Uni Games - AUS or no AUS?

Ultimate has been played at AUC/AUG level for 10 years, and everything has been hunky dory for that time, getting plenty of participants and whatnot. Problem is, Brendan Nelson's little VSU bill introduced a couple of years back gave many university student unions/guilds/associations a bit of a kick in the balls that they really didn't need. That, along with the 25% HECS fee hike he also introduced alienated an entire generation of students meaning he will NEVER be elected Prime Minister, but that's a story for another day.

The sudden cut in income for many uni student bodies meant that Australian University Sport, funded by members fees, also got dealt a heavy blow and were forced to make changes. First off, after participation at 2006 AUG was ridiculously low (ultimate had 17 teams - only other sports that had more than 10 teams were men's basketball and women's netball), they changed the eligibility rules for players, and also eliminated the need to qualify for AUG through regional events.

In 2007, Latrobe City Council were contractually set to host SUG. They had paid a five figure sum to host it in 2005, 2007 and 2009. Trouble is, SUG wasn't SUG any more. Instead, AUS created the Latrobe City Challenge to replace SUG. The removal of the qualification requirement meant that Tasmanian and South Australian unis pretty much had no reason to attend, so they didn't. For other sports it wasn't perceived as much of an issue.

However for the five Victorian ultimate clubs, this was an issue. They were quite reluctant to pay a few hundred dollars to play against teams they play against at league. Deakin's student body required a payment of over $300! After a bit of a debacle, the ultimate comp was abandoned.

This brought about a discussion among uni types about whether uni ultimate has outgrown Uni Games. Stories were shared about how much student bodies were charging and what requirements they had - UQ students had to stay at the squad accommodation in order to compete, despite living 45min away, while Ballarat students had the option of organising their own transport and accommodation if they wanted to.

The entry fees for the tournament was $145 per player. Ultimate players are quite spoiled with tournament costs because we have very few (if any) overheads - no equipment, officials or umpires needed - and ultimate tournaments typically supplied lunches every day, while AUG didn't. Cue the "it's too expensive" moaning. Trouble is, most of the cost problems lie with each individual uni, and what conditions of competing they place on their students.

Is it worth it?

What AUS does better than us

Fields - Ask anyone who played NUFL 2 and AUG this year and ask them which tournament had the better fields. AUS has the luxury of being able to source privately owned fields ultimate can only dream of.

Sports medicine - Outside Nationals, very few tournaments will have sports medicine professionals on hand. AUG has a qualified medic, plus usually a couple of volunteers on standby, complete will full first aid kit and ice packs.

Public transport - Getting around cities for tournaments can be a bit of a gamble. AUG has dedicated buses for competitors included in the cost that deliver you right to the fields.

Volunteers - Everything is already sorted for you. Non-playing TDs and volunteers makes a huge difference.

Attraction - AUG is a highly desirable event. You can be assured that every team that can physically and financially get there is going to have the best team available.


What we do better than AUS

Seeding and draws - The format of the draw at 2007 AUG was appalling. Two pools of 10, with everyone playing each other once, before quarters/semis/placings. The seedings were based on 2006 results, with no consideration given to how good teams were in 07 compared to 06 (eg: UNSW, QUT). This resulted in one pool being a higher standard than the other, resulting in a lot of sadface action late in the week. However that looks like being resolved this year.

Food - Other tournaments include lunch in the fee, AUG doesn't.


What could go either way

Accreditation procedures - to ensure the same people on the field are the same people you said were going to be there, AUS requires an accreditation plus photo ID to be presented before EVERY game you play. Very thorough system but very annoying.

Social program - all a matter of personal preference, really.


I think the $145 is well worth it, considering we get to play 10-12 games over five days. Think about the track & field, taekwondo, kendo and swimming athletes who pay the same amount for one afternoon of competition!

Clubs names in ultimate

I talk about ultimate a lot with ultimate friends, but I also talk about ultimate to other folk as well. I'm easily able to explain a lot of things about the sport...how it works, why we have no refs, and "spirit awards" ("Award voted on by everyone given to the most respected team in terms of following the rules and not being a dick.") Sometimes I change certain things to 'dumb it down a bit' - for example, I refer to Albert Park League as 'state league' (also kinda justifies driving down to Melbourne every Monday). But after four years there's something I still can't explain to outsiders.

Team names.

When I started training with Chilly a few weeks ago, I was telling a guy at work that I'm trying out with "a Melbourne mens' team that have won the last three Nationals." When he asked me what they were called, I said "erm...Chilly." And it's not the first time I've done this (Team Gary!).

