2014-15 Annual Report

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Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 2

Contents

President’s Report ..................................................................................................... 3

ACT’s Australian Representatives 2014-15 ......................................................... 5

Treasurer's Report ...................................................................................................... 6

Secretary's Report ..................................................................................................... 7

Canberra Ultimate League Champions 2014-15 ............................................. 8

ACT’s National Representatives 2014-15 ......................................................... 10

Attachment A: Audited Accounts .................................................................... 12

Attachment B National Women’s Hat .............................................................. 14

Front page: The inaugural National Women’s Hat Photo by Simon Ratcliffe

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 3

President’s Report

Canberra Ultimate had such a busy year in 2014-15 that it’s hard to find the time to write

a report. Let’s stick to a few highlights.

Membership and League Development

On 30 June 2015, Canberra Ultimate had 819 members – that is, is 819 people with an

ACT or region postcode (2582 to 2650 and 2900 to 2915) registered and paid to play in a

CU event in the previous 12 months. This was up slightly from 803 members.

The engine room of Canberra Ultimate – our Leagues - continued to grow during 2015.

Our peak Spring season saw our North Canberra Ultimate League (NCUL) host 406

registered players on 32 teams on Tuesdays, while the concurrent South Canberra

Ultimate League (SCUL) had 152 registered players on 11 teams on Wednesday and the

Blitz Open League had 76 registered players on 6 teams on Thursdays.

2014-15 also saw a considerable increase in our available field space, with Southwell

Park at Lyneham becoming available to us and meaning we could move our games back

to a single time-slot. This is a fantastic outcome and reflects our strong relationship with

the ACT Government – we don’t anticipate turning anyone away from Ultimate for a while

yet now. We also fostered improved Spirit of the Game by introducing rules accreditation

requirements for all League players. Overall we completed 10 Leagues locally, crowning

League and Spirit Champions in each. Check out the rest of this report for details.

These results come from fantastic work by the League Committee volunteers, which

includes Sarah Gillett, Tim Gillett, Simon Ratcliffe, Anthony Perry, Jamie Bozza, Craig

Graham, Garth Bradfield, Zac Hain and many other helpers. Thank you all.

Local Tournaments and Representative Play

Canberra hosted two major tournaments during 2014-15. The inaugural National

Women’s Hat was held at the end of October 2014 as part of our contribution to the

Ultimate Australia Year of Women’s Ultimate. It was a great success that bodes well for

the future, and there’s a short overview at Appendix B. In March 2015 it was Canberra’s

turn to host the Brisbane-Canberra invitational, bringing top quality Ultimate to the

national capital – thanks to Mike Swan and Phil Swan for leading the show.

Canberra teams performed well on the international and national stage during the year.

The highlight was the World Ultimate Club Championships in Lecco, Italy, where the

Canberra based Roadkill competed. A lot of Canberra players attended WUCC with

other Australian and international teams, bringing great experiences home.

Canberrans also represented Australia at a number of events during 2015, and these are

listed elsewhere in the report. Four Canberrans were part of Australian all-star team

Ellipsis’ boilover win at the prestigious US Open Ultimate tournament. Yay for Adelaide

Dennis, Andrew ‘AJ’ Jackson, Dan Matthews-Hunter and Dani Alexander.

Open club Fyshwick United and Women’s club Factory both made the top eight at

Nationals in April, while Fyshwick University and Real Mitchell competed hard at DivII

Nats. The Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships (AMUC) were held in Townsville,

and in the shadow of WUCC2015 in Italy, we only sent one team.ng top 10 Spirit finishes.

A number of Canberra players medalled at AMUC while playing for inter-state teams.

And ANU had a fantastic time at the first ‘split gender Ultimate’ Australian University

Championships, with the ANU Women coming 6th and the ANU Men took 18th.

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 4

Twelve ACT boys and a handful of girls got along to the Australian Youth Ultimate

Championships in Sydney with the lads placing a solid fifth.

Governance and Finance

On the administrative front, Canberra Ultimate held its Annual General Meeting on 30

September 2014, where we said thanks to Heather Bozza and Jesse Wallace for their

work on the Board, and welcomed new Board members Ben Grady as Secretary and

Ebony Holland as a General Member. Jason de Rooy was elected President, Anthony

Perry returned as Treasurer, and Liz de Hoog and Tom Walcott returned as General

Members. Canberra Ultimate remains in sound financial state. Aside from continuing to

help volunteers run Leagues and tournaments, maintaining good relationships with our

ACT Government stakeholders, and the dozens of other things that need to be done, the

Board hosted a significant planning day and finalised Canberra Ultimate’s 2016-18

Strategic Plan.

