Colorado Springs, Colo. (Jan. 28, 2019) – USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of ultimate in the United States and member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, continued its commitment to expanding the sport’s national infrastructure in the last calendar year. The organization added three new state-based organizations and three new affiliates to its ranks in 2018. The new year is off to a fantastic start, as well, with the addition of three new affiliates in the first month of 2019. State-based organizations and affiliates help expand the reach of USA Ultimate’s resources while also providing additional support to local ultimate communities around the country. The additions bring the total number of USA Ultimate state-based organizations to eight and the total number of affiliates to 25.
In 2018, Colorado, Pennsylvania and New York became the sport’s newest state-based organizations. Colorado Ultimate was formalized early in the year, while agreements with Pennsylvania Ultimate and New York Ultimate, which evolved from existing affiliate DiscNY, were finalized shortly before the start of 2019.
“Pennsylvania leaders have been doing a great job of keeping the different major ultimate organizations – Erie, Lehigh Valley, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, State College – in contact with each other,” said Pennsylvania Ultimate Board of Directors President Christie Lawry. “We’re excited to formalize our relationship with USA Ultimate as a state-wide Board of Directors! Not only do we hope to grow our own organizations, but also reach the rest of the state and realize some potential in new areas.
USA Ultimate’s state-based organization program launched in 2016, beginning with Minnesota Ultimate, New England Ultimate and North Carolina Ultimate. The program aims to build a stable and sustainable national infrastructure for ultimate that will help grow the sport around the United States. State-based organizations act as extensions of the national governing body and serve and support the USA Ultimate mission by administering its programs and services to local affiliates and communities within their respective boundaries. Each of these new organizations receives financial grants of at least $60,000 over the first three years of their existence to stimulate the growth of ultimate at the local level.
“After much internal discussion and evaluation, our Board of Directors came to the conclusion that USA Ultimate’s official state-based designation fit perfectly with DiscNY’s long-term goals of expanding playing opportunities for middle school, high school, college, club and recreational players in New York,” said DiscNY President Andy Borinstein. “The additional resources and funding provided by USA Ultimate will also enable our organization to grow programs in communities currently not exposed to the sport where we think ultimate has strong potential for adoption. We look forward to working with existing and new organizations across the state of New York to achieve these goals.”
New affiliate organizations in 2018 included the Charlottesville Ultimate Disc Organization, Nickel City Ultimate and Southern California Youth Ultimate. St. Louis Ultimate Association, Oregon Youth Ultimate and Montpelier Ultimate are USA Ultimate’s newest affiliates, having joined in January 2019.
USA Ultimate affiliates help unify and promote the sport and assist with the provision and expansion of programs and services to the boys, girls, men and women playing ultimate in the respective geographic areas of the local disc organizations. Affiliates receive various education, instruction and training materials, as well as financial support in the form of grants, discounts and rebate dollars.
For more information on how to become a USA Ultimate Affiliate or State-Based Organization, visit usaultimate.org/affiliates, usaultimate.org/stateorgs, or contact USA Ultimate Director of Member Services & Community Development Josh Murphy at josh@hq.usaultimate.org.
