Ultimate is here for the year! Spring League starts Ultimate Chicago 2005 off strong with 526 members, nearly 50 more players than 2004 and 80 more than 2003. The continued incline for the league is wonderful, but carries a negative side-effect: The influx of new members is predominantly male, which stretches our female ratio even thinner than before. To help alleviate the problem, UC has offered any woman new to UC rated below a 12 to have their Spring League fees waived and to be added to the team of their choice.

Andrea Wells pulls down a disc in the endzone at the 2005 Spring League kickoff on March 19. An increase in men has indirectly created a short stack of women in this year's League.

The shortage of women is a chronic problem that UC deals with annually and league-wide. Summer League 2004 came with a clause in the buddy system which allowed two women to be added to a four-man core, provided the women were new to Ultimate. This Spring's recent promotion comes after our existing women have been spread out so that each Spring League team only received two lines.

For new women, as well as any men just beginning in Ultimate, UC vice president Steve Frankel has organized a clinic that will help the game become more enjoyable. It is designed for people with little ultimate experience who are looking to be more comfortable on the field, as the focus will be working through the basics of ultimate strategy as well as throwing and game skills. The clinic will take place every Monday through May 2 from 8:00 to 9:30 at Brooks Park, located at 7100 N. Harlem. Please email Steve Frankel to check on numbers.

As always, UC is extremely interested in members' ideas on how to curb this shortage for future seasons. Please forward any suggestions to ultimatechicagoboard@egroups.com.

His Spirit Lives On: In the spring of 2000, Ultimate Chicago lost Bennett Kryzsko, victim to a drunk driver. He played ultimate the way it is meant to be played, with joy and spirit. Each Spring League, the Bennett Kryzsko Trophy is awarded to the player best living up to Bennett's legacy.

On top of the individual spirit awards that each Spring team gives, the Spring League committee also asks for nominations for a stand-out player who can continue the purity behind Bennett Kryzsko and his memorial. With past recipients Leo Spizziri in 2000, Mark Richardson in 2001, Craig Moore in 2002, Tanya Landsman in 2003 and Kentaro Yamada in 2004, this year's winner will run with some elite company. Be on the lookout for someone you feel represents this award and send your nomination to the spring@ultimatechicago.org.

“It's always great to encourage spirit – it's what Ultimate is all about,” said UC secretary Carrie Hixson. “It's nice to be able to recognize someone who is outstanding amongst a great group of people.”

Darlin' Danke Schön: Ultimate Chicago recognizes the enormous amount of work needed to keep the entire organization, as well as each league, running smoothly. All of these people volunteer countless hours of their valuable time to bring you Ultimate for three seasons a year. A few on the long list of people for recognition are:

Kentaro Yamada, Tanya Landsman and Mike Resnick, Spring League 2005 administrators.

Eric Abando, creator of the program used for this year's draft.

Mike “Tom Tom” Tomaszewski, the league's scorekeeper.

If you see these people on the fields, please pat them on the back for their efforts or heckle them loudly while they play.

Spring league may be in like a lion and out like a lamb, but Ultimate Chicago's Summer League comes right on its heels – and it's no black sheep. As our organization's most popular league, Summer remains a top priority within UC, and coordinating committees are already hard at work. Cool Points was able to get in touch with this year's Summer League coordinators to find out what they took away from last year's questionnaires, the skinny about a possible beach league and we finally get to the bottom of why the Board members always end up on the stacked teams…

Cool Points: We can't start without mentioning that Summer League is Ultimate Chicago's most-successful season…

Summer League: It's definitely our most popular season, and last year was the biggest it has ever been, thanks to the advent of our new Thursday league at Schiller Park, as well as our expanding geographically to capture the suburbs in the new Western league. Last year, the Western league pulled in 84 players from Naperville , Wheaton , Schaumburg and also Addison , where the games are played. This year we're hoping to expand to 128 players, which would give us 8 full teams.

Summer League Tournament 2004

Cool Points: If the league is growing every year, what kind of things does the committee do to retain new players that join for their first time?

Summer League: We get 50 or so new players each year, some are college kids who learn at school and are back for the summer, and others who just randomly want to try Ultimate out. We always reserve the first two games as "games that don't count" for all the players to learn how to play, work on their skills and just get to know their new teammates.

CP: If that's the case, then you must have an extra focus on the Team Captains.

SL: Definitely – captains are our biggest priority. They are solely responsible for helping a player develop over the season, either by encouraging them by example or advice, or by creating an environment that has experienced players helping out the newer players.

CP: How does the Summer League committee select captains for each year?

SL: We received a variety of comments about captains in general from our post-season questionnaire after last year's season, and we've decided to put more of a focus on our selection. In the past, captains have either volunteered or we have sought them out through a referral of some sort. Some players want to go out and win every game, whether it's Club Nationals or pickup, but they need to realize that not everyone feels that way. Captains need to help encourage the "fun league" concept.

CP: So what kind of changes might we see this year as far as captains go?

SL: This year we're spending more time going down a list as a committee, taking a look at previous captains and players who have developed and held good reputations. We want to find captains who want to be captains, not just players who agree because they've been asked. We're also exploring ways on how we, as a committee, can help our captains more. We'd like to get a captain's meeting or two at Piece before the season starts, so we can create a focus on what we expect from them.

CP: Any examples of what you'll be expecting from this year's captains?

SL: As a response to last year's post-season questionnaire, our number-one expectation for 2005 is promoting the spirit of the game. We want to keep CUSL a fun league. Some captains want to go out and win every game, whether it's Club Nationals or pickup, but they need to realize that not everyone feels that way.

CP: What other things did you pull away from last year's questionnaire?

