Westerns: We have winners: Nathan Hale (Girls) and Hopkins (Boys)

Hopkins took the open crown 15-9 over South Eugene

Nathan Hale over Northwest 12-11 on the girls side.

Congrats to all, if you were there let's hear some color commentary in the comments...



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Westerns: finals happening now

On the open side its a pool B final with South Eugene facing off against Hopkins - Hopkins is up 11-8 right now.

For the girls' : the top seeds are battling now with Nathan Hale up 7-3 on The Northwest School.


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Westerns: Upsets in pools play

The action has just gotten started in Blaine, but already there has been an upset Minneapolis South over Lakeside 10-9 in the second round of play. There is a point by point recap of that game on Twitter c/o NextLevelUltimate

As mentioned in a previous post you can watch for live updates from the field from these three links...

• http://twitter.com/NextLevelUlti
  
• http://twitter.com/hotlou
• http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23upawesterns

On the girls' side pool B has been a little crazy - Cathedral pulled an upset over Seattle Academy and Alameda, but Alameda upset Cretin-Derham.

In pool A Hopkins upset South HS 8-7, Lakeside upsets Lakewood, and Lakewood upset Hopkins. Oi vey, so so far only the Northwest School has kept their seed in pool A.

If you have score updates or more info, post it here. Or if you see something particularly interesting from the Twitter accounts.

Side note: no scores in yet from any of the state championships this weekend, we'll update when we have something.

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UPA Westerns on Twitter

Catch the latest UPA Westerns tweets:

• http://twitter.com/NextLevelUlti
  
• http://twitter.com/hotlou
• http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23upawesterns

Please also note that these updates are not a UPA endeavor. If you would like for the UPA to make live score reporting at championship events a priority, please let them know it is important to you by calling 800-872-4384 and asking to speak with Will Deaver or emailing will@hq.upa.org. You can also contact the entire board of directors: upa_board@upa.org

The UPA Score Reporter for Westerns

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Breaking: Major changes for Youth ultimate in the U.S. - No more Easterns/Westerns

No more nationals. No more easterns. No more westerns.

This is the gist of the plan announced by the UPA today. The plan advocates a move towards state championships only.

Effective Spring 2012 easterns and westerns will disappear and will be replaced by 4 regional championships.

Read the whole plan here, and we would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Right idea? Wrong idea? How does this change the map of competition? If the effects did take place this year, who would win each region?

The UPA also announced changes in YCC bid allocation, and Team USA selection process. Perhaps most disappointing about all of these announcements is the fact that the site set up to announce them is called, "The Ultimate Change". Really? I mean really? This is the last change ever for youth ultimate?

The changes are pretty sweeping. Thoughts and comments?



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UPA Releases Championship Applications

Today the UPA released applications for the three youth division championship tournaments of 2008. High School Easterns will be held in Pittsburgh on May 10th and 11th, 2008, and High School Westerns will be in Independence, MO on the same weekend. The fourth rendition of the Youth Club Championships will again be in Blaine, MN - this year on August 9th and 10th.

The Easterns and Westerns applications can be downloaded here, and they're due March 21st. The YCC application can be downloaded here, and it's due March 7th. Will YCC's fill every division this year? There are guaranteed spots for every UPA-sanctioned youth league - what leagues and HS leagues will be submitting bids?

Churchill Westerns 2007 Film

Westerns Journey 2007 - web version - 250MB
Westerns Journey 2007 - itunes version - 250MB
Westerns Journey 2007 - google version

Dylan Freechild (#45 - Fr.) and Kimber Coles (#5 - Jr.) did all the editing and production with post-production help from myself and Andrew Sheridan (#21 - Sr.). The video took more than 4 weeks to finish with work on it taking place every day since Westerns was over back in mid-May. We will miss Dylan if he leaves Churchill for South Eugene this coming year, but they could use someone with his both his ultimate and editing talents...

As of 06.18 - the film was updated with more footage and a few other corrections...

