Guidelines for the 2003 UPA Club Championship Series
(Masters, Mixed, Open, and Women's Divisions)
NOTE: This means RECEIVED at UPA HQ by that date, not postmarked by that date.
*College teams may qualify for an exception to the roster deadline. Please see College Roster Deadline Exception
*An on-time roster must include at least seven players (Mixed rosters must also include at least 3 women and 3 men.)
Minors participating in the Series must have the appropriate forms completed prior to participation (minor's waiver, medical release, chaperone waiver). Please see the Rostering 101 guide for more detailed instructions and links to the appropriate forms.
return to topThe minimum age for the 2003 UPA Masters Open Division is 33 for men and 30 for women (age as of 12/31/03).
An individual player may declare Masters eligibility after open Sectionals if, and only if, one of the following applies:
The purpose of this is to avoid Masters "ringers" affecting Sectional standings. If any of the following guidelines are not followed, the infracting player and/or team(s) may be disqualified from the Series.
return to topCollege Roster Deadline Exception
College teams who start their fall academic term on August 20tht or later are eligible for a roster deadline exception.
Here's how it works:
If a college team meets the above criteria and follows the guidelines as laid out, they will be counted towards a section’s on-time roster count and be exempted from the $50 late fee. Unfortunately, the new players on those rosters will not count towards the growth wildcard, as those rosters will not be received until after sectionals, which is too late for the growth wildcard count. For the same reason, these new players will not count towards any size-wildcard tiebreaker.
return to topIn the Spirit of the Game we depend on participants to report their correct membership status. The Team Spokesperson is responsible for making sure that all non-members sign up. If you have any questions about a participant's membership status, you can check on-line at www.upa.org/members. Or you may contact the UPA at 1-800-872-4384 or by email at . Rosters will be checked and a team or players may be disqualified for ineligible players. After the Series, the Spokesperson may be invoiced for non-members and these players will be suspended from all UPA Sanctioned events until the dues are paid.
Although Ultimate resembles many traditional sports in its basic athletic requirements, the rules are much simpler, which allows the games to be self-officiated. Ever since Ultimate was born, this form of self-empowerment on the field of play has gone far beyond being a mere convenience factor. The concept called “playing by the Spirit of The Game” has become ingrained in the basic philosophy of the sport; is written into the rules; and is practiced at all levels of play, from corporate leagues to the World Championships.
Ultimate relies on a spirit of integrity, which places the responsibility for fair play on the individual. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect. Actions that go against these basic principles may hasten a day when players no longer control the game. Remember, no set of rules can replace players’ respect for one another and the Spirit of the Game.
return to topThe team roster is not a contract. The information requested on the roster is to obtain insurance for the tournaments and to accommodate the informational demands of UPA membership. Deliberate misrepresentation of fact may constitute fraud and responsible individuals may be subject to disciplinary action. Participation in UPA Sectionals is conditioned upon adherence to the Rules of Ultimate and the UPA Bylaws. The UPA is not responsible for injury or loss to participants resulting from the inherent dangers of the sport or the negligence of others.
return to topAny team may participate in Sectionals provided they have met the Team Requirements for participation as outlined above under General Team Info. There is no additional qualifying process for the first (Sectional) level of the UPA Series.
For the purposes of tournament logistics, Sectional Coordinators and Tournament Directors may impose a deadline by which teams must decide whether they will attend the tournament. This deadline may be associated with submission of a tournament entry fee, as determined by the coordinator and TD. Tournament Directors may keep entry fees from teams that pull out of the tournament beyond a certain date, provided that date and the fee are reasonable, were approved by the event's UPA coordinator, and were communicated by the TD or coordinator to the teams ahead of time.
Regional bids will be allocated to sections based on the number of teams in each section that meet the roster deadline and participate at Sectionals (General Team Info). (Note that the use of on-time rosters for regional bids is new this year.)
