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Strange Blue - Cambridge Ultimate


This page is (as of November 2005) no longer the main page for the Cambridge ultimate team Strange Blue. It contains many years of information, pictures, etc (from the recent past to 10 years ago or more), and I hope you enjoy browsing it. However, some of the information may be out of date, and some of the links broken.

For up-to-date information on ultimate frisbee in Cambridge please see www.strangeblue.org or www.srcf.ucam.org/~ultimate/


Strange Blue - Cambridge Ultimate


Tour 3 2006, picture by Graham Bailey and Dave

2003 SB at London Winter League
We have players of all standards, from both the University and the town. Newcomers and visitors are very welcome to come along and join in.
Strange Blue for some time ranked 12th-20th among British Ultimate teams. We came 6th in the National Indoor Championships (2000), and 1st in the SE regional indoor championships (2001,2002,2003). The students' first team won the Student SE regionals in 2006. In 2006, the Open team won the B division of Tour 2, then came 15th in the A division of Tour 3. In 2008, the student team came 2nd at student nationals.
What's new:
  • Practice times (as of Mon 20/3/06)
    Sundays, 11am-2pm Jesus Green (Outdoors), Main Open Practice
    Tuesdays 5.45pm: advanced practice and open practice Jesus Green (starting 28 March 2006)
    Wednesdays pm: college league Jesus Green (starting later in year)
    Thursdays 5.45pm: pickup game Jesus Green (starting later in year)
    Tuesdays and Thursdays: track fitness session
    Saturdays: throwing session
  • Cambridge University Ultimate website: The Student Ultimate website may well be a good place for up to date information. Also, please join the email list for the latest news.
  • Sunday Practices Jesus Green, 11am.
    11-12 Warm up, Throwing, Drills.
    12-2 Experienced players' game
    12-1 Beginners' game
  • 2006 calendar:
    8/9 April: MIXED TOUR 1
    15/16 April: (Rimini)
    22/23 April: University Mixed Outdoor Nationals
    29/30 April: University Outdoor Nationals (Toms Tourney - Brugges)
    6/7 May: University Womens Nationals
    13/14 May: (Wonderful Copenhagen)
    20/21 May: MIXED TOUR 2
    25/28 May: (Rotterdam)
    10/11 June: MIXED TOUR 3
    24/25 June: MIXED NATIONALS
    8/9 July: TOUR 1 (A, B & Womens)
    29/30 July: TOUR 2
    19/20 August: TOUR 3
    16/17 September: OPEN & WOMENS NATIONALS
    12-19 November: WUCC, Perth, Australia.
  • Ultimate featured by www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/
  • This website can now be reached using strangeblue.shorturl.com
  • 2004 Summer league | 2004 Cuppers
  • Student squad photos
  • Tournament reports
  • Our midweek evening practices generally follow the Summer Time Rule :
    Start: Last Sunday in March
    End: Last Sunday in October
What's old
Cambridge Ultimate sweatshirt


  • Cambridge Hat tournament, August 10th 2002
  • Cuppers info and logo and Proposed schedule
  • Bandana 2001 tournament in Cambridge, August 11th
  • First BUF Mixed tournament of 2001
  • SB sent 3 teams to the SE indoor regionals, 2001, and SB1 won the tournament.
  • 2002 womens indoor nationals: SB femmes came 8th (pictures) | alternate
  • photos of our exploits in Southampton | alternate

  • Information distribution

    We mainly communicate by email using an email alias for all Cambridge Ultimate players. This used to be (camdisc@yahoogroups.com) but has changed as of May 2008. Please go to www.strangeblue.org to learn about the email list.

