Skyd is pleased to help announce the 2013 Ultimate Coaches and Players Conference (UCPC) in Boston, Massachusetts on March 2nd, 2013. UCPC will feature 20 to 30 seminars and roundtables focused on promoting, teaching and growing ultimate. A really exciting note is that this year’s UCPC will feature keynote speaker Kenny Dobyns of NYNY and DiscNY fame.
Previous UCPC panel featuring Catherine Greenwald, Kyle Weisbrod and Alex de Frondeville.
Already on the tentative presenters list include: Russell Wallack on “How to Bring Your College Team to the Next Level”; Greg Connelly on “Top 10 Ultimate Rules Everyone Should Know”; co-founder Tiina Booth on “How to Have a Big Practice” and “Mental Toughness 101”; as well as Explosive Ultimate’s Tim Morrill, Meredith Tosta and more to be announced. UCPC will feature an Ultimate Expo — a combination Trade Show, Recruiting Fair and Information Booth. The Expo will feature ultimate vendors, organizers and promoters as well as college and club team recruitment opportunities.
The event is intended for players, organizers, captains, coaches from middle school programs to established club teams.
Co-Founder George Cooke
Co-Founder Tiina Booth is pleased to revive the Conference after last holding it in January of 2008. “This year, while at NUTC again, I decided that the UCPC needed to be revived,” said Booth. “While watching the interactions of the counselors and campers, I was once again struck by how much everyone was learning and how much more there was to share. So I called George [Cooke] and talked him into it. In November we met with Raphael Savir of BUDA and Micah Flynn, who coaches Boston College men. We became the UCPC steering committee of sorts and divided up the tasks.
Though Booth and Cooke ran similar events to the UCPC in 2006 and 2007, Booth noted that such conferences have played a role in developing the sport. “In the eighties, all the ultimate captains on the East Coast would meet once or twice a year, often in Philly or Purchase, to figure out the tournament schedule and discuss any current issues,” Booth noted. ” I think that was a valuable experience and the UCPC, in some way, will mimic that.”
Both USA Ultimate and Ultimate Canada host National Ultimate Conferences, which in Booth’s eyes are steps in the right direction.”I think ultimate players rely on technology to communicate and educate, and often that communication can be counterproductive,” said Booth. “Meeting someone in person will perhaps lead to some real alliances and partnerships in the future. I think there will be more events like this in the years to come, at least from us, if this conference is successful.”
With the recent rapid growth of the sport there’s a lot to be excited for at the UCPC. Booth noted her excitement to walk into the Ultimate Expo and observe the growth of the commercial ultimate world over the last five years. “In 2007 and 2008, the commercial world of ultimate was small,” recalls Booth. “I knew everyone by first name and, for the most part, it was simply a matter of calling these few friends to ask them to sponsor the event and set up a booth at the Ultimate Expo. Five years later, we have four potential men’s leagues, gear companies from coast to coast, new products being announced every week and up-to-the-minute online Ultimate news sites. So while I am personally excited to present (and attend) some seminars, I am looking forward to that moment when I walk into the Ultimate Expo and see what these businesses and organizations have created in the last few years.”
UCPC audience looks on.
Another unique feature of UCPC is how it will measure success this year. UCPC will be run entirely by volunteers and any overage, after costs are covered) will go to BUDA youth programs.
UCPC is currently soliciting presentation proposals until Friday, January 11 at 12 am EST. Registration for the event will open in January.
“The goal of this year’s UCPC is to educate those who are new to our sport, as well as those who have been involved for years,” said Booth. “We want people to enjoy some face-to-face time with the presenters as well as the other attendees…I expect the Expo to be fun, festive and serve as a benchmark of where we are as a sports community.”
Find out more at http://ucpc.us
Comments Policy: At Skyd, we value all legitimate contributions to the discussion of ultimate. However, please ensure your input is respectful. Hateful, slanderous, or disrespectful comments will be deleted. For grammatical, factual, and typographic errors, instead of leaving a comment, please e-mail our editors directly at editors [at] skydmagazine.com.