2014 Competition Working Group Meeting Wrap: Part 4 (Youth Division)
Posted: February 19, 2015 11:47 AM
COMPETITION WORKING GROUP MEETING WRAP
Part 4 – Youth Division
Colorado Springs, Colo. (Feb. 19, 2015)—Several weeks ago, Dec. 6-7, 2014, USA Ultimate hosted its annual gathering of headquarters staff, national volunteers, player-elected division council athlete representatives and delegates from the competition working group to discuss, plan and refine a variety of topics and future programs.
The Winter Competition Working Group Meeting was held in Denver, Colo., and focused on several areas, including the Triple Crown Tour and USA Ultimate’s Beach, Youth and College divisions.
The meeting, which included 30 of the brightest, most well-respected and passionate stewards of ultimate in the United States, resulted in the implementation of several changes and improvements to existing programs as well as productive discussion and sharing of ideas related to the future of ultimate.
USA Ultimate would like to thank the following individuals for their participation in these meetings and recognize their ongoing commitment, vision and support:
Tyler Kinley – Club Working Group; Men’s Division Athlete Rep
Jack Marsh – Club Working Group; Men’s Division Athlete Rep
Michelle Ng – Club Working Group; Women’s Division Athlete Rep
Peri Kurshan – Club Working Group; Women’s Division Athlete Rep
An-Chi Tsou – Club Working Group; Mixed Division Athlete Rep
Steve Sullivan – Club Working Group; Mixed Division Athlete Rep
Adam Goff – Club Working Group; Men’s Division National Director
Remy Schor – Club Working Group; Women’s Division National Director
Dave Klink – Club Working Group; Mixed Division National Director
Alyssa Kelly – Youth Competition Working Group; West Regional Youth Director
Jinny Eun – Youth Competition Working Group; South Regional Youth Director
Josh Seamon – Youth Competition Working Group; Northeast Regional Youth Director
Fran Kelley – Youth Competition Working Group; Central Regional Youth Director
Claire Chastain – Youth Outreach Working Group; National Outreach Director
Heather Ann Brauer – Youth Outreach Working Group; National Girls Director
Zara Cadoux – Youth Outreach Working Group; Chair, Girls’ Ultimate Movement (GUM)
Amy Hudson – College Working Group; National Developmental Director
Beth Nakamura – College Working Group; National Women’s College Director
Jeff Kula – College Working Group; National Men’s College Director
Kevin Kula – College Working Group; National D-III College Director
Kimberly Beach – Beach Working Group; Atlantic Regional Beach Director
Sean McCall – Beach Working Group; Gulf Regional Beach Director
Becky LeDonne – Beach Working Group; Great Lakes Regional Beach Director
Rocky Beach – Beach Working Group; Pacific Regional Beach Director
Baker Pratt – Former USA Ultimate Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs (Youth)
Connor Maloney – Incoming USA Ultimate Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs (Youth)
Mike Lovinguth – USA Ultimate Manager of Education & Youth Programs
Ty Krajec – USA Ultimate Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs (College)
Ernest Toney – USA Ultimate Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs (Club)
Byron Hicks – USA Ultimate Manager of Events
David Raflo – USA Ultimate Manager of Events
Will Deaver – USA Ultimate Managing Director of Competition & Athlete Programs
Following these meetings, USA Ultimate has issued a series of releases describing some of the decisions that were made and many of the ideas that were presented and shared by the group. The collaborative nature of these discussions and the decision-making process, as well as the valuable input and perspective provided by many members of the ultimate community, resulted in many exciting updates and ideas worthy of future discussion and consideration.
The fourth and final installment of these releases focuses on the future of the new USA Ultimate Youth Division. The first installment focused on the Triple Crown Tour; the second installment focused on developments in the Beach Division; the third installment focused on the College Division.
YOUTH DIVISION
USA Ultimate youth staff, national outreach directors, regional youth competition directors, and the Girls’ Ultimate Movement chair gathered in Denver last December to develop new programs and plan for the implementation of additional national resources. While many topics focused on the details of implementing state championships, girls’ challenge clinics and other youth outreach programs, the collective brain trust collaborated on several topics which affected both ultimate outreach and youth ultimate competition.