When you're talking about National championship teams, people generally expect to hear a geographical attachment to the team (ie: Melbourne ______). So when you tell them you play with "Chilly", they wonder how that's any different to their mixed indoor cricket team called "Rampage Deathsquad" or their pub trivia team called "Neil Diamond Phillips".

I remember NUFL 2005 being on ABC news, and they referred to the 'colourful' team names such as Deathstar and Southside. OK, unique aspect of the game etc. but what about if we want to be taken seriously as a competitive sport by sponsors, media and government? They would want to be able to identify a team with where they are from, plus a snappy little brand name to appeal to the folks spending the money.

Having a look at previous Nationals results, there are only a couple of team names that could pass (Fyshwick United, Ngukkur Eagles). There's also been teams simply named after where they are from (Wollongong, Newcastle). However there have been quite a few names that could easily be adjusted.

Warning: the following are hypothetical ramblings for my own amusement and in no way should be taken as my opinion as an AFDA director blah blah blah general disclaimer stuff.

If I was taking off my "ultimate player" and "ultimate administrator" hats, and putting on my "marketing genius" hat and was looking to pay for a team's airfares to Regionals and Nationals in exchange for wearing my company's logo and doing a promotional demo or three, here are my suggestions on what the current crop of Nationals teams could do for their branding...

Note: A "______" indicates I can't think of a nickname

• Firestorm - "Brisbane Firestorm"
• BUD - "Byron ______"
• Thor - "Townsville _______"
• Brisbane Barbarians - is ok.
• Minx - "Brisbane Minx" could work
  
• Sultry - hmmm....not quite 100% family friendly
• Karma - "Adelaide Karma" has a nice ring to it
• Heads of State - "Melbourne/Victoria Heads of State" doesn't roll off the tongue....Melbourne Monarchs?
• Chilly - "Melbourne Chilli" (correct spelling here kids)
• Ultimate Evolution - "Adelaide Evolution" (North Adelaide?)
• Honey - "Melbourne Honey"
• Bush - "Tasmania Bush" or "Hobart Bush"...too many jokes to make here
• Indies - "Adelaide Indies"...no idea what the mascot would dress as
• Team Box - ....no idea
• Hills - they've use Mobsters in the past, but is Hills an official district of Sydney or just a name used by locals?
• Barefoot - North Sydney?
• Fyshwick United - Fyshwick is a Canberra suburb
• Wollongong - "Wollongong ______"
• I-Beam - "Newcastle ______"
• Fakulti - "Sydney Faculty?"....jury is still out
• Wildcard - "Sydney Wildcard" works
• Southside - "South Sydney ____"
• Sugar Magnolias - is a Sugar Magnolia a real thing? "Newcastle Magnolias" perhaps?
• Factory Girls - hmm....the ACT reference is there....

Anyone else got some better ideas?

How is Nationals shaping up?

Teams are starting to take shape for Regionals, happening in 4 weeks time, so I thought I'd take a quick look at how things are looking at the moment.

Northern Region
Open (1 spot)

• Firestorm 1
• Firestorm 2
• Brisbane Barbarians
• Thor
• Byron Ultimate Disc
  

North are starting to see some clubs forming in order to gain that elusive wildcard. Firestorm are obviously the red hot favourites to get one spot, but getting a wildcard would make things interesting. If Firestorm split X/Y, it'd reasonable to expect both Firestorm teams to go through, but if there's an A/B split, I'm tipping Byron to upset Firestorm B with their "everyone's either under 18 or over 30" mix.

1. Firestorm 1*
2. Byron Ultimate Disc*
3. Firestorm 2
4. Thor
5. Brisbane Barbarians
   

Women (2 spots)

• Minx*
• Sultry*

Yet to see line-ups for these two teams. With the absence of any other entrants, both of them go to Coffs. Sultry over Minx.


Southern Region
Open (4 spots)

• Karma
• Karma B
• Heads of State
• Heads of State Youth
• Sweet Chilly
• Hot Chilly
• Ultimate Evolution

Hmm. The Year Of The B Team, it seems. Karma and HoS are splitting A/B, but both only planning towards the A team making Nationals, so there'll be some promotions to boost number. Chilly have all but confirmed they are splitting X/Y this year, so they will be weaker than 07, but still pretty good. With a year's experience as a team under their belts, I'm tipping HoS to take this out, and wearing the #1 seed at Coffs. One of the Chillys and Karma will get a spot each, and odds are South will not get a wildcard, so the battle for fourth will be interesting. I'm going with the second Chilly taking it.

