USA Ultimate

In order to clarify officiating methods for the 2010 College Series, the UPA announced today that it will be using the “immediate referral” system for all up/down and travel calls made by players in College Series games where Observers are utilized. This method for making and resolving up/down and travel calls will be in effect for both the Open and Women’s divisions, at all stages of the College Series, in any Observed game.

This decision was made in consideration of a number of factors. In January 2010, the UPA Board passed two policies which together establish 1) standards for continued experimentation with rules and officiating methods and 2) a process for how experimental changes may be incorporated into official UPA competition.

In conjunction with these policies, new guidelines for UPA sanctioned events will help the UPA gather feedback about experimental changes used by independent event organizers at the ever increasing number of UPA sanctioned events. Specifically, the process for experimenting with rules and officiating for Ultimate has been incorporated into the event sanctioning rules and procedures. Where experimentation at UPA sanctioned events involves officials, UPA certified Observers are required. Then, following each event where experimentation takes place, the UPA will gather feedback from participants about the changes. That information will be used to make future decisions about changes to division-specific competition rules and/or the Official Rules of Ultimate.

It is important to note that the policy for implementing changes for UPA competition (Proposal 2010.06) requires a minimum amount of notice and a level of consistency in implementation (all divisions and all stages of a competition). These standards will ensure that teams and organizers have the information and time needed to prepare for official UPA championship competition, including the training and preparation needed for players and officials.

The decision for the 2010 College Series was made despite a number of conflicting factors, including the shortened time frame and the varied implementation of officiating methods in 2009 across the different divisions and stages of the College Series. In deciding to use immediate referral for all Observed 2010 College Series game, the UPA considered the positive feedback received at 2009 and 2010 experimental events, as well as the vote of teams at the 2009 College Championships. The UPA also considered the relatively small impact this change would have on training and preparation of both players and officials, considering that players will still be required to initiating all calls and that the only difference will be with the timing of resolution (faster) for certain contested calls.

Under the circumstances for 2010, the UPA believes any negative impact of the shortened time frame for notice for this year’s changes will be offset by the ease of implementation, the expected positive impact of the changes, and the evidence of support for these changes from players. These changes, as well as others experimented with over the past two seasons will continue to be evaluated in the off-season and considered for future implementation based on feedback received from players and the goals and mission of the organization.