Post Westerns Reactions...

What a weekend! Though I'm way too tired to give a full acount of all that took place, I was so proud to be part of what took place at this year's 2007 Westerns.

Congrats to Northwest and South Eugene (1st & 2nd Open Division) as well as Churchill and Northwest (1st & 2nd Girls Division)!

For those of you with comments, write-ups, ramblings, props to other players, photo-links, etc... let this be the post to have them live.

Weekend Open Thread - Westerns and State Championship Edition

Arguably the biggest weekend in ultimate this weekend, huge tournaments coast to coast.

The big show...

• 2007 UPA High School Westerns - Burlington, WA - Score Reporter, PlayUltimate preview
• 2007 UPA High School Westerns, Girls - Burlington, WA - Score Reporter, PlayUltimate preview

State Championships...

• Connecticut State Championships - Middletown, CT - Score Reporter
• Maine State Championships - Cumberland, ME - Score Reporter
• Ohio State Championships - Columbus, OH - Score Reporter
• Pennsylvania State Championships - Toughkennamon, PA - Score Reporter, PlayUltimate preview, second PlayUltimate Preview (PHUEL-focused), third PlayUltimate preview (PHUL focused)
  
• Pennsylvania State Championships, Girls - Toughkennamon, PA - Score Reporter
• Virginia State Championships - Chesterfield, VA - Score Reporter
• WA Mixed State Championships - Burlington, WA - Score Reporter

Other tournaments...

• Greenfield Youth Tournament - Greenfield, MA - Score Reporter
• 4th Annual NEPSUL Championships - Gill, MA - Score Reporter
• St. Johnsbury Academy Invitational - St. Johnsbury, VT - Score Reporter

Last minute predictions welcome now, and post scores as you hear them. I will be receiving text messages from Luke throughout the day tomorrow so i will update as soon as i have access to those for the Westerns scores.

To be sure though, if you want the latest and greatest in high school ultimate - you gotta keep it here - PlayUltimate. for. life.

Reminder: you can still vote for your favorite videos in the highlight reel contest by clicking on the logo at right, as well as post your college choices by again, clicking on the logo at right.

Westerns Womens Teams Announced

and the winners are...

California
Alameda Community Learning Center (Alameda, CA)

Minnesota
Cathedral HS (St. Cloud, MN)
Cretin-Derham Hall HS (St. Paul, MN)
Hopkins HS (Minnetonka, MN)

Oregon
Churchill HS (Eugene, OR)
South Eugene HS (Eugene, OR)

Washington
Bush School (Seattle, WA)
Lakeside School (Seattle, WA)
Nathan Hale HS (Seattle, WA)
Northwest School (Seattle, WA)
Seattle Academy (Seattle, WA)

[Information c/o UPA Westerns Website]

Westerns Teams Announced!

And here they are...

California
Alameda Community Learning Center (Alameda, CA)
Berkeley HS (Berkeley, CA)

Colorado
Cherry Creek HS (Greenwood, CO)
Lakewood HS (Lakewood, CO)

Kansas
Junction City HS (Junction City, KS)

Minnesota
Cathedral HS (St. Cloud, MN)
Cretin-Derham Hall HS (St. Paul, MN)
Hopkins HS (Minnetonka, MN)

Missouri
Rockhurst HS (Kansas City, MO)

Oregon
Churchill HS (Eugene, OR)
Crescent Valley HS (Corvallis, OR)
South Eugene HS (Eugene, OR)

Washington
Lakeside School (Seattle, WA)
Nathan Hale HS (Seattle, WA)
Northwest School (Seattle, WA)
Seattle Academy (Seattle, WA)

[Info c/o the UPA Westerns Website]

Easterns/Westerns Deadlines in Two Days!!

Easterns and westerns applications are due in two days!!! Who has already sent in a bid? Who plans to fax them last minute? (is that even possible?)

