2012 Grand Masters/Masters Women's Guidelines
OVERVIEW
REGISTRATION AND ELIGIBILITY
Registration
Phase 1
Phase 2
Roster Deadlines
Tournament Deadline
Team Requirements
Registration Clarification and Exceptions
Roster Changes
Player Minimums
Player Maximums
Geographic Requirements
Grand Masters
Masters Women's
Residence
Official Team Count
Player Requirements
Age Requirements
Roster Requirements
Important Documents
Team Application Form
USAU Membership Form
USAU Waiver
USA Ultimate Contact Information
QUALIFYING TOURNAMENTS
Prerequisite
Tournament Requirements
Date and Site Selection
Roster Deadlines
COMPETITION GUIDELINES
Spirit of the Game
Name/Logo Uniform Guidelines
Uniform Requirements
Formats
Seeding
Forfeit Rule
Rules
Observers
VIOLATIONS AND SANCTIONS
OVERVIEW
The USA Ultimate Grand Masters/Masters Women’s Championships will take place in Blaine, MN on September 1st -3rd. Up to 24 Grandmasters and 24 Masters Women’s teams will be competing. In order to have the designation as an official USA Ultimate championship, a division must have at least one team representing each of the Club Regions in its official team count. See Team Requirements in the guidelines below.
In order to award bids early enough so that teams can make the necessary preparations for selecting and preparing teams, and so that organizers can make the necessary preparations, there is an early registration period during which a minimum of teams (8 per division) must register in order to hold the event for each division. With the goal of encouraging the growth of these divisions we hope to have at least four teams from each region in each division; to that end if four teams or less from a region apply by the Phase 1 Registration deadline that team or teams will be awarded those region’s bids. If more than four teams from a region apply no automatic bid will be awarded and those applying teams must play in a qualifying event for that region’s bids. If fewer than 24 teams per division apply by the Phase 1 Registration deadline, those teams will be awarded automatic bids even if there are more than 4 bids from a region. If more than four teams from a region apply and more than 24 teams per division apply by the Phase 1 Registration deadline, no automatic bid will be awarded and those applying teams must play in a qualifying event for that region’s bids.
REGISTRATION AND ELIGIBILITY
Registration
Phase One
1) Teams must register by April 20th, 5pm MDT by submitting the online application to USA Ultimate Headquarters. For a division to be held at least 8 teams must register by the Team Application Deadline. Note: Team rosters are not required at this time.
2) If a team or teams have received automatic bids they will be notified by 5pm MDT on April 24th.
3) If more than four teams apply for a region’s bids and there are more than 24 teams applying from a division, a qualifying tournament must be played to determine the regions qualifiers based on demonstrated strength. (See Qualifying Tournament Guidelines)
Phase Two
1) Teams not submitting applications by April 20th may submit an application during Phase 2 Registration. Those teams applying during Phase 2 are not eligible for automatic bids and may only qualify for the 2012 GM/MW Championships by two methods.
a. Teams may advance through a qualifying tournament where their finishing order has obtained them a bid.
b. Teams may be awarded a bid if the initial Phase 1 Registration applicants are less than 24.
2) USA Ultimate reserves the right to close Phase 2 Registration at such a time when the tournament has reached its maximum allowance of teams or the number of total teams fits within a desired tournament format.
Roster Deadlines
All teams [that]must submit their initial team roster for GM/MW Championship event by May 29th, 2012, 5pm MDT. Final rosters for the 2012 GM/MW Championship are due on the following:
a. If a team is playing in a qualifying regional event their final roster is due on the Tuesday preceding that event at 5pm MDT.
b. If a team has received an automatic bid their roster is due July 31st, 5pm MDT.
c. In order for a team to be able to participate in the Series, it must have at least 10 players registered by the Initial Roster Deadline
Tournament Deadlines
Teams participating in the GM/MW Championships must submit all required paperwork and player fees by August 10th, 5pm MDT.
Team Requirements
Registration Clarification and Exceptions
Roster Changes
1) Up until the Final Roster Deadline, an unlimited number of additions may be made to your roster.
2) All rostered players must be entered into the online registration system prior to the Final Roster Deadline.
3) Players may only play on one roster.
Player Minimums
In order for a team to be able to participate in the event, it must have at least 10 players registered by the Final Roster Deadline
Player Maximums
The maximum size of a team's roster is 29 players.
Geographic Requirements
A team must represent at least one of six Masters/Grandmasters Regions.
Grandmasters
1) At least 75% of the players on a team's roster must reside in the region a team is representing
2) No more than 5 players may reside outside the region that the team is representing.
