2008 Board of Directors Election
Candidate Statements
The UPA Board of Directors oversees the UPA by setting policy and defining strategy.
The board is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the organization achieves its mission.
The board is responsible for ensuring that the organization is working in the best interests of all our members.
The most effective tool the board has to protect the interests of the members is our ability to set policy on issues facing the organization.
The board’s other tool for protecting members’ interests is the long-term strategy for organization.
With that in mind, the Nominating Committee presents to you the candidates for the 2008 election (2009-2011 term).
You, the members, have the important opportunity and responsibility of electing the board members who will oversee the operation and steer the course of direction for the Ultimate Players Association.
Please take time to read the candidate statements below and to listen to the audio interviews (available on or before September 22). They include the expertise each candidate would bring to your Board of Directors and the directions they would push for.
Sincerely,
The UPA Nominating Committee
Only current UPA members may vote. To vote, log in to your online account and click the voting link on your member account page. If you are already logged in, click here (
NOTE: Online voting will open October 1 and close November 3 at 5 pm mountain) to vote. Please note that only those members whose UPA address is within that region may vote for candidates within that region.
AT LARGE
(all members may vote for two)
Gwen Ambler, Seattle, WA
Mandy Eckhoff, Somerville, MA
Catherine Hartley Greenwald, Park City, UT
Frank Huguenard, Cupertino, CA
David Janinis, Chico, CA
Todd Leber, Wilmington, NC
Jeff Martin, Wilson, NC
Jamie Nuwer, Fremont, CA
Henry Thorne, Pittsburgh, PA
CENTRAL REGION(members from Central Region may vote for one)
SOUTH REGION
(members from South Region may vote for one)
AT LARGE CANDIDATES
Gwen Ambler, Seattle, WA
Email: ambler<at>gmail<dot>com
.jpg "Gwen Ambler")
My name is Gwen Ambler and I'm running for the UPA Board of Directors for two reasons: (1) I love Ultimate and want to see it grow. I want to see more people playing, more teams in every division, and greater recognition of our sport among the general public. (2) The Board of Directors should represent the members of the UPA. Currently, only one woman is on the twelve person board past 2008. Women Ultimate players should know that their interests are represented on the board. Through coaching I also have close ties to the college and youth divisions, other constituencies that deserve more representation.
As a board candidate, I am most interested in five main issues:
Pursuing ways to showcase high-level Ultimate. The UPA Youth, College and Club Championships are marquee vents, but they can be better marketed for spectators at the tournaments and fans following along at home. The UPA should also explore possibilities for more exhibition events or an elite series.
Expanding media coverage of Ultimate events. Huge strides have been made with video footage and internet reporting of Ultimate tournaments. The UPA should expand its partnerships with outside companies and individuals to increase the scope and timeliness of Series coverage.
Finding ways to promote new teams. The number of club teams has not kept pace with the growing number of new players finding Ultimate. The UPA should explore tiered systems and other structures for the Series that would encourage new teams to form and create more opportunities for play.
Keeping tabs on the trends of how the game is currently played. Updates to the rules of play are important, but so are experiments with different aspects of the game such as enforcement/penalties and various types of officiating to ensure that the game is being played fairly at all levels.
Enhancing partnerships with leagues and local disc organizations. The UPA should increase its benefit to new and recreational players.
My experience with Ultimate as a player, coach, advocate, and organizer has prepared me for the duties and responsibilities of being a board member. I've played Ultimate since 1999 on Stanford Superfly, Fury, and Team USA. I've coached at youth camps and for high school, college, and club teams. I founded and am the primary author for the website Inside College Ultimate, created to help women Ultimate players get more recognition in the Ultimate community. I am also a contributor to The Huddle, a site which disseminates Ultimate strategy to readers around the world. I already have experience working with the UPA as a club and college Regional Coordinator since 2004, and I was on a task force for restructuring the Club Series during the UPA’s strategic planning initiative. Outside of the Ultimate world, I have a Masters in Public Health and have experience working for non-profit organizations. I am eager to channel my energy and efforts into helping Ultimate reach the next level.
