Registration and Eligibility
Registration Deadlines
Team Requirements
Player Requirements
Important Documents
UPA Contact Info
Competition Guidelines
Spirit of the Game
Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines
Uniform Requirements
Formats
Seeding
Forfeit Rule
Rules
Observers
Overview
The UPA Grand Masters/Masters Women’s Championships will be held July 11-12 in Denver, CO at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
The UPA GM/MW Championships is an experimental event. The goal of this event is to provide national level competition for any player over 40 (Grand Masters) and for women players over 30 (Masters Women). The event will also be used to assess the level of demand for these divisions of play and serve as a starting point for determining future playing opportunities. The guidelines that follow are the UPA’s requirements for qualification and criteria for acceptance for the UPA GM/WM Championships. As these are experimental and growing divisions, these guidelines and the bid allocation process are subject to change.
In order to award bids early enough so that teams can make the necessary preparations for selecting and preparing teams, and so that organizers can make the necessary preparations, there is an early registration period (Phase 1) during which a minimum number of teams (6 per division) must register in order to hold the event for each division. If the minimum registration requirements are met during Phase 1, a late registration period (Phase 2) will be opened up for additional teams.
In order to have the designation as an official UPA championship, a division must have at least one team representing each of the Club Regions in its official team count. See Team Requirements in the guidelines below.
1) Phase 1 Team Registration Deadline: Teams must register and submit a $180 deposit by March 13 (5PM Mountain Time) by submitting a Team Application Form to UPA headquarters. For a division to be held, at least 6 teams must register by the Phase 1 Team Registration Deadline. Note: Phase 1 registration does not require the submission of your roster of players.
2) Phase 1 Team Confirmation: Confirmation of Phase 1 bids will be sent out by March 20.
3) Phase 2 Team Registration Deadline: For each division, if the minimum registration requirements (6 teams/division) are met during Phase 1, additional teams will be able to register for the event through April 24. Teams must register by submitting a Phase 2 Team Application Form and a $180 deposit to UPA headquarters by April 24 (5PM Mountain Time). Note: Awarding of Phase 2 bids will be contingent upon space available at the event. Space is very limited, and teams not awarded bids will be placed on a wait list.
4) Phase 2 Team Confirmation: Confirmation of Phase 2 bids will be sent out during early May.
5) Final Roster Deadline: June 15 – Teams will have until this date to add players to their roster and pay player fees.
6) Event Date: July 11-12 in Denver, CO
1) All teams must meet the registration deadlines with the appropriate materials, as outlined in this document.
2) Team Registration Deadline: March 13 (5PM Mountain/7PM Eastern). Requirements are outlined above in the Registration Deadlines section above.
3) Final Roster Deadline: June 15 (5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern)
a) Rosters must be finalized, via the online rostering system by this date. The online rostering link will be made available after Phase 1 Team Confirmations.
b) Players may be added to the roster between Team Confirmation and the Final Roster Deadline.
4) Registration clarifications and exceptions:
a) Roster changes
i) Up until the Final Roster Deadline, an unlimited number of additions may be made to your roster.
ii) All rostered players must be entered into the online registration system prior to the Final Roster Deadline
iii) Up to two additions can be made up til the night before the event free of charge. Additions after that time will be subject to the discretion of UPA staff and will require payment of a late fee.
b) Player minimums
i) In order for a team to be able to participate in the event, it must have at least 10 players registered by the Final Roster Deadline.
c) Player maximums
i) As in the Masters Open Division, starting in 2009, the maximum size of a team’s roster is 29 players.
5) Geographic Requirements
a) A team must represent at least one of the current Club Regions.
b) At least 75% of the players on a team's roster must reside in the region the team is representing.
c) No more than 5 players may reside outside the region the team is representing.
d) "Residence" is defined as meeting BOTH of the following requirements:
i) Location where person is living for the majority of July, AND
ii) Location where person is living for the majority of either the 3 months prior to July 1 or immediately following July 31.
e) If the above definition means that a player does not have a region as their “residence”, then the player is considered to be an out-of-region player and counts towards a team’s out-of-region limits (maximum of 5 out-of-region players and no more than 25% of the roster).
f) Regional boundaries are available on the UPA website http://www.upa.org/regional-map/regionalmap.shtml.
6) Official Team Count
a) A division’s official team count will include all of the teams that meet the division’s registration requirements and competition guidelines and who attend the event.
b) In order for a division to be held in conjunction with the event, it must have at least 6 teams in its “official team count”.
c) In order to have the designation as an official UPA championship, a division must have at least one team representing each of the Club Regions in its official team count.
7) Rosters are closed once the Final Roster Deadline has passed, and no players can be added to a roster for the event without approval of UPA staff.
8) Failure to abide by any of the above rules may result in ramifications outlined in the “Violations and Sanctions” section of these guidelines.
