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Ultimate Happenings: Issue 88 - April 6 1999

OCUA Web site: http://www.ocua.ca

"Half the people you know are below average"

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CONTENTS:

- Mandatory Captains Meeting For 1999 Season
- Team Fee's For 1999
- Estimated OCUA Budget For 1999
- Please Do Not Play On Wet Fields
- New - Thursday Night Men's League
- Friday Night Master's Division
- Weekly Training Runs
- Come Out And Play For Chick Flixxx
- Montreal Co-ed Tournament
- Ultimate In USA Today
- Room Available In Kanata For Rent
- Whitewater Kayak For Sale
- Looking For A New Job, Help OCUA At The Same Time
- Calendar Of Events

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MANDATORY CAPTAINS MEETING FOR 1999 SEASON:

Date:     Wednesday April 14
Location: Woodroffe High School
Time:     7 - 9 pm.

Each team MUST be represented to ensure a spot in their
chosen division. We may have to cap the size of some
divisions so attendance is necessary!

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TEAM FEE'S FOR 1999:

Ottawa's summer Ultimate league has experienced extraordinary
growth over the past ten years and with that growth have come
numerous administrative and financial challenges: increased
and additional expenses, long term debt, and revenue "hiccups."
The Board of Directors has been faced with the unenviable task
of dealing with these challenges with an eye on both the short
and long term consequences.

The Board has taken a long look at OCUA's financial obligations
for the 1999 season and is forced to announce an INCREASE IN
TEAM FEES TO $750. There are essentially four reasons for this
fee increase: our normal expenses have increased, we are taking
on additional expenses, we must service our new long-term debt
and we have experienced some unexpected changes.

Our normal expenses have increased in two areas. The cost of
our in-city fields has increased by 33% and, due to our league
growth, the cost of insurance has gone up. In addition to these
increases, we are taking on new expenses. These include putting
money aside for additional maintenance of some of our in-city
fields (where we can arrange this), support for introducing
Ultimate in the schools (including clinics and a "starter"
package for schools), new expenses for Hydro/maintenance on
our new site and miscellaneous administrative costs (accounting
software, etc.)

As well, OCUA now has long term debt to service. Our vendor
take-back mortgage on the new land comes due in the spring of
2000, several low interest loans (made by members) come due
in the next few years and, of course, we must start to buy
back shares from Ultimate Park Inc. shareholders as promised.
As planned, we have spent our accumulated capital on the land
purchase & development and it is time again to put more aside
for a rainy day.

We have also experienced some shortfalls in two important areas
of revenue: share sales and topsoil sales. The original land
purchase plan, approved by the captains, included selling all
1000 shares in UP Inc. To date, after two good sales campaigns,
we have achieved only 70% success, leaving a $60000 deficit to
make up. We had hoped to make up a sizable portion of this by
selling excess topsoil from the land development. While we again
had some success with this, we could not wipe out the entire
shortfall.

The last unexpected financial hit has been dealt by the infamous
GST. We have been informed that we must now charge GST on all
team fees and may be liable for GST on past year's fees as well.
We are doing the best we can to deal with the past year's
liability, but we are unable to avoid paying GST on 1999 fees.
Therefore, the $750 fee includes a portion for GST.

While this may paint a gloomy picture, we are actually doing
well. We own our own high quality fields, we're doing something
to improve our existing fields, we're increasing awareness of
our sport and we're managing our long term debt load. Not bad
for an all volunteer amateur sport group!

Ultimate is still an inexpensive sport to play in Ottawa. The
average player will pay between $40 and $50 for 4 months of
play. By comparison, tier 2 soccer teams pay $1600 to play in
the Ottawa area with new teams being charged an additional
$700! Add uniform costs to that total and Ultimate still looks
like a bargain.

In short, OCUA's board of directors feels it has no choice but
to raise fees. We hope that all players will understand the
need for an increase and the economic forces that make it
unavoidable.

Fees for the new weekend divisions (Friday night masters and
the developmental league) will stay at $500 this year in order
to promote growth on those nights.

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ESTIMATED OCUA BUDGET FOR 1999: (1)

(Best viewed with a nonproportional font!)

