Nebraska Youth Ultimate F.A.Q.s
All your questions about Nebraska Youth Ultimate, answered.
General Questions
If you have further questions not answered below, please contact us at ludaleague@yahoo.com
Q: I see that LUDA is focused on holding a state championship and fielding a high school summer league to send a team to YCC; what about Easterns and Westerns?
A: USA Ultimate's (the sport's national governing body) vision is to grow youth ultimate primarily through summer leagues and YCC along with state tournaments. LUDA wants to be in step with USA Ultimate, and as such, we're focused accordingly on those endeavors. (That doesn't preclude Nebraska from sending a team to Westerns, however; it's just not not a high priority.)
Q: My high school doesn't have a team. How can I get one started?
A: (See Start A Team At Your High School page)
Q: My high school doesn't have a team, and we're not likely to have enough players to field one in the near future. Can I still go to YCC and play in the Nebraska Youth Ultimate Summer League?
A: Yes, absolutely; in fact, qualifying for YCC is specifically not tied to high school's team. Rather, anyone who plays in the Nebraska Youth Ultimate Summer League is eligible to play in YCC. You don't need to be on a high school team for the summer league; just sign yourself up online and come play!
A: USA Ultimate's (the sport's national governing body) vision is to grow youth ultimate primarily through summer leagues and YCC along with state tournaments. LUDA wants to be in step with USA Ultimate, and as such, we're focused accordingly on those endeavors. (That doesn't preclude Nebraska from sending a team to Westerns, however; it's just not not a high priority.)
Q: My high school doesn't have a team. How can I get one started?
A: (See Start A Team At Your High School page)
Q: My high school doesn't have a team, and we're not likely to have enough players to field one in the near future. Can I still go to YCC and play in the Nebraska Youth Ultimate Summer League?
A: Yes, absolutely; in fact, qualifying for YCC is specifically not tied to high school's team. Rather, anyone who plays in the Nebraska Youth Ultimate Summer League is eligible to play in YCC. You don't need to be on a high school team for the summer league; just sign yourself up online and come play!
Q: Are there any high school girls teams in Nebraska?
A: Every time there are enough women at any school for a full squad, we'll form a(nother) girls' team. (We'll form mixed teams under the same conditions.) Primarily though, at least for the time being, there are only open teams. Women are welcome to play on open teams, however, so if there's a team at your school, you can play regardless of your gender.
Q: How many players do we need for a full roster?
A: You need at least 7 people for a full line, so ideally, a roster should be at least 14 players.
A: Every time there are enough women at any school for a full squad, we'll form a(nother) girls' team. (We'll form mixed teams under the same conditions.) Primarily though, at least for the time being, there are only open teams. Women are welcome to play on open teams, however, so if there's a team at your school, you can play regardless of your gender.
Q: How many players do we need for a full roster?
A: You need at least 7 people for a full line, so ideally, a roster should be at least 14 players.
Q: How old do you have to be to participate in Nebraska Youth Ultimate events?
A: There is no hard and fast age limit, but in order to be on a high school team, you must be enrolled in a high school in grades 9-12. To play in the Nebraska Youth Ultimate Summer League, you must at least be headed into 7th grade the following fall.
Q: What if we have too many players on our high school team?
A: If your roster gets too full, you can simply split the team into A and B teams. If the interest at your school is high enough to warrant more than one squad, that's terrific!
Q: My school administration is skeptical about this ultimate Frisbee business. Can someone talk to them?
A: Yes; If you contact us, a LUDA representative will be glad to speak to or visit with school officials to help clarify any questions they may have.
A: There is no hard and fast age limit, but in order to be on a high school team, you must be enrolled in a high school in grades 9-12. To play in the Nebraska Youth Ultimate Summer League, you must at least be headed into 7th grade the following fall.
Q: What if we have too many players on our high school team?
A: If your roster gets too full, you can simply split the team into A and B teams. If the interest at your school is high enough to warrant more than one squad, that's terrific!
