East Ultimate Has A Website
The team website is at: www.eastultimate.org.
The website has a schedule, news, and information about players and coaches. There are also photos (thanks mainly to Kyle Sanderson & Monica Hughes.)
The Madison Mudbath - April 23 & 24
We need to know whether your son and/or daughter are planning to play at the Madison Mudbath on April 23 & 24 in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Madison Mudbath is a "national" ultimate tournament. Derek and Tina think it is critical for our team to compete against teams that are of national caliber. We have largely exhausted the local options for really high-level competition. The team has played the University of Colorado women's team twice and was the only high school team to play at the Rocky Mountain Invitational - a college tournament. At the Invitational, East competed against the men's teams from Colorado, Mines, Colorado College, and Rice University. Now we need to play some established, "national," high school teams. This year our only (and closest) chance to do that will be at the Mudbath.
The cost to make the trip to Madison looks as if it will be around $200 per player. (We believe we will have some team money available to give partial scholarships to players who need it.)
When thinking about whether your son or daughter can attend the tournament,
please consider the estimated cost in light of the tremendous commitment the
team's coaches have made to our children and how much our kids get from participating.
This is a real "team" - a group that supports and likes each other
- with a very positive culture. That's extraordinary for a high school sport.
This is also a team that, if given the opportunity, will soon be one of the
best in the country.
The reason the cost is greater than we expected is the logistical challenge of getting 20-30 people safely and efficiently from Denver to Madison and back. Hotel accommodations are relatively inexpensive.
The best transportation option appears to be to hire a bus and driver. The cost for that option is approximately $4,750. The cost per player depends on how many players and parents come. We'd love to have parents come along! The bus can accommodate up to 47 passengers, so there is plenty of room for parents.
Some parents have asked about flying instead of driving. The most cost-effective
option would be to fly to Chicago, rent minivans, and drive to Madison.
The cost of this option, for only 20, is greater than $4,980. How
much greater depends on how many more than 20 are traveling. More people makes
traveling as a group more expensive and would require at least one additional
van. (Curiously, we have discovered that group airfares are actually more expensive
than published single fares.) Obviously, this option would be quicker.
As we mentioned above, the team has some funds in reserve - donations from parents, money players raised from selling "Butter Braids" (thanks to Susan Turowski-Reher!), and funds that the team earned from serving as caterers (thanks to Dirk Hansen!). We intend to use some of this money to defray part of the over all cost and offer some scholarships. We cannot use all of this money on the trip because we need the money for other things: uniforms, other travel, other tournament fees, and expenses to put on our own tournament.
Please let Derek know as soon as you can whether 1) your player(s) will be going to Madison; 2) he or she absolutely cannot go; or 3) he or she would go if we only had to pay $___ (please fill in the blank.) Please also let Derek know, if you'd like to come along - we'd love it!
If you have any ideas about alternatives, or if you have concerns about the Madison trip, please contact Derek Gottlieb (gottliebderek@hotmail.com) or Mark Hughes (mark@hugheshome.net, H: 303-322-6738, W: 303-264-3002). If you'd like to make a donation to the team for the trip or for other reasons, please see below.
The East Invite - April 16-17
On Saturday and Sunday, April 16-17, East Ultimate will hold the East Invite.
Sixteen Colorado high school teams that have committed to playing. If it
goes well - and we have every reason to believe it will - several national
teams have expressed interest in attending next year. (This would let us
play national teams without the need to travel!) The tournament will also
help us raise money from entry fees and merchandise sales.
To do a first class job and raise money for the team, we need parents to help with registration and merchandise sales on Saturday and Sunday. (Both days will also be great chances to see our kids play. Saturday night, there will be a showcase game between the national champion University of Colorado team and a premiere club team, Johnny Bravo.)
Susan Reher has kindly agreed to coordinate our parent volunteers. Please call (303-355-4935) or email her (sreher@msn.com) to volunteer.
Donations
At East High School, East Ultimate is a "club" sport. (That's a short way of saying East gives us no support.) On the other hand, donations to the team are tax-deductible. If you'd like to contribute, as many parents have, you can send a check, made out to East Ultimate, with your son or daughter to practice.
-- Mark Hughes & Derek Gottlieb