In early October the UPA announced the formation of the College Competitive Structure Task Force and began accepting applications from interested individuals. The Task Force is a working group designed to consider the strategies related to the Competitive Structure for college Ultimate outlined in the UPA Strategic Plan. We are pleased to announce that there was great interest in joining this group. The following individuals were selected based on their experience, ideas, and ability to represent the interests of select groups of players. The individuals will come together at a meeting to be held in Boulder, CO on December 13-14, 2008.
Read more about these players and their experiences below. In addition to this group, all of the original applicants will be part of a larger discussion group that will be working via email before and after the meeting to research, develop, and analyze ideas. The best ones will be brought to the community for feedback before being implemented.
We are excited about this process and the people who will be involved in it. We look forward to the process itself and to the positive changes that will come as a result of decisions made through it.
| Name | City,State | College Experience/Affiliation | Years Playing |
| Will Deaver | Louisville, CO | Georgia - player (1994-1998) Georgia - Women's coach (1998-2000) Co-author Callahan Rules for College Ultimate (1997) Classic City Classic TD (1997-2000) UPA Championship Director (2001-present) |
15 |
| Jeff Kula | Columbus,OH | Ohio State - player (1998-2002) Ohio State - Open coach (2003, 2005) UPA National College Director (2006 to present) TD for Sectional and Regional events |
11 |
| Denis Agniel | Urbana,IL | Loyola University,Chicago - captain (2004-2007) University of Illinois, player (2007 - 2009, captain 08-09) |
9.5 |
| Gwen Ambler | Seattle,WA | Stanford - player (2000-2003) Stanford - Women's coach (2005-2006) Founder IC Ultimate website UPA Board Member Elect |
9 |
| Lucy Barnes | Sommerville,MA | Harvard - player (2006-present) Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland - player (2008) |
3.5 |
| Matthew Bourland | Boulder, CO | Carnegie-Mellon - player (1999-2000) Pittsburgh/Carnegie-Mellon - Women's coach (2001) UPA HS Easterns TD (2005,2006) UPA Championship Series Manager (2006-present) |
10 |
| Dave Branick | Rockville,MD |
Towson University - player (1999-2003)
UPA College Eligibility Committee - member (2004-2005) UPA Metro East Regional Coordinator (2008-present) Huck of the Irish TD (2002-present) Chesapeake Open TD (2005-present) |
10 |
| Rachel Habbert | Palo Alto,CA |
Stanford - player (2006-present)
Stanford - captain (2009) |
4 |
| Byron Hicks | Parker, CO | UPA College Championships TD (2003) Cultimate co-founder/staff (2004-2006) UPA Championship Series Manager (2008-present) |
20+ |
| Cree Howard | Berkeley,CA | Cal Berkeley - player (2006-present) | 3 |
| Sam Kanner | Northfield,MN | Amherst High School - player (2003-2006) Carleton - player (2006-current) Junior Worlds Team (2006) |
9 |
| Mike Payne | Oakland, CA | Stanford - player & captain (1994-1998) Stanford - Head Coach (2000-2003, 2007-2008) Stanford Invite and April Fools' West TD (various years 1995-1998) UPA Board of Directors 2004-2009 (President of the Board, 2006-2008) |
15 |
| Ben Slade | Clemson,SC | Started Ultimate team at Covenant College Leeds University,UK - player (2006) Clemson - player (2007-present) |
5 |
| Adam Tarr | Denver,CO | Brown B - player (1996-1999) Georgia Tech (1999-2001) Purdue practice player/coach (2001-2005) Purdue women's coach (2005) UPA tournament formats committee chair, (2003-present) Principal author of current UPA manual of tournament formats |
12 |
| Bill Theisen | Bluffton,OH | Iowa - player (1990-1993) Ohio Northern University coach (1996 –present) D-III Nationals TD (2006 - present) |
23 |
| Cyle Van Auken | Gainesville,FL | Florida - player (2004-2008) Cultimate staff |
8 |
| Kyle Weisbrod | Atlanta, GA | Brown - player (1998-2002) UPA Director of Youth Development (2002-2006) UPA Certified Observer UPA Board Member (2007-current) CSTV/CBS Sports College Commentator (2005,2007,2008) |
15 |
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