Possession of the Flying Disc

Play BOOOOO-LTIMATE!

[Updated an In the Bleachers comic]

Spooky Ultimate Frisbee Pumpkin Carvings

For those seeking more traditional Halloween decorations rather than the plastic type, here are some pumpkin carvings to scare off ultimate players .

RELATED: More scary pumpkin carvings for ultimate players.

Comparison: Seed vs Finish of Club Teams at 2017 USA Ultimate National Championships

The 4-day 2017 USA Ultimate National Championships were completed in Sarasota, Florida, over October 19-22. The top sixteen (16) teams from each division - men, mixed, women - were in competition.

Here's how each team in the 3 divisions finished compared to their pre-tournament seed. Biggest movers - up and down - also noted.

WOMEN

A lot of movement with only two (2) teams unchanged and all teams were within +/-4.
UP(+): Columbus Rival (+4); San Francisco Fury, Atlanta Ozone, Portland Schwa (+3)
DOWN (-): Seattle Riot, Texas Showdown, (-4)


MIXED

Top seeds 1, 2, 4 played out accordingly.
UP(+): Dallas/Fort Worth Public Enemy (+7); Connecticut Metro North, Minneapolis No Touching! (+6)
DOWN (-): San Francisco Mischief, Cincinnati Steamboat (-5)

MEN

Top 1, 3, and 4 seeds played out accordingly.
UP(+): Austin Doublewide (+10); New York PoNy (+7)
DOWN (-): Seattle Sockeye (-10); Denver Johnny Bravo (-5), OH/Mi High Five (-5)

NOTE: Games not played (3/4 in W and 9/10 in M, X, W) were given the lower finish (e.g. teams in 9/10 games given 10th since no team "won" the higher finish).

[Data via USAU; compilation and charts by SLUDGE]

Orange Cone Pumpkin

Transform your orange ultimate cones into a low-budget Halloween decoration.

1. Grab orange cone(s) from your car trunk, ultimate bag, &/or front hallway.

2. Use a scissors or something sharp to cut out facial features (e.g. eyes, nose, mouth) from black paper. 

3. Paste the facial cutouts onto the cone(s).

4. [Optional] Under the cone, put a flameless tea light or small flashlight. Actual candles not recommended.

These pumpkin cones complement the candy corn cone.

US Club Teams Qualifying for World Ultimate Club Championships 2018 [UPDATED]

Ten (10) club ultimate teams from the United States qualified for WFDF 2018 World Ultimate Club Championships after earning bids from finishing at top of their divisions at USA Ultimate National Championships.

Congratulations to the following teams for qualifying for Club Worlds in Ohio:
Men's Division: San Francisco Revolver, Austin Doublewide, Raleigh Ring of Fire

Mixed Division: Seattle Mixtape, Philadelphia AMP, Seattle BFG

Women's Division: San Francisco Fury, Boston Brute Squad, Denver Molly Brown, Atlanta Ozone


Other U.S. club teams may be invited if other countries decline their bid(s).

UPDATE [11/16/2017]: One more bid was added to the USA's Women's Division, so Seattle Riot is now invited to Club Worlds.

UPDATE [6/14/2018]: Two more bids were added to the USA's Mixed Division, so Slow White and Wildcard are now invited to Club Worlds.

Prize Money Won by Club Ultimate Teams in Triple Crown Tour 2017

Sixteen (16) club ultimate teams won prize money totaling nearly $30,000 during the 2017 Triple Crown Tour regular season. Six (6) different women's club teams won money, while the men's and mixed divisions each had 5 different teams take home tournament checks. Four (4) teams pocketed multiple TCT prize money wins — BFG, Brute Squad, Mixtape and Revolver.

Total prize money won in 2017 = $29,750

KEY:
ESC = Elite-Select Championships
PC = Pro Championships
PEC = Pro-Elite Championships
Nats = Club Nationals
TC = Triple Crown bonus
US Open = U.S. Open Championships

Seattle Mixtape sits atop the prize money leader board with $7500 which includes their Triple Crown bonus. San Francisco Revolver was tops in men's division with $5250 and Boston Brute Squad led the women's division in prize money with $2250.


RELATED: Prize Money Leaders in 2016

[Updated from September totals]

2017 USA Ultimate Club Champions

USA Ultimate's 2017 Triple Crown Tour concluded in Sarasota, Florida, on Sunday. Club gold shifts the west coast in 2017.

Men
San Francisco Revolver [#1 seed] won their 5th club championship in 8 years with a finals win 15-7 (8-2 HT) over Austin Doublewide [12th seed]. This was Revolver's 3rd win over Doublewide in the 2017 season.

