Wednesday, August 29, 2018

WJUC 2018 USA Player Leaderboard

WFDF's 2018 World Junior Ultimate Championships finished last weekend with USA Ultimate Under-20 National Teams winning gold in both divisions. The men's and women's teams were rostered with players from all over the country. Using the provided WJUC data, here is a compilation of the offensive leaders for both the USA Ultimate teams.

  • One player averaged at least 1 assist + 1 goal at WJUC: Claire Trop [1.55 assists/game; 1 goal/game] in 11 games.
  • Every player on the USA's U-20 men's roster threw at least 1 assist + scored at least 1 goal. 

TOP PERFORMING PLAYERS [Averaging Assists + Goals = 1.0 minimum]
USA Ultimate Stats: Assists +_and Goals @ WJUC 2018

TOP GOAL SCORERS [8 or more goals]
21 = Stacy Gaskill (W)
16 = Ben Preiss (M)
15 = Ella Juengst (W), Elliott Moore (M), Connor Ryan (M)
13 = Dawn Culton (W), Sam Hammar (M)
12 = Robin Anthony-Petersen (W)
11 = Claire Trop (W)
10 = Hazel Ostrowski (W)
9 = Clil Phillips (W), Bailey Shigley (W), Tess Johnson (W)
8 = Carly Campana (W), Trevor Lynch (M), Caleb Seamon (M), Jake Taylor (M), Jake Thorne (M), Tony Venneri (M)


TOP ASSIST LEADERS [7 or more assists]
26 = Jonny Malks (M)
21 = Stephanie Phillips (W)
17 = Claire Trop (W)
15 = Ryan Dinger (M)
14 = Kate Lanier (W)
13 = Rachel Hess (W)
10 = Carly Campana (W)
9 = Alyssa Ehrhardt (W), Skye Fernandez (W),
Kodi Smart (M), Leo Sovell-Fernandez (M), Jake Taylor (M)
8 = Stacy Gaskill (W), Elliott Moore (M), Peixian Rong (W), Ted Schewe (M), Tony Venneri (M), Dylan Villeneuve (M)
7 = Lauren Carothers-Liske (W), Abby Hecko (W), Joey Kennedy (M), John McDonnell (M)

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[M, W data via WJUC; compilation by SLUDGE]


Monday, August 27, 2018

WJUC 2018 Results

WFDF's World Junior (Under-20) Ultimate Championships finished on Saturday, August 25. Thirty-one (31) teams from 18 different countries played in the men's (boys) and women's (girls) WJUC divisions. USA National Teams combined for a (22-0) record at the international ultimate event and two gold medals. There have been 3 sweeps in the history of WJUC; twice by USA (2006, 2018) and once by Canada in 2002.

Men's WJUC 2018
USA National Team won 15-10 over Team Canada. USA's win is their 8th WJUC gold -- the most by any country in this WJUC division. Also, this is USA's 7th gold medal in the past 8 WJUC events.  Bronze was won by France - their first-ever WJUC medal.

Women's WJUC 2018
USA National Team won 15-8 over Colombia. USA's win is their 4th WJUC gold, which is the most by any country in the WJUC women's/girls division. Canada won bronze. WJUC 2018 marked the 5th consecutive WJUC where Canada, Colombia, and USA have been the top-3 teams in the women's division.



Video: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Address to WJUC 2018

After endorsing a 2018 bid for the World Junior Ultimate Championships, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was prompted (?) to address the gathering of 18 nations in Waterloo.



Trudeau: "I played a lot of ultimate in my youth. I was even an ultimate coach...If any sport can change the world, it's gonna be ultimate." 


Thursday, August 23, 2018

Chart: WJUC Medal Count

The 2018 World Junior Ultimate Championships is moving to the playoff stage. WJUC events began in 1983 for the men's division and in the year 2000 for the women's division. USA leads with the most earned medals with a total of 21. Canada has won the second most medals with 18, followed by Sweden with 12 total medals (10 of which are gold).

12 = # of different countries that have medaled at WJUC.
10 = # of different countries that have won WJUC bronze (men's or women's)
9 = # of different countries that have won WJUC silver (men's or women's)
7 = # of different countries that have won WJUC gold (men's or women's)
2 = # of countries that have won both WJUC gold in men's AND women's divisions; Canada (5), USA (10)




WJUC Medal Count | Men (1983- 2016) Women (2000-2016) 



NOTES: USA did not participate in the 1983, 1984, 1986, 1992, and 2002 WJUC events; other countries non-participation was not researched.

