Mike Payne
At-Large Representative

“Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.”
-Tom Landry

I have lived and breathed Ultimate Frisbee for the past ten years, and I expect that the coming years will be no different. After spending time as a player, captain and coach, I now feel compelled to make an impact at the organizational level, as an at-large UPA board member. Taking from the quote above, I feel confident that I not only have goals for the UPA, but I also have a plan to make those goals a reality.

The two primary areas that I will focus on are:

• Sound Business Principles for the UPA: I will thoroughly re-examine the business principles underlying operations at the UPA and work to make the organization more efficient from operational, and perhaps more importantly, financial standpoints. My experience as a management consultant and a Stanford MBA will bring new skills and perspective to the board.
• Collegiate Representation & Innovation: I will improve the responsiveness of the UPA to the large and important community of collegiate Ultimate players. Besides representation of college players’ interests, I will work with UPA administrative staff to improve the bid system and the rostering process. As a collegiate coach, I will be able to speak from experience in recognizing issues and proposing solutions for the college game.

I have a great deal of experience that would allow me to fulfill these goals while being a motivating part of the UPA board. I have played men’s Ultimate at the highest level for ten years, as a captain and player for Stanford Bloodthirsty, Saucy Jack, and Jam. I was the head coach of Stanford Bloodthirsty from 2000-2003, helping the team to a national championship in 2002. I have directed and observed at a number of major tournaments on the West Coast, and played city league Ultimate in San Francisco. And the amount of time I’ve spent playing Frisbee golf…it’s ridiculous.

I have the business experience necessary to make the UPA a more efficient, forward-thinking business. In evaluating how the UPA “does business,” I plan to be creative in brainstorming innovative ways to finance (e.g., new dues and tournament fee structures) programs such as promotion in cities where Ultimate is less prevalent, juniors Ultimate, and sponsorship and press coverage. I will also work with UPA administration to automate, streamline or outsource certain UPA functions (e.g., dues collection, rostering, tournament administration) so that your UPA administrative staff can focus on new programs.

My experience as a player, and more importantly as a coach in the college game, gives me key insights into the current state and needs of collegiate Ultimate. My coaching experience will enable me to represent college interests and to gauge the impact UPA policy changes will have on the collegiate game. Furthermore, I am committed to changing the Nationals bid system and rostering process to satisfy the greatest number of those who are directly impacted – college players.

The bottom line is…I love this sport. And I look forward to working with the UPA to make it even better.

Committees Serving On in 2005
Nominating Committee, Executive Committee