Mandy Eckhoff, Somerville, MA
Email: eckhoffa<at>hotmail<dot>com
.jpg "Amanda Eckhoff")
Playing Ultimate has been my passion since college. I’ve seen firsthand how Ultimate can affect people’s lives in a positive way: like other players, I have experienced the joy and satisfaction of a hard played game, and the crushing disappointment that can come with a tough loss. In the time that I have played, I have seen the sport grow into a welcoming community, open to all who are looking to play hard, and have fun. In that time, I’ve enjoyed seeing more and more people of all ages pick up a disc and jump into the wonderful community that is Ultimate.
My on-field enthusiasm has been matched in recent years by my off-field efforts to help develop the sport, and my teams, by assuming organizing and leadership positions as a League Coordinator, team captain and general volunteer for the Boston Ultimate Disc Alliance (BUDA), Boston’s recreational Ultimate league. Those roles have built upon and strengthened the leadership skills that I’ve developed through several years of non-profit leadership experience as a board member on various non-profit and education boards. All of these leadership opportunities have taught me that I thrive on helping others to access, participate in, and excel in the sport that has given me so much enjoyment.
Now, I seek to apply my skills, talents, and passion as a leader to the broader Ultimate community, to help develop and grow the sport in Boston, and beyond, so that greater numbers of people can participate. I believe that there are two key ways that the UPA could help continue to grow the sport of Ultimate.
First, developing ways that the UPA can provide greater support to women’s Ultimate, particularly at the high school and collegiate levels. Though the sport has grown dramatically, the number of women playing has not kept pace with the number of men, and I believe the UPA could do more to encourage the development of women’s Ultimate. I have noticed that the UPA board of directors has only one returning female member. To adequately address the concerns of the gender gap I feel it would be a great benefit to have additional women on the Board. This is one of the factors that encouraged me to run this year.
Additionally, I would also like to help grow the sport by focusing on youth. I believe the UPA should help develop a toolkit of best practices to help local organizers approach schools and community leaders to so that they can obtain financial and political support to integrate Ultimate into existing gym or sports curricula. There are also numerous potential opportunities for the UPA to get involved with community youth organizations.
I believe that my love for the game, my organizational skills, my experience and involvement with the Boston league, my professional experiences as an attorney and my involvement as a member of other non-profit boards make me well qualified for a position on the UPA board.
Catherine Hartley Greenwald, Park City, UT
Email: ckgreenwald<at>earthlink<dot>net
.jpg "Catherine Hartley Greenwald")
It is probably not possible to play Ultimate for more than 25 years without getting involved in organizing. If you love the sport like I do, you need to find outlets as the body begins to break down! As a player, I’ve had the privilege to play in many Nationals, several World Club and one World Championship, mostly with Boston teams. Beyond that, the experience gets more varied, including roles as: UPA volunteer (most recently as the Massachusetts State Youth Coordinator); teacher (as a BUDA Youth Educator); high school coach; Ultimate day camp director; league organizer (as director of the BUDA High School Ultimate League); tournament organizer (as a member of the Junior Worlds ’06 committee); and last but not least, parent of three avid young players.
All of these experiences and roles have been driven by a love of the game, the passion to introduce children to Ultimate, and the desire improve the experience and access for all Ultimate players, particularly newer ones.
Another theme throughout my experience has been building communities, which is a common thread in much of the UPA’s strategic plan. Our priority should be to not only provide (and continue improving) competitive opportunities for dedicated players but to more effectively bring new players into the fold. We need a greater awareness among casual players of the UPA and the services it can offer, and then to improve the delivery to these groups. The redesign of the notoriously user-unfriendly UPA website will address some of these problems – having walked many frustrated would-be members and team organizers through the sign-up process, it can’t happen too soon. As a board member I’d like to provide continuing input and oversight of the redesign to ensure that it meets the needs of the newer player with easy access to abbreviated rules and required forms, enrollment, rostering, and a wider array of links to the rapidly growing presence of Ultimate on the Internet.
