Mass.) 243 Jeremy McNamara (Albany, N.Y.) 195 Northwest Mike Payne (Oakland, Calif.) 214 Frank Flores (Emeryville, Calif.) 33 Ann Huang (Seattle, Wash.) 12 USA Ultimate Hires Ng, Pratt; Bourland to New Media USA Ultimate recently announced the addition of Michelle Ng and Baker Pratt to its staff, as well as the allocation of additional human resources to its new media department. Ng was named Championship Series Manager, emphasizing on the College division, while Michelle Ng Baker Pratt Pratt was named Education & Youth Programs Manager. Additionally, Matthew Bourland, who previously split time and responsibilities between two departments, will now serve as the organization’s New Media Manager on a full-time basis. As Championship Series Manager, Ng will be responsible for the management and oversight of USA Ultimate’s College division programs, including series and championship event direction. She will also manage event registration, processing and communications related to the College division, provide on-site support and recruit, train and evaluate volunteers. The addition of Ng will allow USA Ultimate to better service the largest segment of its membership – and also one of its fastest growing. With nearly 18,000 student-athletes currently belonging to USA Ultimate, the organization experienced a 15% increase in College membership in 2010. Ng brings with her a significant amount of Ultimate and professional experience as both an administrator and player. In addition or organizing more than a dozen tournaments and numerous skills clinics, Ng captained both the UC-Berkeley and University of Texas Ultimate teams, as well as the Texas-based Club squad, Showdown. Ng holds an M.A. in Community and Regional Planning from UT, as well as a B.A. in both Architecture and Economics from UC-Berkeley. Pratt fills the newly-created role of Education & Youth Programs Manager. He will responsible for creating and implementing strategies designed to promote the values of Ultimate and increase participation and opportunities for competition at the youth level. Pratt will also manage various aspects WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

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of USA Ultimate’s existing education and training programs, as well as design and administrate new educational opportunities for the Ultimate community. As an Ultimate coach, player and organizer, Pratt has served the sport in various capacities with an emphasis on youth programs. In 2008 he co-founded the Triangle Youth Ultimate League, which allowed him to gain experience organizing tournaments and recruiting and training coaches, volunteers and observers. He also volunteered his time as a high school Ultimate coach and was founding captain of the Club team LOS. For the past three years, Pratt also served as USA Ultimate’s Mid-Atlantic Open Regional Coordinator. A professional educator since 2008, Pratt holds an M.A. in English Literature from North Carolina State University, as well as a B.A. in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to the new hires, the National Governing Body also announced that Matthew Bourland now takes on the role of New Media Manager on a full-time basis. Bourland has been with the organization since 2006 and most recently held the title of Manager of Championships and New Media.

Membership in USA Ultimate Jumps More Than 10% in 2010

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Also, for the first time in the organization’s history, the number of youth players (8,439) exceeded the number of adult players (7,458). In the last five years, membership in USA Ultimate has grown by 58%. This year’s 10.8% growth rate is the most significant since 2007 when membership rose 11.2% from 2006.

The Huddle Comes to usaultimate.org The Huddle, an online publication that serves as a popular information hub to Ultimate players and fans around the world, will now be produced by USA Ultimate and hosted on usaultimate.org. Launched in 2007, The Huddle has established itself as one of the sport’s most informative resources, catering to young and developing players seeking out direct, strategy-based commentary from top coaches and athletes in the Ultimate community. Under USA Ultimate’s direction, The Huddle will carry on its mission of being a unique and valuable resource. The transition of The Huddle to usaultimate. org will occur over the next several weeks as archived issues are transferred, a dedicated webpage is constructed and new content is created. The next edition of The Huddle – the first since last May – is expected to be published in early 2011. Interested in contributing to The Huddle as an author, editor, photographer or administrator? Send an e-mail to thehuddle@usaultimate.org for more information.

MATT LANE

Applications Now Accepted for 2010 Beach World Championships

After earning the distinction as the “fastestgrowing team sport in America” from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association last year, participation in organized competitive Ultimate continues to rise, according to the recent membership figures released by the sport’s National Governing Body. Overall membership in USA Ultimate jumped nearly 11% in 2010 – indicating continued growth for the organization. At press time, total membership in USA Ultimate stood at 35,001 members – a 10.8% increase compared to a year ago when USA Ultimate claimed 31,588 members.

