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           U L T I M A T E   H A P P E N I N G S            
                Issue 219 - July 18, 2002                
                
******************* 3028 players served ********************
                   
      OCUA - The largest ultimate league in the world!      
            (300 teams and 3700 members in 2001)            

                    http://www.ocua.ca/                    

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't 
work." - Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

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CONTENTS:

- Dangerous Play
- Canada's Juniors Take Two World Ultimate Championship Titles
- Festival Of The Discs
- Pick-Up Team For Nationals
- Rental Accommodations
- Calendar Of Events

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DANGEROUS PLAY

In recent weeks it has come to the Board's attention that 
there are serious issues with dangerous play at Various 
levels within the League. As the hot days of summer are now 
upon us, and this type of weather brings with it an increase 
in the intensity level and an attendant drop in stamina, it 
becomes increasingly important to address the issue of 
dangerous play. The Board is working on developing policies 
that will allow it to deal effectively with the problem, 
however we felt it was important to broadcast a message now. 

The importance that the sport of Ultimate places on respect 
for the other players in a game is so great that it is 
addressed in the opening sentences of the rules. Statements 
such as, "It is assumed that no Ultimate player will 
intentionally violate the rules.", "In Ultimate, an 
intentional foul is considered cheating and a gross offense 
against the spirit of sportsmanship.", "Highly competitive 
play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual 
respect among players...", and "Such actions as taunting of 
opposing players, dangerous aggression, belligerent 
intimidation, intentional fouling, or other win-at-all- 
costs behaviour are contrary to the spirit of the game and 
must be avoided by all players." are all found in the first 
few paragraphs.

It is upon these attitudes of self governance and respect 
for your opponents that the entire sport of Ultimate is 
based. They are the reasons that Ultimate was created in the 
first place. All of the rest of the guidelines (rules) that 
are created to help make the sport function, are built on, 
and grow from these basic tenets. Without a respect for, and 
an understanding of what they truly mean, there is no point 
in being part of the Ultimate family. 

It is important that all members of the OCUA understand that 
Ultimate is NOT like other team sports. Not only because it 
allows players to display great acts of true sportsmanship, 
in a total self regulated environment (there are no third 
party referees to treat you like small children), but also 
because the sport is coeducational. This means that there is 
a greater possibility of serious injury resulting if the 
guidelines are not followed because of the great disparity 
in players physical presence.

We would like to ask all of the members of the OCUA to take 
a moment and think about the way in which they play the 
sport, and ask them to reflect on whether they are following 
the basic tenets. Have you had a close call while playing? 
When you think about it, do you wonder what might have 
happened if things hadn't turned out so luckily? Ask 
yourself how the event would have been different if you had 
taken a fraction of a second to apply the guidelines. It is 
every player's responsibility to be aware on the field, and 
to avoid serious contact at all costs. It is every team's 
responsibility to ensure that their teammates learn that 
responsibility.

Ultimate is not only a difficult game to learn to play, but 
it is a very different mind set from other sports. You are 
not only a player but also your own referee; one of fourteen 
on the field. Nothing is more important to the OCUA than the 
safety of our members, and to be safe you must know the 
game. To learn the game it is imperative to understand and 
use the rules, especially at the beginner level. While it 
may seem frustrating to have a game constantly interrupted 
by calls, it is the way in which the sport is learnt. After 
all no one expects a beginner to step onto the field and 
play like a champion.

Please learn the rules, use them and make the Ultimate 
experience a great one for yourself and the other players 
that have come out to enjoy it with you. 

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CANADA'S JUNIORS TAKE TWO WORLD ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES

July 14, 2002 was a great day for the future of Canadian 
ultimate. Both the Canadian women and men's junior teams 
beat the Swedish teams in the finals to take the titles of 
world champs at the World Junior Championships that were 
being held in Latvia. 

Final scores were:
Junior Men	17-7			Junior Women		17-7

According to Ottawa player Ben Piper, "the Championship 
itself embodied everything most loved about ultimate. It 
brought together youth, athleticism and spirit from around 
the world. The spirit and determination of the Latvian, 
Lithuanian and Russian teams, all new to junior world 
competition was admirable. The undying humor of the team 
from Great Britain livened the tournament as only the 
British can do (don't ever think that the British are 
boring). The skillful play of the Finns and the Swedes 
constantly remind us that North America isn't the only home 
of high quality competitive ultimate." To read more about 
the Canadian victories at the Junior World Championships, 
check out Ben's articles posted on www.canultimate.com.

Ottawa will have the chance to see some of these world-class 
juniors along with their older counterparts play ultimate at 
the 2002 Canadian National Ultimate Championships. These 
championships are being held in Ottawa August 22-25 at 
Ultimate Park (on Manotick Station Road). For more 
information on the Nationals, check out 
www.ocua.ca/Nationals2002/.

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FESTIVAL OF THE DISCS

Come out to UP Inc. and check out the Festival of the Discs 
on Wednesday, July 24 at 7 pm. It's an opportunity to check 
out new equipment, catch a demonstration of disc golf or 
compete in a layout competition .Vendors will be on hand to 
show off their best swag and give out prizes too.

Schedule:
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Ultimate League Play
7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Disc Golf Demonstration
7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Equipment Displays
7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Charity Skins Game ($200 Cash prize 
                           will be donated to a charity)
8:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. - Layout Competition ($200 Cash prize 
                           will be donated to a charity)

Rain date Thursday, July 25

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PICK-UP TEAM FOR NATIONALS

Tryouts this Saturday, July 20, at 1:00pm at Riverside. 
Contact Ian.Dalton@pwgsc.gc.ca for more info.

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RENTAL ACCOMMODATIONS

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CHELSEA COUNTRY ESTATE On 23 secluded acres, 7 miles to 
Ottawa, luxurious 2 exec. 1 bdrm. unit, open concept. 
skylights, f/p, pine floors, screened porch, pond, Biking & 
ski trails at door. $1000 & $1250. all incl. 5 appls. 613-
244-1132. available ASAP

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

 Jul. 20-21  : National Capital Classic Disc Golf (Hull)
 Aug. 17-18  : Canadian Disc Golf Championships
 Aug. 22-25  : NATIONALS (Ottawa)
 Sep. 7      : Monday League Playoffs
 Sep. 8      : Wednesday League Playoffs
 Sep. 14     : Tuesday League Playoffs
 Sep. 14     : End-of-season Party
 Sep. 15     : Thursday League Playoffs
 
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Ultimate Happenings is an e-mail newsletter for the
Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association (http://www.ocua.ca).

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pricing and guidelines.

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