I would also like to assist the UPA in its outreach to potentially helpful and largely untapped resources. This effort is already underway with the sizeable number of former UPA members, or “alums.” Properly encouraged, this group could help alleviate the shortage of coaches that is hampering the development of youth Ultimate. In recent years, I have been impressed by the ability to move mountains of another group -- parents of young athletes. Active outreach to parents of present and potential players could further fuel the growth of youth Ultimate in this country. I would be particularly interested in examining how the UPA and parents together can best encourage young female Ultimate players, whose numbers lag significantly behind those for male players.
In short, my priorities can be summed in three words: community (developing and strengthening), outreach (information and education) and relevance (for all players). My professional background in public relations, varied Ultimate experience, and enthusiasm can help the UPA continue to develop all three.
Frank Huguenard, Cupertino, CA
Email: fhuguenard<at>gmail<dot>com
.jpg "Frank Huguenard")
Frisbee has been my life. I grew up with a disc in my hands in the 60's, starting playing Ultimate in the 70's and have spent the past 30 years perfecting my craft. To the point where my mastery of the game superseded the rules by which the game was meant to be played by. For 20 years I've been miserable attempting to be the round peg in the square hole in this sport. Given my ideological and philosophical approach to the game, the basic rules of Ultimate ceased making any sense. To me, competitive Ultimate is an oxymoron.
After years of studying the the rules, history, culture & demographic that comprises Ultimate, in 2007, I came across the research that finally explained why the game is what it is. (This research can be found at http://www.dischoops.com/newgames.htm). The basic findings of the research indicate that Ultimate Frisbee was born out of an entire movement that predated Ultimate by two years. Something called The New Games Movement that set out to create an entirely new genre of games that were fair and fun to all participants irrespective of physical ability, intelligence, gender & age.
The end result could best be compared to training wheels on a bike or gutter guards in bowling. Rules were developed that emphasized fun for the beginner at the expense of providing fair competition for the veteran. (eg. Illegal double-teams)
The New Games Movement even had a Spirit of New Games that is written practically identical to SOTG.
The platform that I am running on is reform. I'm not opposed to SOTG, per se, but what I have a problem with is a game without penalties or rational rules (rules based on firm, consistent, objective and non-arbitrary boundaries).
You're probably not going to like these new rules at first. They are going to feel restrictive and for some time while people are adjusting to them, it will be a painful process but in the end, what will come out of this is a much higher skill level for all players.
This is basic parenting 101. Children learn best under firm, consistent boundaries and conversely, our cultural-wide lack of these types of boundaries has led to a scenerio where the Ultimate Nation has been spoiled and will want to throw a tantrum when confronted with firm boundaries and punishment. What I'm saying is that it's time we collectively grow up and take our medicine.
This is why I'm calling this new proposed set of rules Ultimate TL (for Tough Love; www.dischoops.com/UltimateTL.htm).
Ultimate TL is for True Gamers, not New-Gamers.
In order for us to reform Ultimate , we're going to need a mandate. Last year, I could have earned an At Large Board set with a measly 315 votes and that, my friends, isn't a mandate of any kind.
Frankly, I think we can retain SOTG in conjunction with firm rules. But if we can't, that only serves to prove that the SOTG nay-sayers were right all along.
David Janinis, Chico, CA
Email: davidjaninis<at>yahoo<dot>com
.jpg "David Janinis")
I am honored to be running for the candidate at large. My name is David Janinis, more commonly known as "Fetch." My college Ultimate experience was played out at California State University Chico, and like most of you, I did not play for a powerhouse program in college and never went to the UPA College Championships in college even though my desire to go was rather intense and still is as I currently play for Revolver. Last year was my first time going to nationals with the team Rhino, and I feel that the UPA national's tournament is the greatest Ultimate tournament in the country. I hope you have the chance to participate in this event.
