************************************************************ Ultimate Happenings: Issue 62 - Aug. 18 1998 OCUA Web site: http://www.cyberus.ca/ocua/ OCUA Election Info: http://www.cyberus.ca/ocua/admin/elect1998.html Land Development Info: http://www.cyberus.ca/ocua/up-inc/develop.html "There are two rules for success in life: Rule 1: Don't tell people everything you know." ************************************************************ CONTENTS: - Election Comment - OCUA Board Of Directors Election Update - Election Candidates Bios - Disc Golf - Looking For A Housemate!!! - Found - Directions To Nationals - Photo Contest ************************************************************ ELECTION COMMENT: All of the bios for all of the election candidates are included in this post and are on the web. Eight of these people will be making decisions for you over the next few years. We suggest that you take the time to read each bio and discuss your vote with people you know. ************************************************************ OCUA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION UPDATE: We have 14 candidates vying for a Directorship positions on the OCUA Board. Your votes during the league playoffs on the weekends of Aug. 22-23 and Aug. 29-30 will determine which 8 candidates will get elected. On the day of their respective divisional playoffs, each team captain will get an election package complete with a brief biography of each candidate as well as a voting ballot. Upon reviewing the candidate list with their teams, each captain will fill in the voting ballot and return it to the Tournament director at the end of the day. In an effort to improve the availability of information, the candidates biography is included in this mailing as well as on the OCUA website (see above). Please review them carefully so as to make a well-informed decision on voting day. Thanks, Stephan Suys Elections Officer ************************************************************ ELECTION CANDIDATES BIOS: Glenda (Fulton) Smith ===================== Ultimate background: I began playing ultimate in 1992. In 1993 I began organising Ottawa's first 4/3 ratio division. This Tuesday division has grown to 40 teams and I now share the organisation of it with Stacey Nunes. Since 1992 I have organised the Britannia Beach Tournament along with Steve Ott. We also co-ordinate the Friday Night Indoor Winter League which will be in it's 3rd season this year. Platform: Over the past few years OCUA has grown rapidly bring us to a very challenging point in time. We have outgrown our in city fields, some of which are virtually unusable. The rental of the sod farm was only an interim measure. The land we have purchased will take us to the next step. I am committed to supporting all aspects of the land development and maintenance. To this end I would like to see teams who have a number of shares within their membership receive a discount on their team fees. I still believe we can have more playable in city fields. I would support initiatives that allow us to pay for maintenance on some of the open spaces around businesses etc.. I believe this will be an opportunity after the initial development of the land is complete. The executive committee and the divisional co-ordinators can't do all the work alone. If we are to continue to grow and be strong we need to actively recruit new volunteers in many areas of the league. This will insure continuity in the future of our league. Joanne McFee ============= Hi there! My name is Joanne McFee. You may remember me from such tournaments as No Borders and March Meltdown or such League nights as Clan McClan on Mondays and Grab a Grover on Thursdays. I have been playing ultimate for 9 years and I been active on the organising side of things for some events since then. I have seen ultimate grow from a league of 12 teams where everyone knew everyone else to our current size-over 200 teams where I actually have to include my picture so you will know who I am. I've helped in the organising No Borders Tournaments and the 1993 Nationals held at Twin Elms. I organised March Meltdown for several years, it grew from an 8 team tournament to a 28 teams. I have been active in the Land Development Deal while co-ordinating the Women's League which has grown to 19 teams from 4. I think I have a lot to offer you as a Board Member for the League. I'll list off my qualities quickly so you won't get bored. I'm organised, I'm reliable, I care about the future of ultimate and I care about the people who play it. As someone who played the sport when ultimate was a small, close-nit community and someone who's playing the sport now, where it's large and almost corporate, I feel I can help the Ottawa Ultimate League make an effective transition. If I'm elected to the board, you can be certain that I will be looking out for your best interests on every e-mail and at every meeting. I know there is a large time commitment involved throughout the year, there's no pay and there's no prestige. I know this because I have been doing this at the co-ordinator level for years now in Ultimate, and have done