YUCC 2014: Mike Payne – May 25, 1961
by | February 25, 2014, 12:28pm 0
YUCC 2014
The 2014 Youth Ultimate Coaching Conference coverage is presented by the Bay Area Disc Association.
In May 1961, President John F Kennedy challenged NASA to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. In reality, his speech was a call to action to the entire country, to move forward from the destruction of WWII and build a better future for the United States. In sport, we are at a similar crossroads – youth participation in sport is declining because kids and parents are disenchanted with the path mainstream sports have taken. The public, even if they don’t know it, are thirsty for the principles that the sport of ultimate is built upon. We have the opportunity to ‘think big’ just as JFK did, by aspiring to use ultimate as a means to re-engage our kids and the general public on sports as a vehicle for good values. The most important step in this ambitious goal, our ‘moon shot,’ is the creation of a large, visible corps of top-notch ultimate coaches who will train a new generation of athletes and team players. Let’s rise to the challenge!
Mike Payne
Mike Payne has been a leader in the US Ultimate Community for almost 20 years as a player, coach, and administrator. Mike played at Stanford University for 5 years, and subsequently coached for 4 years, winning a National Championship in 2002. He also played elite club Ultimate in the Bay Area for 15 years with Jam and Revolver, winning Nationals and Worlds as a player in 2010. He returned to Revolver as Head Coach in 2013, winning Nationals and the inaugural USA Ultimate Triple Crown Tour. Mike has also been involved as a Board Member for USA Ultimate for 9 years, serving 5 years as the President of the organization. In his professional life Mike is an executive at Omada Health, a startup that is using technology to prevent diabetes. He is married to long-time Fury player and leader Samantha Salvia – they are parents to future Ultimate players Rylan (5), and Spencer (2).
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