Mixed
Seattle Mixtape [#1 seed] won their first club championship with a 13-12 (7-8 HT) victory over Philadelphia AMP [#2 seed]. Mixtape's win also earns them the Triple Crown. This win pushed Mixtape's record to (3-1) over AMP during the 2017 TCT season.

Women
San Francisco Fury [#4 seed] won their tenth club championship with a 14-13 (5-8 HT) win over Boston Brute Squad [#2 seed]. This was Fury's first win over Brute during the 2017 season.

-----------------------------

The following U.S. club teams qualified for World Ultimate Club Championships in 2018:

Men's Division
1. San Francisco Revolver
2. Austin Doublewide
3. Raleigh Ring of Fire

Mixed Division
1. Seattle Mixtape
2. Philadelphia AMP
3. Seattle BFG

Women's Division
1. San Francisco Fury
2. Boston Brute Squad
(tied) 3. Atlanta Ozone and Denver Molly Brown

CHART: Semifinalists at USA Ultimate National Championships

After 2 days of competition of teams around the country, the semis for USA Ultimate club championships are now set in the three divisions. Semifinal games will be played today.

Two semifinals teams - Molly Brown and BFG - did not win their regional tournament.

Watch USA Ultimate 2017 National Championships on ESPN

The remaining games of the Triple Crown Tour season will be broadcast live via ESPN. Semis of USA Ultimate's National Championships (Sarasota, FL) will take place on Saturday and the finals of each division will be played on Sunday.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 (all times EDT)
Men's Semifinal #1 @ 11:30am - Raleigh Ring of Fire vs. San Francisco Revolver
Women's Semifinal #2 @ 2pm - Denver Molly Brown vs. Boston Brute Squad
Mixed Semifinal #1 @ 5:30pm - Seattle BFG vs. Philadelphia AMP
Mixed Semifinal #2 @ 8pm - Boston Slow White vs. Seattle Mixtape
(The other men's and women's semifinals will be broadcast by Ultiworld)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22
Men's Championship Final @ 10am - San Francisco Revolver (1) vs Austin Doublewide (12)
Mixed Championship Final @ 12:30pm - Seattle MIXtape (1) vs Philadelphia AMP (2)
Women's Championship Final @ 3pm - Boston Brute Squad (2) vs San Francisco Fury (4)

Watch "games" via ESPN (Saturday; Sunday)

What U.S. Club Ultimate Teams Are Playing For in Sarasota

Not only are club teams playing for a 2017 national title in Sarasota.
Not only are club teams playing for prize money in 2017.
Club ultimate teams are also competing for a bid to WFDF's 2018 World Ultimate Club Championships. The USA has been awarded 10 total bids - the most of any country in the world; 3 in the men's division, 3 in the mixed division and 4 in the women's division.

First place in all divisions win the championship, $2000 in prize money and a bid to WFDF WUCC in 2018. Runner-up in all divisions gets $1000 in prize money plus a bid to 2018 WUCC. Third place in all divisions earns a WUCC 2018 bid. Fourth place in only the women's division earns a bid to WUCC 2018.

NOTES: If Seattle Mixtape finishes in first place, then the Mixed Division team from Seattle earns an extra $2000 bonus.
Three (3) Canadian teams are competing in the USA Ultimate National Championships; if any of the teams reach semis in their division, then that would muddy up the chart.

MAP: Club Ultimate Teams Playing at 2017 Nationals

USA Ultimate's 2017 National Club Ultimate Championships in Sarasota starts today. A total of 20 states/provinces and the District of Columbia from the eight geographical regions are represented at this year's USAU National Championships, with California - again - sending the most teams (6) of any state.

TEAM REPRESENTATION AT 2017 NATIONALS (BY STATE/PROVINCE) 
1st (6 teams): California
2nd (5 teams): Massachusetts, Washington
3rd (4 teams): Colorado, Minnesota
4th (3 teams): Texas
5th (2 teams): DC, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin
6th (1 team): British Columbia, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York, Oregon

CITIES WITH MULTIPLE TEAMS AT 2017 NATIONALS
Eleven (11) cities are represented by multiple club ultimate teams at Nationals; five* (5) cities are represented in each division (Men, miXed, Women). [*City based on team listing on USAU website]

BOSTON, MA*
Brute Squad (W)
Dig (M)
Ironside (M)
Slow White (X)
Wild Card (X)

CHICAGO, IL
Machine (M)
Nemesis (W)

DENVER, CO
Johnny Bravo (M)
Love Tractor (X)
Molly Brown (W)