As noted in the Treasurer’s Report, 2014-15 was a financially successful year for

Canberra Ultimate. In February 2015 we were successful for a third year in receiving a

$6,000 annual operational grant from ACT Sport and Recreation, an increase of 20%

from the previous year.

The Board met six times during 2014-15. Agendas were posted for the members to

consider on the Canberra Ultimate website before each meeting, and minutes also

posted online within a week. Table A summarises attendance. Eight newsletters were

emailed to the membership during the year.

Thanks

To conclude – thanks. The future is bright and shining!

Jason de Rooy

President

30 September 2015

Table A: Board Member Meeting Attendance 2014-15

Meeting Heather

Bozza Jason de

Rooy Anthony

Perry Liz de Hoog

Thomas Walcott

Jesse Wallace

Ebony Holland

Ben Grady

15 July 2014 Y Y Y Y N Y

19 August 2014 Y Y Y Y Y Y

AGM 30 Sept 2014 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

3 November 2014 Y Y Y Y Y Y

1 December 2014 Y Y Y N Y Y

8 February 2015 Y N Y Y Y Y

4 March 2015 Y Y Y Y Y Y

% attendance at eligible meetings

100% 100% 83% 100% 66% 100% 100% 100%

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 5

ACT’s Australian Representatives 2014-15

2014 World Ultimate Club Championships –

Lecco, Italy

2015 WFDF World Under 23s Championships – London, UK

tbc Tom Emerson Tom MacCallum

Anson Chun (Coach)

2015 Australian u20s Trans-Tasman Test Teams

Miriam Downey Rachel Joyce Bill Foreman Ryan Waters

Australian Under 18s Green and Gold Team

Ryan Coleman Ryan Waters

2014 Australian Universities Green and Gold Team 2014

Adelaide Dennis

Above: 2014-15 saw the arrival of Canberra Ultimate’s rainbow inclusion discs.

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 6

Treasurer's Report

DRAFT: This was a good year for Canberra Ultimate, as it continued provide an

inexpensive and superior alternative team sport to Canberrans while investing in the

further development of Ultimate in the ACT.

The primary source of income for the Association remains league fees. Leagues are run

on a “no loss” philosophy and to ensure a sufficient surplus to cover all Association

running costs.

The 2015 Audit Report is provided at Attachment A to this Annual Report. Canberra

Ultimate had an operating surplus of $6,309 for the 2014-15 year.

Well done to all involved.

Anthony Perry

Treasurer

30 September 2015

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 7

Secretary's Report

What a year!

In October 2014, the board was elected with Jason de Rooy retaining president, Anthony

Perry retaining Treasurer, Liz de Hoog and Thomas Walcott remaining as General

Members and ourselves (Ben Grady and Ebony Holland) as newly elected Secretary’s.

This financial year, the Secretary’s had a strong focus on documenting key ACT Ultimate

administrative processes to support Ultimate volunteers and to promote improved

knowledge transfer from year-to-year. Although it doesn’t sound that sexy, this was an

important step or Canberra Ultimate. By documenting these processes, we help to

ensure the smooth transition between volunteers from year-to-year and assist in the

delivery of Ultimate to our ever growing community!

In efforts to engage with the Canberra members this year, all meetings, agendas,

minutes and newsletters have been posted on the website and promoted through the

Canberra Ultimate Facebook site (Canberra Ultimate Frisbee – Canberra, Australian

Capital Territory Ultimate). Canberra Ultimate is working hard to build its Association’s

presence and reputation with the existing members, sponsors, the government and wider

community.

We have been excited this year not just by the formations of new clubs but the level of

experience being driven up at interclub scrimmages organised in preparation for the

three teams participating in AMUC. Increasing the level of ultimate disc standards is a

priority for us, and we would welcome the views from the Ultimate community on how we

can help to continue to support this.

We would like to take this opportunity to recognise the hard working volunteers that help

to make Ultimate happen in Canberra. In particular, the tireless effort of the league

directors and support people who have continually delivered well organised and reliable

leagues for us all to enjoy. We also recognise the hard work of those who have pulled

together additional tournaments, including the inaugural Women’s Hat Tournament

(November 2014).

We are looking forward to strengthening our participation within the Canberra Ultimate

community in 2016 as well, and we will continue to document the progress we have had

so far. A huge thank you goes to all those members and partners who have not only

participated in leagues this year but contributed towards the Canberra Ultimate vision.

We look forward to seeing you on the field!