1) Age Limits - The minimum age (as of 12/31/09) for the 2009 UPA GM/MW Championships are as follows:
a) Grand Masters Division: 40 years – men; 36 years – women
(Note: The Grand Masters Division is an "open" division, which means either gender can play. There is a lower age limit for women playing in this division. However, there is not a separate Grand Masters Women's Division.)
(Note: The age limit for women playing Grand Masters will be raised to 37 starting in 2010.)
b) Women’s Masters Division: 30 years
2) All players participating on a team must be listed on the team roster. The ramifications for having a player not on a team's roster participate in the event with that team are outlined in the “Violations and Sanctions” section of these guidelines.
3) Players may appear on only one roster for the GM/WM Championships.
a) No player may participate in more than one division of the GM/WM Championships.
b) The ramifications for having a player participate in more than one division, or be on more than one roster are outlined in the, “Violations and Sanctions” section of these guidelines.
4) UPA Dues - All players listed on the roster must be current UPA members in good standing prior to the event. Non members who do not pay dues by the start of the event will be crossed off the roster and will be ineligible to play in event until they submit the appropriate forms and fees. The ramifications for having a non-member participate in the event with a team are outlined in the, “Violations and Sanctions” section of these guidelines.
5) Liability Waivers - Each player must fill out (completely and correctly) the appropriate UPA waiver form for the year in which they will be competing. This form is good for the entire calendar year of UPA membership. Waivers must be submitted to UPA Headquarters prior to participation in the event.
6) Tournament Fee - $45 per player tournament fee for all players listed on the roster. The $180 deposit you submitted covers 4 player fees. Please subtract $180 from the amount you send in to cover your total team payment.
7) Failure to abide by any of the above rules may result in ramifications outlined in the “Violations and Sanctions” section of these guidelines.
- Team Application Form
- UPA Membership Form
- UPA Waiver
GM/MW Championships
(Your Division/ Name of Team)
Ultimate Players Association
4730 Table Mesa Drive, Suite I-200C
Boulder, CO 80305
(303) 447-3472
Failure to abide by any of the GM/MW Championships Guidelines may result in sanctions through the UPA conduct process <link>. Such sanctions may be imposed on a team or individuals associated with a team deemed to be in violation of the guidelines, and may include, but are not limited to, suspension or disqualification from UPA competition.
In order to help teams follow event guidelines and avoid violations, the UPA will continue to work to improve registration procedures and communication of information pertaining to the UPA GM/WM Championships. As these improvements are made by the organization, teams will continue to be held more fully responsible for following event procedures and understanding event information. Because consistency in holding all participants to the same administrative and competitive standards is vital to the integrity of UPA events, because many violations lead to unfair advantages in competition, and because it is often difficult to determine intent, guideline violations will result in serious repercussions. Such repercussions will provide an incentive for players and teams to understand the guidelines fully, follow the guidelines carefully, and avoid intended or unintended violations in the future.
Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship which places the responsibility for fair play on the player himself. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed-upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling, or other 'win at all costs' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players.
Spirit of the Game sets Ultimate apart from other competitive team sports. For 40 years, Ultimate has flourished, reaching a highly competitive level, without the use of referees. In Ultimate, the honor system works. Sure, human nature rears its ugly head from time to time - just as in any sport, just as in life. Yet, one of the many beauties of Ultimate is how, even amid the most difficult of situations, utmost graciousness is allowed to meet that challenge head on. Through this balance, Ultimate players are free to demonstrate the most honorable and the most joyous sides of human nature in sport.
Most Ultimate players care deeply about Spirit of the Game. The organizational challenge for the UPA is to foster an environment where the challenge does not become, "to see what I can get away with". Rather than dictate what Spirit of the Game is or should be, it is up to each player to do so for him or herself within the context of the teams he or she plays with and against.
Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines
The format for the event will be determined by UPA Championship Series staff, with the goals of determining a champion, showcasing the division at its best, and providing a great playing experience for all the teams.
Seeding
Seeding for the UPA GM/WM Championships will be done by Championship Series staff using the following information: input solicited from all the captains of participating teams; results of head to head match-ups prior to the Championships; other applicable information such as team composition during or prior to the Championships. (The UPA has the authority to adjust rankings according to the best information available.)
The 2009 GM/WM Championships will be played under the UPA Official Rules of Ultimate, 11th Edition. Click here (http://www.upa.org/ultimate/rules/11th_links) for rules information.
Any changes to those rules, implemented under the captain's clause, must meet the following criteria:
If captains want observers to be present at a tournament, they must notify the UPA at least 4 weeks prior to the tournament. This will facilitate volunteer recruitment and training prior to the event. The use of observers may be contingent upon rule changes approved through the captain's and/or event organizer's clause, and is subject to the availability of observer staff.
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