Welcome to what promises to be another fantastic summer of ultimate! We're offering more than ever to the ultimate community this year, and have a lot of improvements in store. One such improvement is the development of an overall Summer League Coordinator position, which has been filled this year by Doug Tahirali (231-4662). Doug will oversee the entire summer league, and work with the divisional coordinators to help it run in a smooth, cohesive, and reasonably consistent manner.

As always, OCUA will be doing its best to ensure that Spirit of the Game (SOTG) continues to be an integral element of the game. Ultimate, while sometimes competitive, should always exhibit fair play, and most importantly, always be fun. So as a friendly reminder, we've included the clause on SOTG from Section I of the rules, and trust that you will abide by this code of honour in good faith:

Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship which places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling, or other "win-at-all-costs" behaviour are contrary to the spirit of the game and must be avoided by all players.

The following is a breakdown of divisions and links to their individual homepages. They're not really done yet, but each page will contain information pertinent to that specific division, such as who the league coordinator is, which teams play in the division, schedules, standings, etc., Look for these pages to change rapidly over the coming weeks!

OCUA Summer League Divisions
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Hat League	Mon 4/3 Mon 5/2	Tues 4/3 Tues 5/2 Masters	Wed 4/3 Wed 5/2	Womens Mens

This summer we're doing our best to try to offer as many different levels of play on as many different nights as possible during the week. Each division is based on a coed ratio. In 4/3 divisions, only 4 members of one gender can be on the field at a time. In 5/2 divisions, that number is 5. (Obviously women's and men's divisions are 7/0 one way or the other. :) Each division is divided into tiers, with each tier offering a different level of competition, ranging from recreational to competitive. Some divisions are stronger than others, however, so if you're forming a new team or your team is changing nights and you aren't familiar with the divisions, it's best to contact Doug or the appropriate divisional coordinator to see where you fit in. It's also important to note that it looks as though the league is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds. Last year we had 168 teams; this year we are expecting more than 200. As a result, some divisions may be capped due to a lack of field space. As a result, we are strongly encouraging teams to search out fields that the league may be able to use. If your team finds a new field that is available for play, and the field meets the requirements of the executive committee, you can have your home games scheduled there (1/2 of your games), and the league will give you a free case of beer!

Saturday, May 2nd, 12-5pm Father & Sons Tavern 112-½ Osgoode St.
Directions:	Located on the corner of Osgoode and King Edward Ave., directly across from the University of Ottawa. Osgoode is the is the first street south of Laurier.

Registration will be at F&S on May 2 from 12-5. Drop on by anytime during this period. The following will be required:

Team Fees

Team fees are the same as last year, $500. Cheques should be made out to the Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association.

Team Roster

The only roster format accepted by the league is that created by the OCUA Roster program. There is a NEW VERSION of the program for 1998, which is available for download. It will accept 1997 data files, but has additional information which must be provided. The program produces a file called "roster.dat" which can be submitted on a disc at registration, or in advance by emailing the file to our registrar. Note that if you email the roster, you still have to come to registration to pay your fees! :)

In order for the league to function smoothly, we rely heavily on cooperation amongst all the various entities. This helps to ensure that everything gets done, while still spreading the workload out over as many people as possible. As such, it's important to make sure everyone is aware of their responsibilities. As a team, you will want to be aware of what to expect, and pay particular attention to what is expected of you:

League Responsibilities

• The league will provide the organizational framework necessary to provide for all divisions of play.
• The league is open to any and all enthusiasts of the Sport of Ultimate. Every reasonable effort will be made to accomodate any group who wishes to field a team.
• Other events, promotions, and services (eg. newsletter, phone book, clinics, etc.) will be provided subject to the availability of funds and volunteers
• The League will provide each team requesting cones with up to 8 field marking cones.

• establish broad rules of organization and conduct.
• coordinate arrangements with government or other bodies for playing fields.
• oversee the work of league volunteers.
• chair league meetings.
• organize playoffs and parties.

• assign fields and field set-up responsibilities.
• establish schedules and play-off formats.
• maintain standings.
• arbitrate irreconcilable differences between teams.
• coordinate league matters with team leaders.
• be the main contact point for team administrators & captains

• Each team is responsible for promoting and upholding the Spirit Of The Game
• Each team will designate both a Captain and a Team Administrator. A single individual may serve in both capacities, or the roles can be shared between two individuals. The Captain's role is to lead their team on the field and to inspire them to better and fairer play. The Team Administrator will become their team's delegate to member's meetings of the OCUA, will represent their team in league administration, and will have one vote in matters requiring the vote of the membership.
• Team Administrators are an integral link in league communication. As such, they are expected to pass on league information to their players and pass on their players' comments and suggestions to their Divisional Coordinator.
• The league will make heavy use of the Internet as a means of communications. Each team should have at least one player subscribe to Ultimate Happenings, an email newsletter containing timely ultimate information.
• Team Administrators are responsible for major league decisions.
• Team Administrators are to ensure that their team reports the score and SOTG rating to the appropriate Divisional Coordinator within 24 hours of the conclusion of their game.
• Each team is to submit a player roster and their league fee on Registration Day.
• Teams are responsible for their own recruiting, uniforms, and management.

Please note the following summer league specific rules and regulations.