Revenue:
  165,000.00  Team Fees (220 teams @ $750/team)
    4,000.00  Team Fees (8 teams @ $500/team)
    2,000.00  TOUR Advertising
           ?  Sponsorship (2)
----------------------------
$171,000.00  Total Revenue:


Expenses:
      240.00  Admin - Bank Charges
      200.00  Admin - Gas & Transportation
      100.00  Admin - Long Distance Phone Calls
      400.00  Admin - Photocopying
      600.00  Admin - Postage
      600.00  Awards
    1,100.00  Cones
   20,000.00  Field Rentals (Including Sod Farm)
      500.00  Go Hut Rental
    5,000.00  GST (3)
   10,000.00  In City Field Improvement
    2,500.00  Individual Registration
    4,055.00  Insurance
    1,000.00  Juniors Program
    2,500.00  League Finals
    2,000.00  League Phone Book
    3,000.00  Legal Fees
   20,500.00  6 Month Loan, due spring 1999 ($20,000 @ 5%)
    3,000.00  Manotick Station - Foot Bridge across to fields 18 & 19
    2,800.00  Manotick Station - Hydro
   25,494.48  Manotick Station - Irrigation Mortgage ($2124.54 * 12)
   26,750.00  Manotick Station - Maintenance
   14,700.00  Manotick Station - Takeback Mortgage ($1225.00 * 12)
    9,000.00  Manotick Station Park Parking - First half
    2,500.00  Misc.
    1,000.00  School Promotion
    1,637.00  Taxes
    6,000.00  TOUR
      500.00  Volunteer's Dinner
      750.00  Web Site
    2,500.00  Year End Party
----------------------------
$170,926.48  Total Expenses


Balance:
  171,000.00  Total Revenue
  170,926.48  Total Expenses
  --------------------------
      $73.52  Total


Notes:
(1) Estimated budget for 1999.
(2) We are actively seeking sponsorship but do not have any at present.
(3) Included in team fees.

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PLEASE DO NOT PLAY ON WET FIELDS:

I know everyone wants to go out and play as soon as possible
but we ask you to avoid playing on or damaging wet fields.

If you tear up the grass now that field may be unusable when
it dries. If we damage a field too much we may lose it for
the entire year.

Until the season starts try to practice on dry fields and
preferably ones we do not normally use.

NOTE: DO NOT PLAY ON THE NEW MANOTICK STATION FIELDS AT ALL
until they are officially cleared for use and opened. We
require many months of growing for the grass to set and
therefore do not anticipate using these fields until late
August.

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NEW - THURSDAY NIGHT MEN'S LEAGUE:

I've had a few questions regarding the Thursday Night Men's
league, and so I thought I'd take a few minutes to try to
address them for everyone. Basically, this is a regular weekly
league for men, where you submit your team and pay your fees
just like any other league team. With the developmental league
moving to the weekends and more of a skills clinic and pickup
format, we felt that we should continue to offer something for
the men on Thursday, given the interest shown last year, and
the fact that the women are already playing in their own
league. We hope to have at least an 8 team league, but we have
room for more, so feel free to enter a team (the interest level
is already looking good). I'd like enough teams to have each
one playing against teams of a similar skill level by the
midway point of the season. Speaking of skill, some people
have asked if there will be any roster restrictions on the
number of competitive players in order to help ensure that
teams have a relatively even talent distribution. However,
while this was considered, in the end I decided to not impose
any such restrictions, as we're not even sure that this will
be a problem yet, and since the competitive teams practice on
Thursday's, I'm hoping it won't be, or that it will at least
be minimized.

Well, hopefully that covers most of the questions you have.
If not, feel free to contact me, and I'll fill you in with
the details. Or, if you're planning to enter a team, give me
a shout to secure your spot!

Cheers!

Ken Lange
e: kblange@nortelnetworks.com
p: 225-0301

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FRIDAY NIGHT MASTER'S DIVISION:

This year OCUA will again offer a Masters League. The requirements
are simple, you must be over thirty and either male or female.

The night has been changed to Fridays so that old folks with
young are not going to keep them out late on a school night.

Last year it was a very informal pickup format and was a great
deal of fun, however this year I am trying to make it more
structured. I need people to submit whole teams. I will take
down the names of individuals and try to get them on to teams
that are short of players, but to make this fly I need teams.