MADISON, WI
Heist (W)
NOISE (X)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN*
Drag'n Thrust (X)
No Touching! (X)
Pop (W)
Sub Zero (M)

PHILADELPHIA, PA
AMP (X)
Patrol (M)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA*
Blackbird (X)
Fury (W)
Mischief (X)
Nightlock (W)
Revolver (M)

SEATTLE, WA*
BFG (X)
Mixtape (X)
Riot (W)
Sockeye (M)
Underground (W)

TORONTO, ON
6ixers (W)
GOAT (M)

WASHINGTON, DC
Scandal (W)
Truck Stop (M)

[updated 1:45pm ET]

[Compilation] Tournament Logos of USA Ultimate Club National Championships in Sarasota

Palm trees! Palm trees! Palm trees! And, sun(shine)! Common Floridian themes seen in the logos of club championships hosted in Sarasota in the 21st Century.

Below are the tournament logos for UPA (2001-2009) and USA Ultimate (2010-2017) annual club ultimate national championships specifically held in Sarasota (2001-2012; 2017).

[Images mostly via original post]

LOGO UPDATE: 2017 Club Nationals

The Florida palm tree and sun are commonplace in the logos of Club Nationals in Sarasota. Here's another version of the 2017 ultimate tournament logo honoring the beloved Daiquiri Deck.

UPDATE TO ORIGINAL UPDATE as teams have been eliminated...
ChampionSIPS!

D.C. Scandal Brews Up Their Fundraiser

D.C. Scandal's launched their 2017 fundraiser which smells a lot like Seattle Riot's roast. The elite women's ultimate team from Washington, D.C. will be competing at USA Ultimate's National Championships in Sarasota, Florida, as the #5 seed (out of 16 teams) in the women's division.

INFO: The Scandalous Blend consists of beans from Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras. Lighter roast levels highlight undertones of caramel, milk chocolate, and stone fruit while darker roasts lift nutty and smokey notes to the surface. Regardless of roast level the blend is smooth (like a Jenny Fey huck). Roaster Recommendation: Medium roast level.

ORDER

COST: $14.00 per 12oz bag ($5 of each bag sold goes to Scandal)

On This Day: AUDL Announced Its Formation

Six years ago today "a new professional sports league" - the American Ultimate Disc League - was publicly announced. Establishment of the AUDL was said to fill "a need for affordable sporting entertainment." AUDL Founder Josh Moore sought to "bring the [ultimate] game mainstream for the average person to experience ultimate played at its highest level. "

Screengrab of original AUDL Press Release (October 13, 2011) [full text]

Per the press release: "The AUDL is structured as a national professional men's ultimate disc league set to begin play in 2012."

AUDL began with eight (8) teams in 2012; Buffalo (NY) Hunters, Columbus (OH) Cranes, (Hartford) Connecticut Constitution, Detroit (MI) Mechanix, Indianapolis (IN) AlleyCats, Philadelphia (PA) Spinners, River City/Bluegrass (Louisville/Lexington, KY) Revolution, and (Providence) Rhode Island Rampage. In its most current season (2017), there were 24 AUDL teams across the U.S. (20) and in Canada (4).

Comparing All-AUDL Teams, 2016 and 2017

After awarding the 2017 AUDL MVP, the American Ultimate Disc League announced players for All-AUDL Teams including First Team, Second Team, Defense Team and Divisional Teams. Jay Froude (Dallas Roughnecks) and Jeff Babbitt (New York Empire) were the only players in 2017 selected for both the All-AUDL First Team and the All Defense Team. A few other players were on the All-teams in both 2016 and in 2017.

All-AUDL First Teams, 2016 v 2017
Mark Burton (Seattle Cascades) is the only player to make the All-AUDL First Team in both 2016 and in 2017.

AUDL All-Defense Teams, 2016 v 2017
Peter Graffy (Madison Radicals) and Anson Reppermund (Pittsburgh Thunderbirds) made the All Defense Teams in 2016 and in 2017.

[Lists vis AUDL 2016/2017; comps by SLUDGE]

Map: WFDF 2018 WUCC Bid Allocation

The World Flying Disc Federation released their bid allocations for the 2018 World Ultimate Club Championships in Ohio.

Countries with bid(s) to 2018 WFDF WUCC

As of September 21, thirty-five (35) countries were allocated a bid to the international ultimate event for club teams. Chile has 1 bid to select in either the men's or women's division; the other bid will go to the first country on the wait list.

WUCC list of countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay

Forty (40) teams will play in each of the men's and women's divisions while forty eight (48) teams will compete in the mixed division at WUCC. Overall, thirty-six (36) countries will eventually be allocated a WUCC bid; which computes to 18.4% of all countries in the world.