Q: My school administration is skeptical about this ultimate Frisbee business. Can someone talk to them?
A: Yes; If you contact us, a LUDA representative will be glad to speak to or visit with school officials to help clarify any questions they may have.
For Parents & School Officials
If you have further questions not answered below, please contact us at ludaleague@yahoo.com
We get it--your son or daughter is all excited about starting or joining an ultimate Frisbee team at their school; Or, the kids want to play in the Nebraska Youth Ultimate Summer League; Or, a gaggle of hopeful-eyed high schoolers are beating down your door at school, trying to get you to sponsor or coach their team. Yet you've never heard of ultimate frisbee and have no idea what it's like, the risks involved, the costs, and all the other questions responsible adults would reasonably have.
Well folks, we have answers below. And if you have additional comments, questions, or concerns, don't hesitate to let us know at ludaleague@yahoo.com.
Cost:
The costs involved in ultimate Frisbee are relatively low: $10 for a disc and $30-$70 for a pair of soccer cleats is all you really need. If you're on an actual team, you may spend up to around $90 for uniforms (for two jerseys and shorts) if a team chooses to get beautiful professional ones. If they just played in t-shirts, the uniform costs would plummet to under $20. Also, in order for students to participate in UPA tournaments, they must become UPA members. The cost for this is approximately $20.
Typical injuries:
Injuries in ultimate Frisbee are not especially common. Ultimate is a non-contact sport, so injuries you may see are twisted ankles or knees and tweaked or pulled muscles--essentially, the same types of injuries you would get from playing soccer or basketball.
Spirit Of The Game:
This sounds like a hippie sentiment, and honestly, it is. However, the Spirit Of The Game is a guiding force in ultimate that has endured for 40 years. SOTG is essentially the idea that players always possess good spirit. That is, honesty when called for fouls or other infractions, good sportsmanship toward players of opposing teams, etc. Because ultimate is a self-officiated game, even at its highest levels, SOTG has been essential to keeping the sport genial and thriving. The ultimate community has grown immensely largely on the strength of this idea. You can read more about Spirit Of The Game at USA Ultimate's web site.
Playing Time:
How many of us as kids or parents have been frustrated with a lack of playing time in a sport? All of us, most likely. In ultimate, however, every player has the opportunity to play virtually as much or as little as he or she wants.
Usually, this is about half of every game, as there are typically enough players to completely sub out the entire 7-person line after every point. But if a player wants to stay in, he or she simply stays in the game. (Because of the speed of the game, almost every player will need a few rest periods throughout each contest.) Consequently, there are no real "starters"; every player gets equal playing time and opportunities to play.
Opportunities to develop leadership experience and skills:
Parents are always looking for ways to help their kids grow as people. This is yet another opportunity for young people to find themselves leading their peers. Every team needs at least one captain, and we encourage high school teams to elect an upperclassman as well as an underclassman. Thus, your sophomore may be helping lead a team for three years, developing valuable leadership and organizational skills in the process.
Opportunities for families to play together:
Ultimate is a terrifically egalitarian sport in that men and women share the field at most levels.
Leagues have both men and women. College and city club teams often have men's and women's teams, but some have both genders on the same squad. Teams with close to equal numbers of men and women play on mixed teams, which is it's own category at tournaments.
There are also masters teams for (slightly) older people. In Lincoln, you, your spouse or significant other, and your teenager(s) could all play in a LUDA league. You can even be on the same team if you want.
Further, tossing the disc around the backyard is as fun and timeless as playing catch with a baseball; if you have multiple family members involved, this is something you can do casually together, any time.
Bottom line: Ultimate is something your whole family can do together.
Opportunities for future ultimate Frisbee play:
You can play this game until you're dead. There are clubs, leagues, and pickup all over the world for all ages. You can compete at the highest levels of the sport for years and years if you want, and no matter how old you get, you can always compete at tournaments in the masters category.
Fitness:
A game of ultimate is one of the best workouts you can get, as it involves almost nonstop running and cutting.
