USA Ultimate

Get to know the candidates for the 2012 Board of Directors.  There are three open spots up for election this year, At-Large, Central Region, and South Region.  More election information is available on the governance page.

At-Large Candidates	Central Region Candidates	South Region Candidates
Gwen Ambler	Mike Kinsella	Ben Slade Tina Woodings

Gwen Ambler, At-Large Candidate

Hi, my name is Gwen Ambler and I’m running to be re-elected to the USA Ultimate Board of Directors.  Since I was voted onto the Board in the fall of 2008, there have been a lot of changes at USA Ultimate as both the sport and organization mature.  At the core of these changes has been a commitment towards advancing and promoting ultimate—in a word, increasing its "legitimacy."  This is a vision I strongly support through growing participation and increasing the sport’s exposure.

In 2010, USAU’s membership surpassed the 35,000 mark and continues to rise.  The college and youth divisions have seen the biggest explosions, and the Board has focused the organization on offering more avenues for competition at those levels.  The college restructure effort added lots of new areas of competition, most notably a new Division III Championship, and has laid a foundation to absorb future growth in the number of college teams playing.  Importantly, the College Championships have become a marquis event for ultimate—garnering television exposure and drawing hundreds of spectators—and I look forward to watching the event generate more and more hype and talent in years to come.  At the youth level, the numbers just keep going up for participation.  Accordingly, the Board voted this year to add a new division to the Youth Club Championships, establishing a U-16 division and paving the way for younger age brackets to compete nationally.  Continuing to promote college women and youth girls’ participation is something near and dear to my heart, and I plan on keeping women’s outreach a priority for the organization.

Another major competitive expansion was the incorporation of Beach Ultimate within the USAU umbrella in 2010.  The addition of beach ultimate has already reaped dividends as hundreds of players applied for the six US teams USAU sent to the World Championships of Beach Ultimate this August, earning 5 gold medals and 1 silver.  During my time on the Board the organization has also established the Grandmasters and Women’s Masters Championships.  I look forward to the club restructuring efforts to come to fruition in the near future, including an exciting vision for an international, showcase event in the US Open.

In hiring CEO Tom Crawford and establishing appointed positions on the Board in 2009, the Board has emphasized increasing the professionalism and expertise available to the organization.  Dr. Crawford has been an amazing advocate for ultimate through networking with other sports' national governing bodies (NGBs) and in negotiations with vendors.  As Vice President of the Board the past two years, I have witnessed the increasing maturity with which the organization has been able to handle and anticipate challenges while taking advantage of opportunities.  Having a well-run NGB is critical for ultimate to be taken serious as the sport continues to expand its reach.  The name change from Ultimate Players Association to USA Ultimate was one example of a step towards greater legitimacy and has been accompanied by increased sponsorship interest and dollars from non-ultimate companies.

USA Ultimate is not the only entity working tirelessly to promote the sport.  Establishing greater partnerships with local leagues and disc alliances is a crucial component of the sports’ growth.  Additionally, I would like to emphasize seeking out more collaboration with the groups and individuals who have been doing innovative projects on their own.  By leveraging the creativity and passion of members implementing projects like NexGen’s circuit or Without Limits’ skills clinics, USAU can snowball its efforts for maximum impact in the community.

Increasing ultimate’s legitimacy was a message that USAU heard loud and clear from its members during the organization’s first Strategic Planning initiative, and I’m happy to say that it has been a guiding principle behind the changes at USAU.  As the organization moves towards establishing the next Strategic Plan, I am eager to continue advancing this sport that I love to play, love to coach, and love to discuss with teammates, opponents, and strangers alike.  Thank you for your support of my candidacy on the Board of Directors.

Mike Kinsella, Central Region Candidate

I am running for the USA Ultimate Board of Directors because I would like to help shape the next era of Ultimate.  Since 2001, I have volunteered in many capacities within the sport; I think these experiences, plus my ideas detailed below, make me a very worthy candidate.

In addition to my time as a player, other roles I’ve had in Ultimate include: captain (Northwestern, Climax, multiple leagues), certified coach (Hopkins HS, Madison Memorial HS), tournament director (Hopkins Hustle), sectional coordinator, observer, volunteer, and fan.  After spending time in both Madison and Minneapolis after college, I currently work in healthcare IT at a non-profit children’s hospital in Chicago.  As the mission statement of USAU aims to advance Ultimate through Character, Community, and Competition, I’d like to address those three topics.  

Character in the game of Ultimate starts and ends with Spirit of the Game.  Spirit of the Game is easy to live by while playing in a friendly game or teaching the sport to new players.  However, as the stakes get higher, spirit can become more difficult to follow.  As caretakers of the sport, USA Ultimate has taken good steps to encourage players of all levels to respect the game and their opponents (e.g., individual and team spirit awards).  However, there is always room for growth.  It is essential that all players, whether in Sarasota or a Sunday rec league, treat their opponents with respect associated with Spirit of the Game.  USA Ultimate needs to continue to cultivate an environment that encourages spirit and respect (and actively discourages the opposite) throughout all levels of competition.  The current misconduct foul system is a great start, and I would be open to ways to improve upon that.  