it for several years in women's hockey. I wish you all the best at Finals and I hope you elect me as a Board Member. You won't be disappointed. Thanks Joanne Keith Whyte =========== Keith has been involved with Ultimate since it came to Ottawa in 1985. He was one of 5 captains who, along with the league co-ordinator, was tasked with making all league decisions. One such decision, decisive in those early days, was to implement a 6-1 gender split. This is now the basis of our 5- 2 and 4-3 divisions. Keith has continued to contribute to Ultimate throughout the span of more than a decade. The diversity of his experiences - from playing to coaching to co-ordinating - has enabled him to understand issues from a number of different viewpoints. Through the many roles he has played he has learned to be objective. Objectivity is imperative when making difficult decisions. His contributions to Ultimate at the local (Ottawa) and National levels include: -Coaching, Captaining and Organising Many Teams -Keith is dedicated to starting new teams and teaching inexperienced players the skills and particular etiquette necessary for excelling at Ultimate. -On numerous occasions he has gone into the community to raise awareness of the sport. Among the teams he has been involved with are the Screaming Yellow Zonkers, Clan McClan and Spot. Captaining Champions Keith played at the competitive level culminating is his captaining of Ottawa's WAX to 3 straight semi-finals and building a core of players that eventually won two National Championships in 1993 and 1994. Co-ordinating No Borders As the tournament director of No Borders for the past 12 years, Keith has established the tournament as Canada's largest and most competitive tournament. This year the tournament attracted 48 teams and 650 players from the eastern U.S and Canada. Keith also was tournament co-director for the 1993 Canadian National Championships. These experiences have afforded him the opportunity to work with many volunteers from the Ultimate community. The ability to consider the viewpoints of many is an important asset for Board members, as they are often challenged with making difficult decisions which affect many people. A Founding Member of CUPA Keith was instrumental to the establishment of the Canadian Ultimate Players Association (CUPA). He wrote the organisation's constitution and served as its first Executive Director. This laid the groundwork for the future success of National Competitive Ultimate. Dedicated Division Co-ordinator Finally, Keith has co-ordinated the Monday 5-2 division for the last 4 years. This as, most ultimate players can understand, takes hours of work and an ability to find a consensus amongst a variety of viewpoints. As a result of the many different roles Keith has played in Ultimate in Ottawa over the past 14 years, he brings a wide range of viewpoints to the Board of Directors. His contributions and achievements are a testimony to his objectivity, dedication and commitment to teamwork. Please consider Keith when you vote. Craig Fielding ============== Craig has been playing Ultimate since 1985 and he has been running the league since '87. He is the current league president and is a member of the league executive. Under Craig's leadership the league has grown from its original size of 5 teams to its present size of over 200 teams. Along the way, Craig has guided the league through change after change to adapt to the shifting conditions. One example comes from the early years when Craig strongly advocated co-ed play and the league changed from a 7-0 format to a 6-1 format, and then a year later, to a 5-2 co-ed format. Today, 5-2 and 4-3 are both offered, with 4-3 being the fastest growing and most popular. Craig also wrote the original by-laws leading to the league's incorporation as a not-for-profit association in '93. This led to the rental of the sod farm as a playing site the following year. To gain permission to play there, Craig represented the league in front of Gloucester's City Council to have the zoning changed. Our need to assure ourselves of a secure field site led to the current land purchase and Craig has worked on that project since its inception serving on the field needs, share sales, and land development committees. Craig was also the draftee of the revised by-laws which are leading to these, our first ever elections. Craig is 38 years old and a professional engineer. He does not intend to stay on as OCUA's president after the elections. Craig's immediate goals for OCUA are to see us get our new fields built, to ease OCUA's transition to its new organisational structure and to improve OCUA's ability to communicate with all its members, both in print and electronically. In the longer term he would like to see arrangements made whereby OCUA would help to maintain some of its in-city fields so that these fields, too, would have an improved playing surface. Ken Lange ========= Ultimate in Ottawa is going places that, up until now, have been virtually unknown within the ultimate community. We have the largest league in the world, over 2500 members strong. We are developing