There was a tie for bronze at 2006 WJUC Women's division.


Wednesday, August 22, 2018

NYT: Can Ultimate Frisbee Save the World?

The New York Times published an opinion piece, "Can Ultimate Frisbee Save the World?" written by Jennifer Finney Boylan which highlights the amazing efforts by Ultimate Peace.


David Barkan, who volunteers as the chief executive of Ultimate Peace: "We're not trying to bring peace to the Middle East. That's not the goal. It’s about changing a mind-set through the values of the sport that we know leads to peace between people."

Read more...


Monday, August 20, 2018

Map Chart: USA Rosters for WJUC 2018

The World Junior Ultimate Championships are underway in Waterloo, Canada. The United States is one of 13 countries who have both a men's and a women's team competing at WJUC 2018.

Overall, fifteen (15) states are represented on the USA Under-20 rosters. Washington state is well represented with a total of thirteen (13) U-20 players on the USA rosters - accounting for 27% of the USA U20 combined rostered players. As a comparison, California and North Carolina at 6 players each are tied at second, Virginia is third with 5 players.

The men's 24-player U20 roster represents 13 different states:

Orion Cable, Connor Chin, Drew Di Francesco, Ryan Dinger, Leo Gordon, Sam Hammar, Henry Ing, Adam Jemal, Joey Kennedy, Trevor Lynch, Johnny Malks, John McDonnell, Elliott Moore, Benjamin Preiss, June Tabasan Rapisura, Connor Ryan, Ted Schewe, Caleb Seamon, Kodi Smart, Leonide Sovell-Fernandez, Jake Taylor, Jake Thorne, Tony Venneri, Dylan Villeneuve

The women's 24-player roster U20 represents 9 different states:
Robin Anthoy-Petersen, Carly Campana, Lauren Carothers-Liske, Dawn Culton, Anna Dreher, Alyssa Ehrhardt, Skye Fernandez, Stacy Gaskill, Abby Hecko, Rachel Hess, Tess Johnson, Ella Juengst, Jenna Krugler, Kate Lanier, Erin McCann, Amy Nguyen, Hazel Ostrowski, Clil, Phillips, Stephanie Phillips, Peixian Rong, Bailey Shigley, Clara Stewart, Caroline Tornquist, Claire Trop


Friday, August 17, 2018

2018 WFDF World Junior Ultimate Championships

The 2018 World Junior Ultimate Championships begin in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada on August 18 and conclude on August 25. Thirty-one (31)  teams from 18 different countries are scheduled - in the men's and women's division - to complete at WJUC 2018. As a comparison, WJUC 2016 had 49 teams.



18 = # of WJUC 2018 teams in the men's division

13 = # of WJUC 2018 teams in the women's division

13 = # of countries represented by two teams at WJUC 2018 teams. (Australia, Canada, Peoples Republic of China, Colombia, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, and USA)

5 = # of countries represented by one team at WJUC 2018. (Belgium, Dominican Republic, Finland, Hong Kong, and Sweden)



Monday, August 13, 2018

Madison Radicals AUDL 2018 Champions

Madison Radicals finally won an AUDL Championship. The Radicals are tops in the American Ultimate Disc League after winning their 1st AUDL title.



Madison has been a consistent winner in the Midwest Division and the Radicals have always advanced to the AUDL Championship Weekend in every season. After 3 losses in the semifinals and 2 losses in the finals in past Championship Weekends, Madison won the 2018 AUDL Championship over Dallas Roughnecks by the score of 20-16 [10-8 halftime]. The Radicals held the Roughnecks to their lowest goal total in the AUDL 2018 season.

In an ISTHMUS article preceding the weekend, Radicals head coach Tim DeByl was quoted: "I feel as confident coming into a Championship Weekend as I ever have." The Radicals team collectively won a total of $20,000 in addition to the AUDL trophy. AUDL Championship Weekend VII was hosted in Madison, Wisconsin at Breese Stevens field.