Our community is expanding at a rapid rate, and I like the current programs that USA Ultimate has in place to encourage this growth.  Summer camps and clinics for youth players are now quite common; I will work to increase involvement and investment in these areas.  I believe that the Coaching Development Program is a good standard for coaches and support the continued development of the curriculum and incentives for teams to have certified coaches. 

From the Youth Club Championships to Grand Masters and Masters Women, there have never been more opportunities for players to compete at high levels.  I favor continued efforts to increase participation in, and player satisfaction of USAU national events.  These are our showcase events, and every effort should be made to increase the levels of competition while making the sport more viewer-friendly.  Observers are part of this effort and I support their increased involvement at the competitive levels.

Thank you for taking the time to read this statement.  My history of involvement and service in the Ultimate community is very broad and it is my hope that I am able to continue this involvement as a member of the Board of Directors. 

Ben Slade, South Region Candidate

South Region members, I would be honored to represent you. I’ve spent my entire ultimate career in the region, with fond memories of college, club, and league ultimate teams across Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina.

I would like to speak briefly about a few issues which deserve our attention over the next several years. and why I believe I am qualified to represent the South’s interests (and that of the larger USAU membership).

1. College ultimate

As we take these first tentative steps into differentiated competition streams and an official regular season, I believe it is critical that the voices of D-I, D-III, and Developmental players are all taken into consideration.  I am a former captain of both D-I and D-III ultimate teams, a current college coach, and a member of the 2008 UPA College Restructuring Task Force. I have been involved in college ultimate since 2004, and I believe that I am well attuned to the desires of college teams within the region.

2. Marketing and Strategy

The negligible equipment cost required to play ultimate is simultaneously the biggest gift and impediment to growing the sport.  Our path to success will not look like lacrosse, because we don’t have as much equipment to buy/sell. We will need creative solutions to successfully market the top teams in each division of our sport.

I am an industrial organizational psychologist, which means that I care about people and about doing things the right way. I am experienced in marketing, selection, training, and strategic decision making. Moreover, I believe I am one of a rare handful of people that has broken even financially on an ultimate career, and I want to use that experience to ‘sell’ ultimate on a much larger scale. For the past three years, I have been a paid instructor for Clemson University’s leisure skills department, teaching classes, writing curriculum, and training new teachers. 

3. Youth Ultimate

As many of you know, I am from an ultimate family. I met my wife through ultimate, taught my entire family (six younger brothers) how to play, and will continue to be deeply invested in youth and college ultimate for at least the next 12-15 years.
The high-school ultimate movement has both a trickle-down and trickle-up effect. Middle school ultimate is on the rise, and there is a tidal wave of high school ultimate players arriving at colleges across the nation, strengthening established programs and starting new ones. We need to encourage and accelerate this growth, particularly in U10-U14 competition.

Whenever I have relocated to a new city, I have reached out to the local ultimate community. Without fail, I have been richly rewarded with new friends and camaraderie. I’ve played with and against hundreds of you in competition ranging from pickup games to club nationals, and I hope to get to know many more of you as your USAU South representative.

I am grateful for your time, and thank you for your consideration. 
 

Tina Woodings, South Region Candidate

Since I started playing in 2003, ultimate has become the passion of my life. I’ve been striving to find creative ways to help grow the community I love. Volunteering is the best way to make that happen so I’ve been involved in a few different areas in the South:

• Co-founded Ultimate Players League of Austin (UPLA)
• Served as UPLA President 2008-2011
• Captained Showdown from 2009 to 2010, qualifying for the 2010 World Championships
• Former Melee (University of Texas Women’s Ultimate) Captain
• Mayhem (UT Women’s B-team) Coach
• South Regional Women’s Coordinator

Being president of an organization, the best way to solicit feedback and understand the needs of the community are playing at all levels (from club to pickup) and being a part of every aspect (from big picture ideas like strategizing a 3 year plan for youth ultimate to the nuts and bolts of running a league). From talking to other players in the south and from my own experience, there are two areas I would like to petition for during my participation on the board:

Increase assistance for local organization

• Providing guidance to communities on obtaining non-profit status and other tax considerations.
• Assisting in the process of applying for grants.
• Securing fields.

Increase women’s participation

• Supporting women’s ultimate through increased mentorship. This includes bridging gaps between youth, college, and club.
• Advocating women’s only leagues and pickup.
• Increasing skills clinics and social functions.
   

I have had a lot of experience with all things ultimate in the South, and I am excited to have the opportunity to work with others dedicated to improving ultimate and its community. The biggest assets that I can bring to the USAU board are strategizing solutions and the implementation of those solutions, communicating between players of all levels and being able to perform day-to-day tasks while still having the big picture in the forefront. Being a part of the board would allow me to give back to USA Ultimate, improve my local and regional community, and pursue my passion of the game of ultimate.

##

Questions/Comments?  Discuss in this message board thread.