Spirit of the Game and the Observer

Observers, in orange shirts, watch the action during the women's championship game.



Last weekend, the 2013 College Championships were an example of how much the game of Ultimate has evolved over the years. Based on a concept known as Spirit of the Game, Ultimate has traditionally been controlled by the players. However the College Championships saw the use of observers - who were basically referees -  at games. The question is whether or not these observers and other changes hurt the game?


According to the USA Ultimate website Spirit of the Game places the responsibility of sportsmanship and fair play solely on the players. It encourages competitive play at a high level, but not if it sacrifices the values of sportsmanship or respect for the other players.

For over 30 years Ultimate has thrived and grown without referees, but for the game to continue to grow referees may be a necessary evil. At the College Championships the observers assisted on foul calls, turns, touchdowns and helped facilitate the flow of the game. However, USA Ultimate refrained from calling them referees, and referred to them only as observers.

Some believe the addition of referees as well as other changes comes at a price to the game.  After winning the championship game Oregon's coach said that as the game has grown it has taken some of the ownership away from the players.

"I think we are giving something up to get something," he said. "I'm not sure we have thought through what we're going to give up. It's cool to feel more legitimate, to have ESPN here,and have it feel more real. But we've been a player controlled sport forever and I think we'll have to give that up to be big time.

"That was one of the great joys for me. I don't know it'll be different"

I disagree however, and believe that even though the game is changing its core values will remain. Spirit of the Game is not based only on player control, but it also focuses on showing respect, fair play and sportsmanship. Even with the refs, it will still be up the players to display these values.

One key value is to treat others as you want to be treated. It's also about how players handle themselves under pressure and control their emotions. Hard fouls and disagreements will happen with or without officiating and it is up to the players to take a step back and gather their feelings before reacting.
Doing the right thing on the field and praising team mates as well as opponents are also important values. Just because the game is changing doesn't mean players should stop making the right decisions. Players shouldn't need a ref to tell them they're out, or to praise a player who is willing to make a call against himself.

Most importantly the refs don't stop players from having fun

Referees are a part of every sport, and they may not be popular in Ultimate. However, as long as its core values are upheld then the Spirit of the Game will survive in the players.

Please comment with any thoughts on the changing landscape of Ultimate.

Pittsburgh-Oregon semifinal match

Images from the semifinal match between Oregon Ego and Pittsburgh En Sabah Nur. Defending champions Pitt won the match to advance to the finals and earn a shot at becoming back to back College Champions.

   

En Sabah Nur celebrated the game winning point against Oregon.

 OrEGOn

A Pitt player looks to advance the disc.

Womens Championship

Images from the Women's College Championship between Oregon and Carleton College. After A dominant performance against British Columbia the Oregon Fugue advanced to the semifinals where they faced Iowa in a hard fought match. Yet a late run from Oregon helped the women pull off the 15-11 win.

In the finals the Fugue went against Carleton in the finals. After falling behind 3-1 Oregon called a timeout, and returned to the game more determined. The fought back to take an 8-5 lead at halftime. The second half was more of the same, and while Carleton pulled to with 9-8 the Oregon fast paced offense proved to be too much to handle.

From there Oregon scored six straight points to claim the title with a 15-8 victory.

Congrats College Champs

The women of the Oregon Fugue played their style and kept the game dirty in the second half against Carleton College to win the Womens 2013 College Championship.

 Syzygy of Carleton pulled away 3-1 early, but after a timeout and some long hard fought points Oregon had turned the match in its favor. Their coach credited a layout D for being the spark that really helped his team get it going.

For the Fugue that means a dirty style of play that seemed fitting considering the weather on Monday in Madison.  Carleton managed to cut it to 9-8 but Oregon responded and ended the game on a 6-0 run for the win.

Defending champions Pitt are now back to back winners at the 2012 and 2013 College Championships. It wasn't easy though as they held off a Central Florida team going for its first title in just is 2nd year in the tournament.  Pitt got the 15-8 victory to tame the Dogs of War.

Mick vaught.

Photos and video from the women's game are still to come.

