USA Ultimate

A Look at Women's Division South Region

 

 

 

After a 9^th place finish at the College Championships in 2008 and a hiatus from the tournament in 2009, the University of Texas makes its return to the College Championships as the 17^th seed in 2010. Washington University follows its South Region Championship in 2009 with a return trip to the College Championships this year. As a former captain and proud alum of the University of Texas, I bring a strong bias to this feature, but Melee and Tilt’s leadership in the college women’s division deserves some special recognition. 

 

Texas Women’s Ultimate President, Rachel Hokanson, has worked hard to facilitate a strong relationship with the local Austin Ultimate community, particularly with the Ultimate Players League of Austin (UPLA), the local Ultimate non-profit, as well as with Texas Showdown, the local elite club women’s team. Melee generously donated a significant portion of the profits from their fundraiser tournament, Women’s College Centex, to help fund Showdown’s trip to the World Ultimate Club Championships this summer. Showdown’s 2010 roster features 11 former Melee captains and the relationship between the two teams is a strong and supportive one. Hokanson says that “it is relationships like these that help the ultimate community thrive.” Washington University leaders Abby Stephens and Sam Huo are striving to do the same in St. Louis. They have started a new women’s club team with University of Kansas captain Tasha Parman and two local St. Louis club players. Their goal is to build women’s Ultimate in the greater St. Louis area and in the Ozarks Section.

 

Hokanson, Stephens, Huo, and Sarah Ebstein, another Washington University player, have joined forces in the development and execution of a lofty vision for the college women’s division- sharing resources and knowledge to create more quality opportunities to play women’s Ultimate. These four players, and their respective teams, ran Midwest Warmup, Midwest Throwdown, and Women’s College Centex this past season, and made a large financial contribution to help start Philly Classic, a tournament that didn’t even benefit their teams or their region. The passion and dedication of these four leaders is unmatched in the college women’s division and it is extremely fitting that these two teams are representing the South Region at the College Championships this year. 

 

While the teams enjoy competitive games against each other, their relationship as collaborators is one that is exceptionally inspiring. And they do not stand alone- over the past few years, captains of other South Region teams such as University of Kansas and Truman State University have also shown strong support for the work that Melee and Tilt have undertaken. Hokanson says, “As a college student and Ultimate player, it’s really easy to get wrapped up in your own activities and just what’s going on with your team. When Melee reclaimed Centex as our own, we were given the opportunity to something greater than just us. It’s more than just a tournament, and it’s more than just a fundraiser. Centex is a showcase for the best of women’s Ultimate, and a chance to promote the sport with a focus on women.”

 

The South remains one of the weaker regions in the college women’s division, but the growth of Ultimate in the South is evident. For the first time in recent history, the South had 16 teams at Regionals this year, an exciting breakthrough for the many leaders in the Region who have worked so hard to build up their local Ultimate communities. As young leaders on these teams continue to step up, the South, and the college women’s division in general, will continue to enjoy an increase in the quantity and quality of Ultimate being played. The hard work of Hokanson, Stephens, Huo, and Ebstein has not gone unnoticed and while they and their teams seek to battle their way into the championship bracket this weekend, perhaps their biggest accomplishment, an enormous contribution to the 16% growth rate in the college women’s division this year, is already in the bag.