http://boards.usaultimate.org/ This is the USA Ultimate discussion forum, powered by vBulletin. en Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:50:17 GMT vBulletin 60 http://boards.usaultimate.org/images/misc/rss.png http://boards.usaultimate.org/ http://boards.usaultimate.org/showthread.php?1073-Question-from-observers-manual-on-defender-contact&goto=newpost Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:50:16 GMT I was reading the observers manual and came across this (page 25 receiving and defending hucks) Contact initiated by a defender after he or she... I was reading the observers manual and came across this (page 25 receiving and defending hucks)

Contact initiated by a defender after he or she touches the disc is not a receiving foul. However, if the end result is dangerous play (e.g., offensive player is hit hard or tackled), or the contact prevented the receiver from making a subsequent play on the disc, a general foul or a blocking foul can result.

I'm wondering if that should state "incidental contact" at the start of that, or is that implied by the rest of the sentence ? ]]> Rules and Officiating kdubs http://boards.usaultimate.org/showthread.php?1073-Question-from-observers-manual-on-defender-contact http://boards.usaultimate.org/showthread.php?1072-College-Nationals-Observing-thoughts-or-feedback&goto=newpost Sun, 09 Jun 2013 02:28:48 GMT I was just reviewing an observers vs. refs thread from 2010. My favorite excerpt: "I would love to eventually see Ultimate on ESPN and with a significant fanbase, but I honestly don't believe that will happen without referees." Well, the ESPN part happened, which is very cool!

In any case, part of the discussion was on addressing cheating, which was particularly an issue in the College Open division. I've observed most of the D-I College Championships the past few years, and I was really impressed with the way the College players handled themselves this year. In all of my games, I saw fair play, players treating each other with respect, and a lot of calls resolved quickly and easily by the players. In stark contrast to behavior referenced some of the comments from 2010, though I think the trend since then has been continuous improvement (not just a miraculous 2013).

We also have a much larger pool of Observers now, and they are far more proactive about addressing conduct issues through the Misconduct System than they were before. That's not to say the system is perfect, but it is being used, and I think it is helping reinforce the good behavior that we're seeing. I think good coaching also has a large impact, and coaching clinics are helpful in that regard. In many cases, teams' behavior is in some way reflective of their coaches.

In any case, I don't mean to take credit away from the players, who are responsible for their own behavior, and are behaving in a way that makes this player-controlled game work well. But in terms of the Observer Program, I'd be interested to know people's thoughts on what's working, and what needs improvement (whether implementation of the current system or a change to the system), and any thoughts on Observing in recent years versus in 2010 and earlier.

Remembering from 2010, there were a lot of comments in the vein of "there is rampant and constant cheating happening, so we need refs." My response was that, at that time, the Misconduct System was woefully underutilized, and many of the behavior issues would improve if Observers started indicating that certain behavior was unacceptable (by giving TMFs). So that's just my example for framing discussion in addressing areas for improvement -- should we make a change to the existing system, or do we need to change how we are implementing that system?

-Colin

P.S. Unrelated, but while we possibly have discussion going, for a quick review of some common rules, check out this article series, if you have not already:
http://skydmagazine.com/2011/01/rule...y-1-the-check/
http://skydmagazine.com/2011/02/ask-...-after-a-call/
http://skydmagazine.com/2011/03/oran...-3-disc-space/
http://skydmagazine.com/2011/04/oran...-out%E2%80%9D/
http://skydmagazine.com/2011/04/oran...me-management/ ]]> Rules and Officiating colinmci http://boards.usaultimate.org/showthread.php?1072-College-Nationals-Observing-thoughts-or-feedback http://boards.usaultimate.org/showthread.php?1071-quot-About-Ultimate-quot-page&goto=newpost Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:12:08 GMT Was playing around the site and noticed that this page needs some improvement (honestly it looks a little unprofessional for reasons I list below):... Was playing around the site and noticed that this page needs some improvement (honestly it looks a little unprofessional for reasons I list below): http://www.usaultimate.org/about/ultimate/default.aspx

First, the same picture is used twice on the same page. Surely there's a good stock photo that can replace one of them.

Second, there are three different font sizes used (not counting headers) with no logic to switching sizes and where one size would do fine.

Lastly - and this is more of an opinion, but one I feel strongly about - I take issue with some of the language. Phrases like: "ULTIMATE IS A REAL SPORT" "Ultimate is a legitimate sport" "Ultimate is a real sport" strike me as a little pathetic. Of course it's a real sport, but this comes across as a desperate plea for legitimacy and validation. Kind of like if we feel like we have to clarify it then it says something about us. I agree that many people may not know the extent of seriousness, commitment and participation of ultimate but I think framing it as "our sport is serious, big and growing" comes across much better than "this is a real sport".

My 2 cents ]]> usaultimate.org kirkwillmarth http://boards.usaultimate.org/showthread.php?1071-quot-About-Ultimate-quot-page