Colorado Springs, Colo. (Feb. 28, 2019) – USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of ultimate in the United States, is pleased to announce the release of the Showcase Game Manual. The manual is part of the Tournament Director’s Certification Program and provides a comprehensive resource for local disc organizations and event directors interested in running showcase games in their communities.
The tournament format has long been a prevalent part of ultimate, allowing teams to play several games over the course of a weekend and helping foster a unique and fun community. As ultimate has grown, single match play has become more common, particularly at the youth level where middle and high school teams can travel to compete in single games without incurring considerable additional expenses.
The Tournament Director’s Certification Program was developed in 2015 as an educational resource that lays out best practices to help event directors run high-quality events. With new resources like the Showcase Game Manual, USA Ultimate is working to lay the foundation for local communities to create match play opportunities at a higher level of competition, for instance, between local college and club teams. Showcase games between elite teams can be a great way to promote the sport at large and for local organizations to promote their programs to a wider audience. The Showcase Game Manual supplements existing resources, focusing on the logistics and considerations specific to planning a showcase event, making it easier for local organizers to create these opportunities.
In addition to using showcase-game formats during semifinal and final rounds at championship events, USA Ultimate has already begun supporting local match-play efforts, including the college division’s Atlantic Coast Showcase and games between international and U.S. club teams. USA Ultimate will continue to invest in these efforts and explore ways to build match play and showcase game opportunities into season structures, providing meaningful competitive opportunities in a local setting.
For more information about the Tournament Director’s Certification Program and the Showcase Game Manual, visit usaultimate.org/tdcp.
