Ultimate Frisbee in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Nearby Regions

There is an Ultimate Frisbee pickup game on Wednesday nights starting at 6:15 p.m. and Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. at Warm Springs Park located at 200 West and 800 North in Salt Lake City. If that field is being used the games will be played at the fields across the street from West High School on 300 West. General Skill Level is medium. The Saturday game occurs year round, while the Wednesday night game goes from April through October. For more information or questions contact Carl Malaret at malaretcarl@hotmail.com.

This pickup has been added to the UltimateSLC calendar.

Attention: The flyer that was snail-mailed out for Summer League 2007 incorrectly stated that games would be on Wednesday nights. Games will actually be held on Thursdays.

Salt Lake County Summer League 2007 is coming up soon. Players of all skill levels are encouraged to join this league. It is not necessary that you have any ultimate experience to participate. Here's the info:

Location
County Ice Fields
5201 South Murray Park Lane (160 East)

When
Orientation night and pickup game: Thursday, June 14, 6:00pm
Official games begin: Thursday, June 21, 6:00pm
Games are held at 6:00pm every Thursday evening
Teams generally play 2 games per night

Registration
$25 registration fee if paid by June 13
$30 registration fee if paid after June 13
Register at the orientation night on the 13th, or via online registration

Please visit the forum discussion for spring league 2007 if you have any questions. There is also a PDF flyer with all the relevant information here. Don't miss this chance to meet new players and have a great time!

From the community meeting held in late March it was decided to disband both teams from last season and hold community-wide tryouts in order to form an 'A' team that could compete in Sectional, Regional and National UPA tournaments, as well as a 'B' team that would serve as an additional competitive traveling team with less stringent commitment levels. The B team was also to serve as a springboard, providing a path to move up to a higher level in the future. Many people at the meeting expressed a desire for better communication between the teams to ensure the continuing growth of the sport in SLC. A committee was established to organize the tryout process, then a group of selectors was chosen by the committee to make the roster choices for the A team. The B-team is to be formed from those who tried out and didn't make the A-team, and those who simply prefer to play at that level.

The primary objective for Golden Spike (Salt Lake's new competitive ultimate team) is to compete successfully in the fall UPA series. Beyond that, Golden Spike is committed to improving the overall communication within the Ultimate community in SLC. We will at a minimum have regular communication with the leadership of the still-forming B team to coordinate strategy ideas, tournament plans, etc. The plan and schedule for practices are still being worked out, but we're looking for field space for two teams so we can better coordinate offenses and defenses, and to provide a chance for everyone to come together in a team building environment.

A review of this process, most likely at a future community meeting next spring, would facilitate an exchange of ideas on what worked and what didn't, to evolve the process into something that continues to benefit the entire Ultimate community. So for those just starting out, at the intermediate level, or those just curious to know what's happened, hopefully this provides some insight into the process, the results, and what it means for the future. Be sure to get involved to make your voice heard.

There is a new ultimate pickup being held on the East side soccer fields of Murray Park (about 5300 South 200 East). The games start at 9:30AM on every Saturday morning, and go until about Noon. There are usually over 20 people there, allowing for more than one game to be played at a time. Players of all skill levels are welcome.

The ultimate players in Salt Lake City are currently organizing a new competitive team called "Golden Spike". The purpose of this team is to become as strong as possible for the official UPA series this fall (2007). There will be one practice each week to start with practices increasing in number and intensity through the summer in preparation for the fall series. During the fall season there will be two practices/week and one scrimmage. Players will be selected based on current level of ability and willingness to commit to team goals and expectations.

Tryouts for the new team will be held on the following dates. Both a high level traveling team and one or two less serious teams will be formed from these tryouts (These teams will replace Persuader and Tyro.) Please continue to check the calendar, as times will be updated as soon as they are finalized.

Tryouts
Wednesday May 9, 6:00pm-8:30pm at West High School, Salt Lake City
Saturday May 12, 10:00am-3:00pm at Willow Creek Park, Park City
Tuesday May 15, 6:00pm at West High School, Salt Lake City
Sunday May 20, 10:00am-3:00pm at Willow Creek Park, Park City

Please register for the tryouts here. The A-level team will be decided by Tom Moyer, Ed Tyner, Renee Chi and Molly Doyle immediately after the final tryout. Paul Gruber will coordinate forming the "B-level" team through Bozeman, at which point he will hand it to someone else to captain.

