2007 College Championship Series Guidelines
Registration Guidelines
1) All teams must submit a registrar-certified 2007 UPA College Series roster and registrar instruction form by the deadlines outlined below. UPA membership dues and individual waivers must also be submitted prior to participation in Sectionals.
2) Registration: Friday, March 23, 2007
a) Registrar-certified roster and registrar instruction form must be received at UPA Headquarters by
March 23, 2007. This date is the same for all teams, regardless of when their sectional tournament is held. Note, this is to be received, not postmarked, by March 23.
b) Due to the processing time, it is advisable to submit membership dues and waivers with the roster prior to the registration deadline to ensure that players are listed as paid and waivered in time for Sectionals.
c) Teams submitting rosters must now use the online rostering system to submit their roster. (Please see the
Rostering 101 guide for details on the online rostering system.)
3) Late Registration: Tuesday before Sectionals:
a) Late registration is only allowed through the online rostering system.
b) Registrar-certified roster and registrar instructions must be received at the UPA by the
Tuesday prior to a team’s sectional tournament. (For example, if a team’s sectional tournament is April 14-15, late registration must be completed by Tuesday, April 11.)
c) Sectional coordinators may set an earlier deadline for late registration in accordance with guidelines laid out in
Sectionals Part 3, and if that is the case, it will be noted on the event's
Score Reporting Tool page..
d) Teams that submit rosters to HQ after the March 23rd registration deadline will be assessed a
$50 late fee. (See
Section 4, below, for exceptions and clarifications.)
4) Registration clarifications and exceptions:
a)
Roster changesi) Up to 2 additions to the roster submitted to UPA Headquarters may be made prior to the late registration deadline without penalty.
ii) If more than 2 additions are made to a roster after the March 23rd registration deadline, the team will be assessed a $50 roster adjustment fee. Up to 2 names not on the original roster can be added, regardless of how many names are dropped. The roster adjustment fee does not change a team's status for the purpose of a section's "
official team count." Teams that have already been assessed the $50 late fee are exempt from the $50 roster adjustment fee.
iii) All roster changes after the March 23rd registration deadline must be submitted via the online registration system prior to the late registration deadline. Players that are added after an initial roster has been submitted should be put on a new, separate roster page. The team must register additional players online and
must submit a registrar-certified, paper copy of any roster additions and registrar instructions to UPA Headquarters by the Tuesday before Sectionals.
b)
Player Minimumsi) In order for a roster to be considered valid (and be considered for the purpose of a section's "
official team count") it must include at least 7 players.
c)
A and B teamsi) A and B (and C, D, etc.) teams will be considered separate teams for the purpose of a section's "
official team count."
ii) The same roster change limits stated in above in (4a) apply to changes between A,B,C,etc. team rosters submitted prior to the March 23rd registration deadline.
d)
School schedule conflicts i) If school schedule/registration conflicts prevent your Registrar from verifying student status in time to meet the March 23rd registration deadline, then your roster may still be considered valid by the March 23rd registration deadline if you receive written/emailed permission from UPA Headquarters to submit your Registrar-certified roster at a later date. Send an email titled "Deadline extension request – (School Name)" to
matthew.bourland@upa.org with all relevant information prior to the March 23rd registration deadline to request an extension,
ANDii) Your team must register your team using the online rostering system by the March 23rd registration deadline and must send official verification (e.g school documentation, school calendar, letter from administrator) proving that the registrar could not verify student status before the March 23rd deadline,
ANDiii) A Registrar-certified roster and instruction form must be submitted to UPA Headquarters prior to the late registration deadline, or earlier as directed by UPA Headquarters. (Roster changes are subject to the same guidelines as outlined in (4a) above.)
5) Registrar certification clarifications and exceptions:
a) The team's roster (all pages) and the registrar instruction form must be signed and certified by your school registrar in order to participate in the Series.
b) The UPA College Championship Series roster and registrar instruction form provided through the UPA website are the only forms teams can use for participation in the Series. Player information must be filled out completely and should be typed.
c)
Individual certificationsIf your school issues individual student certifications instead of certifying the entire roster:
i) each individual certification must include
hours enrolled and
degree programii) for schools on the quarter system, verification of spring
AND fall or winter enrollment must be included.
6) Official Team Count
a) Only teams whose registrar-certified roster and instruction form have been received at UPA Headquarters by the March 23rd registration deadline and who participate in the Series will be included in that section's "official team count."