More College Championships Fun

For Central Florida their second trip to the college championships will last one more day as the War Dogs pulled off the upset on Sunday with an easy 15-8 victory over the more experienced Carleton college team. UCF made their first ever championships in 2012 and finished 5th. This season has been a different story with the Dogs going 3-1 through the first two days.

The Dogs coach said it probably isn't going to sink in until tonight. He said he is proud of how a team known for being jokesters has transformed into a competitive group because they believe in their ability.

On Monday they'll play for the title, but they'll have to get by the defending champs in Pitt first. Pittsburgh began the day 3-1 and showed no signs of slowing down as it faced
Oregon in the semis.

The two battled and were 8-7 at halftime. However in the second half Pitt began to pull away as it quickly moved ahead with an 11-9 lead. Pitt came away with 14-11 win and a shot at back to back titles.

In the Womens division Oregon outlasted Iowa 15-11 in game one. Tied at 9-9 in the second Oregon went on a 6-2 run. It'll face the Carleton college women on Monday for the title.

Carleton and the OSU Fever went back and forth early in their semifinal match.  They were tied 8-8 after the break. However,  a  late run gave Carleton the edge it needed to pull off the win.

Both finals will be Monday in Madison Wisc.

UCF DOGS OF WAR. Moving onto the finals. For the first time. 

2013 College Championship action

 The semifinals are set for the open and womens division of the 2013 college championships. After the early morning Sunday matches Oregon and Carleton College remain as the only undefeated teams.  CUT defeated UNC Wilmington 15-12 and will battle central Florida, which beat Dartmouth 14-12 in what was a close match throughout. Oregon and Pitt. face off in the other semifinal match. The Ducks beat UC Davis easily to advance, but the surprise of the day was Pitt's upset of UNC Darkside. 

The CUT and Oregon women are also the teams to watch in their division.  

 An Oregon player tosses a touchdown i  the second half against Davis.

A second half touchdown for Oregon.

 Dartmouth hauls in a score, but it wasnt enough late against UCF.

A Darkside touchdown try sails just past the receiver.

Nate Robinson steals the Bulls from DRose

Anyone watching the wild Chicago Bulls game yesterday saw one of the greatest performances in playoff history from Nate Robinson and the Bulls. It was edge of your seat excitement, but long after the game had ended a thought came to mind. That could've been Derrick Rose. It could've been his moment. However, as Nate's legend grows the memory of Rose seems to shrink.

The announcer's were comparing Nate's 4th quarter heroics to those of Michael Jordan. At one point during the excitement they even called for a statue of Nate to be set out front the United Center next to the one of MJ. That won't happen because that spot is reserved for Rose.

Fans have long believed Rose to be the one who would return the Bulls to their former glory. Yet on Saturday, Nate was the guy with the ball in his hands single handily bringing the Bulls back from certain defeat, his team down 14 and with less than three minutes remaining in Game 4 of the round one playoff match up with the Nets.

Now the Bulls lead the series 3-1 without Rose. He sits on bench, cleared to play, but still unable or unwilling to take the floor. All the while his teammates pull out win after win with gutsy tooth and nail performances. Each player; from Kirk Hinrich to Carlos Boozer is playing like each game could be their last.

And watching Joakim Noah gut it out through an injury just makes one wonder. Why Derrick, why? Noah played 38 minutes last night, fighting through pain in his foot caused by plantar fasciitis. He was only supposed to play 25. He made big shots, and despite fouling out helped lead the team.

It's hard for any Bulls fan to see a game with Rose on the bench, but what's worse is wondering when he'll come back. Rose has said he'll return when he is ready, but fans have been left guessing when that will be. The problem for the star point guard is that he left the door open for a return. So, Bulls fans have to hope it'll be sooner than later, and that's the hardest part.

When he comes back, the fans will welcome him with open arms as they should. Rose is making the smart decision by not coming back until he feels ready. Still, Robinson's performance on Saturday was enough to almost make fans forget about the MVP point guard sitting at the end of the bench in a suit. For now at least, the team belongs the Mr. Excitement. Nate Robinson.

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