Madison is the sixth different AUDL team to win the championship over 7 seasons. Radicals are the first Midwest Division team to win the AUDL trophy. Madison now posts a record of (10-5) in the AUDL postseason over six seasons.


Friday, August 10, 2018

AUDL Championship Weekend VII (2018)

The final weekend of the American Ultimate Disc League 2018 season* concludes with AUDL Championship Weekend VII. Four team representing each AUDL division have earned their spot to Madison. The Radicals are perennial contenders, Dallas Roughnecks have been here before (literally), New York Empire return to AUDL semifinals, and Los Angeles Aviators are first-timers to the AUDL Championship Weekend.


SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
New York Empire (8-6, 2-0) vs Dallas Roughnecks (13-1, 1-0) @ 5:00 PM ET
Los Angeles Aviators (11-3, 1-0) vs Madison Radicals (12-2, 1-0) @ 8:00 PM ET

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12
2018 AUDL Championship Game @ 1:00 PM ET

Watch on Stadium.


AUDL 2018 Postseason
The favorites from the West (Aviators), Midwest (Radicals), and South (Roughnecks) Divisions all advanced to Championship Weekend. The New York Empire (East Division) are the only semifinalist team not to win their division's regular season crown; the Empire are the first-ever team to finish in 3rd place of the division to advance to Championship Weekend.

*During the 2018 AUDL season, there was an AUDL boycott and WFDF Club Worlds.


Wednesday, August 08, 2018

2018 Youth Club Championships Results

The 2018 Youth Club Championships at USA Ultimate's U.S. Open included three divisions - boys, girls and mixed - for the Under-20 players and two divisions - boys, girls - for the Under-17 level. YCC ultimate competition concluded August 6 in Blaine, Minnesota.

YCC Boys U20
Gold: Washington DC Foggy Bottom Boys (5)
Silver: Seattle Supreme (4)
Bronze: Atlanta ATLiens (7)

YCC Girls U20
Gold: Triangle Area Warhawks (1)
Silver: Washington DC Rogue (3)
Bronze: Seattle Sauce (6)

YCC Mixed U20
Gold: San Diego Powerline (4)
Silver: Seattle Bankroll (2)
Bronze: Philadelphia Forge (6)

YCC Boys U17 
Gold: Seattle Space Jam (1)
Silver: Oregon Eruption! (12)
Bronze: Bay Area Aftershock (5)

YCC Girls U17
Gold: Cincinnati Baby Belle (2)
Silver: Seattle Insidious (1)
Bronze: Triangle Area Kitty Hawks (3)

Youth Club Championships 2018 Medals by Location


5 = # of Seattle YCC teams that won a YCC 2018 medal; one in each division at YCC 2018.

9 = # of different locations that medaled at YCC 2018.

3 = # of different locations that won multiple medals (Seattle, 5; DC, 2; Triangle Area, 2)


Monday, August 06, 2018

Results: WFDF World Masters Ultimate Club Championships 2018

Club ultimate teams from the US swept gold at WFDF 2018 World Masters Ultimate Club Championships - just like at 2018 WUCC.  Of the 23 teams representing the USA, ten (10) teams medaled.

Masters Men Division
Gold: Raleigh Boneyard
Silver: New York All Bashed Out
Bronze: Denver Johnny Encore

Masters Mixed Division
Gold: Boston Molasses Disaster
Silver: Austin 512
Bronze: San Francisco Bridge Club

Masters Women Division
Gold: Seattle iRot
Silver: Japan Mu-Syozoku
Bronze: North Carolina Ripe

Grandmasters Men Division
Gold: Minnesota Surly (GM)
Silver: Denver Johnny Walker
Bronze: Toronto Tombstone


Medal Qty Team(s)
Gold 4 Boneyard, iRot, Molasses Disaster, Surly
Silver 3 512, All Bashed Out, Johnny Walker 
Bronze 3 Bridge Club, Johnny Encore, Ripe 

4 = # of WMUCC gold medals won by US club ultimate teams [Boneyard, iRot, Molasses Disaster, Surly (GM)]

10 = total # of 2018 WMUCC medals won by US club ultimate teams


SPOTTED: Frisbee Emoji on Twitter

The day you have been waiting for since has arrived!

