The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) hosts a World Championship in the Junior Division once every two years. The next World Championships with a Junior Division will be the World Ultimate and Guts Championships in Vancouver, Canada in August 2008. The UPA will be putting together two US Junior Teams in 2008.
Invitations have been sent to 27 players (22 traveling team, 5 alternates) to play on the Jr. National Open team and represent the United States at the 2008 WUGC!
For the list of players, please read the Press Release.
Invitations have been sent to 26 players (21 traveling team, 5 alternates) to play on the Jr. National Girls' team and represent the United States at the 2008 WUGC!
For the list of players, please read the Press Release.
Head Coaches Selected!
After a lengthy and intense application process that brought together two committees of dedicated representatives from the YCC leagues, the final decisions have been made. Eileen Murray (Girls) and Berend Van Heuvelen (Open) have been selected to lead their respective teams in Vancouver next summer.
Learn more about the Head Coaches!
Eileen Murray | Berend Van Heuvelen
Additionally, Jody Avirgan will join Ben Van Heuvelen has as Ben's Assistant Coach.
A big welcome to John, Chelsea, Jody and Derek!
Look for the entire staff to be attending the two try out camps and working hard to develop the Open and Girls' Junior National teams for the 2008 WUGC!
The West Coast try-out camp will be in Seattle. The East Coast try-out camp will be in Atlanta. Team members and alternates will be chosen following the try-out camps.
The coaches were in attendenace at the 2007 UPA Youth Club Championships in Minneapolis, MN in August 2007 in order to scout players prior to the fall application period. This is a new strategy for this application process that we hope will be a positive one for all the players.
Who is eligible to apply for the 2008 teams?
Boys and girls who:
Since 1994 the UPA has selected and sent a US Junior open team to the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) World Ultimate and Guts Championships (WUGC) and the World Ultimate Junior Championships (WUJC). In 2000 the UPA selected and sent a US Junior girls team the first year that WFDF held that division. These events occur in even years. The US did not send a team in either division in 2002 for a number of reasons. Every team which the UPA has sent to represent the United States have medalled including earning the gold medal in 1998 (open), 2000 (girls), 2004 (open) and 2006 (open and girls).
The current process for team selection begins with the head coaches attending the Youth Club Championships in the year prior to the event and scouting players. Next, interested players apply through the UPA website in the early winter. Up to 80 applicants for each team are invited to attend a try-out camp hosted on each coast in March. Coaches choose the top 20 players to represent the United States at the event in August. The site of the world championships is chosen by WFDF.
US Junior National team head coaches are chosen by a Selection Committee made up of representations from the top 8 leagues that participate in the Youth Club Championships from the year prior to application. Coaches must be UPA Level I certified and are chosen by application. Assistant coaches are chosen by the team’s head coaches and must also be Level I certified.
The US Junior National Teams provide an opportunity for the best of the country’s young Ultimate players to compete on the world stage against the best of their age throughout the world. As the team is made up of players from across the country the team and the try-outs themselves foster goodwill and Spirit of the Game among the top players and leaders for their team. The try-out camps expose the best players to the best coaches raising the level of play throughout the country.
The UPA will continue to select US Junior National teams biannually. As the number of high level youth players grows the selection process may be refined to create a more clear channel for reaching the highest level utilizing UPA sanctioned Youth Leagues, the UPA YCC, and/or UPA Certified Coaches.
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