The United States leads with the most total bids with ten (10) - 3 men's, 3 mixed, 4 women's - followed by Canada and Great Britain with 9 total bids.

[Data via UK Ultimate; map chart by SLUDGE]

Happy Bus Day

The NexGen Tour BUS explored America more than Christopher COLUM-BUS.

So today, we honor the white NexGen Bus that traveled the country in the summers showcasing the sport of ultimate.

What is Ultimate Frisbee?

Explaining the sport of ultimate continues...

Ultimate Frisbee, or simply Ultimate, involves passing a frisbee down the field until there is a catch in the opposing team’s end zone. Its rules are somewhat similar to those of soccer and football.
via Watertown Daily Times (April 16, 2017)

+++++++++++

To give a little background to Ultimate Frisbee, it's a 7-on-7 sport, meaning there are seven players for each team on the field at once. Ultimate Frisbee is a noncontact sport, and "It's self-officiated, which makes it unique in regards to other sports."

...Ultimate Frisbee is a combination of many sports. "There's elements of football, soccer, basketball, and really any sport like those."

The game is played with a disc, and teams can toss that disc to one of their members, but there is no yardage to gain like football. Once someone has received the disc, they can't move, or else they are called for traveling, so like basketball it is important that you establish a pivot foot.

Players get 10 seconds to throw the disc to one of their teammates; if they don't, then it's a turnover. Like football, there is an end zone teams have to try and score in, and each score counts as one point. Most games are played to 15, and teams have to win by two points.
via Flyer News (December 2, 2015)

+++++++++++

With seven players from each team on the field at a time the object is to get the frisbee over the line at the opposite end of the field by throwing it to one of your team members. There is no offside rule and disputes, which seem to be fairly rare,  are sorted on field between the teams and usually the disc is thrown again. The defending team aims to intercept the flying disc and may get up close to the thrower in order to put them off target. It is a very fast moving game and players often dive or leap up high to intercept the disc.
via Goulburn Post (September 10, 2017)

+++++++

"Ultimate frisbee has developed into a culture, allowing all sorts of backgrounds and levels to come together for an extremely fun game." Players also use the sport as a way to de-stress from school.

via Trintionan (October 2, 2017)

Jonathan Nethercutt (Raleigh Flyers) Wins AUDL 2017 MVP

The American Ultimate Disc League announced their MVP of their 2017 season. A player with many tools...Jonathan Nethercutt.

Nutt won the award over other players with impressive stats: Cassidy Rasmussen (San Francisco FlameThrowers), Bobby Ley (Jacksonville Cannons),  Mark Burton (Seattle Cascades) and Jeff Babbitt (New York Empire). He becomes the second consecutive AUDL South Division player to win MVP honors. Nutt is the 4th player to win MVP honors in the 6 seasons of the league.


The finalists were selected by a panel of three voters: Evan Lepler (AUDL.tv commentator), Adam Ruffner (AUDL staff), and Nathan Jesson (Ultiworld AUDL beat writer); the AUDL MVP voting committee is not disclosed.

Surly Brewing Puts Minnesota AUDL Team on Its Tab

Surly Brewing Company (Brooklyn Center, MN) bought the Minnesota American Ultimate Disc League franchise. In their announcement, owner and founder of Surly Brewing Co. (and ultimate player) Omar Ansari said: "When I first met Ben and the Wind Chill team, I saw this spirit of collaboration and a drive to build something new and a little bit off-kilter. It reminded me of the early days of Surly."

Before this sale, the Wind Chill team was previously under the management of the AUDL Executive Office. Surly is already familiar with the Wind Chill as they had Title Sponsorship in the 2017 season.

Plus, via Brandon Matis/MN Wind Chill: Surly has a longstanding history of sponsoring local club teams in Minnesota. Drag'n Thrust, Pop, and Sub Zero, as well as an entire program of elite men's masters teams have adopted Surly's namesake. Surly is also the host of the annual Surly Open, an annual ultimate frisbee and disc golf tournament held in East Bethel.

Omar Ansari: "I've been an avid ultimate fan and player for years—and I have a knee surgery to prove it."

Comparing Per-Game Stats of 2017 AUDL MVP Finalists

The five AUDL finalists for the 2017 MVP honor have put up some impressive numbers. Here's how their *REGULAR SEASON* stats compare averaged per-game.

In this subset, Jeff Babbit leads in Goals, D's, and Points played, Bobby Ley leads in catches and completions, and Mark Burton leads the group in Assists.