If you are interested please contact Nick Roberts at 729-9227
or e-mail nroberts@cyberus.ca

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WEEKLY TRAINING RUNS:

Julie Smith-Drury (of STELLA 1998) is organizing training runs
beginning Wednesday March 31, 1999 at 6:30pm departing from
the front entrance of Jack Purcell Community Centre (320
Elgin St.). This will be a weekly event (every Wednesday
until competitive team tryouts begin) and the runs will vary
in type, length and intensity. The training is designed for
those interested in playing competitive Ultimate this season.
Tryouts are just around the corner. Hope to see you out in
droves!!!

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COME OUT AND PLAY FOR CHICK FLIXXX:

Chick Flixxx is a new competitive women's team run by: Manon
des Groseilliers, Karen Lange, Jen Wilkie, Jen Clarke, Tara
Dentry and Gwen Prillo. Remember us? We're the ones who've been
running those indoor practices since January. We are planning
to have a team that is committed to learning, practicing and
having fun. Practices will be held twice a week on Tuesdays
and Thursdays. We are hoping to attend six or seven tournaments
over the summer, most of which will be relatively close.

Tryouts will be held April 17th from 5-7pm in the gym at
Algonquin's Woodroffe campus and April 18th at a time and
place to be determined once we see what the weather is like.
Don't be intimidated by the competitive label - if you'd like
to play with a group of women who want to learn to be better
Ultimate players, this is the team to join! We aren't
necessarily looking for experts, just the right attitude. If
you have any questions, contact Tara Dentry at 731-5690 or
tdentry@chat.carleton.ca Hope to see you at tryouts!

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MONTREAL CO-ED TOURNAMENT:

A Midsummer Night's Dream Tournament
June 19 & 20, 1999
16 teams
$200can ($150US) plus a food hamper.

All proceeds will go to the Douglas Psychiatric Hospital and
Toujours Ensemble, a charity supporting underprivileged
children and families in Montreal.

To register send a cheque to:

Ken Hunt
3967 av Laval
Montreal, Quebec
H2W 2H9

The registration deadline is May 21st.

For more information contact Ken (khunt@orl.mcgill.ca) or
visit the website at http://aum.zoo.net/MNDT

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ULTIMATE IN USA TODAY:

Ultimate Frisbee tests character, fitness
By Alexandra Robbins Special for USA TODAY
(reprinted without permission, I hope that is ok)

When Ultimate Frisbee makes its debut as a medal sport in the
2001 World Games in Japan, it's a safe bet that not one
referee's call will be disputed. There won't be any refs.

As the only self-officiated team sport in the Games, Ultimate
Frisbee is quickly becoming a popular option for less traditional-
minded athletes. Ultimate attracts "an eclectic bunch," says
Michael Guiietz, Ultimate Players Association (UPA) managing
director. "The people are different a little bit alternative,
but they really are athletes."

Many Ultimate players are drawn to the sport because of its
underlying principle: the "spirit of the game," which players
use to refer to the fact that they must call their own fouls
and boundaries, even in national and international competition.
If a player accused of a foul disagrees with the call, the
team with possession keeps it. If players cannot resolve a
dispute, occasionally they ask an observer to make the call.

"There's a saying that Ultimate doesn't build character; it
reveals character," says Jim Parinella, a five-time open national
champion with his Boston based team DoG. "It gives individuals
the opportunity to display their personalities on the field,
whether they're going to be fair in their dealings with people
or weasel their way out of things."

During the 1995 World Ultimate Club Championships in England,
the DoG squad was losing 19-18 when the opposing, San-Francisco-
based team passed into the end zone. When Parinella dived for
a block, the receiver cried foul.

"The other team asked me if I had blocked the pass, but I
couldn't say for sure," Parinelia recalls. "So I said I didn't
the other team scored and won the game 20-18. If I had said I
had blocked the shot, my team would have gotten possession
instead."

The players' responsibility to govern their own actions leads
to fewer physical altercations than in other sports, says Kate
Coyne, a member of four-time defending national women's champions
Lady Godiva.

"You're not policed; you police yourselves," she said. "In
sports with refs, people try to get away with as much as they
can. In Ultimate you're accountable to everyone."

Guiietz estimates that about 150,000 Americans participate in
Ultimate, which has counted former and current NFL players
Shannon and Sterling Sharpe and Olympians Picabo Street and
Eric Heiden among its club players. Ultimate, a high-endurance
sport with few basic rules, combines the nonstop movement of
soccer, the defensive strategies of basketball and the passing
of football, former US. masters team captain Andy Borinstein says.