1. Heads of State*
2. Sweet Chilly*
3. Karma*
4. Hot Chilly*
5. Ultimate Evolution
6. Heads of State Youth
7. Karma B

Women (4 spots)

• Honey
• Bush
• Indies
• Team Box
  

The lack of Ishtar this year means that all women's teams will go through. Team Box have raised a few Whiskey Tango Foxtrots by only picking 15 players, but surely they'll get a few additions for Nationals. Expect them to be strong again this year. And because I like upsets, I'm tipping Indies to get second with the home state advantage.

1. Team Box*
2. Indies*
3. Honey*
4. Bush*

Western Region
Well, unless we hear otherwise, we'll assume Sublime and Primal will put in appearances.


Eastern Region
Open (6 spots)

• Umlaut
• Hills
• Taipans
• Barefoot
• Fakulti A
• Fakulti B
• Manly
• Fyshwick United 1
• Fyshwick United 2
• I-Beam
• Wollongong
• Westies

OK, that's a rough guess at the lineup based on this weekend's Share The Love lineup, plus early registrations. Fakulti have finally gone and done the equivalent of playing ZYZZYVA on a Triple Word Score in Scrabulous by splitting A/B. Certainties to win, I reckon. East will probably get the second wildcard, and possibly a third if the Kiwis look Coffs off (South might get one if that's the case...can't remember the formula). Hills may also get the AFDA allocation, being hosts. Will Fyshwick split A/B or X/Y? They could field a pretty solid lineup with A/B, but will probably run with X/Y for Regionals. A wild guess at final standings goes something like this...

1. Fakulti A*
2. Barefoot*
3. Taipans*
4. I-Beam*
5. Fakulti B*
6. Fyshwick United 1*
7. Manly*
8. Fyshwick United 2*
9. Hills*
   
10. Wollongong
11. Umlaut
12. Westies

Beyond the top 4, I'm not really basing that on anything.

Women (5 spots)

• Wildcard X
• Wildcard Y
• Southside
• Hills
• Sugar Magnolias
• Factory Girls

Is Wildcard actually splitting X/Y, or is that just Rach being funny? This is the only region oversubscribed, so a wildcard will see all go through, regardless of Kiwi appearances/no-shows. Once again, predictions based on very little...

1. Wildcard X*
2. Southside*
3. Wildcard Y*
4. Sugar Magnolias*
5. Factory Girls*
6. Hills*

So here's how Nationals seedings would pan out after my guesses...

Open

1. S1 Heads of State
2. E1 Fakulti A
3. E2 Barefoot
4. E3 Taipans
5. E4 I-Beam
6. W1 Sublime
7. S2 Sweet Chilly
8. N1 Firestorm 1
9. E5 Fakulti B
10. S3 Karma
11. E6 Fyshwick United 1
12. E7 Manly
13. E8 Fyshwick United 2
14. S4 Hot Chilly
15. N2 Byron Ultimate Disc
16. AF Hills
    

Women

1. E1 Wildcard X
2. S1 Team Box
3. E2 Southside
4. E3 Wildcard Y
5. S2 Indies
6. E4 Sugar Magnolias
7. E5 Factory Girls
8. S3 Honey
9. N1 Sultry
10. N2 Minx
11. S4 Bush
12. W1 Primal
13. E6 Hills

Am I game enough to make Nationals predictions yet? Not quite. I might wait for Regionals...

Some recruiting work to do...

Ballafornia defeated Monash 13-10 at league on Monday night. We had myself, Dan, Woodley, Troy, Doobie, Nath, Major, Rockbeat, Sezzy and Smithers. How many of that lot get to face up to Monash at Uni Games?

Three - Doobie, Nath and Rockbeat.

After the initial excitement that we might actually be able to field an alumni team for the first time this year (there's nearly enough Ballarat alumni in Japan for a team), we thought we are in real strife with only a small base to recruit from.

However, rewind back to this time of year in 2005 and have a look at what BUUF had - me, Lyle, Sezzy and Em C, all with only one tournament and a half decent forehand under our belt. We didn't know Dan and Dion were starting uni, hadn't meet any of The Buds, didn't know Rockbeat or Emma, and Major still thought we were joking.

Ultimate now has a bigger profile than 3 years ago and many first years would have had a crack at it in PE classes. I'm very optimistic and, hell, even EXCITED, about the coming weeks of recruiting newbies.

Time for BUUF's 3rd wave.

The Second Generation

Growing up as youngsters, many of us played junior sports because of either a) the blokes we saw on telly made it look awesome, or b) our mums or dads played it. I know I got into basketball because my dad played it (and I was freakishly tall for my age) and I'm sure there are many others that are the same.