My platform is pretty straightforward. We need to protect the good things about Ultimate, the things that most of us are drawn to about the game. Sprit of the Game is positive, as is the championship series. Being a physical education teacher myself, as well as having taught Ultimate for three years at Chico State during grad school, I believe that we should continue to show support and continue to develop the outreach program which educates teachers about the game we all love. Through quality curriculum in schools nationwide we will continuously reinvest in our sport's future as well as further gain respect by those who may not play the game. The UPA should be open to evaluate options to get contracts for field use in communities and be open to sharing contracts with other sports like Rugby and Lacross, which likely have similar goals and interests as ours in obtaining contracts and long term field use including club nationals in various locations.
My experience involves captaining Chico State, the Oaks, and coaching both men's and women's Ultimate as well as starting and running a tournament for the past 5 years called Discos Calientes, which is a 40 team tournament of MIXED, WOMENS and OPEN division. We were trying this year to also fight for the first WOMENS MASTERS division which I believe should be instilled at the UPA Championship series. The past two years I was and currently still am the Northern California and Oregon Sectional coordinator for the college open series. I have served as a volunteer on behalf of the UPA for the Outreach program attending California Physical Education and Recreation conferences as well as American Alliance for Physical Education Recreation and Dance, a national conference which is primarily attended by physical education teachers to discuss researched based practices and ideas to make their pedagogical practices better and more effective. It is my hope that I can instill democratic values as your representative and reflect the interest of the UPA members as best I can. Play hard, play fair, and I'll see you on the field.
Todd Leber, Wilmington, NC
Email: tsl<at>ec<dot>rr<dot>com
.jpg "Todd Leber")
A VOTE FOR TOAD IS A VOTE FOR CHANGE. Many of you know me from my endless rants on rsd on how to improve this sport. Well now I'm stepping up. You know what the say….."when ya want something done right……", although I KNOW I cant right this ship by "doing it myself". So you will have to vote in other progressive thinkers too……that is if you want change. I think everybody is well aware of where I stand on ALL the issues. As stated in my rsd platform, I will make efforts to initiate a top down approach to marketing and exposing Ultimate. Some of my proposals will include: create a more standardized and commercialized elite circuit of competition during the summer months; create an annual, off season (weekend prior to super bowl??) 4 team international event that can expose and feature Ultimate in said modernized fashion; Make strides to get both college and hs Ultimate teams recognized as varsity sports (esp. college women); refs are a givin; implement programs that allow a variety of game management OPTIONS for the participants: intensify the needs and wants assessments processes so that members feel properly represented; create a way for inquisitive members ideas, questions and concerns to be addressed in REAL TIME. Mostly I feel I could initiate urgency and action within the administration. All that I do I will do for the sake of the sport.
Jeff Martin, Wilson, NC
Email: jeffmartin16<at>gmail.com
.jpg "Jeff Martin")
Howdy Everyone,
My name is Jeff Martin and I am running for an At-Large position on the UPA Board of Directors. I was first introduced to Ultimate at East Carolina University in the spring of 2001. My first experience was an interesting one. I got yelled out a bunch but fell in love with the game. I was so intrigued by the fact that these guys were so passionate about this game. I had to be a part of it. After my first practice I spent about 3 hours on the internet looking up the sport of Ultimate. I came across the UPA website and was overwhelmed by all of the information I was able to learn about this great new sport. Ever since that day I have lived, breathed, and bled Ultimate. In the past eight years I have been very involved within the NC Ultimate community. I have been a captain for league, college, and club level teams and for the past 3 years I have been a Sectional Coordinator for the UPA at the club and college levels. I have also been a large supporter of the ECU Women's Ultimate team, by both helping to start and currently coach their team. By being involved in many aspects of this community I have had many opportunities to organize and direct multiple tournaments, meet new contacts, and expand the sport.
My professional life, as a project coordinator, gives me the tools and experiences to be an effective board member. I spend much of my day starting new projects. By networking with different groups and people and by using my time management skills I am able to successfully complete these new tasks and projects. My organizational skills are also one of my strengths that will enable me to be a reliable board member. These skills and strengths among others will be key aspects to my success as a board member by allowing me to stay on top of the different areas of the board that I would be involved with.
