Collecting Past PHUL Photos

PHUL is collecting any photos from the community that include past or current PHUL players. If you would like to share an album or individual files, please send them to photos@phul-ultimate.org

Photos will be posted on our facebook page.

Ultimate In the Wall Street Journal

An article in the Wall Street Journal mentions Ultimate for exercise: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574404831543246854.html

Congratulations Justin Burdett, PHUL Middle School Commissioner

Congratulations to Justin Burdett for being selected as the PHUL Middle School Commissioner for PHUL 2010.

Justin has played many roles in Youth Ultimate over the years. He was the captain of HUC, the Hampton Ultimate Club in 2004 and 2005, during their 2nd and 3rd years as a team. Justin secured Club status for the team at their school his senior year. While attending Penn State University Justin founded CPHUL, the Central Pennsylvania High school Ultimate League, a sister league to PHUL. Justin has acted as PHUL's Outreach Director and was instrumental in our securing of NRG as a sponsor for PHUL in 2009. Justin is also involved as a coach for Pine-Richland High School as well as currently holding the job of PHUL Coaching Coordinator.

PHUL MIddle School Commissioner

As hinted at last Monday:

A new job has been posted for a Middle School Commissioner in PHUL: http://www.pittsburgh-ultimate.org/bboard/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=15571

Applications are due before the end of the week.

PHUL Alumni at UPA Founders Sectionals

This weekend 6 Pittsburgh teams will travel to the UPA Founders Sectionals across three divisions. In the Open division will be Forge and Swagger U. Steel Reserve (the "2nd team" to Forge) will not be playing. In the Mixed Division The Muff 'n Men will represent our city. In the Women's Division, Pittsburgh will be competing as part of a regional team as Wildcard. The local women's college teams from Pitt and CMU will be competing respectively as Danger and Money Mellons.

Open Division:

• Forge, seeded 1st: (6 of 21 players)
  
  - Ben Banyas(C), Fox Chapel '01-'02
  - Bob Liu, North Allegheny '05
  - Chris Brenenborg, Central Catholic '03-'06
  - David Vatz, Mt. Lebanon '01-'04
  - Hao Su, Mt. Lebanon '04-'06
  - Ryan Smith, Montour '07-'08
  
  
• Swagger U, seeded 7th: (13 of X? players)
  - Alex Thorne, North Hills
  - Allen Rakers, Hampton
  - Ben Funk, North Hills
  - Chris Lippert, North Hills
  - Colin Conner, North Hills
  - Colin Hite, North Hills
  - Jack Ross, North Hills
  - Jay Huerbin, Hampton
  - Jeff Olko, North Hills
  - Max Thorne (current PHUL player), North Hills
  - Nick Kaczmarek, Bethel Park
  - Pat Earles (current PHUL player), North Hills
  - Ryan Earles, North Hills
  

Mixed Division:

• The Muff 'n Men, seeded 5th: (5 of 27 players)
  
  - Brian "Red" Grace, Taylor Allderdice '02-'04
  - Bulgan Buuch, Shady Side Academny '04-'05
  - Greg Wilson, Fox Chapel '07
  - Laura Perkins, Fox Chapel '05-'07
  - Maria Bajzek, Oakland Catholic '07-'09
  

Women's Division:

• Wildcard, seeded 1st
  
  - Chelsea Grindle, North Hills '06, North Hills Girls '07-'08
  
  
• Danger (Pitt), seeded 5th
  
  - Anna Rakers, Hampton Girls '07-'08
  - Bailey Moorhead, Mt. Lebanon Girls '08
  - Rachel Fedoronko, Hampton Girls '08
  - Robin Eng, Fox Chapel '08
  - Shannon Helfer?
  
  
• Money Mellons (CMU), seeded 7th
  
  - Roster unknown
  

Good luck to all PHUL Alumni and Pittsburgh players this weekend!

The PHUL Corps

A new job has been posted as an opportunity for youth leadership in PHUL; the PHUL Corps.

Application: http://www.pittsburgh-ultimate.org/bboard/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=15553

To join the Corps, potential members must define and complete a project for the league. Once they prove their chops they are given an official position and more resources to continue their work. Feel free to post comments or questions on the application link above.

Ultimate Frisbee Gym Demos are back

I'll admit, sometimes I get weak and throw "Frisbee" into a title for search engine reasons. Bridging that gap between bringing in those who don't yet know the sport, and promoting the actual name can be a conflict of interest.

Solution? Flatball.... But that's for another day. For now,

PHUL is once again offering to run gym demo programs at high schools and middle schools in the Western Pennsylvania region. For more information please contact: Pat Hammonds at pathammonds@phul-ultimate.org. A description of the program can be found below:

The Pittsburgh Ultimate League Gym Demonstration program, started in 2004, was created to deliver high quality instruction in the rules and skills of the sport of Ultimate to high school Physical Education programs. A team of six college and club level players will travel to middle and high schools in the area and teach the classes for the entire day. Two of the instructors begin by explaining the rules of the game, teaching the basic skills required, and then compete in a 3 vs. 3 demonstration game with the other instructors. After this, the students compete in various activities, depending on their age and skill level. These can include the students competing in their own 3 vs. 3 games, a full game with the students competing against the instructors, or skills practice and drills.

Middle School Ultimate in Pittsburgh

Middle School Ultimate is where it's at. Just ask Seattle, with 52 middle school teams in their DiscNW league in 2009: http://www.discnw.org/events/SpringMS/Teams.html

While we'd rather lead than follow, it's time for PHUL to play a bit of catch up.

PHUL is offering middle school gym demos and paid coaching positions for middle school teams. For more information, post a comment.

A job description and application for a Middle School Commissioner, will be posted soon.

Community event: Wild Art Wild Trails Festival, Mt. Washington

This Labor Day, Monday September 7th, 2009, the MWCDC (Mount Washington Community Development Corporation) hosted their first annual Wild Art Wild Trails Festival. The event featured a community clean-up of an illegal dump site and a festival later in the day. Debris collected during the clean-up was made into art by local artists, and children in the area were encouraged to come out to Mt. Washington Park where they could climb a rock wall, listen to live music and learn about Ultimate in Pittsburgh. Thank you to those volunteers who attended to help promote the sport of Ultimate and to Nicole Shannon for leading PHUL's involvement in this project.

The last we heard, the MWCDC was attempting to use sports (boxing) to revitalize a local park by adding an adult presence and activities after school hours to a currently vacant and problem area. PHUL applauds the efforts to use sports as a way to improve the community, safety and health of local children.

For more information on the event see the original press release: [link expired...]
For more information on the MWCDC: http://www.mwcdc.org/