the first ever dedicated ultimate facility, something most ultimate organisations can't even dream of doing. And yet we still have so far to go. There are numerous issues which need to be addressed if we are going to advance the sport here in Ottawa, and in fact, around the world. Obviously, the primary issue for this administration will be the continued development of the new facility; I think that goes without saying. But there are many more areas that also require our attention: finding more in- city fields, maintenance of current fields, more effective marketing, improved communication, quality of play and spirit of the game, development of juniors ultimate - the list just goes on, and it's probably far more than can be handled at once. But to me, the key to dealing with all of these problems is to change the way we do business. All too frequently I think we find ourselves taking a reactive approach to situations that arise, and as a result, we miss opportunities, or have to deal with problems that could have been avoided. More than anything, I think we need to get ourselves better organised, and make changes so that we deal with things proactively, rather than reactively. We need to build a solid base from which to work, and I am more than willing to help. I've played ultimate since 1995, and have experience at every level, from `C' leagues to competitive. I've done a lot of work on the land deal, and have served as a director of UP Inc. since its incorporation. I currently serve as the OCUA webmaster, and sit on a number of OCUA committees. I also have similar volunteer experience, having served in student government at university. Basically, ultimate has given me a lot . . . and I'd like to give some back. Doug Tahirali ============= My name is Doug Tahirali and I am running for the OCUA Board of Directors. I have been on the present Executive Committee and Finance Committee for four years and my duties have included being the Monday C4-3 co-ordinator for three years and the OCUA summer league overall manager for the past year. I have played ultimate for 5 years at all levels up to the World Championships. I have also been very active writing articles for TOUR and spearheading the new land development. Outside of ultimate I am a physiotherapist who owns and operates my own clinic. In this I have learned about responsibility and accountability which is something our Board sorely needs. We must tighten up OCUA as it now handles over six figures in revenue every year - we can not afford to run it loosely but rather like a business with accountability for every penny. I would appreciate your vote but more importantly I would appreciate it if all Captains did vote responsibly. Judge all the candidates by their merits and not just because you know them. All the candidates are excellent and any organisation benefits from some new blood, so please keep this in mind as you vote. Mike Harley =========== CURRENT POSITIONS: - Tuesday Night 5/2 league co-ordinator. - Ultimate Happenings E-mail Editor. - OCUA Board of Directors. - Ultimate Parks Inc. Board of Directors. PAST POSITIONS: - TOUR editor for one issue, summer of 1997. - Ultimate Parks Inc. Share sales committee. Hi, I really don't know what to write but here are my thoughts organised under the following topics: WHY I WOULD LIKE TO BE ON OCUA'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS: I started getting involved in OCUA organisation about two years ago when I felt it was time for me to give something back to Ultimate. I have played for many years and have appreciated what others have done in order for the league to exist and grow. It is important to me to carry on this tradition and ensure that current and future Ultimate players have the same opportunity to play that I did. I love Ultimate, it is a big part of my life. I want to do my part in keeping it going and growing in Ottawa. WHAT CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE IN THE FUTURE: OCUA has always been fairly informal in its organisational structure. This occurred because of the grass roots nature of its growth and from the "spirit of the game" attitude of its members. I think this is a good thing and applaud this. I also think that the organisation has not matured with respect to the overall budget, plans and number of people we are responsible for. We need to change our method of operation to adapt to our current and future size. As much as it pains me to say this will require that we become a little more bureaucratic and a little less informal. Not fun, but necessary in my opinion. Anyway, not to belabour the point. I would appreciate any support for the elections. If I don't get elected then I guess I will have some more free time (which would be good as well). If anyone has any specific questions they would like to ask please just contact me. Thanks Mike Harley Steve Ott ========= History: - Have been playing Ultimate almost 10 years in Ottawa - Have been the Monday B43 divisional co-ordinator for the last 4 years - Have been on the OCUA board of directors for the same 4 years - In conjunction with Glenda Smith (Fulton) have organised & run the Britannia Beach tournament for the past 7 years - Have co-organized & run the OCUA Indoor Winter League for the previous 2 years - Have been a captain/co-captain of 3 summer league teams for the past many years Achievements: - Captain of the 1996 Canadian National Masters Champion team, D.E.A.D. - Have been playing internationally for 7 years - Have attended two World Club Championships (UK & CAN) Platforms: - I'd like to put more money into the in-city fields for maintenance. I think we need to spread the money around and not put all of it into the new sod farm. While I do support that endeavour, we need to use discretion. - I'd like to find more in-city fields. We need to encourage more captains to be proactive and to find fields in their neighbourhoods. The establishment of a fields committee should help this project. - I'd like to see the team fees stay at their current level. This could be tough, especially if we want to start maintenance on the in-city fields. Even though Ultimate is cheap relative to other sports, the fees have been raised several times in the past few years. - I'd like to see similar playoff formats in all divisions. Currently there is a mish mash of formats as each co-ordinator has their own method thus leading to confusion on the players and captains. - I'd really like to encourage more volunteers to give some of their time to Ottawa Ultimate. We've taken it pretty far as is, but we need more volunteers to do more work in the future. Jack Webb ========= -Been playin' since '89. -President of O.C.U.A. '92 (Replacement for Craig Fielding while he was on holidays) -Co-ordinator of Wednesday Night Ultimate since '93 -President and founder of Fall League (P.R.O.U.F.) since '94. (Handling most of it's organisation. Last year 60+ teams) -President and co-founder of Winter Indoor Ultimate since '94. -Director for a variety of tournaments of many different themes since '90. -Searched out and added many of the fields that we currently play on in city league during it's time of wildfire growth. -Assisted in the production of T.O.U.R. over the years. -Currently hold a position on W.F.D.F. (World Flying Disc Federation) - Ultimate Committee. W.F.D.F. promotes ultimate world-wide and are responsible for international tournaments. -Graduate of 'Star Fleet Academy' -Help form, coach and send two Junior teams (under 19) to 'Canadian Nationals'. Continues to create a Juniors program in the City of Ottawa. -Captained many teams from "league" to "Worlds". Open, Masters and Co-Ed. -And just a whole lot of little things that needed doin'. GOALS: To continue to promote the sport of Ultimate as I have done over the past 10 years. Thanx Jack Sandra Osler ============= As a potential member of the OCUA Board of Directors, I hope to assist the league in becoming a well-run business machine. I have watched the league grow from 12 teams (in 1990) to the over 200 teams we now have in 1998, and recognise that OCUA must become more businesslike in order to survive it's exponential growth, and to better service it's community. As one of the biggest city leagues in the world in a fast growing sport, we can set examples to be used by other leagues, and are certainly setting precedence by being the first league to purchase land to be developed for the game of Ultimate. As candidate for the Board, I bring a wealth of experience to the table, from both in and out of the Ultimate community. From within the world of Ultimate, I started playing with the Screaming Yellow Zonkers in 1990, and since then have touched almost every aspect of Ultimate. For example, I have played in all the divisions within the league (i.e. A, B, C and Women's) over the years, have played competitively with the travelling woman's team before they became known as Horizont'elle and Stella, and have even played in the World Club Championships when they were held in Toronto in 1991. Last year, I was Off-field Captain/Admin for the AmaZonkers, one of the teams in the Women's Division. Still within Ultimate, I have assisted Keith Whyte with the organisation of several No Borders Tournaments, as well as, handling the merchandising for the 1993 Canadian National Ultimate Championships, which were held in Ottawa that year. Most recently, I was part of the Land Development Committee, which put together the tender for the site development of Ultimate Parks, Inc. And, as part of that committee, organised a couple of the Site Cleanup Work Bees that occurred in the late spring/early summer of this year. Outside of the world of Ultimate, I am a Project Manager with DMR Consulting Group Inc. specialising in Quality Management Systems. This involves the development, and maintenance, of business processes which will ensure the delivery of a quality product to a client. I would like to bring this experience to OCUA's Board of Directors in order to deliver a better Ultimate league to you, it's client, and the Ultimate community, as a whole. Steve Seabrook ============== This has been my first year working within the organisational structure of OCUA. After volunteering my services back in