The Next Generation of Ultimate

It’s been said that kids have it easier these days. If you’re a kid playing ultimate in Austin this is definitely the case. When I was in middle and high school, the only ultimate we played was after school at the local park or during Cross Country’s off-season—no formal team or coach, just a bunch of kids with a Wham-O, energy to burn, and maybe a touch of homework procrastination. Today Austin boasts over 20 middle school and high school teams. And this number is growing. Roughly two new schools are forming teams every year and established programs are continuing to grow, often adding a second team to their program. It’s due to the efforts and time that teachers (most being Austin ultimate players) put in to recruiting kids, reserving field space, running practices and coaching that this emergence of youth ultimate has occurred.

There are a few key people who have been extremely involved with youth ultimate in Austin—Barbara Denison, Jenna Martin, Bill Marriott and Colleen Conrad—who have spent countless hours setting up practices, scrimmages, and tournaments. Thank you very much for your time and effort.

If you would like to help out Youth ultimate, they are always looking for regular weekday and weekend coaches, along with assistants for one day clinics. Please contact Bill Marriott at youth@austinultimate.org.