Further evidence of the great growth of Ultimate are the abundance of awesome summer camps springing up across the country. Camps like NUTC in Amherst and more recently Next Level in Eugene and Madison have their approaches and niches, now Layout Ultimate Camp in NY hopes to teach the next generation of local NY Ultimate players how to sky. Layout Ultimate Camp is being organized by Charlie Roberts, captain of the Middlebury Pranksters. Skyd connected with him to learn a bit more about the camp.
Charlie Roberts readys a flick.
Skyd: Please start by introducing yourself. Who are you (and your friends) and tell us about your Ultimate background.
Charlie Roberts: I’m one of the captains of the Middlebury Pranksters. Rob Hanley and Jon Morgenstern co-founded Layout Ultimate. They are the captains of Lehigh University and Williams College, respectively.
Tell us about the camp you’re starting. What do you hope to accomplish?
We’re starting two camps in Westchester, NY (Larchmont, NY, to be precise). The first, Layout Ultimate Camp is for kids aged 12 and up. We’re requiring no experience at all. At LUC we’re hoping to attract new players to the sport and simply get kids excited about learning to play. Our other camp is called CUT: College Ultimate Training and is for kids aged 14 and up. We aren’t requiring experience, but some experience is recommended. Here, we hope to prepare kids for college level Ultimate, while continuing to reinforce a positive impression of the sport. We’re also hoping to help develop local (New York area) Ultimate. Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, etc. beware.
Who will the counselors be? What will make Layout Ultimate different from other camps out there like Next Level and NUTC?
The three founders of Layout Ultimate - Charlie Roberts, Rob Hanley and Jon Morgenstern.
As of now the three founders, Charlie Roberts, Rob Hanley and Jon Morgenstern are our three counselors. Layout Ultimate differs from NUTC and Next Level Ultimate most notably in its location and minimum age. Layout Ultimate Camp is located in Westchester, NY, an area newer to the sport than Amherst, MA or Eugene, OR. We hope to change that by the end of this summer.
LUC is also a day camp and we’ll be focusing on developing Ultimate players locally as opposed to Ultimate players from the whole country (and, perhaps beyond). Our minimum age will hopefully enable kids at an even younger age to start playing Ultimate.
Why did you decide to put these camps together?
All three of us (Layout Ultimate’s founders) went to high school together and we all ended up becoming captains of our respective teams. Before college, while we occasionally played very casual pick-up, we really didn’t get a chance to learn proper strategy and technique. We thought it would be really exciting for kids in our community to get a chance to start learning to play at an earlier age than we did.
What are the camp details? Where will it be held and for how long?
We’re offering four week-long sessions during the month of July (July 5-9 is our first session and July 25-29 is our last session). LUC is Monday-Friday from 10-2 and and CUT is Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-8pm. Both camps will be in Larchmont, NY.
What are a couple take-aways you plan on focusing on in each of the camps?
For LUC, we want kids to leave camp loving Ultimate. Our primary goal is simply to get kids excited about the sport.
For CUT, we’re hoping to inspire the next generation of college players by showing them that hard work is well rewarded. Disciplined practice pays dividends and everyone can learn to play and play well.
What else can you share about the camp and how can people find out more?
For more, information, check out our website at www.layoutultimate.com. Also, feel free to email us with any questions at info@layoutultimate.com.
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