Note: this means received, NOT postmarked, by March 23, 2007. b) Teams that do not submit rosters to HQ by the March 23rd registration deadline will be required to pay a $50 late fee. (See
Section 4 for exceptions and clarifications.)
c) The "official team count" from each section will be used to determine the number of teams that will count towards each section's
bids to Regionals and the number of teams that will count towards regional
size wildcards to the UPA College Championships. Teams who submit rosters after the March 23rd registration deadline will not be counted towards bids to Regionals or the UPA College Championships.
7) Rosters are closed once the late registration deadline has passed, and no players can be added to a roster for the remainder of the Series.
8) Failure to abide by any of the above rules may result in the immediate disqualification of the team or individual.
9) Teams should make a copy of their roster prior to mailing it to UPA Headquarters for their records. This copy should be brought to Sectionals in case it needs to be referenced.
11) Please see the
Rostering 101 guide for detailed instructions on how to get your roster done correctly.
Click here for a list of important forms (roster, waiver, etc.).
12) Mail certified rosters and certified registrar instructions to:
College Series Roster
(Your Division/Section/Name of College)
Ultimate Players Association
4730 Table Mesa Drive, Suite J-200
Boulder, CO 80305
(303) 447-3472 or 1 (800) 872-4384
1) All players participating on a team for any and all Series events must be listed on the team roster. If a player not on a team's roster participates in the Series with that team, that player and/or team may be disqualified from the Series.
2) All players listed on the roster must be current UPA members in good standing. Players who are not current members must sign up for membership on the team roster, sign and return the individual waiver form, and submit the appropriate dues prior to Sectionals. Non-members who do not register by Sectionals will be crossed off the roster and will be ineligible to play in the remainder of the Series until they submit the appropriate forms and fees. If a non-member participates in the Series with a team, that player and/or team may be disqualified from the Series.
3) Players may appear on only one roster for the Series and after the start of Sectionals may not switch teams for any portion of the Series. This rule also applies to A and B teams from the same school. If a player participates in more than one division, or is on more than one roster, that player and/or team(s) may be disqualified from the Series.
4) All players on the team must meet the player requirements
AND the team must meet the team requirements of the
UPA College Eligibility Rules throughout the entire College Series.
i) Eligibility status will be checked by the UPA through the rostering process, in conjunction with information from school Registrar offices, and using information from UPA player and team records.
ii) The UPA reserves the right to use additional relevant information, should it become available, in a fair and consistent manner to ensure player and team eligibility standards are met throughout the Series.
iii) Player eligibility status may be re-checked at any point prior to, during, or following the Series. Rosters will be randomly re-verified with school Registrar offices following each stage of the Series (Sectionals, Regionals, UPA Championships).
5) Each player must fill out (completely and correctly) the appropriate UPA waiver form for the year in which they will be competing. This form is good for the entire calendar year of UPA membership. Waivers must be submitted to UPA Headquarters or the sectional coordinator prior to participation in the Series.
6) Failure to abide by any of the above rules may result in the immediate disqualification of the team or individual and possible sanctions through the UPA
conduct process.
Minor (Under 18) Player Info Minors participating in the Series must have the appropriate forms completed prior to participation (waiver, medical release, chaperone waiver). A copy of the chaperone form must be included with the roster. The medical release form is the responsibility of the chaperone; it must be brought to each Series event and kept on hand by the chaperone. This form allows medical personnel to treat an injured minor without a parent/guardian having to be present. (Without this form medical personnel might not treat an injured minor.)
The following documents can be found here on the UPA website:
The College Series Roster and Registrar Instructions are generated automatically through the online rostering system. Refer to
Rostering 101 for more detailed instructions on the online rostering system.
Competition Guidelines
Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship which places the responsibility for fair play on the player himself. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed-upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling, or other 'win at all costs' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players.
Spirit of the Game sets Ultimate apart from other competitive team sports. For over 30 years, Ultimate has flourished, reaching a highly competitive level, without the use of referees. In Ultimate, the honor system works. Sure, human nature rears its ugly head from time to time—just as in any sport, just as in life. Yet, one of the many beauties of Ultimate is how, even amid the most difficult of situations, utmost graciousness is allowed to meet that challenge head on. Through this balance, Ultimate players are free to demonstrate the most honorable and the most joyous sides of human nature in sport.
