2008 Club Sectional Coordinator
Training Packet

• Intro and Thanks

• Basic Coordinator Info
  • Job Description
  • Championship Series Organizational Structure
  • Communication
    • Coordinator Contact Info
    • UPA HQ Contact Info
    • Public Communication Guidelines
      

• Pre-Season Tasks/Info
  • Pre-Season Checklist
  • Team Contacts
  • Tournament Dates and Locations
    • Site Selection Guidelines
  • Tournament Hosting (Logistical Guidelines and Requirements)
    • Organization
    • Finances
      • Pre-tournament payment deadlines
    • Contracts
    • UPA Insurance
    • Amenities (required and recommended)
    • Medical Plan
    • Discounted Discs
    • Weather Issues
      • Scheduling
      • Lightning
  • Series Guidelines

• Series Tasks
  • Administrative Guidelines
    • Online Rostering
    • Important Documents
    • What to Collect at Sectionals
    • Checking UPA Memberships and Waivers
    • What to Mail to HQ
    • Using the Score Reporting Tool
      
  • Competition Guidelines
    • Sectional Crossovers and Boundary Issues
    • Division II Tournaments
    • Formats
    • Capping Games
    • Bid Allocation
    • Seeding
    • Forfeit Rule
    • Official Rules
    • Observers
    • Tie-Break Guidelines
  • Handling Issues and Incidents
    • Administrative/Competition Issues
    • Conduct Issues
    • Accident and Injury Reporting

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INTRO AND THANKS

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BASIC COORDINATOR INFO

• The Club Series takes place in the fall and consists of four Divisions (Masters, Mixed, Open and Women). Series competition consists of qualifying tournaments where teams may advance from one level to the next based on their performance at these tournaments. Each division has a staff of volunteer coordinators who organized and oversee competition within the division.
• The Championship Director, with the assistance of the Championship Series Manager, oversees all aspects of the UPA Championship Series, which consists of Sectionals, Regionals, and the UPA Championship tournament (aka Nationals). Both the Championship Director and Championship Series Manager positions are full-time, paid UPA staff positions located at UPA Headquarters in Colorado.
• Each Club Division is headed up by a National Director, a volunteer who helps set and enforce competition guidelines and oversees the volunteer staff. The National Directors report directly to the Championship Director and Championship Series Manager.
• Each division is divided into six geographic regions. Each region is the responsibility of a volunteer Regional Coordinator. The Regional Coordinator reports directly to the National Director and directly oversees the Sectional Coordinators in his/her respective region. Each region (except in the Masters Division) is divided into three or more geographic sections. Each section is the responsibility of a volunteer Sectional Coordinator. The Sectional Coordinator reports directly to the Regional Coordinator and works closely with team captains in his/her respective section.

• Open Division - Adam Goff - upa_nod@upa.org
• Women's Division - DeAnna Ball - upa_nwd@upa.org
• Mixed Division - George Cooke - upa_nxd@upa.org
• Masters Division - David Raflo - upa_nmd@upa.org

Matthew Bourland, Championship Series Manager
matthew@hq.upa.org
800-UPA-GETH, ext 117
Ultimate Players Association
4730 Table Mesa Drive, Suite J-200
Boulder, CO 80305

It is important to both the organization and to you personally that it is clear when communicating publicly whether you are doing so as a private individual or in your capacity as a UPA coordinator.  It is also important when you communicate as a UPA coordinator that you do so in a professional manner.  The following guidelines are suggestions put forth by the UPA Board of Directors for public communication by UPA employees and volunteers. 
www.upa.org/BOD/Internetposting

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PRE-SEASON TASKS/INFO

• Contact Teams in your Section (Completion Date: Ongoing. Start immediately.)
• Implement bid process if site/date not set yet – see Site Selection Guidelines below (Completion Date 6/30/08)
  
• Set Sectional Tournament Date and Location (Completion Date 7/31/08)
• Read Club Series Guidelines and Rostering Instructions

Your Regional Coordinator will send you a list of teams and team contacts for your section and division from the previous year's Club Series. Use this list as a starting point for contacting teams that might want to participate this year. Although team contacts often change, usually the previous year's contact will be able to point you in the right direction. Be sure to ask these contacts about other teams in the section. Use rec.sport.disc, the teams link on the UPA website, the UPA Score Reporter, and other methods to find more teams interested in participating.