The strategic goals that I would like to help achieve, as a member of the board, is an expansion of the women's teams throughout the country. As a coach of a newly formed college women's team I have made it a priority to spread the word about women's Ultimate in our community. Another area I am especially interested in is the Observer system. I think that a standardized training of observers will be key to expanding the game of Ultimate throughout the youth, college, and club series.
Through my involvement within my local Ultimate community as a player, coach, volunteer, and contributor I feel that the experience, knowledge, and overall love for the sport will be greatly utilized at the national level. With the honor of being a member of the board I would continue to groom my leadership skills and work with a continuous goal of expanding and improving the sport of Ultimate. Thank you.
Jamie Nuwer, Fremont, CA
Email: jnuwer<at>gmail<dot>com
.jpg "Jamie Nuwer")
I first picked up Ultimate as the “we-need-another-girl” player for my freshman dorm intramural team. Admittedly I was a bit useless with the disc, but loved running around especially on the muddy days. My skills improved remarkably when I joined Stanford Superfly the next year in 1999. I served in fundraising, tournament directing, then captaining my senior year.
By the time I started medical school in 2003 I was completely hooked on Ultimate, had gotten certified as an Observer, and became the Southwest Observer Coordinator. I got involved with founding the UCLA women’s team, BLU, as a fifth year player and co-coach. I learned an immense amount about organizing a team, providing motivation, working through difficulties, and the challenges faced by new teams in finding a place to compete. After an incredible first season, we decided to expand our program with a B team, Midas.
The next year I stopped coaching to focus on medical school. I cherished playing with my 15 year-old sister in winter, summer, and beach leagues. The lack of teenage players inspired me to start running a yearly women’s beginner clinic at UCLA. I continued playing women’s club and also joined Red Fish Blue Fish, a mixed team, for Worlds. I helped start Zeitgeist a new women’s club team and returned to coaching with UCLA Midas in 2006. I’d realized that while I enjoy coaching elite level teams, my passion lays in coaching new players. There is something uniquely rewarding to witnessing a player’s first non-wobbly forehand or full-extension lay-out D.
As a Board Candidate, I am interested in expanding the formal role of sports medicine in Ultimate. I have been writing the Injury Timeout column for the UPA magazine since 2006 and received a UPA grant to re-write the sports medicine section of the UPA Coaching Manual. My passion is injury prevention, especially ACL tears, and enabling more members of our community to feel comfortable managing common Ultimate injuries. As an Observer, I’m very interested in the future of Observer training and development. Additionally, I’d like to expand opportunities for non-elite and beginner teams to compete in tournaments, leagues, and intramurals. Lastly, I’d like to offer more to our fans in terms of membership and media coverage. I am excited by the new strategic plan and look forward to moving our sport forward in the Ultimate Revolution.
I have competed at all levels of Ultimate from intramurals to leagues to clubs in both the women’s and mixed divisions. I’ve played locally and internationally, on the beach and on the field, in the rain and in the snow. I’ve coached, Observed, and tended your injuries on the sideline. I love Ultimate. Please allow me the chance to continue spreading my passion for the sport by electing me as a member of the UPA Board of Directors.
Henry Thorne, Pittsburgh, PA
Email: hthorne<at>thorleyindustries<dot>com
.jpg "Henry Thorne")
I think we play the Ultimate sport. It continues to grow because it’s a better game. The disc flies fast, but it also travels at our speed, which makes it a better tool than a ball which in comparison simply goes plunk into the ground. We get the drama of the big throws in football but not every half hour, every few minutes instead. Our athletes can show a precision in passing beyond baseball, hockey, and football and they show it every ten seconds. Other sports look sloppy to me, full of turnovers.
We’re way beyond wondering if this sport will ever catch on, we’ve grown past rugby and lacrosse combined, we’re looking forward at soccer and the majors. We’ve created a wave of youth players some 600,000 strong according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association and unlike other sports, they’re going to keep playing Ultimate, because it’s just too much fun.