Most Ultimate players care deeply about Spirit of the Game. The organizational challenge for the UPA is to foster an environment where the challenge does not become, "to see what I can get away with." Rather than dictate what Spirit of the Game is or should be, it is up to each player to do so for him- or herself within the context of the teams he or she plays with and against.
1) Any team may participate in Sectionals provided they have met the team and player requirements for participation. There is no additional qualifying process for the first level of the UPA College Series (Sectionals).
2) Division II sectionals may be offered at the discretion of the sectional coordinator.
a) Participation in Division II sectionals is optional and is entirely contingent upon the team's desire and consent to play in Division II.
b) Teams that participate in Division II sectionals are not eligible to advance to Division I regionals or advance to the UPA College Championships. Division II teams may advance to Division II regionals if offered. This is not required of regional coordinators.
c) Teams that participate in Division II sectionals are subject to the same series guidelines as Division I teams and may count towards a section's "
official team count."
3) For the purposes of tournament logistics, UPA Coordinators and/or Tournament Directors may impose a deadline by which teams must decide whether they will attend the tournament. This deadline may be associated with submission of a tournament entry fee, as determined by the coordinator. Tournament Directors may keep entry fees from teams that pull out of the tournament beyond a certain date, provided that date (it cannot be before the UPA registration deadline, for instance) and the fee are reasonable, were approved by the event's UPA coordinator, and were communicated by the TD or coordinator to the teams ahead of time (coordinators are to put the approved deadline on the event's
Score Reporting Tool page). Any deadline imposed by a coordinator or tournament director that would restrict access to the tournament for teams that would otherwise be considered eligible must be announced well in advance and must be approved by the National Director.
1) Regional bids will be allocated to sections based on the number of teams in each section that meet the roster deadline and participate at the Sectional event (each section's "
official team count").
2) Bids to Regionals will be based on the following formula:
N=total number of teams in the region that meet the roster deadline and participate at Sectionals
R=total number of spots in Regionals (R=16)
a=number of teams that meet the roster deadline and participate at Sectionals for Section A
b= number of teams that meet the roster deadline and participate at Sectionals for Section B (and so on)
a + b. . .=N
Section A gets (a/N) x R bids to Regionals
3) Each section (unless there is team migration) must receive at least one bid.
i) If application of the formula results in a section being allocated zero bids to Regionals, and there are unallocated bids, one unallocated bid will be awarded to each section with zero bids.
ii) If application of the formula results in a section being allocated zero bids to Regionals and all bids have been allocated, then one bid will be taken from the section with the most bids and awarded to the section with no bid.
4) Partial (fractional) bids will only be awarded if fewer than 16 total bids have been allocated. There will be a maximum of 16 bids to Regionals.
5) If each section has at least one bid, and fewer than 16 bids have been allocated, the decimal remainder from the formula results for each section will be compared. The remaining bids will be awarded to sections (one each), in order from highest to lowest remainder. (For example: a section with a decimal remainder of .82 will be awarded a bid before a section with a remainder of .67).
a) If there is a tie for the final bid to Regionals, the number of players on the tied sections' March 23rd registration deadline rosters will be used to determine the final bid.
b) If there is still a tie, the number of teams participating at Sectionals will determine the final bid.
c) If there is still a tie, a disc will be flipped (or Rosham if preferred).
6) If, after Sectionals is completed, a section's "
official team count" does not change and another section's count drops, the unchanged section may not have its bids to Regionals reduced, even if the formula would allocate the bids otherwise.
7) Unaccepted bids
a) If a team forfeits its bid to Regionals, the bid will be offered to the next highest finishing (eligible) team from the forfeiting team's section. This procedure will be followed until the bid is awarded.
b) If no teams in that section accept the bid, this process will be repeated starting with the section next in line to receive a bid according to the allocation formula.
c) If a team drops out less than one week prior to the tournament, the Regional Coordinator may accelerate the above process by shortening response times and immediately contacting all potential replacement teams.
d) If the spot has not been filled three days prior to the tournament, the RC may award the bid at his/her discretion with the approval of the National College Director.
8) For the purposes of tournament logistics, Regional Coordinators and Tournament Directors may impose a deadline by which teams must decide whether they will attend the tournament. This deadline may be associated with submission of a tournament entry fee, as determined by the coordinator. Tournament Directors may keep entry fees from teams that pull out of the tournament beyond a certain date, provided that date (it cannot be before the UPA registration deadline, for instance) and the fee are reasonable, were approved by the event's UPA coordinator, and were communicated by the TD or coordinator to the teams ahead of time (coordinators are to put the approved deadline on the event's
Score Reporting Tool page). Any deadline imposed by a coordinator or tournament director that would restrict access to the tournament for teams that would otherwise be considered eligible must be announced well in advance and must be approved by the National Director.