• Sectionals and Regionals should be scheduled with at least one free weekend between them.
• Possible dates for Sectionals are Sep. 13-14, 20-21, or 27-28
  
• Possible dates for Regionals are Oct. 4-5 or Oct. 11-12
  
• All Regionals should have scheduled dates and locations by June 30.
• All Sectionals should have scheduled dates and locations by July 31.

• Solicit bids from as many potential tournament hosts as you can, and choose the one you think will provide the best tournament. Contact teams or leagues in your region, post on RSD, or get in touch with schools or local government organizations that host sports events. Be sure to communicate what you need from the site (see Tournament Hosting, below) and take into account potential weather issues before choosing a site and date.
• If you have more than one great site to choose from, you may want to consider the past location of the tournament and consider choosing a site that equalizes travel time/expense from year to year.
• Please note that as of January 1, 2007, US Citizens need to have a valid US Passport to fly to and from Canada.  Coordinators must get permission from the National Division Director before selection a site outside of the US.
  
• You may hold your division's tournament either separately from, or with, the other division's tournaments. Work this out with the other divisions' coordinators.
• Try to take into consideration conflicts that might affect participation including religious or other holidays, exams, or other school functions. Touch base with team captains to see if there are issues and try to work around as many as possible. However, realize that you can't please everyone and ultimately it is up to the teams whether they choose to participate or do something else.
• See the section below on Tournament Hosting for more information on selecting a tournament site.
• If your event date/location have not been set by one month prior to the event announce date, you’ll need to follow the formal bid process outlined below:
  1.    Determine a bid timeline (a window for when bids will be accepted, a bid submission deadline, and the event announcement date).  It is recommended to leave at least 1 week between the bid submission deadline and event announcement date to give you plenty of time to carefully review the bids.
  2.    Outline the information required for the event’s bid (quality and # of fields, location of airports, location of hotels, involvement and experience of the ‘host’ organization, other amenities, experience of the tournament director)
  3.    Distribute the bid outline info and deadline dates to the previous year’s team contacts as well as local organizations that may potentially want to host the event
  4.    Touch base with your National Division Director just prior to the bid selection to ensure that any concerns about the host(s), fields, travels, or lodging have been properly addressed.
  
  

• You and/or your tournament director are in charge of figuring out what to charge the teams for your tournament. Be sure to book the appropriate number of days and fields for your event.
• Since the tournament director is typically in charge of the even finances, you should work with that individual to make sure the below items are factored in the event budget.  If you are also the tournament director, then they will apply to you.
  
• Expect to at least break even with your event, including all peripheral costs associated with running the tournament, like mailing documents to HQ and arranging for an emergency medical plan .
• The event may be subsidized by selling discs, available for discounted prices through UPA HQ. 
  
• Try to keep the Event affordable so that even new teams will not be discouraged from participating. Don't abuse your UPA position or the Series by overcharging teams. At the same time, don't cut corners at the expense of providing the participants a satisfying experience. Remember that teams and players will be happy to pay for a quality Event. If they get their money's worth in terms of amenities and organization, they are going to be happy to pay a reasonable fee for a quality weekend of Ultimate. $10-20/person is a great deal for a weekend of organized ultimate. Don't let 'em tell you otherwise!
• Coordinators who would otherwise not be attending their event can work with the YD ti include their travel expenses (transportation/lodging) into the tournament budget.  This is intended for non-participants, should not be at the expense of the value of the event for the participants, and should be factored into the tournament budget.
• The UPA reserves the right to audit event finances to ensure the amenities/guidelines are followed.
  

• Your tournament is required to provide, at a minimum, safe athletic fields, a medical plan, and access to water and restrooms, along with good organization.
• Other primary considerations should include lined fields, food, shelter, programs, and discs (available at a discount through UPA HQ).
• Quality is the key, so you should do your best to hold an event that participants will enjoy and want to attend again in the future. You know what makes a good tournament.

