The competition guidelines for UPA High School and Youth Championship events have been released for the 2010 season. Applications are available online for High School Easterns, High School Westerns, and the Youth Club Championships (YCC). The number of UPA state championships grows every year, helping make Ultimate more accessible to young players throughout the country. Easterns and Westerns provide the highest level of play for high school teams in an exciting and geographically diverse field. The YCC offers under-19 players from local youth club leagues an opportunity to play for a national championship with the highest concentration of young Ultimate talent in the world. YCC applications are due March 5. Easterns and Westerns applications are due March 19. Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in these exciting events.
UPA.org has launched a new version of Score Reporter, the industry-standard online tool for definitive results, scheduling and tournament formats. Score Reporter is used nationwide for most UPA-sanctioned events and all UPA championships and qualifiers. Local tournament organizers also use Score Reporter to communicate event-specific information and set-up tournament structures. Created and designed by UPA volunteer Rodney Jacobson (Lebanon, N.H.), the original version of Score Reporter was introduced in 2003, and this year marks its second-ever release.
The UPA has announced its 2010 spring schedule for UPA Observer Training Clinics, as well as updates regarding the UPA Observer Program. Held in strategic locations throughout the country, the clinics are used to train and certify observers using UPA standards for officiating. These two-day clinics include discussion of the Observer Code of Conduct, officiating philosophies, and mechanics. The sessions also include skills, drills and game-time experience. Participants have the opportunity to become UPA-certified observers following completion of specific requirements, including a real-game evaluation and demonstrated knowledge of rules and observer mechanics. Clinics are organized in conjunction with Ultimate events and taught by UPA Observer Program Trainers.
The UPA has announced that its official membership total last year exceeded 30,000 for the first time in its history. The final 2009 UPA registration number reached 31,588 individual members, representing an eight percent increase over the 2008 season (29,311). The UPA membership total has grown more than 81% in just six years, rising from 17,419 in 2003. The UPA’s youth category (under 19 years old) experienced the highest percentage of growth among all membership areas in 2009, increasing 17 percent from 6,218 to 7,274. None of the organization’s membership categories experienced a decrease last year.
The UPA announced that it has formed an exclusive fundraising partnership with My Sports Dreams. The first-ever fundraising program is being offered to all UPA-affiliated college and high school teams at no upfront cost. The program also will be utilized to support U.S. National Teams, as well as club teams competing abroad – such as 2010 World Ultimate Club Championships (WUCC) qualifiers.
My Sports Dreams was founded in 2004 to help college, high school and youth athletes pay for necessary budget items such as tournament travel, equipment and apparel. Their clients include more than 15,000 teams at all levels of competition in every state. Unlike traditional fundraisers that require student-athletes to sell products that deliver only 50 percent profits, My Sports Dreams is a mail-based system that connects athletes with friends, family members and business owners living anywhere in the United States. The entire effort requires less than one hour for each team to raise an average of $4,000-$7,000.
The UPA has announced the coaching staffs for the 2010 U.S. National Boys’ and Girls’ Junior Teams, including head coaches Ben Van Heuvelen (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and John Sandahl (Minneapolis), respectively. The teams will compete in the 2010 World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) World Junior Ultimate Championships from August 3-7 in Heilbronn, Germany. The tournament features the world’s top Ultimate players under the age of 20.
Pauline Lauterbach (Portland, Ore.) and Jody Avirgan (New York City) were appointed assistant coaches on the 2010 U.S. National Boys’ Junior Team, while Miranda Roth (Seattle) and Chelsea Putnam (Portland, Ore.) were named assistant coaches on the 2010 U.S. National Girls’ Junior Team.
The UPA has announced the Class of 2009 for induction into the Ultimate Hall of Fame. Players Robert Evans (Needham, Mass.) and Pat King (San Carlos, Calif.) will be inducted from the Open Division, while Andy Borinstein (New York City) will be honored as a Contributor. The three newest members were selected by the UPA Hall of Fame Voting Committee from the “Slate of Eight” final candidates and will form the sixth-ever induction class. The finalists were chosen from an outstanding class of candidates by the UPA Hall of Fame Vetting Committee as part of an overall selection process that included Peer Pool recommendations and input solicited from the UPA membership in the first-ever “Call to the Community.”
Renew your UPA membership now to continue receiving great benefits in 2010. The process is easier than ever, because now all members can sign their waivers online! Member benefits include:
Player-level members also enjoy:
Become a UPA Certified Coach in 2010!
The schedule is being updated daily as more locations are added to the list. Don't miss out on the opportunity to attend a 2010 winter series workshop. Register online now for classes starting in January.
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