USA Ultimate

Three things that distinguished Cliff as an ultimate player were his advanced throwing skills, his ability to get open, and his unwavering positive attitude as a quiet leader.

Cliff had one of the best sidearms in the game and was amongst the first to use upside down passes.  He could throw touch passes or long bombs with equal skill, accuracy, and consistency and had an uncanny ability to break his mark.  Despite the high number of "touches", Cliff rarely had turnovers.  On the other side of the disc, Cliff was guarded by the best defenders in the game and consistently got open to contribute on offense.

He played a dominant role on one of the best teams of the late 70’s and 80’s, the Santa Barbara Condors. He then moved up to Portland in the late 80’s, bringing his skills and influence to the Donor’s and Rhino Slam’s success at Nationals.  Cliff played in 17 Open Regionals, qualifying for Nationals 12 times. His teams won Nationals twice and made it to semis or finals 5 other times.

Cliff was the consummate teammate with a consistently positive influence on others. He didn’t have to be "the star" and was heavily counted on by his teammates. Cliff played intensely and all out at the highest-level while thoroughly honoring the Spirit of the Game.

Cliff has lived in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Amy Lennon, and has 2 sons and a daughter.

Michael O’Dowd was one of the greatest players of his generation; he loves the game of ultimate and what it stands for.  Michael was a fierce competitor who always built a bond with his opponent; he was a defensive stopper, innovator and master scout/coach.  Prior to playing ultimate, Mike was a three-sport athlete and an accomplished disc player (disc golf, freestyle, DDC, guts, self-caught flight) which gave him a distinct advantage in ultimate.  Mike had all the disc skills, speed, size and a toughness that let him dictate the outcome of a game. Michael could throw goals from anywhere on the field; quick transition goals were his specialty. But one man does not succeed without great mentors and a strong team in the game of ultimate.

Mike had amazing teammates to push and inspire him to greatness. "Knock-down- drag-out" practices for Windy City made tournaments easy. Teammates include Hall of famer Michael Glass. Playmaker, John Conway taught Mike the finer points of leadership. Joey Giampino gave Mike the opportunity to guard the best receiver in the game four times a week. Fellow defensive captain Dean Smith relentlessly pushed Mike and Windy City to practice, train, and play harder than seemed possible, " Never enough".

Mike started the Windy City team with Carey Goldenberg; within four years Mike organized it, nurtured it, drove it to win the National and World Championship by the age of 21.    Mike won Championships with every team he played on after Chicago.  San Francisco, Idaho/Montana, and his own Northwest masters team Troubled Past. Mike retired as UPA Champion and World Champion and after winning in the UPA Championship in October 2009 and World Championship in Prague in August 2010.

Michael lives in Arcata, California and is married to former UPA Champion, Alison O’Dowd. They have twin girls, Jasmine and Cassidy, born in 2010.

Jim Kenner, one of the earliest competitive freestylers, started a small flying disc manufacturing operation in 1978 and introduced the Ultra-Star^_TM disc for Ultimate in 1981. At 175 grams (10 grams heavier than the discs then being used) and with a diameter of 10.75 inches, the Ultra-Star began to catch on among players in the Midwest. With the expiration of certain of Wham-O’s patents in 1983, Kenner was able to add flight rings to the Ultra-Star which added considerable stability during flight, and he made other revisions based on his experience as a player. The new Ultra-Star was a hit and began to attract a growing following who viewed it as markedly superior to the post-80 mold Wham-O frisbees. Many players considered the Ultra-Star as easier to throw, with more predictability in flight and with greater velocity. With word of mouth on the playing fields and a grass roots marketing campaign that provided sponsorship for hundreds of Ultimate events and teams, Kenner’s Ultra-Star had become ubiquitous on Ultimate fields by the late 1980s. With the introduction of approved disc standards in the late 1980s, largely patterned after Ultra-Star’s characteristics, the stage was set for the Ultra-Star to be selected in February 1991 as the official disc for tournament play by Ultimate Players Association (now USA Ultimate). The Ultra-Star was ranked #19 on the list of "31 Things Every Man Should Own" by Esquire Magazine in May 2009. Discraft’s primary market continues to be direct sales to players, teams and clubs. The Ultra-Star remains today as the official disc of the USA Ultimate Championship Series, 30 years after its introduction and 20 years since first being recognized as the official disc for Ultimate.