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2009 Olympia Co-Ed Traveling Team |
The 2008 season was epic times for all! We attended our very first Logjam; Potlatch was the team's favored tourney; Geofest supported three Olympia-based teams; Hanford Howlers made it to the A pool; and spirit levels were at an all-time high! (read more about 2008 here.) We plan to follow those successful footsteps this year, but we've added a few modifications to improve our team.
The people who came up with and approved the ideas for the 2009 season: Beth Drake, Pam Drake, Ian Ferguson, Jon Price, and Mike Santana.
The Times are Changin'. Please welcome your new management team!
Mission: The objective of the co-ed team is to play at the best of our ability as a unit. The team is dedicated to success through practice, commitment, camaraderie, and good spirit. Individual players will function in a capacity for the betterment of the team through dedication of improving individual skills.
Spirit statement: Players are expected to maintain spirit of sportsmanship at all times. Good spirit will never be sacrificed for individual players, teammates, or opponents. Team camaraderie and support is expected of all players on and off the field. Please welcome Todd King as our official Cheer Leader. Players are still responsible for good spirit, cheers, and tournament gifts (Potlatch), but Todd will coordinate this effort by bringing his guitar, making some Oly-ritas, and ensuring our team has top-notch spirit.
Commitment: Players must commit to playing in at least 50 percent of all tournaments and 75 percent of all practices for a given tournament.
Open invitation on a first come, first served basis. Currently, a cap does not exist, but this will be discussed by the Co-ed Committee if need be.
Tournament Playing Time: The 2009 co-ed team is competitive team with a focus on playing at the best of its ability. This means that playing time (for each tournament) will be based on the following:
What exactly does this mean for me? Individual playing time will strongly depend upon the roster for a given tournament. But, as a general idea, the top 8 men and the top 6 women can expect to play no more than 50 percent individual playing-time for a given tournament. Teammates who are not in the top 8/6, at a minimum, can expect to play on average a few points of a game for the tournament.
When: Practice begins Tuesday, April 7th at Evergreen at 6pm, sharp. Practice runs weekly throughout the tournament season.
Who: Practice is open to anyone and everyone, regardless of whether or not you're officially on the team. We strongly encourage all people interested in the team to attend practices regardless of how much playing time you think you'll get at a tournament. We suggest this for two reasons. First, we simply cannot guarantee who and how many people will attend a tournament. Second, it is important to foster team development and growth.
Expectations: Players are expected to attend 75% of practices in the weeks leading up to a given tournament. For example, players must attend at least 5 of the 7 practices for Wenatchee. The 75% rule resets for every tournament. A player who does not satisfy this requirement may have his or her tournament playing time reduced. However, we recognize that players are participating on the team as a hobby and that family, work, or school responsibilities may interfere with practice. Please keep your Captains informed so that this practice requirement can be waived when valid reasons prevent you from attending practice. Also, note that practice will begin promptly at 6pm. We ask that you please be as prompt as possible so we can do what we need to do in a timely fashion. Tardy people delay practice, which means timely people have to wait longer before we can get through the material.
Below is the list of tournaments for the 2009 Season. Players who decide to attend a tournament must commit to the tournament (by informing Jon or Kathy) no later than 3 weeks prior to the tournament. Because individual playing time will strongly depend upon the roster for a given tournament, it is important your teammates know the roster in advance.
| Month | Tournament | Date | Location |
| May | THAT | 16/17 (bid accepted) | Wenatchee, WA |
| June | Log Jam | 20/21 (bid accepted) | Estacada, OR |
| July | Potlatch | 3/4/5 (bid accepted) | Redmond, WA |
| August | Spawnfest | 15/16 | Burlington, WA |
| September | Geofest* | TBD | Olympia |
| October | Hanford Howl | end of October (date not confirmed) | Richland, WA |
*Several Olympia-based teams may attend Geofest (including two equal-skill O teams and possibly and Evergreen or a high school team). If you play in Geofest for an Olympia-based team, this counts toward the requirement of commitment to at least 50 percent of all tournaments.
To get on the official team roster, players must pay $100 to Lisa Harrison by April 21st. Here's how our treasury works. Lisa tracks the balance of each individual player depending on which tournaments you attend. As your balance reaches zero, you "deposit" money into your account; likewise, excess money in your account is returned to you at the end of the season. On average, tournaments cost about $20 to $40 per player depending on the tournament and how many players attend (excluding Geofest, which is generally $5 per person). This does not include incidental costs, such as food, gas, and hotel. Please note that the team camps whenever possible.
Why pay now? Up-front costs go directly to our first few tournament fees, which are already being collected! This pool of money ensures that (in the unlikely event the team forfeits a spot we have already financially-obligated ourselves to) the entire team absorbs the cost not just one individual.
New jerseys?!? We wore our orange jerseys with the teeny-tiny o's for two seasons now and team turnover has finally created a shortage of jerseys. New jerseys are a required commitment to the team. The cost is a minimum of $24, but can go up to $30 depending on whether or not you want to pay for extras such as your name and number.
But I'm in college and I'm flat broke! We do not want to lose players because of up-front costs whatever the financial reason. If this is an issue for you, for example, you'd like to make payments, please talk to Lisa to make arrangements. Also, if you know you can only attend 50 percent of the tournaments, work with Lisa to determine what you should pay into your account.
Joining the Team: If you are interested in being on the 2009 Olympia Co-ed Traveling Team, or want more information, email Jon no later than Friday, April 17th ( ) or just show up to practice on April 7th. Please do not assume you on already on the roster even if you have spoken to your Captains about your intent to join the team. It's difficult to track everyone so our official roster-building begins....now.
Check out our team disc for sale. Click the link below to see the disc and read about our fundraising for community gardening. Order yours today!
Thanks to WaSSUP; ultimate players who gave us feedback via email; and everyone who dedicated time, on and off the field, to our success!
"Put your entire team in the spotlight. Thanks to them, you're able to experience a level of success that you wouldn't have been able to achieve on your own. Remember that when it's your turn to help one of them out."