Uniquely, this wave hasn’t been created by corporate dollars because there just isn’t much expensive equipment required to play Ultimate, instead it’s grass roots, people power, people loving this game, crafting it to be what you want it to be in leagues across the country, curriculums in schools, and through your selection for the UPA board of directors where we create policy for the sport according to your desires through the intensive listening process we’ve called the Revolution which I’ve helped lead over the last two years. You’ve told us to put the pedal to the floor on Youth programs and we are, it’s our only division with its own full time director. You asked that we leave the observer system in place but improve it and we are. You asked for a College Div II, a Women’s Masters Division, and a Grand Masters division all of which we’re going to create. Altogether there are 11 Strategic Initiatives each with 5 to 10 tactics, all created through a listening process involving thousands of members (see UPA Strategic Planning/2008-2012). We’ve grown the staff from 6 to 8 as we prepare to take all this on.
Please help me help you make this sport all it can be by voting for me. I’m an entrepreneur; I instigate and make good things happen. I’ve enjoyed making great things happen with this sport over the last ten years and would very much enjoy continuing to do so.
Boring biographical info: started playing at Carnegie-Mellon University in 1977, played with Michigan Night Train ’87-92, Seven Sages Masters World Champs ’91, ’93, and ’95, founded Pittsburgh’s “Run” in 2001. Married an Ultimate player, a Fish Head, Karen Thorne, have two Ultimate playing sons who founded North Hills Ultimate, Alex (on the 2008 WFDF World Ultimate Championships team) and Max. Also on the board of CPU (Community for Pittsburgh Ultimate). Founder of Cycle Time Corp., and Aethon Inc., co-founder of Thorley Industries LLC.
CENTRAL REGION CANDIDATES
Ben Feldman, Minnetonka, MN
Email: bfeldman2<at>wisc<dot>edu
.jpg "Ben Feldman")
Hi, my name is Ben Feldman and I am currently a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I started playing Ultimate when I was a sophomore at Hopkins High School in Minnesota, and currently compete in college as a member of the Wisconsin Hodags. After graduating from Hopkins in 2006, I was selected to be a member of Team USA at the WFDF World Junior Ultimate Championships. I have participated in the club series the past 4 years, and will be playing this fall with Sub Zero out of Minneapolis.
I am running for the UPA Board of Directors because I want to take my passion for the sport and use it to benefit the greater Ultimate community. In order to secure the future of our sport, it is vital to promote and expand youth Ultimate across the country. I have witnessed first-hand the advancement and growth of the high school and college divisions in recent years, and want to assist the UPA in building upon the progress that has already been made. Being a current player in the college division, and having recently competed at the high school level, I feel that I would be able to provide the Board with a valuable inside perspective on issues that relate to youth and college competition. I am well aware of the amount of time and effort that thousands of individuals across the country give to the sport, and want to dedicate myself to enhancing their experiences.
My recent leadership roles within Ultimate have taken place at an organizational level. I initiated my college team’s fundraising efforts this past winter, working to raise over $2,500 for our program in less than six months. With the help and backing of Cultimate and Patagonia, I built the framework of “No Wisconsequences”, a now annual college tournament to take place every October in Wisconsin.
One key issue that I hope to address and work on as a Board member is sustaining the “Spirit of the Game”. With the growth of any sport comes an increasing competitive mindset of participants. While some aspects of “Spirit of the Game” have seemingly diminished at the college and club levels, it’s important that the UPA continues to emphasize the underlying concept across all divisions. Instilling this important idea throughout our youth is the best way to ensure its presence in all competitive divisions going into the future.
I strongly believe that the future success of college Ultimate relies heavily upon the active participation of high school players. I would like to work with the UPA to provide programs and events that promote increased collaboration between the two divisions. Educating youth players about opportunities to compete in college will further motivate them to improve as both athletes and students while in high school.
The sport of Ultimate is in a stage of development that calls for proactive leadership. I am confident that I can work within the Board of Directors to provide that to the UPA and its members.
Seth Grossinger, Minneapolis, MN
Email: seth.grossinger+ultimate<at>gmail<dot>com
.jpg "Seth Grossinger")
The UPA's primary mission is "To advance the sport of Ultimate". And I strongly believe that different Ultimate communities have different needs, and so I'm excited that the UPA's new strategic plan recognizes the importance of expanding opportunities at many different levels.