Masters Women's
1) At least 50% of the players on a team’s roster must reside in the region a team is representing.
2) No more than 10 players may reside outside the region that the team is representing.
Residence is defined as meeting BOTH of the following requirements:
1) Location where the person is living for the majority of July, AND
2) Location where the person is living for the majority of either 3 months prior to July 1 or immediately following July 31.
If the above definition means that a player does not have a region as their "residence", then the player is considered to be an out-of-region player and counts towards the team’s out-of-region limits.
Regional boundaries are available on the USA Ultimate website.
Official Team Count
A division’s official team count will include the automatic bid teams plus the teams that meet the division’s registration requirements and competition guidelines who attend a qualifying event.
In order for a division to be held in conjunction with the event, it must have at least 8 teams in its "official team count".
In order to have the designation as an official USA Ultimate championship, a division must have at least one team representing each one of the Club Regions in its official team count.
Player Requirements
Age Requirements - The minimum age (as of 12/31/12) for the 2012 USA Ultimate GM/MW Championships are as follows:
1) Grand Masters Division 40 years – men; 37 years – women
2) Masters Women’s Division – 30 years
Roster Requirements
1) All players participating on a team must be listed on the team roster. The ramifications for having a player not on a team’s roster participate in the event with that team are outlined in the "Violations and Sanctions" section of these guidelines.
2) Players may appear on only one roster for the GM/MW Championships.
3) USA Ultimate Dues – All players listed on the roster must be current USA Ultimate members in good standing prior to the event. Players who do not pay dues by the start of the event will be removed from the roster and will be ineligible to play in the event until they submit the appropriate forms and fees.
4) Liability Waivers – Each player must fill out (completely and correctly) the appropriate USA Ultimate waiver form for the year in which they will be competing. This form is good for the entire calendar year of USA Ultimate membership Waivers must be submitted to USA Ultimate headquarters prior to participation in the event. Waivers may be submitted online via a player’s membership account page.
5) Tournament Fee - $55 per player tournament fee for all players listed on the roster
Important Documents
Team Application Form
USAU Membership Form
USAU Waiver
USA Ultimate Contact Information
GM/MW Championships
(Division/Name of Team)
USA Ultimate
4730 Table Mesa Dr.
Suite I-200C
Boulder, CO 80305
Byron Hicks
Manager – Competition and Athlete Programs
303-447-3472 ext. 121
byron@hq.usaultimate.org
QUALIFYING TOURNAMENTS
Prerequisite
If a region has more than four teams apply per division then a qualifying tournament must be held to determine that region’s automatic qualifiers for the GM/MW Championships. The conditions and requirements for those tournaments are as follows.
1) If more than four bids are received for a division no automatic bids will be awarded and those teams applying from that region must compete in a tournament to determine order of bid allotment.
2) If fewer than four teams apply from a region or the total number of teams in the division are less than 24 then no qualifying tournament is necessary.
Note: If fewer than 24 teams per division apply by the Phase 1 Registration Deadline those teams will be awarded automatic bids even if there are more than 4 bids from a region.
Tournament Requirements
All tournaments must follow USA Ultimate Event Quality Guidelines
Date and Site Selection
USA Ultimate headquarters will solicit bids from a region’s teams to establish a date and location for regional events. Every effort will be made to accommodate all applying teams, but, in the event of conflicting schedules, USA Ultimate’s selection will be final. Interested parties should submit the following bid form no later than May 18th.
Event Dates
Qualifying tournaments must take place between the dates of June 2nd – August 5th
Roster Deadlines
All teams must submit rosters via the on line rostering system by 5pm MDT on the Tuesday preceding their event.
COMPETITION GUIDELINES
Spirit of the Game
Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship which places the responsibility for fair play on the player himself. 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' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players.
Spirit of the Game sets Ultimate apart from other competitive team sports. For 40 years, Ultimate has flourished, reaching a highly competitive level, without the use of referees. In Ultimate, the honor system works. Sure, human nature rears its ugly head from time to time - just as in any sport, just as in life. Yet, one of the many beauties of Ultimate is how, even amid the most difficult of situations, utmost graciousness is allowed to meet that challenge head on. Through this balance, Ultimate players are free to demonstrate the most honorable and the most joyous sides of human nature in sport.
Most Ultimate players care deeply about Spirit of the Game. The organizational challenge for USA Ultimate is to foster an environment where the challenge does not become, "to see what I can get away with". Rather than dictate what Spirit of the Game is or should be, it is up to each player to do so for him or herself within the context of the teams he or she plays with and against.