For those interested in trying out for this new team, please see the forum discussion on Golden Spike, as well as the calendar events.

The Salt Lake county ultimate Frisbee spring 2007 league is coming up. This league is open to players of all ability levels, including first-time players. County league play is a lot of fun, and is a great way to improve your skills, meet other players, and enjoy the spring weather. This event may be discussed with other players in the spring league forum discussion. Here's the info:

Organization & Orientation Night
Thursday, April 5th. Pick-up games & last chance registration. Highly recommended for novice players, required for team captains. Registrations received after April 5th, will be accepted on a "space available" basis.

When
Every Thursday, beginning April 12, 2007

Game Times
Thursdays at 6:00 pm. Teams generally play 2 games each night.

Location
County Ice Field: 5201 South Murray Park Lane (160 E)

Online Registration
Available at the Salt Lake County registration website. The link to ultimate frisbee is on the left side of the page.

Contacts
Darian: dabegglen@slco.org
Q: q.atwood@us.army.mil

Specifics
Players register as individuals: Novice (1st time league players), Intermediate, Advanced, Club Player/Traveling Player.

Details
Players register as individuals. Players may request to play on the same team with only one other player (baggage requests). Baggage requests will be handled as follows: 1) baggage requests are limited to one per person; 2) if two advanced players wish to play on the same team, one must be willing to serve as team captain; 3) while an effort will be made to honor baggage requests, no guarantees can be made; 4) all baggage requests must be stapled together and submitted in the same envelope; 5) late applicants will be placed on a team if space is available.

"Rain of Shine" league
Games will only be canceled due to lightning. For rules and league info visit ... and select County League.

A Salt Lake ultimate Frisbee community meeting will be held March 29, 2007 to discuss the growth of the sport in the community. This is an open meeting; all are invited to attend.

When: Thursday, March 29, 7:30PM
Where: Room 323 of Union Building (at the University of Utah)

This event is posted on the UtimateSLC calendar, and can be discussed in the ultimate community meeting thread in the forum.

The UPA (Ultimate Players Association) has recently released the 11th edition of the official ultimate frisbee rulebook. They can be found in PDF format here, or in Microsoft word format here. The major changes from the 10th edition rules are summarized in this document. There is also a discussion group set up for any feedback on the new 11th edition rules, as well a blog.

The following is found on the UPA website: The 11th Edition of the Rules of Ultimate has been approved by a vote of the UPA membership. The new rule set passed by an overwhelming majority of voting members with 1393 out of 1627 members voting for approval. In order for the membership to approve the 11th Edition as the new official version of the rules, at least 600 members needed to vote, with a majority in favor of the new rule set.

The annual Daweena tournament is now accepting bids for 2007. The bid deadline is April 5, the entry fee is $300 per team. Daweena is one of the oldest/best tournaments in the west. Here's a blurb from the official Daweena website:

For over 20 years teams have been crossing the mountains, crossing the lake, crossing the border, fighting the winds, snows, and sunburns, hucking, hoing, and skying, and starting their long treck toward the UPA national championships. We have hosted national champions and pickup squads, from as close as Salt Lake City and as far as Georgia. We look forward to seeing the faces that have come to define the tournament and the faces of the next generation of ultimate players. Who will take the coveted crown this year? Can anyone stop Rare Air? Will Bravo come as Bravo this year? The best way to know is to be here. See you all in May.

Volunteers needed
Volunteers are needed for the tournament. If you are interested in helping out, or have other questions/comments, please send an email to germain@cs.utah.edu.

The 1st Annual Zion Curtain Classic ultimate frisbee tournament will be held March 3-4, 2007 in Salt Lake City, Utah. There is strong interest from many Intermountain colleges, and there is room for 12-14 teams. Games will be played on the University of Utah campus. All bids need to be sent by Monday, January 15, 2007. For details and more information: please visit the tournaments webpage here.

Even if you are not competing in this event, mark this down on your calendar and come watch some great ultimate frisbee.