UPA College Championships 1) The College Open Division and College Women's Division will each qualify 16 teams for the UPA College Championships. The top team from each region will automatically qualify. The remaining 8 bids will be allocated to regions through 4 strength wildcards and 4 size wildcards, as follows:
2) Wildcards for UPA College Series (Open and Women's)
a) No region may receive more than 2 wildcards total.
b) Strength wildcards (4):
Four strength wildcards per division will be awarded for the following year based on the algorithm below.
Apply the algorithm rules in this order:
0. No region may receive more than 2 strength wildcards.
Using placements at the previous year's College Championships:
1. If two teams from a region make the semi-finals, and that region had only two teams at the tournament, then that region receives two strength wildcards.
2. The remaining strength wildcards are awarded based on the placement of all regions' 2nd and 3rd place teams (or only team, if a region had only one bid to Nationals). The final national placement of these teams is compared and the remaining wildcards are awarded to the regions in the order of their finish. (Note: This means that both the 2nd and 3rd place teams from a region may each earn a wildcard for their region.)
* The strength wildcard algorithm will be applied after the quarterfinals and two rounds of placement games have been played. If at this point two or more teams are tied in the strength wildcard standings and there are fewer bids available than there are teams involved in the tie, then the following will occur:
- If 2 regions are tied for 1 bid, the two relevant teams will play a wildcard game for the final bid
- If 3 or more regions are tied, they will be re-ranked based on the rank of the 1st place team from their region, then:
- If there is 1 bid remaining, the teams from the top two re-ranked regions will play for that bid.
- If there are 2 bids, the top re-ranked region will be awarded one bid and the teams from the other two regions will play for the final bid (unless the top 2 re-ranked teams are still tied, then they will both receive a wildcard and no game will be played).
- If there are 3 bids, the top 2 re-ranked teams will be awarded one bid each and the teams from the other two regions will play for the final bid (unless the 2nd and 3rd re-ranked teams are still tied, then they will both receive a wildcard and no game will be played).
Application of the Strength Wildcard formula following the 2006 College Championships resulted in the wildcards being awarded to the following regions for the 2007 College Championships:
Open Division:
Atlantic Coast – 2 wildcards
Central – 1 wildcard
Northwest – 1 wildcard
Women's Division:
Northwest – 2 wildcards
Southwest – 2 wildcards
c) Size Wildcards (4):
These wildcards are based on the "
official team count" for a region in the current year. If there is a tie, the size wildcard will go to the region with the most players on teams included in the "official team count." If there is still a tie, the size wildcard will go to the region with the most total teams competing at Sectionals. The allocation of the 4 size wildcards will be announced prior to the first Regionals tournament.
Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines - The UPA reserves the right to alter, or require a team to alter, a team name, player nickname, team logo, jersey graphic or uniform and/or suggest alternatives at or in conjunction with a UPA program or event should UPA personnel determine that the existing name, logo, graphic, or uniform might hinder the mission of the organization or the goals of a specific UPA program or event. Alterations must meet with the approval of UPA personnel.
- Frequently Asked Questions on Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines
- All players participating in the UPA College Championship tournament for a given team must wear jerseys of identical color and design.
- Teams must have two jerseys of distinctly different color.
- Jerseys must have numbers on the back. The numbers must be at least 6 inches high and be one or two digit Arabic numerals. No two players on a given team may use the same number or numbers with the same value (e.g. 00 and 0, 01 and 1, etc.).
- Uniform bottoms (shorts, pants, skirts) worn by players on the field must be of identical color and design.
- Uniform bottoms (shorts, pants, skirts) must have numbers on the front right or left leg, and the placement must be the same for the whole team. The numbers must be at least 2 inches high and match their jersey number.
- Names, logos, and graphics on jerseys must comply with the Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines above.
- It is recommended that uniform accessories including tights, undershirts, hats, and socks be of identical or coordinated style and color.
- The UPA reserves the right to disqualify and/or fine players who fail to meet the uniform requirements.
- These requirements do not apply to Sectionals or Regionals.
- Frequently Asked Questions on uniform requirements.