Name/Logo Uniform Guidelines
USA Ultimate reserves the right to alter, or require a team to alter, a team name, player nickname, team logo, jersey graphic, or uniform and/or suggest alternatives at or in conjunction with a USA Ultimate program or event should USA Ultimate personnel determine that the existing name, logo, graphic, or uniform might hinder the mission of the organization or the goals of a specific USA Ultimate program or event. Alterations must meet with the approval of USA Ultimate personnel.
Uniform Requirements
1) All players participating in the USA Ultimate GM/MW for a given team must wear jerseys of identical color and design.
2) Teams must have two jerseys of distinctly different color.
3) Jerseys must have numbers on the back. The numbers must be at least 6 inches high and be one or two digit Arabic numerals. No two players on a given team may use the same number or numbers with the same value (e.g. 00 and 0, 01 and 1, etc.).
4) Uniform bottoms (shorts, pants, skirts) worn by players on the field must be of identical color and design.
5) It is recommended that teams have numbers on either the front of their jerseys or the front left or right leg of their uniform bottoms (shorts, pants, skirts), although teams may opt to do both. The placement must be at least 2 inches high, match the number on the back of their jersey, and be in visible contrast with the uniform bottoms/ jersey.
6) It is recommended that the uniform accessories including tights, undershirts, hats, and socks be of identical or coordinated style and color.
7) USA Ultimate reserves the right to disqualify and/or fine players who fail to meet the uniform requirements
Formats
The format for the event will be determined by USA Ultimate Championship Series staff, with the goals of determining a champion, showcasing the division at its best, and providing a great playing experience for all the teams.
Seeding
Seeding for the USA Ultimate GM/WM Championships will be done by Championship Series staff using the following information: input solicited from all the captains of participating teams; results of head to head match-ups prior to the Championships; prior GMMW Championship results; other applicable information such as team composition during or prior to the Championships (USA Ultimate has the authority to adjust rankings according to the best information available)
Forfeit Rule
A team must play all its games at a "qualifying" tournament in order to qualify for the next tournament in the Series.
1) A team that forfeits a Series game, and every player on that team’s roster, is disqualified for the remainder of the current Series, in every Division.
2) Any team that declines to finish a scheduled game or games or attempts to decide a match by any manner other than playing ultimate on the field will forfeit those games. Should both teams in a match choose not to play, then it will be considered a double forfeit.
3) A team will be considered to have forfeited any game where the number of players that can safely participate falls below 5 players.
4) At the discretion of the event's USA Ultimate coordinator, consideration may be given to situations that might warrant an exception being made, provided it does not affect the fairness or integrity of the competition. Consideration should be given if a team misses the first game of the first day because of travel problems.
If one team is not ready to play at game-time, points may be assessed, in accordance with the 11th Edition Rules of Ultimate (Section VIII.A.4). Under these conditions, if the score of the game reaches 8-0, the team that has failed to signal readiness will technically forfeit the game.
The list of allowable forfeit scenarios is found in the formats manual.
Rules
The USA Ultimate Grand Masters/Women’s Masters Championship events will be played using the current edition of the USA Ultimate Official Rules of Ultimate. Any changes to these rules must be pre-approved by the USA Ultimate Championship Series headquarters staff.
Observers
USA Ultimate will have a limited amount of observers on hand for the event. Teams wishing observers for their games must contact the tournament prior to their games to receive consideration of their request. Observers will be assigned at the discretion of Head Observer and Tournament Director when scheduling conflicts arise. All finals will be observed.
VIOLATIONS AND SANCTIONS
Failure to abide by any of these Guidelines may result in sanctions through the USA Ultimate conduct process. Such sanctions may be imposed on a team or individuals associated with a team deemed to be in violation of the guidelines, and may include, but are not limited to, suspension or disqualification from USA Ultimate competition.
In order to help teams follow the GM/MW Guidelines and avoid violations, the USA Ultimate will continue to work to improve registration procedures and communication of information pertaining to the USA Ultimate GM/MW Championships. As these improvements are made by the organization, teams will continue to be held more fully responsible for following procedures and understanding GM/MW information. Because consistency in holding all participants to the same administrative and competitive standards is vital to the integrity of the Championship, because many violations lead to unfair advantages in competition, and because it is often difficult to determine intent, guideline violations will result in serious repercussions. Such repercussions will provide an incentive for players and teams to understand the guidelines fully, follow the guidelines carefully, and avoid intended or unintended violations in the future.