Fabulous Fives Youth Tournament
by the Barton Hills Ultimate Club
Players (aged 10-14) from various schools in AISD participate in after-school Ultimate programs each fall and spring. Those players met amidst the fog on muddy playing fields at Travis High School, to play an all day end-of-season tournament on December 12, 2009.
The tournament was staffed by volunteers including parents, siblings and students who are studying to be teachers at UT. Congratulations to the players who ran hard all day and represented their schools with skill, determination, and the SPIRIT of the GAME.
The Fulmore Falcons, representing Fulmore Middle School, went undefeated in Championship play, to be crowned the tournament champion. However, a strong team of Zilker Panthers, from Zilker Elementary School, defeated the Falcons during pool play.
The Barton Hills Ultimate club fielded two teams. Amy Chalberg, the school counselor on their campus, appreciates how UltimateSpirit helps the players develop a healthy attitude about sport and competition.
Courtney Perry, the physical education teacher there supports our program and appreciates our players bringing the Spirit of the Game to her classes and to the Barton Hills playground during recess. Here, the young players profile some of the pariticipants and write collaboratively about their love of the sport and their tournament experiences:
Joe, age 11, plays because his father played for UT in the mid 80’s. His favorite part of the game is catching the Frisbee. His sister, Rachael, attended the tournament and helped keep scores and serve snacks. She cannot wait until she is old enough to participate!
Will, age 11, has played several tournaments over the past five seasons. He likes playing Ultimate because the game is very athletic. “Playing tournaments is fun because you get to play with all sorts of people and test your skills,” he says.
David is a 10 year-old player with 3 years of tournament experience. He loves diving for the Frisbee, and enjoys playing tournaments because he gets to meet new people.
Christopher, age 10, has played in four tournaments in his young career, and says “they all have been very fun!” When asked if he likes Ultimate, he replied without hesitation, “Yes, I love it… especially the Spirit of the Game… and the drills”. Sam played his very first tournament this season. “I like Ultimate because you get to judge yourself and not have other people do it.” He appreciates the tournament experience because “we get to play for real instead of just scrimmages.”
Complete results of this year’s tournament, and other Fabulous Fives tournaments are posted on UltimateSpirit.org. The 2009 year’s TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS include: Damon, team captain; BB, Kenneth, Tony, Alexander, & Mauricio (Joseph) and coach Ky Harkey.
UltimateSpirit.org hosts a fall and spring season with a post season tournament each year for boys and girls aged 10-14. We follow a format that allows players to maximize playing time and develop skills of conflict resolution and leadership. We look forward to hosting a winter league for HS players beginning in late January. Players are registering for this league now, with the draft on January 18th, the MLK holiday. Please check our website for information on all the programs provided by this strong and growing volunteer organization.
Youth players Joe, David, Chris, Devon, Sam, and Will from the Barton Hills Ultimate Club conducted interviews and collaboratively wrote this article.