    Don't subscribe to Cambridge Ultimate here!
    camdisc archive

    When you enter your email address above, you will be taken to the egroups site where you can fill in a brief form specifying your preferences for how you receive emails. (If the "join group" button doesn't work, click here for alternative instructions)

    Members of the camdisc email list can also exchange files (eg photos) on the camdisc archive.


    annainrimini

    Practice times : (locations sometimes change)

    This page is (as of November 2005) no longer the main page for the Cambridge ultimate team Strange Blue. It contains many years of information, pictures, etc (from the recent past to 10 years ago or more), and I hope you enjoy browsing it. However, some of the information may be out of date, and some of the links broken.

    For up-to-date information on ultimate frisbee in Cambridge please see http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~ultimate/

    Outdoor practice locations: ALL YEAR:

    Sundays
    11am-2pm Jesus Green. (streetmap) All welcome. All year round, rain or shine. [if you are coming by car, take exit 13 from the M11 and park on chesterton road or victoria avenue; To get to chesterton road just keep going straight as you come in to town from the M11 - when you see the river on your right, you have arrived.]
    Midweek lunchtimes (this event comes and goes)
    The Backs at Queens College, or Jesus Green.
    Saturday mornings (this event comes and goes)
    Parkers Piece or Jesus Green.

    Outdoor practice times, evenings: Summer only

    2002:
    Jesus Green Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5.30pm.
    Sometimes:
    Midweek Venues have included Cambridge Tennis and Hockey Club, Wilberforce Road, Parkers Piece, and Jesus Green.

    Outdoor practice times, evenings: WINTER only

    Floodlit practices
    at The Leys School Hall, opposite intersection of Bateman St. and Trumpington St.
    (times to be announced on the email list).

    Indoor practices: winter only

    Sometimes at Kelsey Kerridge Sports Hall and at The Leys School Hall, opposite intersection of Bateman St. and Trumpington St.
    (times to be announced on the email list).

    League results for Lent term 2002

               Pl  W   D   L   F   A   PD   P
    Jesus      6   5   0   1   27  27   0   15
    Caius      6   4   1   1   31  18  +13  13
    Trinity    6   4   0   2   37  15  +22  12
    Sidney     6   3   1   2   43  18  +25  10
    Pembroke   6   2   0   4   24  30  -6   6
    Queens     6   1   0   5   17  40  -23  3
    Tit Hall   6   1   0   5   15  46  -31  3
    
    
    league organized by Matt Harwood - mjh83

    WEDNESDAY LEAGUE 2001

    1   -   Disco Inferno
    2   -   Phat Phrisbee Pharoahs
    3   -   MisFitz
    4   -   Kings
    5   -   Cockney Rebels
    6   -   Ultimatum
    7   -   Jesus
    8   -   Pembroke
    

    Disco Inferno win the 2001 Wednesday League. For their commitment, spirit and willingness to learn Ultimate, Pembroke win the spirit award.

    Ben J. Brinded - bjb29


    How Cambridge Ultimate works

    Cambridge Ultimate is the coalition of all people who play ultimate in Cambridge. This includes students, townspeople, postdocs, transients, migrants, and anyone who turns up on Jesus Green with an urge to chase plastic.

    Strange Blue is the name of an ultimate team (or sometimes two) sent to tournaments by Cambridge Ultimate. [Some members of Cambridge Ultimate play for other teams at tournaments, so they are not in Strange Blue. They are still valued members of Cambridge Ultimate.]

    Cambridge University Ultimate Frisbee Club is a University club started within Cambridge Ultimate so that we can be represented in student handbooks, societies fairs, etc. This club has a president, secretary, treasurer, and senior treasurer, all of whom are University types.

    The student squad is an all-student ultimate team, usually going by the name Strange Blue, which is sent to student tournaments, and to the Varsity match. Most tournaments in the UK are open tournaments, however, so usually the teams we send are mixed - town+gown, as well as ladies+gents.

    The people who keep things going are a collection of volunteers from the whole of Cambridge Ultimate. While only students can be officers of the Cambridge University Ultimate Frisbee Club, anyone at all is welcome to be a part of this elite leadership.