Since so much of the country has yet to thaw/dry out how hard do you think it will be for the UPA to come up with the top 16 teams for each event. Do you think the bid deadline should have been later to allow for teams to see how they fair in the first few games of spring?

Chat away folks.

[UPA Easterns/Westerns Homepage]
[UPA Easterns/Westerns Application] (.doc)


(come back tomorrow and let us know where you are going to college, the second in our monthly College Choices segment will be posted.)

Easterns/Westerns - Bid deadline almost here - (March 23rd)

From the desk of Director of Youth Development Meredith Tosta -

The March 23^rd due date for applications to the 2007 HS Eastern and HS Western Championships is quickly approaching!

Go to the Youth Division page for information about eligibility and the application/selection process and to download an application. We are looking forward to an exciting spring of high school Ultimate! Email Will Deaver and Meredith Tosta with any questions.

Thank you!

Meredith Tosta
Director of Youth Development
Ultimate Players Association
4730 Table Mesa Dr. Suite J-200
Boulder, CO 80305
Phone: 800-872-4384 ex 115
Fax: 303-447-3483

That said, who has applied? Who plans to apply? Given the likelihood of certain applications, who do you think the Quarters or Semis of each will consist of?

Lets hear it in the comments...

Easterns/Westerns/YCC Apps availiable now!

From the desk of the upa...

Applications for 2007 HS Easterns, HS Westerns, and Youth Club Championships are now available. Go to the Youth Division page for information about eligibility and the application/selection process and to download an application. These are some of the most exciting and anticipated events on the Youth Ultimate calendar! Talk with your HS team or league about getting involved.

Youth Club Championships - league-based team applications due February 28
HS Easterns/Westerns - applications due March 23

[...]

Meredith Tosta

Director of Youth Development

Ultimate Players Association

if you plan on applying/attending, leave a comment, lets have a really really early look at the competition...

PlayUltimate Mailbag: Easterns and Westerns Scheduling

Fresh from the inboxes of PlayUltimate -

I am new to the youth ultimate blogging scene, so forgive me if this topic has been
rehashed over and over but I believe the issue is the number one problem with the junior championship series and that is graduation conflcts with Westerns and Easterns.

I understand that the HS tournaments fit best for the UPA after college, before summer, not in the fall because of club. Some have argued that April is too early and June is too late, but I argue that the date should never be set on any high school's graduation. It is inherently discrimatory. It is unfair. In the last 5 years of coaching ultimate Nationals and Easterns has fallen on our graduation date 3 times. Paideia, one of the top ranked HS teams in the nation has had similar conflicts. I admire Mike Baccarani and his crew. I have never heard him complain once about this issue. I am not that strong. Its wrong and I wish I could enact change. I've spoken with Will and Kyle and emailed board members in past years, but all in vain. So, we plan on taking a Freshman-Junior squad to Easterns this year. There will be no complaints on the field, but the bottom line is it isn't fair.

Sincerely,
David Wu, Coach
Lexington Catholic HS

So what do you think? Should the UPA ask for all school's graduation dates? Should they accept all the teams and then select a date that allows all to attend? Or should things remain as they are now?

As a fan of the game it stinks not to see a top team at the most prestigious tournament, essentially the closest thing to a national championship we have for high school teams at the moment. But is there a feasible way of correcting this? I know my high school graduation was a weekend in early June, as i think most schools in the area were. But is there regional disparity here?

On the same subject, it is also my personal opinion that all state championships should happen before easterns and westerns so that they can be taken into consideration when admitting teams. and in the same line of logic, local league and city championships should be held before states. NFL playoffs are going on right now and as im sure you have heard, it is referred to as the second season, the games take on a whole new level of athleticism and competition because teams are now fighting for survival. But i digress, the connection here being, in some ways it can be unfair to judge a team's regular season individual games for a tournament such as easterns or westerns, because who knows who had a test that day or perhaps playing time was mixed up. Whereas with the direct progression a more accurate depiction of who the best teams are late in the season will come to the forefront.

Agree? Disagree? Let's hear it.