I just got back from UCPC in Newton, Massachusetts.
First of all, it was an excellent conference. I think that it was important in several ways.
1. It provided a space for the diverse Ultimate community to congregate and share ideas. I think this is very important for the growth of the sport in general, especially to avoid reinventing the wheel.
2. It provided a forum to talk about the relevant issues of Ultimate, while keeping in mind our history and culture. The panel discussion at the end was truly excellent, and I think the panelists were well-chosen.
3. It provided a successful launching-point for future conferences, and I predict great growth in the UCPC for years to come. It will be enlarged and refined, and I am excited about its future.
I learned a great deal, especially from Dr. Alan Goldberg, the keynote speaker, and from Tiina Booth, whose talk with Dr. Goldberg on mental toughness was both enlightening and concretely useful. Dan Cogan-Drew had some good ideas about teaching Ultimate through video, and I think this will become part of the culture, especially with the technology available. Also, Dan's presentation with Bryan Doo was informative, although it consisted more of an overview of fitness rather than the detailed discussion that I was interested in. Jim Parinella's presentation was interesting, although it seemed to cover most of what his book had already dealt with. The Expo was cool, but I was a little disappointed that the Rutgers leadership was not interested in setting up a booth to recruit. True, we may not be a nationally competitive team yet, but we are closely tied with the history of Ultimate and I would have been proud to see scarlet in the room.
From the conference, I learned that I really do want to be involved in Ultimate on more levels than just as a player. I'm thinking about applying for a job as a Counselor-in-Training at NUTC. I'd like to get certified as a coach eventually, because I'd like to coach a high school team. I'm interested in helping organize tournaments in the area, as an Observer, TD, or UPA coordinator. In short, I love Ultimate, and want to contribute in as many ways as I can.