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The player categories that boasted the most sizeable growth were the Youth and College segments, which grew by 16% and 15% respectively. Additionally, the number of USA Ultimate coaches increased by 38% in 2010.

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USA Ultimate is now taking applications for players interested in representing the United States at the 2011 World Championships of Beach Ultimate. The event will be held in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, Aug. 22-28. USA Ultimate is sending teams in six divisions – Mixed, Open, Women’s, Masters Mixed, Masters Open and Grand Masters Open. Selection criteria for the players representing the U.S. will encompass a variety of factors, including skill, experience, spirit, ambassadorship, reliability, geographical representation, team chemistry, historical participation and past contributions to the sport. The application period will be open through Jan. 31, 2011. The $25 application fee will be waived for all applicants who submit materials prior to Dec. 31. All applicants must be current USA Ultimate members.

Space Still Available for 2011 National Organizers Convention The 2011 USA Ultimate National Organizers Convention is scheduled for Feb. 26-27 in Washington, D.C. and space is still available for those who wish to attend. Although the early registration period has passed, discounted rates

for USA Ultimate members still remain. The convention will serve as a valuable resource to participants and offer a wide range of presentations delivered by professionals and peers in the Ultimate community. Attendees will learn about the growth of Ultimate and some of the changes taking place as the sport evolves, gain insight into best practices, interact and network with colleagues from around the world to exchange ideas and advice, increase their knowledge about management issues and solutions, and discuss topics of interest in an open forum with other organizers. The $250 registration fee ($200 for USAU members) includes an event welcome packet, two nights stay at the Crowne Plaza Washington – National Airport, full access to all seminars and presentations and lunch on both days. To register, visit usaultimate.org/resources/ conferences, or contact nationalconvention@ usaultimate.org.

2011 USA Ultimate Coaching Development Program presented by Five Ultimate

Initial locations have been set for the 2011 USA Ultimate Coaching Education workshops. The Coaching Development Program presented by Five Ultimate is a process of educating coaches and creating a pool of qualified volunteers to help grow Ultimate. The Level I program consists of two workshops in which coaches learn skills and techniques designed to introduce the sport of Ultimate and its skills to new players, manage effective practices, teach and maintain Spirit of the Game, improve fitness, maintain professional coaching standards and behave both ethically and legally while coaching.

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2011 Level 1 Coaching Education Workshop Locations: Washington, D.C. Ann Arbor, MI Boston, MA Boulder, CO Charlotte, NC Cincinnati, OH Minneapolis, MN Oakland, CA Philadelphia, PA Portland, OR Seattle, WA Tulsa, OK Westfield, NJ For more information on attending or hosting a 2011 USA Ultimate Coaching Education Workshop, please contact Meredith Tosta, Director of Coach & Youth Development at meredith@hq.usaultimate.org

“ Sleight of Eight” Ultimate Hall of Fame Candidates USA Ultimate announced the eight finalists for the Ultimate Hall of Fame Class of 2010. The Hall of Fame Vetting Committee reviewed the applications for this year’s class and narrowed the list of candidates down to its “Sleight of Eight”, which includes five men and three women candidates. A maximum of five will be voted in by the Hall of Fame Voting Committee. The Class of 2010 candidates include:

David Barkan (Open Division; San Jose Clingons, San Jose Jam, Hostages, Double Happiness) Ken Dobyns (Open Division; KABOOM!, New York, Cojones, Raleigh Lama) Mike Glass (Open Division; Windy City, Double Happiness, Kegworkers) Cliff Marhoefer (Open Division; Santa Barbara Condors) Jeremy Seeger (Open Division; UMass, Titanic, DoG) Peggy Hollinger (Women’s Division; Pleiades, Maineiacs, Godiva) Lori Van Holmes (Women’s Division; Nemesis, Women on the Verge) Amy Wilbur (Women’s Division; Survival, Godiva) New & Improved – College Restructure Complete Following months of intense collaboration and planning, USA Ultimate rolled out its College restructuring plan this fall, including new boundaries for 2011, a new coordinator structure, new conference assignments and guidelines. The completed and finalized information is now available on usaultimate.org as registration for the 2011 College Series is currently underway as of Dec. 15.