Required:

1. Fields
2. Medical Requirements met
3. Access to water
4. Access to restroom facilities

Recommended but not required:

1. Lined fields
2. Shelter
3. Food (bagels, oranges, etc.) for participants
4. Tournament programs
5. Other elements that add quality to the event

• one (1) adult with Red Cross first aid certification assigned to every 4 fields
  • Each with cell phone with emergency numbers programmed
• Provide captains with phone number and directions to the nearest hospital printed on the program or information sheet
• Notify Emergency Medical Services of event including location and times
• Incident report forms on hand
• Completed medical release forms for minors on site

• Certified Athletic Trainer or more highly qualified medical staff person on duty at fields.
• Provide captains with phone numbers and directions to the nearest hospital printed on the program or information sheet
• Notify Emergency Medical Services of event including location and times
• Incident report forms on hand
• Completed medical release forms for minors on site

• If your area consistently has bad weather that might cause you to cancel or postpone your event, it is VERY important that you do not schedule your event on the last possible weekend. Choose an earlier weekend so that the following weekend can be used as a backup, and make arrangements for the rain date/location ahead of time.
• Talk to local field providers about usage in the event of heavy rain or during the event, as well as the possibility of a backup site, either for the same weekend or the following weekend. See what your options are and have a backup plan thought out before the last minute.
• Be sure to communicate about the weather with your teams. Set a deadline for when you will let them know that the tournament is on or off. Keep in mind travel distances/times to your event when setting that deadline. Be sure to communicate your backup plan to team captains early so they can rearrange their schedules if necessary.
• If weather forces you to delay your event after it has started (see Lightning Guidelines below), be ready to shorten rounds if needed or extend the day slightly. Be sure to communicate any schedule changes to all captains. Series formats are very specific, so don't change the format without consulting the UPA coordinator next up the communication chain. If you don't think you'll be able to complete the tournament format that weekend, be sure to get in touch with the next coordinator up the line.

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SERIES TASKS

This section covers how a Club Sectional Coordinator handles UPA administrative, competition, and conduct issues related to the Club Series. The season is almost under way, and with it the excitement is building. Read on to find out about the pivotal part you get to play in making the UPA Club Series the most exciting and anticipated Ultimate event of the year.

• Teams must register for Sectionals with the online rostering system.
• There are no early/late deadlines or late fees this year.  Instead, there is a Team Registration Deadline (5pm MT, August 29, 2008 -- by which a valid roster must be registered), and a Roster Deadline (5pm MT the Tuesday before Sectionals -- by which the roster, up to 7 additions, must be finalized).
  
• Teams may not turn in rosters after the Team Registration Deadline or add players to their rosters after the Roster Deadline (including at the event).
• You will not be getting roster reports emailed to you from UPA HQ. Instead you will need to go online the Thursday or Friday before your event and check the status of players and teams. Use that information to figure out what is missing and what needs to be collected at your event (see What to Collect at Sectionals).

If you have questions about the system that you can't find the answer to in the Help Documentation, check out the Online Rostering Forum , or email online-roster-help@upa.org .

• Waiver (good for adults and minors!)
• Chaperone's Waiver (for minors <18)
  
• Medical Authorization Form (for minors <18)
  

Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to read the PDF files (roster, registrar instructions, waivers). You may need to assist teams in getting Acrobat.

1. Individual waiver/release form signed by the player and dated.
   Minor waivers must also be signed by a guardian. (The adult and minor waivers have been combined into one form.) Note that it might be impossible for a minor to sign a waiver at the event without a guardian present. In this case, the minor should not be permitted to play. A copy of the chaperone form must be included with the roster. The medical release form is the responsibility of the chaperone; it must be brought to each Series event and kept on hand by the chaperone. This form will allow medical pesonnel to treat an injured minor without a parent/guardian having to be present. (Without this form a doctor might not treat an injured minor.).
2. Dues for all players who are not current UPA members. Checks should be made out to the UPA.

• Schedule a “Registration Time” into the morning of your tournament. Have it lead into the captain’s meeting and require all teams to check in with you during registration. This helps you determine if any teams are missing and gives you a set time to handle administrative issues. You should probably schedule at least 30 minutes for this, or longer if you have a lot of teams with problems. If you can get a volunteer or two to help with this, it will make life much easier. You should be able to print out all the teams’ rosters and a list of issues to deal with, so you can have all of the “problems” right at your fingertips. Be sure captains understand ahead of time that any player who hasn’t paid dues of submitted a waiver is ineligible to play until they have done so.
• Bring extra blank waivers to your captain's meeting for teams that forget to bring their pre-filled out ones.
• NO cash! And the team name must be written on each check. (If you choose to accept cash, you must deposit it in a checking account and write a check to the UPA for the amount of cash collected. Be sure to specify on the check who and what the money is for.)
• If you have to collect information at the tournament, keep each team’s materials separate from one another.
• Non-Championship-bound teams matter!!! The players are UPA members and those players expect newsletters, a membership card, etc., so get everyone's complete information.