Bids to Regionals will be based on the following formula:
N=total number of teams in the region that meet the
roster deadline and participate at Sectionals
R=total number of spots in Regionals (R=16)
a=number of teams that meet the roster deadline and
participate at Sectionals for Section A
b= number of teams that meet the roster deadline
and participate at Sectionals for Section B (and so on)
a + b. . .=N
Section A gets (a/N) x R bids to Regionals
Partial (fractional) bids will not be awarded unless fewer than 16
total bids have been allocated (see below). There will be a maximum
of 16 bids to Regionals.
If a team forfeits its bid to Regionals, the bid will be offered to the next highest finishing (eligible) team from the forfeiting team's section. This procedure will be followed until the bid is awarded. If no teams in that section accept the bid, this process will be repeated starting with the section next in line to receive a bid according to the allocation formula. If a team drops out less than one week prior to the tournament, the Regional Coordinator may accelerate the above process by shortening response times and immediately contacting all potential replacement teams. If the spot has not been filled 3 days prior to the tournament, the RC may award the bid at his/her discretion with the approval of the National Division Director.
For the purposes of tournament logistics, Regional Coordinators and
Tournament Directors may impose a deadline by which teams must decide
whether they will attend the tournament. This deadline may be associated
with submission of a tournament entry fee, as determined by the coordinator
and TD. Tournament Directors may keep entry fees from teams that pull
out of the tournament beyond a certain date, provided that date and
the fee are reasonable, were approved by the event's UPA coordinator,
and were communicated by the TD or coordinator to the teams ahead
of time.
In each division, each region will receive two automatic bids to
the UPA Championship.
Additionally, 4 wildcards will be awarded in each of the Open, Mixed,
and Women's (OMW) divisions (see explanation below). The Masters modified
"Anti-Wildcard" system is also described below.
Wildcards for Open, Women's, Mixed Divisions
Open, Women's, and Mixed Divisions
Using the previous year's Club Championships, final placements of the worst finishing teams from each region are compared. Additionally, if a Region had 4 teams in attendance, then the 3rd finishing team from that Region also participates in the comparison. The best two final placements of all compared teams each win a strength wildcard for their respective Regions. (Note that this means if the 3rd and 4th finishing teams from one Region place higher than all the other teams under comparison, that Region wins both strength wildcards.) Finally, if a Region has exactly 3 teams in attendance at Nationals and all 3 place above the 2nd place finishing teams from all the other Regions, then that Region wins both strength wildcards.
If there is a tie in final placement then the following tie-breakers will be used.
Application of the Strength Wildcard formula results in the wildcards being awarded to the following regions:
Open Division:
Northwest - 1 wildcard
South - 1 wildcard
Women's Division
Northwest - 2 wildcards
Mixed Division
MidAtlantic - 1 wildcard
South - 1 wildcard
One size wildcard will be awarded on the basis of the number of teams in each region. The region that has the most teams who meet the pre-Series roster deadline and participate at Sectionals will get the size wildcard. If there is a tie, the size wildcard will go to the region with the most players on the "on-time" rosters of teams participating at Sectionals. If there is still a tie, the size wildcard will go to the region with the most total teams competing at Sectionals.
What?
One growth wildcard in each division (Open/Mixed/Women's) will be
awarded to the region with the highest "percentage growth"
of UPA members in the current year (new members divided by total members
the previous year).
Who?
In the Open Division, new male UPA members will be counted. In the
Women's Division, new female members will be counted. In the Mixed
Division, the total number of new UPA members (male and female) will
count towards the growth wildcard.
A person is considered a new member if he or she signed up (for the first time) for a UPA membership during the current year. Only new members who sign up by their appropriate sectional roster deadline will count towards the growth wildcard. New members will count for the region in which they have their mailing address on file in the UPA database.
When?
The new member count will take place following the HQ roster deadline.
Only new members who have signed up before the roster deadline will
count.
How?
Using the UPA database, roster deadlines, and a more efficient system
for tracking members, it is now possible to provide the numbers needed
for tracking growth in this manner. Again, roster deadlines are an
important factor, so please be sure to find out when those deadlines
are.
Why?
This growth system is designed to encourage and reward the growth
of ultimate and the UPA. Growth of the sport and the UPA is fundamentally
linked to the success and quality of the UPA Championship Series.