Since I started college in 1990 I have been involved in the Ultimate community as a teammate, captain, league and tournament organizer and UPA coordinator. My experience ranges from college intramurals and local pick-up games to UPA club and WFDF world championship tournaments.
I've played on high-level club teams, including Sub-Zero and Surly, and I'm excited about the UPA's focus on increasing competitive playing opportunities and showcasing the sport and on the recognition of the importance of ensuring that high-level play is experienced as fair and viewed as spectator-friendly with the support of well-trained, highly regarded observers.
And I've played and organized locally, where I sit on the boards of the Twin Cities Ultimate League and the Minnesota High School Ultimate League, and I'm excited about the UPA's recognition of the importance of supporting and strengthening local leagues and developing and expanding opportunities for youth play.
It's important that a board keep its focus on the big picture, but it's also important that a board understands the impact of its actions and doesn't lose sight of important details. That ability to incorporate different levels of detail in my understanding and analysis of a situation is a strength that I bring every day to my job as a marketing information analyst and consultant, and my extensive experience with the sport of Ultimate at all levels will allow me to keep a good view of potential benefits and implications of my decisions as part of the UPA board. And my experiences managing budgets and allocating resources can help contribute to the UPA's fiscal responsibility and ensure that membership fees are allocated appropriately towards achieving our strategic goals.
Ultimate has been a major part of my life for almost 20 years, and I'm excited about the opportunity to represent the views of the UPA membership and to help carry the sport into the future.
Joseph Seastrom, Springfield, MO
Email: thequew<at>gmail<dot>com
.jpg "Joseph Seastrom")
Ultimate has been a passion for me since the moment I touched my first plastic. It’s only been six years since I started playing, but what I lack in experience, I make up for with ambition and drive. My Ultimate career began in college where I played out all of my 5 years for Missouri State, and continues on now through the club season on the Oklahoma Open team, Rawhide. It was during my 3rd year of playing that I took over our annual tournament, Frostbite, and transformed it into a 56 team leading college season opener. At the start of my 4th year, I took over as West Plains Sectional Coordinator and have been ever since.
What I’m most proud of is all the work I’ve been able to do with the local youth in my area. I have worked with multiple high schools and the city parks system, running various clinics and leagues. This year I have also started working with summer day camps and elementary after school programs, in which the younger generations have shown an increased interest and given positive feedback. Now I’m looking for another way to contribute to a sport that has given me so much.
I am currently graduating with a degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies with a minor in Mass Media. The reason I believe this sets me apart is that I have spent years studying the theories and ideas of humanities thirst for a life outside of work. I believe everything I have learned can directly correlate to our sport and provide benefits to the UPA. I also have years of experience in the world of Mass Media, including knowledge in Computers, Digital Production, Media Bureaucracy, Web Design, and Communication in general. Other qualifications of mine include 2 years as manager of a small business, smalltime work with a few non-profit organizations, and countless hours on and off the Ultimate field and Rec.Sport.Disc bantering about the ins and outs of Ultimate.
Ultimate and the UPA are still rapidly moving forward and evolving and I strongly want to be a part of it to make sure that it moves in the direction that all the players desire. There are a lot of issues right now within our sport and they all need to be addressed. Communication is an important part in our evolving community, as these issues could affect everyone from the elite players to the pickup players. Thanks to the UPA’s Strategic Plan, we now have a good foundation to start from.
However, it is now time for us to take action and implement those ideas that the players deemed as key issues within our sport today. If elected to the board, I promise to do my best in representing the players that make our sport what it is.
