2018 ANNUAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 4 HEADQUARTERS STAFF 5 VOLUNTEERS 6 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 8 LETTER FROM THE CEO 10 14 20 62 68 72 About usa Membership Competition Program Marketing Financial ultimate growth & COmmuni- Review 16 LEAGUE 24 YOUTH cations 11 MISSION AFFILIATES 32 COLLEGE 66 COACHING 11 VISION 18 GROWTH 36 CLUB 67 OBSERVER 11 CORE VALUES 19 MEMBER 46 MASTERS PROGRAM 13 STRATEGIC PLAN BENEFITS 50 BEACH 13 GOALS 54 INTERNATIONAL 2018 Annual Report 3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS HEADQUARTERS STAFF ROBYN FENNIG DR. TOM CRAWFORD COMPETITION & NATIONAL MEMBER SERVICES & President Chief Executive Officer Elite Athlete Representative [email protected] TEAM PROGRAMS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WILL DEAVER JOSH MURPHY TYLER KINLEY Managing Director, Competition Director, Member Services Vice President FINANCE & National Team Programs & Community Development At-Large Representative & DEVELOPMENT [email protected] [email protected] HEATHER ANN BRAUER JULIA LEE JOY FERENBAUGH TEAL DABNEY Secretary Director, Finance & Development Manager, Competition & National Manager, Event Sanctioning Elite Athlete Representative [email protected] Team Programs (Youth) [email protected] [email protected] JOSH SEAMON KAYLEIGH HUDSON LEAH DOLAN-KELLEY Treasurer Manager, Finance CAROLINA GONZALEZ-LLANOS Manager, Community Development & HR At-Large Representative & Administration Manager, Competition & National [email protected] [email protected] Team Programs (Club) DEANNA BALL [email protected] JOY DUNPHEY At-Large Representative Administrative Assistant, BYRON HICKS Member Services VAL BELMONTE MARKETING Manager, Events [email protected] At-Large (Independent) Representative & COMMUNICATIONS [email protected] KIRSTIN GRAHAM LISA BLISS ANDY LEE DANA JEFFERSON Manager, Online Technology At-Large (Independent) Representative Managing Director, Marketing, Communications & Brand Competition Coordinator [email protected] HARVEY EDWARDS [email protected] [email protected] SAM CALLAN At-Large (Appointed) Representative STACEY WALDRUP TOM MANEWITZ Manager, Youth & Education Programs LESLIE GAMEZ Senior Manager, Communications Manager, Competition [email protected] At-Large (Independent) Representative [email protected] & National Team Programs (College) [email protected] SARAH POWERS CHARLIE MERCER MAELYN WISCH Manager, Youth & Outreach Programs Elite Athlete Representative Manager, Digital Marketing DAVID RAFLO [email protected] & Communications Manager, Events STEVE MOONEY [email protected] [email protected] At-Large (Appointed) Representative LARRY MELTON FRANK NAM Communications Coordinator At-Large Representative [email protected] 4 usaultimate.org VOLUNTEERS Youth Division College Division Club Division Beach Division REGIONAL DIRECTORS NATIONAL DIRECTORS NATIONAL DIRECTORS REGIONAL DIRECTORS FRAN KELLEY JEFF KULA ADAM GOFF SAMANTHA BROADDUS Central National Men’s College Director National Men’s Director Regional Beach Director (East Coast) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] CHRISTIE LAWRY BETH NAKAMURA REMY SCHOR BECKY LEDONNE Northeast National Women’s College Director National Mixed Director Regional Beach Director (Great Lakes) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] JONATHAN NETHERCUTT KEVIN KULA KATE WILSON SEAN MCCALL South National Division III Men’s National Women’s Director Regional Beach Director (Gulf Coast) [email protected] College Director [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] BEN SNELL GRANT BOYD West GRACE KIEL Regional Beach Director (West Coast) [email protected] National Division III Women’s Masters Division [email protected] College Director [email protected] NATIONAL DIRECTORS NATIONAL OUTREACH KYLE CHRISTOPH AMY HUDSON National Men’s DIRECTORS National Developmental Masters Director ERIC GELFAND College Coordinator [email protected] National Outreach Director [email protected] [email protected] KRISTI SCHMELING National Women’s GAIL REICH Masters Director Girls’ National Outreach [email protected] Director [email protected] 2018 Annual Report 5 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT In my first year as president of the board of directors, I feedback, an overwhelming majority of our membership have been asked to reflect on the initiatives, challenges wants ultimate to be a welcoming place for all athletes, and successes of USA Ultimate. Coming after an coaches, organizers and fans – a place that celebrates especially experienced president in DeAnna Ball, the and embraces a population that is more representative of task seems both immense and important. The list of the world