Growth represents the future of the sport in terms of future sponsors,
fans, and players. Even as Ultimate becomes more and more refined,
with many different levels and styles of play, players at all levels
have a profound influence on the spread of the sport. This influence
may be as team captains, coaches, league organizers, and tournament
directors.
It is to a large degree the Championship Series players who have
the experience to help grow the sport. The growth wildcard is designed
to provide an extra incentive, and reward, for those players who put
their experience to use to spread ultimate. At the same time, the
growth wildcard will not just be connected to numbers from the Championship
Series, and because growth throughout the year will count, the Series
itself will not have to be the focus of recruiting efforts. This means
less desperate recruiting to getting brand new, inexperienced teams
to attend Sectionals in an attempt to capture a wildcard. This means
that Series players and teams will be able to focus on championship
play, and organizers will not be forced to split their time trying
to run the Series and recruit new players and teams at the same time.
Sectional and Regional tournament formats will be determined by coordinators using UPA guidelines. Contact your Sectional or Regional Coordinator for information.
The 2003 Club Series will be played under the 10th Edition Rules of Ultimate. Certain changes to those rules may be implemented under the captain's clause, provided that:
If captains want observers to be present at the tournament, they must notify their coordinator at least 2 weeks prior to the tournament. This will help tournament organizers and the UPA find and provide training for observers prior to the event.
The UPA reserves the right to disqualify players who fail to meet the uniform requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. Why does the UPA have uniform requirements?
A. The Club Championship tournament has importance beyond the competing teams; it is a spectator event, and non-players (including observers, photographers, journalists, fans, and stat-keepers) need to be able to identify teams and players. The tournament is also one of the UPA's showcase events, and it is imperative that the sport be presented in its best light.
Q. Do we have to wear uniforms throughout the Club Series?
A. No. At this point, these requirements apply only to the Championship Tournament (a.k.a. Club Nationals). They will likely apply to the entire Series (Sectionals, Regionals, and Nationals) at some point in the future.
Q. What if I want my number to be an ankh or a symbol representing the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter?
A. Only Arabic numerals are allowed. Positive, whole numbers (zero is also OK).
Q. The UPA won't really disqualify a player who shows up at the Championships without a number, will it?
A. Yes. The UPA is quite serious about enforcing these rules.
The Gender Ratio for the Mixed Division of the UPA Championship Series (Sectionals, Regionals, and the UPA Championships) will be 4/3, meaning 4 men and 3 women, or 4 women and 3 men. The receiving team will determine if the current point will be played with 4 men and 3 women or 4 women and 3 men. The pulling team must match the gender ratio of the receiving team. If the pulling team cannot match the gender of all 7 players, then it must play with fewer than 7 players, matching the gender of as many players as possible.
In the event of an injury time-out where a player leaves the field, the replacing player must be the same gender as the injured player. If a team replaces players, the opposing team has the option of substituting a like number of, or fewer players. The replacing player(s) must be the same gender as the player(s) they replace. If a team calls an injury time-out but does not have a replacement player of the same gender as the injured player, it may not replace that player and must play with fewer than 7 players.
US Team Selection for 2004 WUGC
The following is an excerpt from the UPA International Policy, passed by the UPA Board of Directors on 8/28/03. The excerpt pertains to the team selection procedures for the World Ultimate and Guts Championships, sanctioned by the World Flying Disc Federation every 4 years, where each country is represented by a single national team in each division for which it qualifies.
The process outlined below states, in summary, that the highest finishing US team at the 2003 UPA Club Championships in each division will be chosen to represent the US at the 2004 WUGC in Finland. The format for the championship tournament will not be modified due to the presence of non-US teams, unless a game to determine 3rd and 4th place is necessary (should two non-US teams make the finals).
For further questions about the policy, contact Deirdre Abrahamsson, UPA International Committee Chair at .
VI. International Competition Selection Processes
The UPA has developed selection procedures for players and teams participating in the following international competitions. In some cases, requirements and procedures are set forth by WFDF and/or GAISF.
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