February I'm now running Monday 4/3 - Lower Tier, laying out TOUR, helping with disc golf and sitting on the league's executive board. With all these duties I have learned quite a bit about ultimate in Ottawa and the pride we have in the league, our travelling teams and the new land purchase/development. We truly are the envy of ultimate players around the world. Over the past year OCUA has been forced to re-evaluate and begin reorganising itself because of its new fiscal responsibilities brought about by the purchase and development of Ultimate Parks Inc. However further reorganisation must be instituted to prepare us for the next five years of loan payments and responsibilities that come with such a large project. The league must look forward to project and plan for its future. All potential problems must be recognised, understood and dealt with. If problems, issues and deadlines are not prepared for then serious complications could arise leaving the league in a situation of shortfalls, defaults and crises. At this time there are none of these problems on the horizon, however this does not mean that they won't happen. OCUA must create yearly budgets and long term fiscal projections so we have a clear path to follow over the next five years. Not only will these budget projections maintain stable funding for the league, it will also mean a faster buy back of the land shares. Get involved with your league. Its only as good as the volunteers who participate. Colin Baxter ============ Colin Baxter has played Ultimate at a competitive and not-so- competitive level for 19 years. He started with Stanford in 1979, and has played with the Montreal and Ottawa competitive teams, before settling into old age with Wuuz-Wax. He trundles around on Wednesday evenings with Bruce and the Usuals (5/2) and on Monday evenings with Chunky Monkey (4/3). He believes that Ultimate should be both FUN and COMPETITIVE, and naively thinks that these two factors can coexist if people work hard enough at it. In real life, Colin Baxter is a partner at the law firm of McCarthy Tetrault, practising civil litigation in the Ontario and Federal Courts. He deals with business and contractual disputes, bankruptcies, real estate problems and employment issues. He is married with two children, and the whole family plays Ultimate. The most important issues facing OCUA are growth and financial self-sufficiency, and Baxter believes both must be carefully managed and planned to preserve what has been, to date, a huge success in the Ultimate world. Nick Roberts ============ - Played Ultimate since '91 - Started fall Rec. League under P.R.O.U.F. Reason: Ultimate for all levels at all times - Two years as Wed 5-2 lower tier Co-ordinator - Started Wed 4-3 and Master Division - Field Manager - Lead campaign to purchase land. Reason: The best way to insure a future for our sport is to give it a home - Found new site. Embraced environmental restrictions as a bonus. Reason: resulted in a lower purchase price and did not negatively impact OCUA's plans - Proposed OCUA restructuring. Reason: to be more businesslike - Member of the Land Purchase Committee - Proposed the creation of a separate land holding company. Reason: those that pay should control - Member of the Share Sales Committee - Member of the Land Development Committee - Voted for environmental development option. Reason: opportunity to draw attention to Ultimate in the best possible light. - Set up Directors and Officers Liability insurance so players who run are protected My views in a nutshell: Ultimate is the best sport I have played and my goal is to share it with as many people as possible. Eric Morin ========== I am a 34-year-old double graduate of the University of Ottawa. My first degree is in Communications, and my second in Translation. Not quite sure which of my diplomas was more useless, I worked as a freelance translator/writer/editor (hope there are no spelling mistakes here!) for several years before deciding to go work for someone else. I am now the Communications Manager of the Electric Vehicle Association of Canada, a small non-profit organisation whose roll is to commercialise electric transportation in Canada. My communications and marketing experience give me a perspective that should allow me to really help OCUA. I have played ultimate for three years, and have listened to a number of people gripe about various aspects of league play. Recently, I caught myself starting to do the same thing, then realised I was being grossly unfair, since everyone on the board is a volunteer acting out of a genuine love for the sport. If you can't say something nice... Well, I can say lots of nice things about the league and the way it is run. The idea of buying our own field was wonderful, and the future, with its promise of a full clubhouse, is bright. I feel I can contribute a lot to that future, and my goal is to garner enough sponsorship to allow us to build and operate a state-of-the-art facility, with enough funds left over to create a grassroots program at the high-school level (get 'em while they're young ... Heh! Heh! Heh!) Seriously, one of the things I love the most about this game is that one is assigned a spirit rating. Kids - no, make that everyone- nowadays need such values, particularly in sport. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox. But I do believe that this is a terrific game, and I'd love the opportunity to be an active part of the league's future. ************************************************************ DISC GOLF: Ottawa now has a disc golf course located in Jacques Cartier Park. To celebrate this glorious achievement we are holding two tournaments to promote the course. Monday, September 7 (long weekend) This will be an informal 9 hole tournament. There will be prizes for the lowest score and another random draw for all participants. Come out and give it a try its an excellent time to get pointers and learn the rules of Ottawa's latest disc sport. Saturday, October 3 1st Annual Ottawa Open This will be a one day 18 hole tournament. More information will be announced soon. For more information please E-mail Steve Seabrook at: seabrook@lsec.lete.dnd.ca ************************************************************ LOOKING FOR A HOUSEMATE!!!: 1 room for rent in 3 bedroom house (other two rooms occupied by 1 male and 1 female). The house is located in New Edinburgh, a couple of blocks from Mountain Equipment Co-op. For those unfamiliar with the neighbourhood, its a great one! Close to grocery, hardware and video stores, pubs, coffee shops & diners, restaurants, pharmacy, etc...... Very close to the Rideau River and the recreational pathways along it. 20 minute walk to Market; 25 minute walk to University of Ottawa; next to #4, #5, & #7 bus lines. The house is a 2 storey, 3 bedroom home with hardwood floors throughout, has a full basement (unfinished but great for storing toys!), a new kitchen and bathroom, washer & dryer, and has parking... The room to be rented is a good size, is quiet, and gets great natural light through a big double window (new window). Rent is $375.00 per month, not including heat & hydro. The room is available for September 1, 1998. NON-SMOKER PLEASE!! Call PHIL at 239-5350 or 742-6145 if interested!!! ************************************************************ FOUND: Found at the Sod Farm. No, I'm not a kleptomaniac! But for the second week in a row I've found something left behind... earrings, gold-coloured, circular, not clip-on ( they have the little pointy thing whatever that's called, how should I know! ). Anyway anyone can e-mail me at mkarman@eudoramail.com if they are yours... :) --- and --- 1 compression brace/cooler apparatus at the Sod Farm, in the parking area beside the pond on Monday, August 18. Closest game would have been Girly Drink Drunks vs Chunky Monkey. Appeared to have been left behind as there were no cars nearby, so I picked it up for safekeeping. Contact me to arrange pickup. Ken Lange h: 225-0301 w: 765-2558 e: kblange@nortel.ca ************************************************************ DIRECTIONS TO NATIONALS: FROM MONTREAL: Take the Champlain bridge, follow Highway 10 until Highway 35 (exit 22). Follow signs for Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Exit at BOUL. DU SEMINAIRE, (exit 7) and continue straight after the lights until you hit the river (Richelieu river). Turn right and follow the water, through the city, until you see the old Military College on your left. You can access the site on JACQUES CARTIER NORTHStreet (the site is enclosed). Wave to the security guard at the gate and they'll direct you to the Sports Complex. FROM QUEBEC CITY: Take highway 20 west, to Highway 30. Follow the signs for BROSSARD until Highway 10, in the direction of SHERBROOKE. Take Highway 35 towards Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Exit at BOUL. DU SEMINAIRE, and continue straight after the lights until you hit the river (Richelieu river). Turn right and follow the water, through the city until you see the old Military College on your left. You can access the site on JACQUES CARTIER NORTH Street (the site is enclosed). Wave to the security guard at the gate and they'll direct you to the Sports Complex. ************************************************************ PHOTO CONTEST: Ever wanted to be a poster child, a pin-up person, or a famous photographer? Well now is your chance! Andre Larade is putting together an Ultimate calendar and would like your input. For each TOUR published (and yes it will be published) the best picture submitted for that TOUR gets published in the calendar and the photographer gets a free calendar fresh off the press. What we need from you is: - photos - your name - your address - your phone number Remember Smile for the Camera! Siobhan Williams Editor, TOUR e: siobhan@ca.ibm.com ************************************************************ Ultimate Happenings is a e-mail newsletter for the Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association. If you want to subscribe send an e-mail to mharley@sympatico.ca with the subject "Subscribe Ultimate Happenings". ************************************************************
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