Ultimate

How refreshing to read an article in the StarTribune on Ultimate, "Ultimate's fling is spirited", one of the fastest growing sports in the nation. In addition to being outstanding exercise for the athletes, it is also self officiated, encouraging the players to work through penalty calls themselves.  Being largely a club sport, Ultimate also has a wonderful vibe; it is highly competitive, yet laid back.  After competitions a "Spirit of the Game" award is both given to individuals and teams who exhibit great sportsmanship.

Interested in learning more, why not head up to the Nationals Sports Center to watch the USA Youth Club Championships?  Unlike our professional sports teams, there is no fee for admission, and you will see young people giving their all simply for the love of the game.

Spirit of the games

High fives following game

It was fun to witness the spirt of sportsmanship at the US Ultimate National Youth Club Championships held this past weekend in Blaine, MN.  Not only did these high school athletes demonstrate a high level of athletic ability, they also were off the charts in being fun and encouraging with their competition.  There were countless high fives throughout games by teams for their opponents when they made great plays.  How often do you see this in sport?

Sometimes during time outs while the seven active players from each of the teams gathered on the field with their coaches others from the sidelines got together members from the other team and played group games, such as "ninja".

Teams huddle together following game

Player wearing special prizes

Following the games the traditional sports line of high fives with the opposing team players occurs.  After this I noticed that many Ultimate teams often joined in a large intertwined circle with the other teams and provided encouraging remarks, and sometimes even prizes! The girls teams even share a creative song praising their competition... this is not so common with the boys ;-)

Hats off to the Minnesota Mixed Ultimate Team for winning the "Spirit of the Game" tournament award.  Congratulations also to the Minnesota boys team for taking first place in their division.

Ultimate layout and "D"

USA Ultimate Youth Club Championships

2011YCC logo

This past weekend I had fun watching the Youth Club Championships (YCC) held here in the Twin Cities at the National Sports Center in Blaine. I had special interest, since our daughter was playing for the girl's team from "Minnesnowta".  

Minnesota and Seattle girls playing after the game

This is a fast action sport, so figuring out how to capture it in photos can be quite challenging.  I've discovered it helps to anticipate where the disc (frisbee) is likely to be thrown.  

Throwing low through traffic

The weather was ideal for the tournament, which had teams playing from around the country. Rain the night before helped to soften the fields for the many players who "layed out" aka dove to catch/defend discs that were thrown.

Laying out for a catch in the endzone

I've posted a lot more pictures from the tournament on a Picasa website.

Minnesnowta Girl's Team

MN Ultimate Youth Girls team second in USA championship

It was exciting to see the Minnesota Nice team play in the finals of the USA Ultimate Campionship game held August 15th at the National Sports Center in Blaine, MN. This was the first time a team from Minnesota was in the championship game. The team placed second to a strong group of young ladies from the Seattle Washington area, DiscNW. The Seattle girls team hasn't lost even one game in this campionship tournament in the past five years. Could it be the coffee?

It was a very windy afternoon, and yet the Seattle team was able to score upwind a couple of times. This is a difficult task when thowing a frisbee.

Pictured above are shots from the game and one just after the championship game with the teams from Minnesota (light blue jerseys) and Seattle (black jerseys) with linked arms in a circle. Very competitive teams and yet friendly!