Youth Volunteers Tripled Nationwide
The local youth volunteer structure was effectively tripled in late 2014 with the creation of boys’ and girls’ state youth coordinator (GSYC) and outreach state youth coordinator (OSYC) positions. Prior to 2015, one state youth coordinator was responsible for hosting both boys’ and girls’ state championships along with working to expand the reach of ultimate in new communities through outreach and education programs. In 2015, USA Ultimate will have one boys’ and one girls’ coordinator working on state championship development in their respective gender divisions. An additional coordinator in each state will work to develop new teams, playing opportunities and links with local youth-serving organizations.
Regional youth directors will continue to oversee all high school state championships. The national outreach directors will work with girls’ SYCs and OSYCs to implement programs that funnel new kids into the sport.
Outreach State Youth Coordinator Program
Heather Ann Brauer, Claire Chastain, Zara Cadoux and Mike Lovinguth outlined recruitment, programs and required resources for the new Outreach State Youth Coordinator Program. OSYCs will be responsible for bringing many programs to their local communities, including Learn to Play, GUM programs, state physical education outreach, coaching development and observer programs. The immediate goals of the Outreach State Youth Coordinator Program are to place OSYCs in all active USA Ultimate states and have a fully developed menu of offerings for OSYCs to use in delivering youth programming in their local areas by the end of 2015.
Anyone interested in becoming a new GSYC or OSYC can check the list of vacancies here: usaultimate.org/about/contact_us/youth_division.aspx and contact the appropriate national outreach director.
State Development Phases
After ironing out the new volunteer structure, the competition working group meeting attendees set to work describing the "state of the states," laying out a clear pathway for youth competition in the future. Across the U.S., state championships look very different from state to state. The newly created "State Phases" road map helps better classify and guide states in their individual development processes. The road map is a guide for SYCs, coaches and organizers informed by over a decade of youth ultimate experience in the U.S.
Regional Youth Directors
USA Ultimate brought on the following individuals as regional youth directors to continue growing youth competition and outreach across the country in 2015:
Jinny Eun - South Region
Christie Lawry - Northeast Region
Fran Kelley - Central Region
Alyssa Kelly - Western Region
Youth Division Contacts
Youth Club Championships
Following significant and consistent growth of the youth division over the last several years, USA Ultimate has expanded its annual Youth Club Championships to take place over three days. The 2015 Youth Club Championships (YCC) will return to its perennial home at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. for the 11th consecutive year, Aug. 7-9, and will again be hosted by Minnesota Youth Ultimate.
The Youth Club Championships have seen marked growth over the last decade and now hosts more teams than any other annual USA Ultimate championship event. The 2014 edition included 62 teams and more than 1,200 athletes representing 25 different communities from around the nation – each number a record for YCC. The expansion of the Youth Club Championships to a three-day event comes in response to the continued growth of the tournament and follows several years of dialogue and gathering feedback to fully understand the benefits and potential impact of the change.
The 2015 edition will include five competition divisions: U-19 boys, U-19 girls, U-19 mixed, U-16 boys and U-16 girls. Following the event, on Monday, Aug. 10, USA Ultimate will again host a U-19 National Team Talent ID Camp with national team coaching staff as a lead-up to the 2016 WFDF World Junior Ultimate Championships. The camp will be open to all YCC participants.
Youth Club Task Force - Phase Two
In 2014, USA Ultimate convened the Youth Club Task Force to interview existing ultimate and non-ultimate sports organizations and develop best practices for non-school-based youth competition. Based on the group’s finding and recommendations, a second task force was proposed that will have the goal of providing a road map for ultimate organizations aiming to develop youth club play. In addition, the task force will develop recommendations and best practices for a youth club play competition model.
You can read the full report of the Phase One Youth Club Task Force here.
Vermont
Beginning in 2015, high school ultimate in Vermont enters a two-year trial period on its way to becoming an officially recognized, statewide varsity sport. USA Ultimate will continue to work closely with local organizers and the Vermont Principals’ Association as we take this step towards a major benchmark.
For more information about USA Ultimate’s youth division, visit usaultimate.org/youth.
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