For example, one local player wore a heart rate monitor at a pickup game and discovered that she burned over 1,000 calories over the course of two hours. Another local player started coming out a few times a week and lost fifty pounds in a matter of months.
That said, you can control how intense your workout is by sitting for more points than you play, which is sometimes desirable for those who aren't in the greatest shape yet or who are a little old to keep up with the 21-year-old cross country runners.
Well folks, we have answers below. And if you have additional comments, questions, or concerns, don't hesitate to let us know at ludaleague@yahoo.com.
Cost:
The costs involved in ultimate Frisbee are relatively low: $10 for a disc and $30-$70 for a pair of soccer cleats is all you really need. If you're on an actual team, you may spend up to around $90 for uniforms (for two jerseys and shorts) if a team chooses to get beautiful professional ones. If they just played in t-shirts, the uniform costs would plummet to under $20. Also, in order for students to participate in UPA tournaments, they must become UPA members. The cost for this is approximately $20.
Typical injuries:
Injuries in ultimate Frisbee are not especially common. Ultimate is a non-contact sport, so injuries you may see are twisted ankles or knees and tweaked or pulled muscles--essentially, the same types of injuries you would get from playing soccer or basketball.
Spirit Of The Game:
This sounds like a hippie sentiment, and honestly, it is. However, the Spirit Of The Game is a guiding force in ultimate that has endured for 40 years. SOTG is essentially the idea that players always possess good spirit. That is, honesty when called for fouls or other infractions, good sportsmanship toward players of opposing teams, etc. Because ultimate is a self-officiated game, even at its highest levels, SOTG has been essential to keeping the sport genial and thriving. The ultimate community has grown immensely largely on the strength of this idea. You can read more about Spirit Of The Game at USA Ultimate's web site.
Playing Time:
How many of us as kids or parents have been frustrated with a lack of playing time in a sport? All of us, most likely. In ultimate, however, every player has the opportunity to play virtually as much or as little as he or she wants.
Usually, this is about half of every game, as there are typically enough players to completely sub out the entire 7-person line after every point. But if a player wants to stay in, he or she simply stays in the game. (Because of the speed of the game, almost every player will need a few rest periods throughout each contest.) Consequently, there are no real "starters"; every player gets equal playing time and opportunities to play.
Opportunities to develop leadership experience and skills:
Parents are always looking for ways to help their kids grow as people. This is yet another opportunity for young people to find themselves leading their peers. Every team needs at least one captain, and we encourage high school teams to elect an upperclassman as well as an underclassman. Thus, your sophomore may be helping lead a team for three years, developing valuable leadership and organizational skills in the process.
Opportunities for families to play together:
Ultimate is a terrifically egalitarian sport in that men and women share the field at most levels.
Leagues have both men and women. College and city club teams often have men's and women's teams, but some have both genders on the same squad. Teams with close to equal numbers of men and women play on mixed teams, which is it's own category at tournaments.
There are also masters teams for (slightly) older people. In Lincoln, you, your spouse or significant other, and your teenager(s) could all play in a LUDA league. You can even be on the same team if you want.
Further, tossing the disc around the backyard is as fun and timeless as playing catch with a baseball; if you have multiple family members involved, this is something you can do casually together, any time.
Bottom line: Ultimate is something your whole family can do together.
Opportunities for future ultimate Frisbee play:
You can play this game until you're dead. There are clubs, leagues, and pickup all over the world for all ages. You can compete at the highest levels of the sport for years and years if you want, and no matter how old you get, you can always compete at tournaments in the masters category.
Fitness:
A game of ultimate is one of the best workouts you can get, as it involves almost nonstop running and cutting.
For example, one local player wore a heart rate monitor at a pickup game and discovered that she burned over 1,000 calories over the course of two hours. Another local player started coming out a few times a week and lost fifty pounds in a matter of months.
That said, you can control how intense your workout is by sitting for more points than you play, which is sometimes desirable for those who aren't in the greatest shape yet or who are a little old to keep up with the 21-year-old cross country runners.