Ben Grady and Ebony Holland

Joint Secretaries

28 September 2015

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 8

Canberra Ultimate League Champions 2014-15

North Canberra Ultimate League (NCUL)

Spring 2014 Division 1 Champions Greyhounds Division 2 Champions: Springtime Samlets Division 3 Champions: The Mighty Hucks

Division 1 Spirit: Darwin’s Finches Division 2 Spirit: Springtime Samlets Division 3 Spirit: Catch 22s

406 registered players across 32 teams

Summer 2015 Division 1 Champions: Greyhounds Division 2 Champions: biodeGRADables

Division 3 Champions: Frizzy Bees Division 1 Spirit: Greyhounds

Division 2 Spirit: Ominous Pidgeons Division 3 Spirit: Attack of the Samlet

349 registered players across 28 teams

Autumn 2015 Division 1 Champions: Greyhounds Division 2 Champions: Destructo Discs

Division 3 Champions: Reverse Kelly Red Division 1 Spirit: Giant Squid Wizards

Division 2 Spirit: Veni Vidi Vrisbee Division 3 Spirit: Catch 22s

261 registered players across 21 teams

BiodeGRADables – champions!

Photo: Jason de Rooy

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 9

South Canberra Ultimate League (SCUL)

Indoor Hat 2014: Champions: 50 Pickles Spirit: Gumblehuck 72 registered players across 8 teams

Indoor League 2014 Champions: Nunchuckers Spirit: Magical Animal 76 registered players across 10 teams

Spring Fling 2014 Champions: First World Problems Spirit: Grumpy Cats 69 registered players across 6 teams

Spring 2015 Champions: Spot It! Spirit: Discotheque 6: The Discth Sense 152 players across 11 teams

Summer 2015 Champions: Greyhounds Spirit: Discotheque 7: Ultimate Power! 135 players across 10 teams

Autumn 2015 Champions: biodeGRADables Spirit: Globo Gym Purple Cobras 141 players across 10 teams

Blitz Open League

Spring 2014: Champions: Red Strike 76 players registered across 6 teams

Above: Fame via the Canberra Times

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 10

ACT’s National Representatives 2014-15

Australian Youth Ultimate Championships – July 2014 Melbourne

Gang Gangs (U18s Men’s Division) SPIRIT WINNERS Placing: 5th

Aaron Johnston, Aidan Baron, Benjamin Hyslop, Doug Warnock, Lachy MacWilliam, Matt Foreman, Max Calder, Nicholas Hodson, Nick Cossins, Ryan Waters, Timothy Lennon. Coach: Jesse Wallace

ACT Representatives - U18 Women’s Division

Miriam Downey, Natasha Joyce and Rachel Joyce played with the Victoria team

Australian Ultimate Championships – April 2015 Perth

Factory Placing: 7th

Adelaide Dennis, Alice Patterson-Robert, Angie To, Claire Foster, Liz Vickers-Drennan, Fiona McDonald, Heather Bozza, Heather Tolley, Hope Watson, Keah Molomby, Kristal Cain, Laina Hall, Liz de Hoog, Liz Edye, Lorna Barr, Mica Hartley, Sheryn Ringland, Sophie Johns Coach: Anson Chun

Fyshwick United Placing: 8th

Adam Mortimer, Andrew ‘AJ’ Jackson, Asher Gentle, Ashley Donaldson, Benjamin Emerson, Chris Folkes, Chris Stephens, Daniel Mathews-Hunter, David McManus, James Ley, Jamie Axelby, Jonathan Holmes, Konrad Wallace, Matthew Svatos, Mikey Hatfield, Peter Hemphill, Philip Swan, Tom Emerson, Tom MacCallum, Tom Watson.

Australian Ultimate Division II Championships – April 2015 Sydney

Fyshwick University Placing: 12th

Alex Cox, Bill Foreman, Cameron Trijbetz, Clayton McClaud, Craig McConnochie, Douglas Fathfull, Jesse Wallace, Jonathon Logan, Josh Mathews-Hunter, Klye Mitchell, Lachy MacWilliam, Matt Foreman, Matthew Lennon, Max Stenstrom, Mitchell Stokes, Russell Canning, Ryan Waters, Timothy Lennon

Real Mitchell Placing: 16th

Andrew Cressie, Andrew Lance, Ben Finn, Brendan Palazzi, Craig Graham, Dario Mavec, Darren Molineux, Huddy Fuller, James ‘Chino’ Feltrin, James Green, James O’Reilly, Jamie Bozza, Jason de Rooy, Jeremy Chou, Matthew Walkington, Paul Keighley, Paul Quinn, Philippe McCracken, Sam Smith, Simon Ratcliffe.