around us. USA Ultimate has made it a priority accomplishments is vast this year, and I am in awe of the to be a more inclusive sport by increasing programming amazing work the staff continues to do to implement the and outreach to make ultimate more accessible and vision of the best sport in the world. affordable. We continue to provide grants and team start-up kits through the Girls’ Ultimate Movement and the Of highest note, our sport turned 50 years old in 2018. Girls’ Team Startup Project, as well as scholarships for our Yes, we are 50! We were able to celebrate ultimate’s youth players through the Play It Forward initiative with rich history and exciting future in a 50th Anniversary the Ultimate Foundation. In 2018, we launched the Live Celebration that coincided with the 2018 National Ultimate Ambassador Program, featuring prominent, elite Championships in San Diego, Calif. Past and current athletes who continue to play at the highest levels and players, organizers and contributors participated in share their stories of competition, advocacy, outreach and exhibits, receptions, reunions and the Hall of Fame community-building. Highlighting these athletes, as well induction dinner. Alongside this huge milestone as coaches and organizers, helps new and young athletes anniversary, we unveiled our 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, see others who look like them excelling in a sport that rightfully titled “Pull Together.” In order to keep growing places character and community, along with competition, for another 50 years and beyond, we must come together at the forefront of its narrative. and take on the challenge of welcoming and creating space for a membership base that is more inclusive, USA Ultimate and its board of directors passionately diverse and equity-focused. It is through this lens that we welcome the challenge of implementing and executing will best implement our vision for our sport. this exciting strategic plan in the years ahead. By hiring experts in the field of equity, diversity and inclusion As our community highlighted through the Vision Tour to deliver training and help us tell our stories, we are and the submission of strategic planning surveys and preparing and empowering our organization to embody 6 usaultimate.org LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT the values woven through the strategic plan. We will to realize these goals! Going forward, we can only be as continue to engage and share resources with all parts strong as our community. Please continue to share ideas, of our membership through our STAR Program webinars stories and feedback so that we can improve – we are aimed at college leaders, key updates to our coaching what you help us to be. resources and certifications that train the next generation of self-officiating athletes, and by creating spaces to facilitate discussions at flagship events like the U.S. Open Club Championships and the College Championships. At each of our four board of directors meetings, I am inspired by how thoughtful and passionate each staff member and volunteer is in helping our organization Robyn Fennig carry out our mission. They are taking on bigger and President, USA Ultimate more important projects and allow for more folks in our community to share their experiences and continually help our sport be the best it can be. I am so proud of the time everyone in the community has taken to share their stories and perspectives that shape the way our strategic plan is implemented every day. Closing out reflections of 2018 makes me hopeful about where we will be in another 50 years. For everyone in the USA Ultimate community, we continue to strive to be better, more inclusive and more welcoming as we grow through the principles we identified as being important in the strategic plan: respect, integrity, responsibility, leadership and teamwork. We really can Pull Together 2018 Annual Report 7 LETTER FROM THE CEO Greetings to all in the USA Ultimate Community, In addition to hosting the WUCC, we supported our teams competing overseas at various levels of international I am excited to reflect back on another very successful year competition. Twenty-three U.S. teams competed across four for our sport and organization. While other sports shrink, we divisions at the 2018 WFDF World Masters Ultimate Club continue to grow. In 2018, our membership increased by more Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, taking home than 4%, highlighted by an almost 6% growth in female players. four gold, three silver and three bronze medals. At the WFDF While we are happy to be growing rather than shrinking, we World Under-24 Ultimate Championships in Australia, our continue