Coaching Certification Requirements During games at UPA Championship events where field access is restricted, teams with coaching staff are required to have at least one
Level 1 Certified coach in order for coaching staff to have player-level field access. All other non-player support staff, with player-level or limited field access, including coaches, must read, sign and agree to abide by the
UPA Coaching Code of Ethics and
Spirit of Coaching Statement. Limits on number of coaches and other non-player support staff will be determined by specific event guidelines.
The timetable for implementation will be:
- 2008 – UPA Youth and High School Championship events (Easterns, Westerns, YCC, etc)
- 2009 – UPA College Championships
This policy was approved by the Board of Directors in the summer of 2006 as an incentive for coaches to get Level 1 certification as well as to ensure compliance with UPA standards of knowledge and behavior at the UPA’s highest profile games. As noted above, this requirement will not be in effect for the College Championships until 2009. Restricted access games currently include the semi-finals and finals, but may be expanded to include other games. Coaches should make plans to get Level 1 certification before May, 2009 in order to ensure access to the sideline for all games at the College Championships.
Sectional and Regional tournament formats will be determined by coordinators using UPA guidelines in the
UPA Formats Manual for the Championship Series. Contact your Sectional or Regional Coordinator for information.
- Seeding for Sectionals and Regionals and the UPA Championships will be done by the coordinator using the following information: input solicited from all the captains of participating teams; results prior to the Series (e.g. head to head, common opponents, tournament finish); results of last year's Series; and other applicable information (e.g. team composition, conditions). The coordinator has the authority to adjust rankings according to the best information available.
- Seeding for Regionals will additionally be held to the following guideline: No team that finishes ahead of another team at Sectionals may be seeded behind that team at Regionals.
- Seeding for the UPA College Championships will additionally be held to the following guideline: No team that finishes ahead of another team at Regionals may be seeded behind that team at the UPA College Championships.
- Seeding for Sectionals must be pre-approved by the appropriate Regional Coordinator. (If the Sectional and Regional coordinators are affiliated (player, coach, alum, etc.) with the same team, seedings must be approved by the National College Director.)
- Seeding for Regionals must be pre-approved by the National College Director. (If the Sectional and Regional coordinators are affiliated (player, coach, alum, etc.) with the same team, seedings must be approved by the National College Director.)
- Seeding for the UPA College Championships must be pre-approved by the Championship Director. (If the Sectional and Regional coordinators are affiliated (player, coach, alum, etc.) with the same team, seedings must be approved by the National College Director.)
1) A team must play all its games at a "qualifying" tournament in order to qualify for the next tournament in the Series.
a) A team that forfeits a Series game, and every player on that team's roster, is disqualified for the remainder of the current Series, in every Division.
b) Any scheduled game where the winner and loser are not determined by playing Ultimate on the field should be considered a forfeit for the loser.
c) At the discretion of the event's UPA coordinator, consideration may be given to situations that might warrant an exception being made, provided it does not affect the fairness or integrity of the competition. Consideration should be given if a team misses the first game of the first day because of travel problems.
2) If one team is not ready to play at game-time, points may be assessed in accordance with the
11th Edition Rules of Ultimate (Section VIII.A.4). Under these conditions, if the score of the game reaches 8–0, the team that has failed to signal readiness will technically forfeit the game (see rule above).
In January 2007, the UPA Board of Directors passed the following proposal governing the rules set(s) to be used for the 2007 UPA College Championship Series:
2007.04
Temporary College Rules Set Modification Proposal
In 2007, the UPA Board supports the administration's use of the following subset of competition rules, not contained in the 11th, that have been used in the College Series since 1999. These rules include: mandatory use of Observer's to track time limits, offsides, and deal with conduct issues at Regional semis, finals, games-to-go and all games at the College Championships; use of the
Team Misconduct Foul System to manage team/player conduct during competition.
11th Edition Rules of Ultimate- Timing Rules (XVIII.B.1):
- Timeouts (Section VI)
- Time between turnovers – “pre-stall” (Section XIII)
- Time between pulls (Section VIII.C)
- Line Calls are active (XVIII.B.4):
- Offsides (Section VIII.B)
- In/Out of Bounds (Section IX)
- In/Out of Endzone (Section XI)
- Foul/Violation Calls are not active (XVIII.B.2)
- Conduct Issues (Section XVIII.B.3)
-
Misconduct Foul System
If captains want observers to be present at the tournament beyond the requirements outlined in
Section 8 (Rules) above, they must notify their coordinator at least two weeks prior to the tournament. This will facilitate volunteer recruitment and training prior to the event.
