Hello to all Ultimate parents, family and friends. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the sport and want to learn more so you can converse with your son or daughter player; if so, read the 10 Simple Rules of Ultimate. Or maybe you are considering going to a tournament and want to know what to expect; if so, read this intro to tournaments. We will try to help with these topics and more on this web page.

Perhaps the most important point we can make is that Ultimate comes in at least two flavors. There are the local pick-up games and leagues that are played mainly for fun, camaraderie and exercise. And there are the UPA youth/junior, college and club teams where Ultimate is played seriously; and if your child plays on one of these teams, they take it seriously. He or she probably puts a great deal of time into training and attending tournaments. It is every bit as competitive as soccer, football, basketball, etc. Only better... you get to be on the sidelines with them. And by the way, they don't use the term "Frisbee." It's called a disc and the sport is just called "Ultimate."

There are three primary championship divisions in the Ultimate Players Association (UPA) - Youth/Junior (mostly High School), College and Club (after college). Youth/Junior and College have both Open (mens) and Womens teams. The Club division includes Open, Womens, Mixed (coed) and Masters (must be at least 33 years old). Each division holds their own annual Championship Series (sectionals and regionals) leading up to a National Championship tournament. There are over 17,500 UPA members, but that doesn't include the probably well over 30,000 local league players around the country, not to mention the untold thousands who just play pick-up.

The UPA web site has a lot of information, including links to most of the youth/junior, college and club teams, dates and locations of upcoming tournaments, rules of the game, and much much more. Below are links especially for parents, friends and fans.

Sincerely, Joe Seidler - Santa Barbara Condors Parent and UPA Board Member (2002-2004)

• Ultimate is a great way to spend time with your son or daughter. Read a dad's story and players' & parents' comments.
• Some parents have added their names to a parent roster. This list can be used to contact parents for answers to Ultimate questions or perhaps information about an upcoming tournament in your area.
• Ultimate is played with a code of conduct called the "Spirit of the Game [SOTG]." Some of us spectators are encouraging the addition of a "Spirit of the Sideline."
• The UPA is a player-run non-profit organization which provides the framework for your son or daughter's play. This is an exciting time of growth for a young sport that emphasizes ethical play. Your financial support goes a long way toward providing quality experiences for your child. The UPA is a registered 501(c)3 organization in Colorado - we invite you to support the UPA.
• The UPA makes videos and other merchandise available through wrightlife.com. The videos are a great way to learn about ultimate, and all sales benefit the UPA.
• To view the UPA's Juniors/Youth outreach pages for instructional material and helpful hints for new teams of all ages, see the UPA youth pages and the list of youth Ultimate summer camps.
• Additional suggestions for the parents web pages are always welcome. Just email webmaster@upa.org with your ideas. Thanks for visiting the UPA parent's pages, and we hope to see you at the fields!