• current UPA ID card
• printout of their online account status showing they are current
• printout of the PayPal online screen showing they have paid
• printout of their email receipt showing they have paid

• Sectional and Regional boundaries are defined on the UPA web site.
• There must be a minimum of two teams in a section in order to hold a Sectional event. If there is only one team in a section, that team must migrate to another section or discuss other options with the National Division Director. Sectional Coordinators should communicate to their RC by the UPA roster deadline if there is a possibility that a team may need to migrate.
• The National Division Director must approve any sectional split or team migration to another section.
• If a section is allowed to split, each sub-section will be treated as its own section when determining bid allocation to Regionals.
• If a team(s) is allowed to migrate, the migrating team(s) will be considered part of the section in which they participate at Sectionals when determining bid allocations to Regionals.
• Sectional Coordinators should be prepared for the possibility of absorbing team(s) from another section, as communicated by the National Division Director.

• Do you anticipate too many teams for the available fields and/or format?
• Are there wide competitive/skill-level differences between groups of teams in your section?
• Do teams in your section have distinctly different goals, in terms of competition, advancing in the Series, etc.?

• Consider Div II early in the season when communicating with teams IF:
  • There has been a history of Div II in your section
  • There has been interest or discussion about Div II in your section
  • You anticipate any of the issues in the “Why hold Div II?” section above
• Provide CLEAR communication with teams about the differences between Div I and II
  • See 2008 Club Series Guidelines
  • Remind them that a) it is optional, b) it means they can’t advance to Div I Regionals, and c) there might not be a Div II Regionals
  • Communicate to your regional coordinator that you are interested in holding a Div II sectional. If there is a Division II Regionals, work with your regional coordinator to determine the format of the tournament and the requirements for advancing.
  • If there is a Division II Regionals, team qualification criteria are the same as those applicable for Division I.  This includes application of the bid allocation formula, seeding standards, and use of the appropriate Series format.  Deviations from these standards may only occur with the approval of the National Division Director.
    
  • As with Division I Sectionals, it is required that the Sectional Coordinator attend the Division II event to handle competition, administrative, and conduct issues.  If you cannot be at your Division II event, you must let your National Division Director and HQ know at least 2 weeks ahead of time.  Work out with them a backup plan for taking care of tournament issues.
  • When setting up the event(s), try to integrate Div I and II to enhance the spirit of the event and to foster development of the sport and a greater sense of the Ultimate community. (In other words, even through they aren’t playing the Div I teams, don’t stick them off in a cow pasture with no water.)

• Pre-competition communication
  • Use and communicate cap definitions available in the 11th Edition Rules
  • Clarify definition and communication process at captain’s meeting
  • If possible, print cap definition and process in program, website, or other written materials
  • Clarify who is going to be in charge of announcing the caps (may be coordinator, TD, other). Make sure everyone understands that person or people are the only ones who can implement the cap.
  • Clarify how the cap is going to be communicated (horn, PA, verbal, etc.).
• Communicating caps for competition
  • Someone once said all you need is a schedule, a watch, and a horn. That’s pretty much right on.
  • You should be able to communicate the cap to all relevant parties simultaneously.
• Timeout clarification for caps
  • According to the 11th Edition Rules—timeouts are not affected by the cap
  • Event Organizers clause in the 11th allows for variations on rules like timeouts and caps
  • Any changes to the 11th Edition regarding timeouts after cap must be communicated to teams before the start of competition

1. Seeding for Sectionals and Regionals should be done by the coordinator using the following information: input solicited from all the captains of participating teams, results prior to the Series (e.g. head to head, common opponents, tournament finish), results of last year's Series, and other applicable information (e.g. team composition, conditions). Team captain input may be in the form of a vote, ranking, or general discussion. Voting is a fair method and if utilized should be adhered to, except where there is obvious strategic maneuvering taking place or a contradiction to obvious differences in strength. The coordinator has the authority to adjust rankings according to the best information available.
2. Seeding for Regionals will additionally be held to the following guideline: No team that finishes ahead of another team at Sectionals may be seeded behind that team at Regionals.
3. Seeding for Sectionals must be pre-approved by the appropriate Regional Coordinator.(If the Sectional and Regional coordinators are affiliated (player, coach, alum, etc) with the same team, seedings must be approved by the National Division Director.)  
   
