Introduction to Ultimate
Hello to all Ultimate parents, family and friends. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the sport and want to learn more so you can converse with your son or daughter player; if so, read
What is Ultimate. Or maybe you are considering going to a tournament and want to know what to expect; if so, read this
intro to tournaments. We will try to help with these topics and more on this web page.
Perhaps the most important point we can make is that Ultimate comes in at least two flavors. There are the local pick-up games and leagues that are played mainly for fun, camaraderie and exercise. And there are the UPA youth, college and club teams where Ultimate is played competitively; and if your child plays on one of these teams, they take it seriously. He or she probably puts a great deal of time into training and attending tournaments. It is every bit as competitive as soccer, football, basketball, etc. Only better... you get to be on the sidelines with them. And by the way, they don't use the term "Frisbee." It's called a disc and the sport is just called "Ultimate."
There are three primary championship divisions in the Ultimate Players Association (UPA) - Youth (mostly high school), College and Club (after college). Youth has Open (almost always only men), Women's and Mixed (coed) teams. The College division has Open and Women's teams. The Club division includes Open, Women's, Mixed and Masters (must be at least 33 years old). Each division holds their own annual Championship Series (sectionals and regionals) leading up to a National Championship tournament where they compete to crown their respective national champions. There are over 28,000 UPA members, but that doesn't include the probably well over 200,000 local league and high school PE players around the country, not to mention the untold thousands who just play pick-up.
The UPA web site has a lot of information, including links to most of the youth, college and club teams, dates and locations of upcoming tournaments, rules of the game, and much much more. Below are links especially for friends and family.
Sincerely, Joe Seidler - Friends and Family Parent Liaison
- Ultimate is a great way to spend time with your son or daughter. Read a dad's story and friends and family comments.
- Ultimate is played with a code of conduct called the "Spirit of the Game [SOTG]." Friends and Family members support the addition of a "Spirit of the Sideline."
- To view the UPA's Youth program pages, see the UPA youth pages.
- The UPA makes videos and other merchandise available through wrightlife.com. The videos are a great way to learn about Ultimate.
- The UPA is a player-run non-profit organization which provides the framework for your son or daughter's play. This is an exciting time of growth for a young sport that emphasizes ethical play. Your financial support goes a long way toward providing quality experiences for your child. The UPA is a registered 501(c)3 organization in Colorado - we invite you to support the UPA.
- Additional suggestions for the Friends and Family web pages are always welcome. Just email FriendsandFamily@upa.org with your ideas. Thanks for visiting the UPA Friends and Family pages, and we hope to see you at the fields!
