Scobel Wiggins Photography

When I started playing Ultimate as a freshman, tournaments seemed like a bunch of nearby schools getting together and organizing a few games. It would be great if I remembered a light and a dark, and even better if I brought my cleats. Throughout my four years playing Ultimate, I've had the pleasure of witnessing the sport grow in ways I would never have anticipated. This year, my team (UPenn Venus) was lucky enough to get invited to Women's College Centex, the most competitive women's tournament in the country outside of UPA Nationals. In addition to the amazing competition and the number of at-level games we got to play, I was blown away by all the "extras" that the Texas team and Michelle Ng worked so hard to provide. Friday night featured an inspiring captains/coaches clinic and we were welcomed to the fields on Saturday morning with individual player packs with Centex water bottles, some great looking merchandise, and an endless supply of bagels, fruit, and Nutella. After games finished on Saturday, there was a catered BBQ dinner, a showcase game, and a team dance-off. We got to watch some great Ultimate (and some great dances) and most importantly, meet and mingle with teams from across the country. Never before have I been apart of a tournament with so many unique features designed to bring the College Ultimate world together.

I went into the Centex captains and coaches clinic not really knowing what to expect. I came out feeling completely inspired. I could have sat there all night listening to these experts talk about Ultimate. The clinic started with a talk from 2005 Callahan Award Winner Cara Crouch. She demonstrated so many ways to prepare for tournaments, from keeping notes on each team you play to imagining what your team would do in every situation in advance in order to eliminate in-game chaos. One of the things she said that really stuck with my team was that any time you have a practice devoted to running or conditioning, you're missing out on time to work on disc skills. Since Centex, Venus has changed our fitness practices to incorporate throwing and other skills—we never have a disc-less practice.

Oregon's impressive coach Lou Burruss talked about the big picture and the importance of having an overarching goal for a team. What stuck with me from his talk was the necessity of drilling exactly what you plan to execute in games, and the importance of drilling skills to have in your team's repertoire. It doesn't matter how many times you yell "no break!" during a game if the team hasn't put in the work to know how to implement a good mark. Now, before each drill at practice, we take the time to explain exactly why we are doing the drill and how it could be used in a game setting.

Finally, UCLA's coach Alex Korb brought up the idea of focusing on what you can control in his talk about building a successful program. He shared his experiences in learning how to connect individual goals with team goals to get the most out of every player. The clinic spurred a long and fruitful discussion among team leadership about Venus's goals, practices, mentality and subbing at the local Dairy Queen that night.

Philly Classic has the potential to be a tournament like Centex on the East Coast. Had the weather cooperated, the tournament would have been off to a great first year. We were prepared to host a skills clinic with great players and coaches teaching 30-minute seminars on how to perform a certain skill, or how to conceptualize the game. We had hoped to emulate some of the great things that are happening at tournaments like Centex, but at a location more convenient for teams on the East Coast. There was going to be Ultimate at all levels as far as the eye could see. Although this first year didn't go quite as planned, there is a great potential for a tournament like this to get developed in the future. It would give teams on the East Coast a chance to play some very competitive games without having to fly and encourage inter-team meeting and bonding. It's important for the growth of the sport to have tournaments like this around the country not only for top-level play, but also for the development of the local Ultimate community and to encourage up-and-coming programs. With the hard work, dedication, and love for the sport that Michelle Ng and the teams she works with have, I know that women's Ultimate will grow more in the next four years than it has in the last four. I can't wait.

Katie Poulos, current University of Pennsylvania captain