4. Seeding for Regionals must be pre-approved by the National Director. (If the Regionl Coordinator and National Division Director are affiliated (player, coach, alum, etc) with the same team, seedings must be approved by the Championship Director.) 
   

• Communicate clearly to the captains of both teams, as early as possible, that the game is going to be suspended.
• Communicate clearly to the captains of both teams, as early as possible, when and where the game is to be resumed. Take the captains’ input into consideration when rescheduling the game.
• Treat the suspended game as if it is an official “timeout”—
  • Same players are on the field.
  • Players may reset position on the field.
  • Disc should be in same place as when game was suspended.
  • Players who were on the field that are unable to participate in the make-up game should be treated as injury subs, with the other team getting a matched number of substitutes.
• Coordinators should try to replicate field conditions (e.g., wind advantage) as much as is possible and practial before restarting play.

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Checklists

• Contact teams in your section about the Series
• Get bids for and set date and location for Sectionals by 7/31/08
  
• Read Club Series Guidelines and rostering instructions
• Set up the tournament (coordinate with other Sectional Coordinators if needed).  Find a tournament director to run the logistics of the event.  You will still be responsible for all of the UPA/competition related issues (formats, teams, etc), but finding someone else to deal with water, food, etc. will generally make everyone's experience more positive.
• Get in touch with you Regional Observer Coordinator.  Find observers (if needed/required)
  
• Take and pass coordinator quiz

• Read online coordinator packet regarding administrative, competition, and incident issues.
• Inform teams of the roster deadlines and other Series Guidelines.
• Format – Based on the number of teams attending and UPA guidelines determine a format for the tournament, get it approved by your Regional Coordinator, and communicate the format to the teams.
• Seeding – Based on UPA seeding guidelines, get input from teams, determine seeding for the tournament, get approval from Regional Coordinator, and communicate seeding to teams.
• Send out a game schedule to attending teams and communicate schedule details including game caps.
• The week of the tournament you will get an email with the rosters of all the teams that turned stuff into HQ. You will need to review these rosters and note which players/teams owe additional dues and/or waivers. Let us know at HQ if you will be travelling far and if you need the rosters emailed sooner.
• E-mail teams to let them know what they are missing and need to bring to the tournament.
• Make copies of all necessary documents including waivers, incident report forms, lightning guidelines, and tie-break guidelines.

• You need to be at your tournament to deal with administrative and competition-related issues. If for some unanticipated reason you cannot be at your tournament please let your National Division Director and HQ know at least two weeks ahead of time. Work out with them a back-up plan for taking care of tournament issues.
• Bring all necessary documents including waivers, incident report forms, lightning guidelines, and tie-break guidelines.
• Collect additional waivers and dues from teams. DO NOT allow players to play until they have turned in their dues and waivers.
• At the captain's meeting, communicate the following details: capping games, forfeiture rule, tourney logistics, administrative issues, schedule clarifications, tournament rules group, medical plan, lightning plan, and SOTG.
  
• Remind team captains that chaperones are responsible for minors and for having medical release forms on hand throughout the event.
• Form Tournament Rules Group (see Conduct Issues). This can actually be done on email before the event if desired, but should be done at the Captain's Meeting before the competition at the very latest.
• Keep records of ALL game scores for reporting.
• Enjoy the tournament!

• Report results to the UPA website via the Score Reporter, indicating teams that earned bids to Regionals.
• Send any roster materials that you have collected to HQ with an overnight shipping service (e.g., FedEx). Please budget this money (usually about $15) into the tournament budget. It is important that we get this information within a day or two of your tournament so that we can process additional paperwork before the next Series event.
• Make sure everything in the envelope is labeled so we can tell what goes with what.
• Please DO NOT send cash. If you get cash, please deposit and write a check for that amount to the UPA (specifying what the money is for).
• Report any incidents to the appropriate UPA personnel, as outlined in your coordinator packet.
• Kick back and enjoy all the thanks that you're sure to receive for a job well done!
• Be sure to fill out the post-Series survey that will be sent out after the season by your regional coordinator or national director.  This is a great way to let us know your thoughts about how the Series works and ways it could be improved.  Thanks.

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THANKS AND GOOD LUCK!