2018 Spring Season

Post date: Feb 07, 2018 3:1:9 PM

High school and middle school players and parents,

Thank you for your interest in Copper Hills Ultimate! We are so excited for the 2016-17 year. Utah has only had a high school ultimate league for about 8 years, but some schools here (Lone Peak, Sky View, others) have been ranked and respected among the top teams in the country. There are still only a relatively small number of schools that have teams, but it is constantly growing. In Salt Lake County, only Riverton, Bingham, Jordan, West, Skyline and Copper Hills currently have ultimate teams. It is Copper Hills Ultimate’s 5th year, and we are excited to be pioneers in this fast growing sport! Spring (Mar-May) is the main season for ultimate with separate boys and girls tournaments. Fall is a more relaxed boys and girls mixed league.

My name is Rich Wilcox, and I have been coaching Copper Hills Ultimate since it began in 2013. I have been playing ultimate for more than 15 years. Unlike the coaches for your more traditional sports, I don’t work for the school. I work in downtown SLC as a software engineer, so I have to work a little harder than other coaches to get to practice and to games. But I love ultimate, and I want you to become a better ultimate player. I’ll do what I can to make you into the best player you can be. Becoming the best player you possibly can is not up to me, it’s up to you. But I’m here to do what I can to help.

1) Urgent Items / registration steps

2) Schedule (see our calendar here: http://ultimatechills.club. Keep an eye on the calendar - it's currently incomplete - but I am updating it as the schedule becomes solidified)

3) As a family member or player, how can I help the team?

Please click here to fill out a quick questionnaire to help plan the season.

In addition to your most important responsibility (come to practice), the team can always use more help from players, family members and friends. We have opportunities for fundraisers, recruiting & leadership (invite friends - pass out flyers - be a friend to teammates - call/text teammates you haven't seen at practice), become a team webmaster or photographer, help organize a senior night to honor our seniors, help organize a scholarship program to help players who need help with team costs. Contact coach to find out how you can help with any of these (or other) items!

4) Equipment - what to bring

Bring to practices and games: 1) water 2) cleats or very grippy athletic shoes 3) uniform or a white and a dark shirt. In addition, to tournaments bring 4) sun protection and 5) food (snacks, lunch).

One of the great things about ultimate is its simplicity. It is very inexpensive. All you need is a disc and some open space. For a better experience, bring the above items. Some players like to play with gloves as well. I only use them in the winter. Most players use soccer cleats, although other cleats will work as well. Metal cleats are not allowed in ultimate because of the potential for injury. Walmart often has cleats on clearance for under $10 in the fall, although the quality is suspect, but for $10, I don’t mind my cleats lasting only a season. Ross is also a great place to find inexpensive high-quality cleats ($30 or less). The Nike outlet in Jordan Landing usually has a few good deals ($30-40). A uniform is not required; players can participate with any white and a dark (preferably navy blue) shirt. That being said, most players opt to buy a uniform (includes a white and a navy blue jersey with team logo & player name & number and green shorts). In the past the uniforms have been $35, and I expect they should be similarly priced this season. We will order uniforms about a week after tryouts if there are enough orders (10 or more).

5) Spring 3000 Challenge

In order to encourage you to become a better player, each season we hold a throwing challenge. Throw 3000 throws between the first day of tryouts on Feb 12 and the state tournament May 17 and you can choose some swag - including discs, jerseys, powerade, cones and other items. Hit 5000, and you can also choose a grizzly disc or lightup disc. More importantly, your skill level will rise significantly. Players who have fulfilled the challenge in the past have experienced big jumps in their playing ability. If you really want to improve your game, complete the challenge!

Here are a few points to remember. Record your throws on a daily basis. Guessing or estimating your total is not acceptable. Your throws need to be recorded in this spreadsheet (click here). You’re welcome to write or record your throws somewhere else, but before you can claim your swag, you need to put your total into that spreadsheet.

6) Why Ultimate?

Ultimate is unique among team sports not just because it uses a disc. Ultimate teaches important life skills possibly better than any other sport. Other sports say that teamwork is important. Ultimate demands teamwork. It is impossible to score alone. The first rule in the ultimate rulebook outlines ‘Spirit of the Game’: ‘Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play.’ As a result, ultimate is self-officiated. The rules are designed such that players resolve their disputes or they redo the play if they are unable to resolve them. No referees required. I hear horror stories from friends who coach other sports about kids and parents who are completely unruly. I have not seen that in ultimate, mainly because there are no officials, so no one to get angry at. Ultimate is designed to be highly competitive and athletic, while fairly safe. Dangerous plays such as picks and blocks that are integral part of other sports are illegal in ultimate. This makes ultimate a ‘non-contact’ sport (although there is still a lot of contact).

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

See you on the field!

Rich Wilcox, Gary Lyu

Coaches, Copper Hills Ultimate

ultimatechills@gmail.com