Ultimate has only really been played in Australia for 15-20 years, as opposed to the US where it has been strong since the 1970s. They are now starting to see kids coming through whose parents played, so they have been around discs since a young age. Most of us first learned to throw in our late teens or early 20s.

Soon, Australia will get our "second generation" - kids in their mid to late teens with mad throws and a basic knowledge of the game. As they filter through schools and unis, the quality of youth and uni play will improve, followed by the club scene, then the Worlds scene.

Ok, so this is at least 10 years away, but I'm posting this now so I can say, "I predicted this years ago!"

Thoughts on UPA's strategic planning

Over the last few months, the UPA have been undergoing a massive strategic review that they have dubbed "Ultimate Revolution" (not to be confused with South Australia's Ultimate Evolution). I've been following whole shebang, given that the UPA is a major player in world ultimate, to see what outcomes they are developing. Last week they released a summary of the key outcomes that they will look to implement over time. Have a look here if you want a read through (only a couple of pages). But I thought I'd bring up some of the interesting ones that we could look to adopt in Australia.

• Implement spirit rating system based on Observer, coach, spectator input
• Promote use of UPA established Spirit rating systems and awards at non-UPA events.

I never knew that the US didn't have a 'spirit score' system in place, and it is interesting that they are now looking to adopt one. The problem is that the definition of good spirit/bad spirit is so subjective that it is difficult to measure across different leagues, states and countries. I don't think anyone has ever got a perfect spirit score structure in place, but BULA have gone pretty close.

• Produce and maintain online rules resources including abbreviated rules, annotated rules, rules quizzes, video enactments, cheat sheet of outcomes
• Implement rules quiz requirements for a) coaching certification, b) UPA Championship Series

The rules of ultimate are freely available online just about anywhere, but they are a damn complicated read. Most players go by the rules they learned in their first game (no contact, how to score, don't drop it, don't run with it) for a long time. I know people who have played for over 2 years and still don't "get" the pick rule. I'd estimate that, on average, less than one player per team knows the rules. Myself, I'm probably about 90% confident I know them. We could certainly use something like this, even if it's a simple rules quiz on afda.com.

• Stimulate a pilot for local Ultimate programs for underserved youth

Potentially, ultimate can be a great sport for underprivledged teens. As long as you have a disc and a location, a weekly pickup game would cost the participants nothing.

• Create online community for league organizers; develop biannual electronic communication for league organizers.
• Develop relationships with College Club Sports Administrators and team faculty advisors in order to build on-campus support for Ultimate

I've put these two together because this is something I've been getting going lately for uni clubs. As big as the push into youth ultimate is, university ultimate is still our bread and butter (remember that AUG07 had over 100 players that don't play club ultimate). BUUF has a fantastic relationship with their student union (admittedly helped by the fact it's a small campus, and the staff being quite familar with the sport from day 1), and this is something I want to see replicated at all other unis, some of which still suffer TNARS syndrome (That's Not A Real Sport).

Further to this, every year there are people who step up to run uni clubs that haven't had leadership roles before and may not know how to 'run' their club. There has been some sharing of ideas for this year on Ultitalk, but something more formal (a wiki page, perhaps?) would be great.

• Design and conduct a regional leadership training program for women interested in teaching and organizing Ultimate on the local level.

Anecdotal evidence only: Outside of women's ultimate, I haven't seen many on-field leadership roles filled by women. Not to say that we really lack this in Australia (or do we? I don't really know enough about other states to make that call), but we could at least have some sort of opportunity for women's leadership training.

• Implement “Friends of Ultimate’ membership for parents, alumni, etc; explore additional membership levels and services (including opportunities for play)
• Organize parents group to increase understanding of the sport and encourage attendance at Ultimate events

I would have never thought of an idea like this. As soon as I read it, all sorts of thoughts and ideas started flowing. I think I'll save them for another entry.

• Form partnerships to develop UPA College Pre-Series (Regular Season) competition program
• Plan and implement UPA Club Pre-Series (Regular Season) Competition program with goal to create showcase events and an environment where high level Ultimate is made more accessible to fans

This is pretty much what Walkabout is going to achieve. I really would like to see more regular, team-based annual events outside Nationals. Halibut has been going strong for years, and it seems events like Stampede and Shenanigans are aiming to become regular fixtures. There probably should be more regular open/women's events (revival of Border Classic?) too. Regular tournaments allow teams to better plan their season.


I'll be keeping up with Ultimate Revolution as it further unfolds. Soon I'll be comissioning a similar survey to what they did to get a better understanding of where the Australian ultimate community sees their sport going in the near and distant future.

