USA Ultimate welcomes Beach Ultimate under its NGB umbrella

Boulder, Colo. (September 29, 2010)—USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of Ultimate in the United States, announced today the creation of a Beach Ultimate division and committee to organize, promote and administer the sport of Beach Ultimate.

Recent passage of a proposal to create an official Beach Ultimate World Championship at the World Congress of the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) called for the identification of a sole entity as the official representative of Beach Ultimate for each country. Upon passage of the proposal, WFDF recognized the current national associations as the governing entities for Beach Ultimate, and encouraged their member organizations to embrace and support this new endeavor.

Dr. Tom Crawford, CEO of USA Ultimate, was present for the proposal and discussion in Prague: “We were very supportive of the proposal for several reasons, including the large number of our current members who play both beach and grass Ultimate. We see this as a great opportunity to help grow the beach side of our sport and create more playing opportunities for new and existing Ultimate athletes. We also knew we had a great existing group to work with, led by David Hammond, that will make this initiative go smoothly for us and our Board. They are the experts and they will lead this effort for USA Ultimate.”

“As long time beach players and organizers, we’re excited to be joining USA Ultimate to help shift the sport’s growth into a higher gear,” said long time beach organizer David Hammond. “In taking this step towards greater organizational maturity, our objective is to promote awareness around Beach Ultimate and expand opportunities such as tournaments, leagues, and pickup games while maintaining the spirited and unique qualities that make Beach Ultimate such an appealing addition to the sport.”

As a result of this agreement, USA Ultimate will immediately engage in the creation of beach-specific programs. A committee chaired by Hammond and comprised of Beach Ultimate advocates and experts will lead the effort and advise USA Ultimate throughout the decision-making process and the implementation of new initiatives.

Over the course of the last several years, supporters of Beach Ultimate began organizing to promote the sport and foster its growth. With USA Ultimate’s creation of a Beach Ultimate division, these initiatives and others will benefit from the National Governing Body’s pool of resources, guidance and years of experience creating and supporting events and international teams.

On the immediate agenda, short-term goals of USA Ultimate and its beach committee include establishing selection procedures for the 2011 Beach Ultimate World Championships, providing information and support to league and event organizers, and giving recommendations to the USA Ultimate Board of Directors regarding rules and marketing strategies.

For more information, vist the Beach Ultimate page on www.usaultimate.org , or click here