| Skyd Fund 2014: 16 Days – Building a Championship Team

As part of our 2014 Skyd Fundraiser celebrating 3 years of Skyd, we wanted to turn the page back to look at all of the great ultimate work our awesome contributors have put together. The Skyd Staff and contributors will be counting down the days of our fund with their favorite pieces.

Skyd Fund 2014 is presented by the Windmill Windup!

You can be a part of the fund and join the Skyd coverage crew at Windmill Windup X at the $4000 level. Don’t miss a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Celebrate Skyd with Skyd Fund 2014

16 Days – How to Build a Championship Ultimate Team

Skyd has had the privilege of working with a ton of amazing contributors over the years. A coach in the South-side of Seattle, and frequent stat-keeper and analyzer for Seattle Sockeye, Paul Illian has stood out as someone with astounding understanding and perspective on the game often backed by piles of meticulously scoured data. Having traveled with his son Ray Illian (formerly of Sockeye) around the globe to observe ultimate, Paul has seen just about everything the sport is made up of and deeply understands what makes teams successful.

Paul’s series How to Build a Championship Ultimate Team was one of Skyd’s earliest features, and still resonates today as one of the most thoughtful and complete dissertations on where true success comes from on the ultimate field.

“When spectators see an established elite team in action, they are looking at the results of a long building process – a process that can take years, involving a great deal of behind the scenes effort and a whole lot of patience. The memory of what it took to build the championship team is often lost by the time the third generation of players is in place. But rest assured, it is possible to build a world champion team from scratch.” – Original Article