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 11

Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships – October 2014 Townsville

Burley Griffins SPIRIT CHAMPIONS Placing: 15th

Catri Ross, Elie Seckold, Sharon Tran, Sheryn Ringland, Siobhan Papalia, Cedric Puleston, Dom de Carvalho, James Green, Jason de Rooy, Paul Keighley, Philippe McCracken, Sam Smith, Tim Keighley

Australian University Games – September 2014 Sydney

Anunnaki (Australian National University) Placing: 5th

Buckets (University of Canberra) Placing: 19th Overall (Division 2)

Above: The UC Buckets 2014 Squad

Photo by Zac Hain

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 12

Attachment A: Audited Accounts

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Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 13

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 14

Attachment B National Women’s Hat National Women’s Hat Wrap – with Jason de Rooy It finished only 10 days ago, but the first National Women’s Ultimate Hat Tournament was so much fun we’re only just recovered here at Canberra Ultimate HQ. So sorry for the delay in reporting! 63 women registered (give or take – hat tournaments are always a bit last minute) in the buildup, and were divided into six teams which were named after famous goddesses of old. Then suddenly it was Saturday morning and the players were arriving at the Downer Neighbourhood oval to find lined fields, cones out, shade up and water ready. And so much excitement as the players received their team shirts and found their pals for the weekend and started playing. But, well, it was pretty hot and teams were a bit smaller than desirable, at 9 or 10 players. A bit of administrative agility saw games shortened and lunch lengthened, and in the end the fourth game was postponed to Sunday (thanks to Racey Rach for the initiative). The dinner budget was thus sensibly spent on cider and other cooling things and everyone headed off a bit early. At least for a few hours, until Saturday night saw a very slick social event at the Whiskey Bar, where many many ladies looked very very fine in their little black dresses or other ensembles and enjoyed a glass of bubbly on arrival. Many on-field bonds were deepened by the sparkling conversation, and a few keen-beans were out dancing until after 2am. A great night out. On Sunday morning players arrived to the aroma of bacon and eggs on the BBQ and to meet a few Sunday-only players. Sore feet were soon forgotten (temporarily at least) with closing out of the remaining two round robin games. Calliope finished the round robin undefeated and booked a place in the final against Diana, while the remaining four teams merged into two for an entertaining final run around (for those who still had legs). As the afternoon BBQ settled in and more cider arrived, the Grand Final bucked the expectations of the exhausted and proved to be exciting, entrancing and excellent! Congratulations to Diana, Roman Goddess of the Hunt, who won an exciting final 9-8 over Calliope, Greek Muse of Epic Poetry. Diana players included Adelaide Dennis, Annette Zou, Belinda Wilson, Clarese Minns, Liz Seabrook, Heather Furness, Hope Watson, Nadine Groat, Shelly Felber and Sue Brown. Spirit of the Game was very high throughout the tournament, perhaps reflecting the friendships both new and old. Bast, Egyptian Goddess of Cats and Children took home the Spirit Prize, a smidge ahead of Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of Love. Really, everything was pretty tight in terms of scoring and spirit, so we should also mention Epona, Celtic Goddess of the Horse and Freya, Norse Goddess of War and Magic for being such great teams. The thanks list was long – it was amazing how well this event was supported. Here’s the TD’s list:

Most important – thanks to all the women who came to play!

Particularly those who travelled from Sydney, Wollongong and Melbourne, or who had children and husbands to organise as well!

But also to all those Canberreans who opened their doors and had a guest to stay. Truly, the best way to enjoy a local tournament is to put someone up for the weekend.

Thanks to Canberra Ultimate for backing the event and investing in the future through an $800 loss. In terms of budget, while the shirts were more expensive than planned, women Ultimate players do indeed eat less than the lads, and we were able to make use of some existing CU swag for prizes.

Thanks to the AFDA for sponsoring the event to the tune of around $250!

Canberra Ultimate Annual Report 2014-15 Page 15

Thanks to Simon Ratcliffe, Karl Adamson and Konrad Wallace for helping out over the whole weekend, and Bozza and AJ for shopping and food help, as well as gentlemen such as Jin, Owen, Anson, Dan and Ben and a few FU and RM boys who pitched in to get the work done and show their love of Women’s Ultimate.

Thanks to the TD’s secret ‘brains trust’ of Liz de Hoog, Heather Bozza and Fiona McDonald, who acted as sounding boards whenever the TD got worried or needed ideas. Genuine thanks also to the experienced women administrators who offered good advice and kept us flexible during the event.

And thanks to Annette Zou for her design work, and Simon Ratcliffe again for getting the shirts done and doing lots of website fiddling. And to Anthony Perry also for the seamless backroom treasury action.

Canberra Ultimate has a three year plan to establish and grow the National Women’s Hat – so we hope to see everyone next year. Bring your friends! Jason de Rooy Tournament Director and President - Canberra Ultimate

Above: Teliah Dundas and Heather Bozza battle it out on Day 1.

Above: Annette Zou gets the pass around Katarina Trinh’s mark..

Photos: Simon Ratcliffe