    Officers: Mark Ioffe - President, Nathan Kettle - Junior Treasurer, Mike Fletcher - Secretary, Jassy Drakulic - Social Secretary, Sandy Scott - Official Geek and Rob Schumacher - Development officer.


    Our constitution

    
    
    Cambridge Ultimate  Constitution
    
    
    
    1) The name of the society shall be Cambridge Ultimate
    
    2) The Aims of the Society are;
    To have fun playing Ultimate.
    The fostering of the Spirit of the Game
    The promotion of Ultimate amongst members of the 
    University and town
    World peace through Ultimate.
    
    3) Membership of the society shall be open to all members of the
    university, and others who apply to the comittee. The Committee shall
    not refuse membership to any applicant, though it reserves the right
    to expel members for behaviour not consistent with the Spirit of the
    game or behaviour likely to bring the society or university into
    disrepute. All members shall have full voting rights at society
    meetings.
    
    4) The Annual General Meeting shall be held during Full Term at a date
    announced by the Secretary, not less than two weeks prior to being
    held.
    
    5) The committee of the society shall be elected at the
    AGM. Nominations for the Committee shall be submitted to the Secretary
    in writing or by e-mail at least one full day before the AGM. Any
    member of the society shall be eligible for any post.  They shall be
    supported by at least two nominations from other members of the
    society. Votes shall be counted by at least two members who are not
    candidates for the post. The election shall be carried out by a
    first-past-the-post system.
    
    6) The Committee shall consist of a President, Secretary and Junior
    Treasurer. The committee may, at its discretion co-opt members for
    coaching, social coordinator, University liason or other post.
    
    7) A Senior Treasurer shall be appointed each year by the Committee to
    audit the society's books.
    
    8) Amendments to this Constitution shall be made only at the AGM, and
    shall be proposed by three members in writing to the Secretary, not
    less than one week before the AGM. No vote shall be valid unless a
    quorum of at least half the current memebers is present.
    
    
    
    

    Cambridge Ultimate

    Committee positions elected June 2004
    President: Jon Middleton    jim26@cam.ac.uk
    
    Mens Captains: Robin Holden and JB Laloe
    
    Womens Captains: Louise Perrio and Hannah Williams
    
    Secretary: Matt Shannon
    
    Senior Treasurer: David Mackay
    
    Junior Treasurer: James Kermode
    
    Social Secretary: Aidan Borrill
    
    

    Cambridge Ultimate Pictures

    Strange Blue / Cambridge Ultimate Picture Gallery

    1 SB1 2 prague 3 VarsitySB01
    4 team0 5 leices99 6 sb99large
    7 pic14b 8 D6 9 team2.lurkers
    10 PIC1 11 team.ross 12 pic9
    13 grab11 14 psn00038 15 2003 SB at London Winter League

    Classic team photos

    1. 2001 mixed team
    2. Strange Blue mixed squad is highest-ranked British team at European championships
    3. SB win varsity match, 2001
    4. Swindon 1997
    5. Tour, Leicester 1999
    6. Nationals, Leicester 1999
    7. Nottingham 96
    8. Lurkers 1996
    9. Ross 96
    10. Ross 1994
    11. Leicester 96
    12. 1994, Radley
    13. Swindon 1998
    14. Swindon Nats 97

    Videos of SB

    2004-2005 Student Outdoor Regionals

    Lots more photos from tournaments

    | Birmingham 1998 | Swindon 1998 | Ross, 1997 | Rimini, 1997 | Southampton, 1997 | Swindon, 1997 | Nationals |

    pictures, 1996 contains Ross, Lurkers, and Portrait gallery

    Pictures from 1992 to 1996 | James


    Pictures from 1992 to 1996

    Thankyou to Ashraf for getting these pictures scanned.

    The gif versions are the best. In the jpg versions, the compression does degrade the visual quality a bit. jpg pictures take less time to transfer and take about 10 seconds extra to process.

    Photographers: David MacKay (2,3); Hayley AvRuskin (5-12). Luke Walden (P1-11). And Other people.

