Colorado Springs, Colo. (Jan. 22, 2019) – At the annual Competition Working Group Meeting last month, the Outreach Working Group named their 2018 Outreach and Girls’ Outreach Coordinators of the Year. The annual awards recognize the outstanding work of volunteers around the country who work tirelessly to grow the sport of ultimate, particularly at the youth level.
In 2018, the Girls’ Outreach Coordinators of the Year are Libby Cravens and Lynne Nolan.
2018 was Libby Cravens’ first year as a girls’ outreach coordinator, but she ran several successful GUM clinics in the Austin, Texas area before relocating to New Jersey last year. Libby ran three GUM clinics in 2018, one for the Girl Scouts, one for the Asian-Oceanic All Star Tour and one general clinic. In addition to running clinics, she has been a helpful resource in terms of what organizers need to succeed. She is a great communicator, is very organized and is willing to take on new challenges. We look forward to what else Libby has in store for the growth of girls playing ultimate.
After a long tenure as a girls’ outreach coordinator, 2018 was Lynne Nolan’s last year in the role. She represented Illinois and USA Ultimate at the state PE conference in each of the past two years, and her innovative ideas help her receive more visitors at the booth. Those ideas were shared with other outreach coordinators, helping them utilize their conferences to increase interaction with teachers. She helped develop the Educator Quick Reference Guide and developed and shared other educational materials that benefit outreach coordinators and teachers. She works tirelessly on the ground with Illinois Ultimate and Illinois Youth Ultimate. We are thankful for all she has contributed to USA Ultimate over the years.
The 2018 Outreach Coordinators of the Year are Denise Koo and David Wu.
Denise Koo joined USA Ultimate as an outreach coordinator in September 2017. Since that time, she has been a valuable resource to USA Ultimate and the outreach coordinator network, sharing how she was able to connect with a local elementary school system to run clinics. She is always looking for new ways to extend her outreach efforts, such as local festivals or new events in Atlanta. In 2018, she represented Georgia and USA Ultimate at the state PE conference and has been successful in connecting with teachers and linking them to USA Ultimate resources. Denise is a great communicator and well organized. She is very active with AFDC Jrs, and we’re lucky to have her as an outreach coordinator!
In his year and a half as an outreach coordinator, David Wu has run numerous youth clinics in the Lexington, Ky., area, connecting many new kids to ultimate. He is driven and works hard to reach kids from diverse backgrounds. He also coaches Pi Ultimate, a Kentucky homeschool team that won the 2018 Kentucky High School State Championships and has spurred efforts to certify more coaches in his area. David is always trying to find new ways to spread ultimate, and the outreach team is thankful for his innovation, passion and hard work!
Congratulations to each of the 2018 Outreach Coordinators of the Year!
If you want to get involved and are interested in serving as an outreach or girls’ outreach coordinator in your area, check out the current vacancies and the job descriptions for more information and how to apply.