A frisbee emoji is an available option via desktop Twitter listed in the 'Activity' section of the emjoi menu. The flying disc emoji - as approved in Unicode 11.0 - is expected for all devices in late 2018. 

Sort of like at 2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate, the golden yellow flying disc is available over the traditional white disc.


Sunday, August 05, 2018

Ultimate Commercial by USA Ultimate

After last year's sweet hype video about the sport of ultimate, USA Ultimate throws together another good one. This commercial, which debuted on ESPN 2 tonight, shows some live-action from a game between 2 teams of invited players.

Long live Grit and Grace. Long #LiveUltimate.


Friday, August 03, 2018

WMUCC 2018 Finals

The 2018 WFDF World Masters Ultimate Club Championship games are set. All club ultimate teams from the United States except for Japan's Mu-Syozoku in the women's division.

Masters Men Division
Raleigh-Durham Boneyard (10) vs New York All Bashed Out (4)

Masters Mixed Division
Boston Molasses Disaster (11) vs Austin 512 (3)

Masters Women Division
Seattle iRot (5) vs Japan Mu-Syozoku (3)

Grandmasters Men Division
Denver/Boulder Johnny Walker (3) vs Minneapolis Surly GM (1)




The Grandmasters final will be played on Friday, August 3rd @ 7:00p CDT. The other division will be playe don Saturday, August 4th; Master Men @ 09:30a CDT, Masters Women @ 12:00p CDT, and Masters Mixed @ 2:30p CDT.


WMUCC 2018 Semi-Finalists

Day 5 is done and 4 club ultimate teams in each division have advanced. USA is represented the most with 13 club ultimate teams; Canada (GM, MW) has 2 teams and Japan (W) has 1 club ultimate team in the semis at the WFDF World Masters Ultimate Club Championships.

Canada, Japan, and USA combined for 52 (72%) of the 72 teams competing at WMUCC.



Masters Men Division
New York All Bashed Out (USA) vs Denver Johnny Encore (USA)
Raleigh-Durham Boneyard (USA) vs Baltimore Rest Stop (USA)

Masters Mixed Division
Boston Molasses Disaster (USA) vs San Francisco Bridge Club (USA)
Austin 512 (USA) vs Southern California Members Only (USA)

Masters Women Division
Calgary Dyna (Canada) vs Seattle iRot (USA)
Mu-Syozoku (Japan) vs North Carolina  Ripe (USA)

Grandmasters Men Division
Minneapolis Surly (USA) vs Toronto Tombstone (Canada)
Denver/Boulder Johnny Walker (USA) vs Oakland Shadows (USA)


Wednesday, August 01, 2018

WFDF Overdelivered on WUCC 2018 Coverage

Back in 2014, we yearned for more video coverage of WUCC 2014 when there was a fraction of broadcasted games.

We opined:
"proper resources must be dedicated to video capture our sport. Ultimate deserves it. The players deserve it. And, the fans deserve it."

In 2014, 22 total WUCC games - including masters division - were broadcasted. In 2018, 70 more ultimate games than 2014 were streamed for a total of 92* games which calculates to coverage of ~15% of all (628) played games.
Breakdown of Live Streams at WUCC 2018
Each division saw a major increase in coverage. Men's division had 21 more broadcasted games at WUCC 2018 compared to 2014. The mixed division had 25 more broadcasted games in 2018 compared to the 2014 WUCC event. Women's division had 26 more broadcasted games in 2018 compared to WUCC 2014.

The technology for streaming live games has improved since 2014 and the location of the 2018 event - Cincinnati (USA) - certainly boosted the ability to offer so many more ultimate games to viewers than in 2014 (Lecco, Italy). WFDF announced more event coverage in March 2018 and overdelivered on its promise with knowledgeable on-air personalities plus a variety of online media portals via the Olympic Channel, Ultiworld, Fanseat, WFDF's YouTube channel, and WFDF Facebook.

The World Flying Disc Federation's World Ultimate Club Championships was a massive event. Players seemed to review positively about the tournament. WUCC 2018 felt like WFDF finally embraced the opportunity of engaging ultimate fans from around the world seeking to follow the action remotely. Hoping the 2018 live streaming model continues for WFDF's next ultimate championship events.


*The continuation of nighttime indoor semifinals streams were not double counted.