Restructured College Regions addressing. These changes represent the final piece of the process and the end result is a competition structure that provides more accessible and more meaningful playing opportunities for college teams throughout the country. After carefully reviewing input and feedback from the College Ultimate community, the final regional boundaries and conference assignments were determined The new coordinator structure includes the addition of a National Women’s College Director position as well as divisional-specific conference coordinators (DI, DIII & Developmental). The complete breakdown of the available positions is available on usaultimate.org. USA Ultimate would like to send out a special thank you to all of the players, coaches and members of the College Ultimate community who provided valuable feedback throughout the process, as well as its College Restructure Task Force and College Restructure Planning Committee.

Give Your College Team a Strong Start This Season Interested in organizing a team at your college or university? Perhaps you already have a squad but are in need of some extra support. USA Ultimate’s College Team Development Kit is designed to give your program all of the resources and materials you need for a strong start this upcoming season. USA Ultimate’s College Team Development Kit includes: • Discraft 175g Ultra-Star™ Sportdiscs • Cones • Pocket-sized USA Ultimate Rulebooks • Full-color posters • Skills & Drills manual • Instructional Manual • Ultimate 101 Instructional DVD • Ultimate Fitness DVD • USA Ultimate College Championships DVD Order your kit today at usaultimate.org. Special rebate offers apply for qualifying teams.

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E D I T O R BY: Andy Lee, Editor-in-Chief Director of Marketing & Communications

Huddle Up People! AFTER FOUR YEARS OF PROVIDING THE ULTIMATE COMMUNITY WITH EDUCATIONAL, INSIGHTFUL, INTERESTING AND STRATEGIC CONTENT, THE HUDDLE IS COMING TO USAULTIMATE.ORG. THIS IS EXCITING NEWS! NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT WILL ALLOW US TO PROVIDE OUR MEMBERSHIP, PLAYERS AND FANS AROUND THE WORLD WITH WORLD-CLASS READING MATERIAL, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUDDLE IS SO CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH OUR STATED MISSION OF PROMOTING CHARACTER, COMMUNITY AND COMPETITION.

KEVIN LECLAIRE

Created by Ben Wiggins and Andy Lovseth in 2007, The Huddle quickly established a foothold as one of the sport’s leading sources of information aimed at young and developing players. It serves as a platform to teach, inspire and promote all things Ultimate. And perhaps most notably, The Huddle could best be described by borrowing the last line of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address – “of the people, by the people, for the people…” At its core, The Huddle is produced by the Ultimate community with contributions from dozens of coaches and players who have an honest passion for the sport and sharing information with their fellow enthusiasts. Content ranges from competitive instruction to feature material highlighting the sport’s biggest events to thoughts on Spirit and character – two defining elements A HUDDLE OF A DIFFERENT KIND IS COMING TO USAULTIMATE.ORG IN 2011. of our sport. It truly is a publication that is of the Ultimate community, by the Ultimate community, for (a monumental task in and of itself) and establishing our team of the Ultimate community… volunteers. The next issue will be produced in early 2011. Beyond that, we will develop a regular production schedule and publish With the guidance of Ben and Andy along the way, we hope to The Huddle as frequently as possible given our resources. Ultimately, continue The Huddle’s tradition by hosting it on usaultimate.org and our goal is to continue what Ben and Andy started without any inheriting the day-to-day operations. But what makes The Huddle major changes. Like the old adage goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix thrive as a communications tool is the vast list of contributors who it! As it evolves though, we do hope to bring a higher degree of have responded to our call to action by pledging their continued interactivity and visual enhancement to the already stellar stream support. Without you, The Huddle would quite simply not exist. of content.

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Make no mistake, producing The Huddle is a massive undertaking, and 2011 will definitely be a learning experience for us as we engage ourselves in and refine the process. Currently, we are in the midst of transferring previous issues over to usaultimate.org

ULTIMATE « WINTER 2010

And as always, we could use your help! If you have an idea for The Huddle or would like to contribute in any fashion (writer, editor, photographer, graphic designer, etc…), please contact us at thehuddle@usaultimate.org.

www.SAVAGEultimate.com WWW.USAULTIMATE.ORG

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