On Saturday January 27th I will be presenting at the UCPC on the topic, "How to run a High School Ultimate tournament".
My presentation will cover issues from basic tournament essentials to how to expand your event to the next level. For the past five years a big part of my life has revolved around high school Ultimate tournaments, so I have developed many strong opinions on what makes for a successful event. Over the next couple weeks I would like to further expand on my ideas by posing the following questions to the PlayUltimate community:
1) In your opinion what are the most important traits of a well run HS Ultimate tournament?
2) What are your Ultimate tournament pet peeves?
3) If you've ever organized an Ultimate tournament, what advice would you give to people who are thinking about running a HS Ultimate tournament for the first time?
4) What do you think is the most crucial element that separates well run HS tournaments from poorly run HS tournaments?
Thursday, January 11, 2007
How to run a high school Ultimate tournament
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2 comments:
1) Organization is paramount--having the location, teams, and format finalized ahead of time is the most important thing. Fields are the second most important factor. They should be full-size, with full-size endzones, well-marked, and safely spaced. Finally, the amenities make the difference: field bags on both days, first aid support, and fairly-priced merchandise (Gatorade, discs, shirts, etc).
2) Poor communication, especially with regard to start times, caps, pools/format and field changes. Disorganization can really affect a team and its leaders. Also, having unequal fields is both aggravating and unfair.
3) Spread the word early, enforce deadlines, and accept teams from all over. Encourage SOTG and provide free housing for distant teams, because the community is what really makes Ultimate so special. Provide for the weather--cold drinks, hot drinks, ponchos, field houses, hot showers, and pizza go a long way to improving the tournament experience.
4) Having fair competition, excellent organization, and a smoothly-timed event are crucial. Stick to your schedule. I think that TD-appointed Observers could help run the games, and the tournament as a whole, much more effectively.
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