Ultimate Players Association
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The Ultimate Players Association, founded in 1979, is a not-for-profit organization that serves as the governing body of the sport of Ultimate in the United States.
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[edit] Overview
Its mission is "to promote and support the sport of Ultimate and its players; to increase participation in the sport of Ultimate at all levels; to uphold the Spirit of the Game™, including personal responsibility and integrity; and to provide a framework for players to organize and conduct competition and other activities related to Ultimate." [1] (PDF)
The UPA's main focus is the Championship Series; it sanctions certain tournaments that are held throughout the year in three divisions (Club, College, Youth) and runs the championship tournaments at the end of the respective seasons. These events are governed by the 10th edition rules.
[edit] Club Series
The Club division is subdivided into Open, Women's, Mixed, and Masters divisions, which have their season in the fall. The first national championship took place in 1979 in State College, PA and was won by Glassboro. The Women's division was added in 1981. The Masters Open and Women's divisions were added in 1991; the Masters Women's division was discontinued in 1997. The Mixed Division was added in 1998. Club tournaments have been held in Sarasota, FL for the last few years, and the UPA appears to have settled down there as their preferred location.
[edit] College Series
The College division is subdivided into Open and Women's divisions, which have their season in the spring. Over 300 Open teams and 200 Women's teams took place in the College Championship Series in 2005. The College Open division was first held in 1984 in Somerville, MA and was won by Stanford University. The College Women's Division was added in 1987.
[edit] Youth Series
Originally, the National Youth championship was loosely a high school-based competition, with guidelines determining how many players must be from one high school. In the early 21st century, the UPA moved more towards a complete high school nationals, which launched in 1998 in Maplewood, NJ.
In 2005, two significant changes were made: High School Nationals was split into Easterns and Westerns, split by the Mississippi river, held in May each year, and a Youth Club Championships was created, for club teams assembled from various cities/regions across North America, held in August each year.
[edit] Other Programs
Aside from the championship series, other programs exist, such as Innovation Grants which are given out to local Ultimate organizations who apply for funding for special programs.
The UPA is run by a twelve-person Board of Directors that is elected by the membership; a director's term is three years, rotated such that four seats come up for election each calendar year. At least one representative is elected from each of the six UPA Club regions (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Central, Southwest, Northwest) with the remaining six elected from the membership at large. The Board is responsible for hiring and overseeing the executive director, budgeting, strategic planning and considering proposals, policies and rule changes.
Over 20,000 people are currently members of the UPA; memberships are $40 per calendar year ($30 for college students, $20 for players 18 and under) and allow participation at sanctioned events, as well as a subscription to the quarterly UPA newsletter and discounts on some Ultimate paraphernalia. There is also a $750 lifetime membership option available.[2]
The UPA is a member of the World Flying Disc Federation, the international governing body for flying disc sports. WFDF is a member of the General Association for International Sport Federations (GAISF), The International World Games Association (IWGA), and the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE).
[edit] Championship Series History
[edit] Club Series
| Open | Women | Mixed | Masters Open | Masters Women | |
| 2006 | Sockeye | Fury | Mischief | Throwback | |
| 2005 | Furious George | Riot | Brass Monkey | Old and in the Way | |
| 2004 | Sockeye | Riot | Shazam | Kavu | |
| 2003 | Furious George | Fury | Donner Party | Refugees | |
| 2002 | Furious George | Lady Godiva | Donner Party | Old Sag | |
| 2001 | Condors | Lady Godiva | Trigger Hippy | Keg Workers | |
| 2000 | Condors | Lady Godiva | Spear | Keg Workers | |
| 1999 | Death or Glory | Fury | Raleigh Llama | Old and In The Way | |
| 1998 | Death or Glory | Lady Godiva | Redfish Bluefish | Cigar | |
| 1997 | Death or Glory | Lady Godiva | YESSSS! | S-Prime | |
| 1996 | Death or Glory | Lady Godiva | Windy City | Great Dames | |
| 1995 | Death or Glory | Lady Godiva | Squash | What? | |
| 1994 | Death or Glory | Felix | US Tampico | Pickled Peppers | |
| 1993 | New York | Maine-iacs | Beyondors | Texas Woo Dolls | |
| 1992 | New York | Maine-iacs | Rude Boys | Over the Swill | |
