The UPA’s Youth Outreach program is centered on organization at the state level. As most HS sports are organized at the state level as well as many institutions (e.g. legal structures and PE associations), states provide readily available structure for the growth of Youth Ultimate. There are two main components to this state level structure: the HS State Championships and the organizers who develop and support the state level infrastructure.
The outreach and development of playing opportunities for youth is a huge task, and one that could not be done without the tremendous support and effort of the UPA's wonderful volunteers. From Youth Advisory Council, to the Regional Youth Directors, to the State Youth Coordinators, there are hundreds of people who dedicate their time to providing more quality opportunities for youth to play Ultimate.
To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of these individuals read on.
The UPA HS State Championship program began in 2003 with two UPA sponsored HS State Championships, Minnesota and Colorado. The program expanded to 8 states in 2004, 13 states in 2005, 16 in 2006, 18 in 2007, 20 in 2008 and now 22 in 2009. These events provide high school teams the opportunity to compete against other in-state HS teams at a nearby event. The HS State Championships also provide legitimacy to the sport at the HS level. It allows one team to be the “State Champion” and allows all teams to strive to participate and perform well at an event.
The State Championships, held in May or early June provide a culmination to the spring HS Ultimate season, which has become the de facto “official” season for high school Ultimate throughout the country. States are chosen to host UPA HS State Championships on a number of criteria. The most important criterion is that the state has hosted a successful UPA sanctioned HS state championship the previous year. Other criteria include the number of HS teams, the presence of a responsible contact, and the availability of logistical support for the event.
The UPA HS State Championships are run by State Youth Coordinators (SYC, see below). State Youth Coordinators are volunteers of the UPA. The SYC may also utilize the work of a Tournament Director to run the logistic aspects (fields, food, etc) for the event while the SYC runs the competition aspects (seeding, format, schedule, and rules) of the tournament. UPA HS State Championships require that all participants are UPA members and require a $150 payment to the UPA for each division. In exchange, the UPA provides the State Championship with trophies for the tournament and spirit winners, a program template, discounted discs and other merchandise for sale, and coverage in the UPA magazine and website.
The UPA hopes to expand the HS State Championships to all 50 states with both open and girls divisions at each as HS Ultimate grows. In larger states, such as California, two geographic areas will be designated as “states” in order to minimize the travel time for teams and the logistics of organizing tournaments with too many teams. As more teams develop and the parity and competitiveness of HS Ultimate grow, the UPA hopes that the HS State Championships will be the premier high school Ultimate events. To find out if your state has a UPA sponsored HS State Championship click here. If your team does not have a HS State Championship and you are interested in hosting one, please contact Meredith Tosta.
Learn more about the UPA High School State Championships:
2009 UPA High School State Championships
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  |
| The UPA is the national governing body for the sport of Ultimate in the United States. All content, copyright 2000-2009. All rights reserved. Comments to the site editor. |