SOUTH REGION CANDIDATES
Mike Nash, Charleston, SC
Email: mnash408<at>@gmail<dot>com
.jpg "Mike Nash")
My name is Mike Nash, and I am running for election as the South representative to the BoD. I have played competitive Ultimate for the past 9 years: 5 years of college (Cornell, Georgia Tech), 3 years of club mixed (Rival, IP), and 2 years of club open (El Diablo). I have been a captain of teams at Cornell, Georgia Tech, IP, and El Diablo. In addition to my time spent on the field, I have served the UPA in a variety of capacities. I served as the Atlantic Coast Regional Coordinator for three years (2005-2007). I have been a certified observer for several years and have observed many games at college and club nationals. I currently serve as the Observer Coordinator for the Atlantic Coast region. Finally, I have just recently begun to organize youth Ultimate in Charleston, SC.
My professional career landed me in Charleston, SC where I work for the federal government as an industrial engineer performing advanced research and development.
I feel that my experience as a player/coach/coordinator/observer gives me a unique perspective on the current needs of Ultimate players. I have stayed active in Ultimate at each level of competition: from youth to league to college to club. Therefore, I am qualified to make decisions on behalf of many different subsets of the UPA membership.
My background as an organizer and leader will allow me to be an effective enactor of change. I will not hesitate to listen and respond to thoughtful discussion or criticism. In my professional career I have been quite successful at translating vision into process steps and tangible goals – a skill that would provide most useful if elected to the UPA board.
If elected, I would work to create more of a distinction between recreational and elite-level Ultimate. I believe that experimentation in rules (and the enforcement thereof) is critical to developing a marketable version of Ultimate. I strongly endorse the use of observers and would push for more certification clinics.
If elected, I would push for the UPA to endorse and create technologies that would help spread Ultimate to a greater number of people. I believe that streaming video of the finals of college and club championships should be available on the web to UPA members. I would support innovations that integrated Ultimate with more advanced web technology such as social networks and blogs.
I believe that attracting youth members should be a primary strategic goal for the UPA. Middle school and high school Ultimate players represent the sport’s future, and I would make every effort to magnetize them to the sport.
My three views are connected, and they form my strategy if elected: develop an elite brand of Ultimate that can be marketed through innovative technologies to youth Ultimate players in order to attract them to the sport. I believe that my organizational and communication skills will allow me to be successful in this endeavor. Please consider me as your South region board representative for the next 2 years.
John Terry, Atlanta, GA
Email: johnterry<at>youthultimate<dot>com
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My name is John Terry and I want to serve you as the South region board member. Ever since first being introduced to Ultimate 7 years ago at The Paideia School in Atlanta, I have fallen in love with the sport – the people, the athleticism it requires, and the potential that the sport has. I played varsity Ultimate at Paideia for 4 years, played on two YCC teams representing Atlanta and represented Team USA by playing with the junior open team at the WFDF World Ultimate Championships a few weeks ago. I believe that Ultimate not only is a great sport to play, but also has the ability to affect the people involved in a very positive way.
In addition to playing Ultimate, I have actively promoted the sport in other ways. I think it is critical for the future of the sport that youth Ultimate grow, both in high schools and in club play. I co-organized and conducted two Ultimate marathons at Paideia, where thirty players played constantly for 24 hours, raising money for charity and bringing positive attention to the sport. I coordinated a successful UPA coaching clinic in Atlanta. I cofounded and still operate a website designed to promote the positive aspects of Ultimate for younger players, www.YouthUltimate.com.
In each of these activities, I helped assemble and lead a team toward a common goal. That is what the UPA Board should be – a team leading all of us who love Ultimate toward a common goal of growing and enhancing the sport.
I want to serve you on the board because I want to be part of growing the sport that I love in a positive way. I believe that expanding the sport from the roots – elementary, middle school, and high school is extremely important. By continuing to aggressively reach out to schools and other youth organizations around the country - conducting clinics for both coaches and players, showcasing the sport whenever possible and providing support to introduce local sports media to Ultimate - we can plant the seeds which will grow into successful Ultimate teams and leagues.
Youth Ultimate has been growing around the country at a fast rate the past few years. When I think about the excitement I have seen in kids when they see and play the sport for the first time, I know we have a sport which can grow if we keep pushing.
Because I have been active in youth Ultimate, I believe I can help bring a new perspective to the Board as it considers these issues as well as others. I hope you will support me in representing you as the South region board member.