| 1991 | New York | Lady Godiva | Red Menace | Hot Flashes | |
| 1990 | New York | Maine-iacs | |||
| 1989 | New York | Crush Club | |||
| 1988 | Tsunami | Lady Godiva | |||
| 1987 | New York | Condors | |||
| 1986 | Windy City | Condors | |||
| 1985 | Flying Circus | Condors | |||
| 1984 | Tunas | Condors | |||
| 1983 | Windy City | Fisheads | |||
| 1982 | Rude Boys | Zulu | |||
| 1981 | Condors | B.L.U. | |||
| 1980 | Glassboro | ||||
| 1979 | Glassboro |
[edit] College Series
| Open | Women's | |
| 2006 | University of Florida | Stanford University |
| 2005 | Brown University | Stanford University |
| 2004 | University of Colorado | UC Davis |
| 2003 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Stanford University |
| 2002 | Stanford University | U.C. San Diego |
| 2001 | Carleton College | University of Georgia |
| 2000 | Brown University | Carleton College |
| 1999 | North Carolina State University | Stanford University |
| 1998 | U.C. Santa Barbara | Stanford University |
| 1997 | U.C. Santa Barbara | Stanford University |
| 1996 | U.C. Santa Barbara | UNC Wilmington |
| 1995 | East Carolina University | U.C. Santa Cruz |
| 1994 | East Carolina University | U.C. Santa Cruz |
| 1993 | UNC Wilmington | U.C. Berkeley |
| 1992 | University of Oregon | UNC Wilmington |
| 1991 | U.C. Santa Cruz | U.C. Santa Barbara |
| 1990 | U.C. Santa Barbara | U.C. Santa Barbara |
| 1989 | U.C. Santa Barbara | U.C. Davis |
| 1988 | U.C. Santa Barbara | U.C. Santa Barbara |
| 1987 | Chabot College | University of Kansas |
| 1986 | University of Massachusetts | |
| 1985 | University of Pennsylvania | |
| 1984 | Stanford University |
[edit] Youth Championships
| Open | Women's | |
| 2004 | Amherst HS Hurricanes | Yale Secondary Ultimate |
| 2003 | Amherst HS Hurricanes | Amherst HS Varsity |
| 2002 | Paideia HS Gruel | Amherst HS Varsity |
| 2001 | Paideia HS Gruel | Amherst HS Varsity |
| 2000 | Seattle MoHo | Amherst HS Varsity |
| 1999 | University School of Nashville Brutal Grassburn | Amherst HS Varsity |
| 1998 | Amherst HS | Stuyvesant HS |
[edit] Youth Club Championships
| Open | Women's | Mixed | |
| 2006 | Philadelphia SEPDA | Seattle Blackout | Manitoba MoFo |
| 2005 | Seattle | Seattle | Nashville |
[edit] High School Championships
| Easterns: Open | Women's | Westerns: Open | Women's | |
| 2006 | Amherst HS Hurricanes | Amherst HS | Northwest School | Nathan Hale Girls |
| 2005 | Amherst HS Hurricanes | Amherst HS | Northwest School | Nathan Hale |
[edit] The Callahan Award
The Callahan Award is an annual award given by The Callahan Award committee, with assistance from the Ultimate Players Association (UPA), to the best male and female college ultimate players. In addition to honoring extraordinary physical talent and skills, the Callahan Award also honors sportsmanship and leadership. Each Open and Women's team can nominate a single player for the award. Beginning in 2000, players could also be nominated for the Callahan by UPA college regional coordinators.
The winners are selected through online balloting by other college ultimate players. The award is named after Henry Callahan, one of the early pioneers and ambassadors of ultimate. The Callahan Award was initially created by Charles Kerr and was first awarded in 1996.
[edit] Past Callahan Winners
- 2006: Open - Tim Gehret (University of Florida); Women's - Alex Snyder (University of Colorado)
- 2005: Open - Joshua "Zip" Ziperstein (Brown University); Women's - Cara Crouch (University of Texas)
- 2004: Open - Joshua "Richter" Ackley (University of Colorado); Women's - Miranda Roth (Carleton College)
- 2003: Open - Ben Wiggins (University of Oregon); Women's - Chelsea Dengler (University of Oregon)
- 2002: Open - Michael Zalisk (Tufts University); Women's - Pauline Lauterbach (Brown University)
- 2001: Open - Alex Nord (Carleton College); Women's - Lindsay Goldsmith (Swarthmore College)
- 2000: Open - Justin Safdie (Brown University); Women's - Johanna Neumann (Tufts University)
- 1999: Open - Fortunat Mueller (Brown University); Women's - Jody Dozono (University of Oregon)
- 1998: Open - Brian Harriford (Louisiana State University); Women's - "AJ" Johnson (Stanford University)
- 1997: Open - Jim Schoettler (Stanford University); Women's - Dominique Fontenette (Stanford University)
- 1996: Open - Keith Monohan (Oregon State University); Women's - Val Kelly (University of Pennsylvania)
[edit] Ultimate Hall of Fame
Class of 2004
- Suzanne Fields - Inaugural Class
- Irv Kalb - Inaugural Class
- Tom "TK" Kennedy - Inaugural Class
- Dan "Stork" Roddick - Inaugural Class
- Larry Schindel - Inaugural Class
- The "80 Mold" Disc - Special Merit
Class of 2005
- Jon "JC" Cohn - Player
- Kelly Green - Player
- Jim Herrick - Player
- Kathy Pufahl - Contributor
- Sholom "Eric" Simon - Contributor
- The "Founders:" Buzzy Hellring, Jonny Hines, Joel Silver - Special Merit
Class of 2006
- Tom "Timba" D'Urso - Player
- Steve Mooney - Player
- Ann (Cohan) Orders - Player
- Heather Morris Raker - Player
- Robert L. "Nob" Rauch - Contributor