General "ultimate in B-Town" update

Few notes on what's been happening the last couple of weeks...

• With Dan's selection confirmed, and the brains trust wondering if we can claim John Liddicoat because he grew up here (never played here though), we are now waiting to see if Woodley gets a jersey for the 2008 Barramundis.
• Nationals sides are starting to make their selections...
• Amanda, Greta, Lyra, Mel, Sophie and Chloe got selected for Team Box.
• Chilly's formal announcement is yet to come, but Boothy will be in it. I unfortunately didn't make the cut.
  
• Heads Of State are yet to name their team, but it'd be a safe bet that Dan, Tarrant, Doobie and Woodley make it. Possibly a couple of other locals, too.
  
• O-Week plans are full steam ahead, with Doobie taking the BUUF presidential reigns this year, backed up by Greta, Amanda and Nathan. Greta has also been appointed coach for 2008.
• We're 3-0 at league, beating the hat team comfortably, LaTUF not so comfortably, and Ultimately Social not very comfortably at all (11-10, being 10-9 down at time cap). This season has been really, really fun - there's been maybe 5 points we have taken seriously so far! Next week is Monash - 2008 will probably see us stick with tradition where we beat them at league, then they pump us at Uni Games.
• Monday night's game was Amanda's 100th, making her the 5th player (and 1st girl) to reach the milestone.
  

Ultimate's "Grand Slam"

So further on from my waffling about the four Nationals...

No one out there has won all four Nationals. Yet.

With the growth of Junior Nats, Australian ultimate should have it's first "Grand Slam" champion in the next few years - winning Youth Nats, AUG, Mixed Nats and Nationals.

Who is best placed to become the first Grand Slam champ?

Dan Rule pointed out to me that he has Youth Nats and Nationals under his belt. Mixed Nats is do-able, but AUG might be a bit of a challenge for Ballarat in the near future. From memory, none of the Sydney-based '04 and '06 juniors have won Nationals. However I think the race might be down to John McNaughton and Ellie Sparke.

Johnny Mac has Youth Nats (Heads Of State, 2006) and AUG (UQ, 2007), which are tough to get considering you only have limited time to win them. He could have had Mixed Nats as well this year had he have made the trip to Sydney. With Mixed Nats being in the North region (most likely Brisbane), Bootius would look very good to go back-to-back on home turf.

Ellie has a Nationals win (Wildcard, 2007) and presumably a Youth Nats win (Sydney-based team in 2006?). And that's before she's started at uni. With New South Wales being dominant in the ultimate scene she is looking well placed to pick up the AUG and Mixed Nats wins in the next few years.

Is there anyone else who might be a dark horse in this race?

Successful Moments in Procrastination, Volume 2

Maybe this should be Volume 1.1

In volume 1, we saw how many players attended 3 different Nationals in 2007. Quite committed, I think. But hold up a minute...how far did everyone travel to get to these events? I brought up the same list as yesterday and took out the 43 people who went to 3 nationals. I then consulted Google Maps as to how far it was between the cities these players were from, and where Nationals, Mixed Nats, AUG and Youth Nats were held (Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast and Sydney respectively)...

Note: All distances are one way

First off, there were 3 players from Sydney who went to Nats, Mixed Nats and Youth Nats...they only travelled once - 881km.
16 players were from Sydney and did the Nats/Mixed/AUG combo - 1734km.
8 Canberrians played Nats/Mixed/AUG and had to travel for all 3 - 2081km.
7 Melbourians did two trips, - 2,608 km.
2 Brisbane folk played Nats/Mixed/AUG - 2,700km
As did 2 Ballarat players - 2,894km
1 Hobart player went to Nats, Mixed Nats and Youth Nats - 3,939km
Adelaide are big travellers, with 4 doing Nats/Mixed/AUG - 4,127km
But the 3 Tassie players who went to Nats/Mixed/AUG trumped them all - 4,783km


All this prompted me to work out how many kms I've covered for frisbee in 2007...

Note: these distances are return trips

17 Albert Park league games @ 240km each - 4,080km
Nationals - 258km
Ultimate Stampede - 1752km
Boycott City Challenge - 240km
AFDA board meeting (Sydney via Avalon) - 2,056km
Shenanigans - 1,508km
Gold Coast (AUG)/Mixed Nats (Sydney) - 3,655km
Melbourne Hat - 240km
Total = 13,789km

Now I'm certain this figure can be beaten. Dan Rule was beside me on all but two of those trips plus a few more. Seb Barr was on all except the league run, and went to Sydney about half a dozen times. John Damiani and Tim Delane had four trips west. And I'm sure many others.