The sport revolves around passing a plastic disc. On a rectangular
area shaped similarly to a football field, seven-player squads
must complete a pass in the opposite end zone to score. To
advance the disc, the player with possession has 10 seconds to
pass in any direction. Athletes may not move with the disc or
initiate physical contact with another player.

Despite its lack of publicity, Ultimate is quickly gaining
popularity with high school students, says Amherst (Mass.)
Regional High School coach Tiina Booth, who oversees one of
only a few boys varsity Ultimate teams in the country "One of
my players made a good analogy. You know when someone shoots
a jumper and there's a crackle in the net? He said every time
you throw or catch the disc you get that crisp snap, and that's
why he found it so addictive," Booth says.

Because of the simple rules and the low cost of the sport
Ultimate requires only a disc and cones or other boundary
markers - AmeriCorps, the Boy Scouts and the Boys and Girls
clubs of America have incorporated it into their programs,

"Ultimate is a team-building exercise we can teach elementary
and middle school kids easily without a lot of rules," says
Karen Labat of AmeriCorps. "It's something that is low-cost,
no-contact, builds self-esteem and encourages physical fitness."

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ROOM AVAILABLE IN KANATA FOR RENT:

- 8x12 room in a 3 bdrm, 1600 sq ft townhouse. Furnished.
- available May 1st
- full access to kitchen, laundry, home theater, BBQ, etc.
- 2 other males in house
- non-smoker
- no pets
- parking available on street and on driveway
- walking distance to bus, video and grocery store.
- $350/month (includes all utilities, cable, etc. You only
  pay your long distance phone bill)

For more details, please call 599-1434(H) or 271-6852(W) and
ask for Steve.

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WHITEWATER KAYAK FOR SALE:

Kayak; Dancer (fit for smaller build; $450.00), Spray Skirt
($50.00), Paddle ($45.00), Lady Jane (7/8 fit; $65.00), and
Paddling Jacket (small; $50.00) or the whole kit and kaboodle
for $600.00. Call 523-6797.

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LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB, HELP OCUA AT THE SAME TIME:

LEAVE THE GOVERNMENT. Become an AMB employee. Contract to
wherever you want.

Our best benefit is the AMB RPTA -- the ability to transfer
over Government pension at a great premium
(see http://www.amb.ca/pension).

Our other benefits may include:
- low mark-up of 5% to 20%!
- very flexible hours
- some work at home
- employee software purchase plan (e.g., Microsoft products)
- possible tax write-offs for home office and car (if you use it)
- lucrative pension (better than the Government)
- flexible pension (when you leave, you can transfer everything
to your RRSP, yes, even the employer contributions!)
- flexibility to leave employ on relatively short notice, and
getting access to your pension or cash in lieu

If you have 10 or more years experience in the Canadian Federal
Government and are considering leaving before 7 May 1999,
please view http://www.amb.ca/pension and fill out the on-line
questionnaire / application.

Some jobs are posted at http://www.amb.ca/divisions/hr. If
you don't see a job for you there, don't despair, give us a
call.

With the hiring of each new Ultimate employee (or their parents
or friends or neighbour or ...), AMB Inc. will support the Ottawa
Carleton Ultimate Association by purchasing shares of the new
land development.
- When we hire the FIRST person, AMB will buy 1 share.
- When we hire the SECOND person, AMB will buy ANOTHER TWO shares.
- When we hire the THIRD person, AMB will buy ANOTHER THREE shares.
- etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc
- When we hire the TENTH person, AMB will buy ANOTHER TEN
shares (so by this time, will have bought 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 +
6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 55 shares and the Ottawa Carleton
Ultimate Association will have been closer to the financing
of the land by $11k).

Michal Zeithammel
AMB Inc. Human Resources
e: hr@amb.ca
w: (613) 860-7878 x11
u: http://www.amb.ca

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

Apr 14: OCUA Spring Captain's Meeting
May 1: OCUA Registration (team fees due!)
May 1: 2nd Annual Sports Injury First Aid Clinic
May 2: 1st Annual Taping Clinic
May 3: First day of summer league
May 22: OCUA Roster Submission Deadline
July 24: Women's Hat Tournament

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Ultimate Happenings is an e-mail newsletter for the
Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association.

If you want to subscribe send an e-mail to mharley@sympatico.ca
with the subject "Subscribe Ultimate Happenings".
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