USA Ultimate

An important reminder to all teams competing in the upcoming Triple Crown Tour Postseason Championship Series:

As we approach the start of the postseason, USA Ultimate would like to remind all teams and athletes about some previously announced important changes that were implemented for 2014. Because they may have an impact on how teams approach upcoming tournaments, we want to make sure that everyone remembers and understands these changes, including:

1: Regional finish constraints on Nationals seedings:

Seeding for Regionals is still limited by Sectional finish, but new this year, seeding for Nationals is not necessarily constrained by Regional finish. This change was made by the Club Working Group, including staff, national directors, and team council representatives, during the offseason and was included in the TCT Guidelines published earlier this year: 

Seeding for National Championships will additionally be held to the following guideline: The order of finish at Regionals will be strongly considered in determining seeding for Nationals, but will not be binding.

This change is designed to provide more flexibility in seeding for Nationals based on a team’s larger body of work beyond regional finish.

2: Recalculated rankings used for Nationals seedings and Pro-Flight qualifiers:

Rankings will be recalculated after Regionals are completed, and will be used to inform seeding for Nationals. Post-Regionals rankings will also be used to re-seed teams for Pro-Flight qualification games, which will determine the final spots in the 2015 Pro Flight. For an overview of the Nationals format, and how teams are re-seeded for Pro Flight qualification games, see our earlier announcement.

This is especially important for teams to understand going into the postseason, because all results from all games at Sectionals and Regionals will be factored into the rankings. Teams should compete with that in mind.

Both of the above changes were made to continue to emphasize the importance of the season as a whole in providing the fairest opportunities to compete not only for the national title, but also for Pro Flight qualification.

3: Registration:

As in past years, postseason registration guidelines require membership payment and waiver completion for all team members prior to the start of the Series. The new rostering system enforces this by not allowing a player to be placed on an event roster until those requirements have been met. This rostering requirement has been in place throughout the regular season, but we wanted to remind everyone of the requirement so that players are not left off rosters before the start of the Series. In other words, anyone who intends to play at Regionals or Nationals must be on their team’s Sectional event roster (and be paid/waivered). If you have questions, email ernest@hq.usaultimate.org. 

We are looking forward to another exciting postseason and the opportunities it presents for great competition, great spirit, and a showcase of the best our sport has to offer. Whether you’re aiming to qualify for Regionals, advance to a higher flight, or win a national title, we wish all the teams and players the best of luck. Thanks to all the team and event organizers who continue to make the TCT and the Championships Series not only possible, but the largest and most competitive ultimate competition in the world.