SL: There was a lot of unhappiness with the balance of skill between the teams. We had 32 teams in 2004; six to eight of the teams were solid, a good majority hung right around average, and a handful was not quite up to par. Balancing the teams is a chronic problem that we try to control every year, but winning and losing is just the nature of the game, and there's always going to be a separation. Player attendance is the biggest problem for us - some teams' best players don't come to all the games for one reason or another, and some teams have a solid turn-out every game. Attendance is just an unknown factor for us, unfortunately one that weighs pretty heavily on the success of a team.

CP: So, exactly how are the teams formed?

SL: There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there, but the truth is that team selection is done totally blind. We compile everyone's ratings and find the average for each team, then we start dealing out individual players and buddy groups. No names at all, we simply add up scores and keep track of the amount of women. We don't look at the names until after the teams are formed. Only then does a minimal amount of mix-and-matching take place, to take care of any imbalances as far as players' commitment is concerned.

CP: Sometimes it seems like the Board members and league coordinators always “happen” onto those stacked teams…

SL: Heh, one of our favorite conspiracy theories that pop up every year. The truth is it's only because we're more exposed than others. The board members who fall onto the good teams get the raised eyebrows, while the ones who fall onto bad teams always fly under the radar.

Sandblast 2004

CP: Has there been any talk about the addition of a beach league?

SL: There are no plans in place for 2005, but it's something we're definitely exploring. This year, we're continuing our focus on the Thursday and Western leagues, trying to get a second solid year for each. But we're hoping to have a Montrose Beach league in 2006, if only because of the success of Sandblast. In the four years it's been in existence, that tournament has become a nationwide event and put Chicago on the map for beach Ultimate. It's an aspect of the game that we know we need to embrace.

CP: Can we expect anything new for the Summer League tournament out at the Naperville polo fields?

SL: Absolutely. We're toying with a couple ideas on how to make the whole day enjoyable – specifically for those who drive all the way from the city, only to lose out on their first game. Some ideas include making a more-meaningful consolation bracket, perhaps having a traveling trophy that goes from year to year. We'd also like to offer more than just sandwiches as entertainment…perhaps firing up a grill, adding some outlet of music – who knows? We're definitely open for suggestions.

CP: How about holding the tournament over two days instead of all in one?

SL: That is something that we look at every year – possibly using the Wednesday before as part of the tournament. Based on 32 teams, the team that wins the whole tournament plays in 5 games. That's a lot for anyone to play, even club players. However, based on last year's survey, people don't want a Saturday-Sunday tournament. We'll just have to look at it again next year. Given our limitations, the 2005 tournament will be held only on a Saturday.

Angles play an important role in accomplishing many goals. Throwing the disc accurately requires a complicated set of circumstances, one of which is releasing it with the correct angle to go in the exact direction you want. Getting open also presents some geometrical challenges on the playing field. Instead of simply offering an explanation on how to throw and cut correctly, let's address the use of angles on the Ultimate playing field.

Sometimes the shortest distance between two players is not a straight line. Getting open and making cuts occasionally calls for a series of fakes. If the disc is in the air, there is no alternative than to go straight to the point on the field that gives you the best opportunity to catch the disc. However, if the thrower is waiting for you to actually be open before he decides to put the disc, then you may have to fake two or three times before making that final cut toward the open area.

These seemingly wasted cuts are important as they set up your eventual real cut, and it is important to plan in advance which direction that final cut will go. With anticipation of that last cut, make sure you have a clear path back to the disc without the defender being able to close in and block the throw.

The idea is to get your defender going in the wrong direction. It helps to wait until he or she has reached full speed in one direction, then to cut at the opposite angle that you intend to go. Your defender's reaction, followed by your quick change of direction into your final cut, should help you achieve those few critical steps of separation that will give the impression that you are open. Your teammates will indeed deem you worthy of at least a look, if not an attempted pass.

After all this work, if you see your teammate only fake a throw to you, quickly make a direct cut to the spot on the field you want the disc thrown. This should help clear one side of the field and hopefully enable the handler to get a clean throw off to another cutter. If the handler is faking without someone actually being there, it can still throw off the defense and create openings for a higher percentage of completions to other teammates.

Understanding and expecting these cutting angles can also help you figure out your partner (opposite player on their team), so you can take advantage of them on defense. If you can read their move as they are making it, you can stay with them. Watch for a tendency, then exploit it. When you see their tell, go around it or make an opposite-angle cut for the D.

As the season progresses, teams become more fluid as each member learns their teammates' style of play. Players that have been with each other long enough can anticipate where each other will be on the field most of the time. Help each other by communicating which side of the field you prefer the cuts to come from and how to break the force.

Another angle to visualize is that of your release. As the cause of most throwing errors, those players who choose to ignore this angle lack insight into one of the key ingredients of successful throwing. If the proper angle of release is achieved, the disc will not turn over early, get caught by the wind or die at your teammates' cleats.

"Angle of hyzer" is the technical term for the relationship between the disc and the ground. Note the angle of release in relationship to the ground:

If the angle of the disc is too steep, it will turn over too quickly and fall incomplete. If the angle is not steep enough, it will not turn over at all and will also most likely fall incomplete. A great deal of practice is required to find just the right amount of angle so it hits your target. This should be practiced before playing, in the very wind you will play in, near the field you will play on. A good thirty-minute warm-up on your game field is the ideal way to prepare. As you and your partner are throwing, continue to rotate around an entire circle so you both get practice throwing up and downwind, and across from both sides. By going through the entire spectrum of angles, you will become aware of the easy and difficult directions.

The entire team should do this angle practice so, by game time, everyone is aware of which cuts are made to the force side and the downwind side of the field. As team awareness increases, players will find it easier to use the field to their advantage.

As for the angle of an airbounce, get the nose up. We'll take a look at that next time.