    PIC3 gif(83 K) jpg(33 K)

    Pre-history of Cambridge Ultimate

    All `facts' in this item have been passed by word of mouth through many generations of fireside story-telling, so don't base any intercontinental wars on it.

    (See also the Pre-Pre-History of Cambridge Ultimate (written May 2006))

    In the distant past, at the Student Nationals of 1992 in Brighton (not Brighton, Exeter!), both teams in the final were from Cambridge. Strange Blue (white) was beaten by Bad Company (Blue). Strange Blue was a Cambridge University team started by Roger and Sandy, and Bad Company were mainly from Cambridge schools (though I think that when they formed, during the 1980s, they were coached by University-based Cambridge Ultimate players, whose team was then known as Slipadisc); they were the key players in the GB Juniors team at that time.

    Top row: Angus Smith, Doug Milne, Roger Thompson, Caroline Booth (played for S.B.)
    Middle row: Dave McNeilly, Sandy Crockett, Klaus Englyst, Ollie Watson, Tom Corder, Adam Bennett.
    Bottom row: Jim Keyworth, Viaram (?), Greg Hallam, John Isbel.

    What happened next? Bad Company members went on to play for Regulators and Horizontal Hombres. When the young upstarts, Regulators, beat the long-standing champions, Horizontal Hombres, it was hastily agreed to form a new team, Shotgun Wedding, from these two top teams. Shotgun proceeded to dominate UK ultimate for most of the 1990s, and formed the core of the mighty Clapham Ultimate who dominated UK ultimate from 2001 to 2005, and who were European champions in 2005.

    Where are they now (1996)? Doug plays for Shotgun Wedding. So does Roger. Dave McN still played with Strange Blue in 1996. Klaus now plays for Strange Blue. Ollie has come out of a road accident still playing for Shotgun. Tom is occasionally sighted holding a disc; and even plays for SB sometimes; he works in Cambridge. Adam founded Miranda in the London area. Jim plays with Strange Blue at practices, as does Greg. Jim sometimes plays for Headrush or Strange Blue. Greg plays for SB and sells discs in Trinity Street. [Year 2000 update: Roger and Doug play for Doughboy. Jim and Greg still come to Jesus Green to play with Strange Blue. Year 2006: Roger and Doug were key members of the great Clapham Ultimate.]


    Luke's photos (1996)

    - action shots

    Black and white photos from Leicester outdoors 96.

    GIF(180K) JPG(89K)
    Doug's huge layout for the last point of the Shotgun/Stan final.
    GIF(208K) JPG(106K)
    Roger catching in the Shotgun/Stan final.
    GIF(222K) JPG(110K)
    Huge action in the Shotgun/Stan final! All the top British players decided they wanted this disc. (Do you recognise the half leg and arm puffing in at the left hand side?)

    Black and white photos from Nottingham Teapot 96.

    GIF(136K) JPG(55K)
    Graham handling
    GIF(188K) JPG(79K)
    Sam from Nottingham throws with karma
    GIF(163K) JPG(83K)
    Nottingham team (Plate winners)
    GIF(152K) JPG(63K)
    Natalie and Sander -- they don't get more beautiful than this!
    GIF(197K) JPG(73K)
    James handling

    Black and white photos from games in Cambridge.

    P1: GIF(182K) JPG(79K)
    Ginny apologising to the disc
    P2: GIF(172K) JPG(53K)
    Mad Kow tossing past Chris
    P3: GIF(185K) JPG(75K)
    Chris looking disappointed
    P4: GIF(173K) JPG(72K)
    Arfon demonstrating how to catch
    P5: GIF(170K) JPG(70K)
    Chris making the D with his head instead of his hands, which he's using for flying instead.
    P6: GIF(170K) JPG(70K)
    Mike catching
    P7: GIF(170K) JPG(70K)
    Mike throwing past a Mad Kow.
    P8: GIF(170K) JPG(70K)
    David MacKay catching a disc
    P9: GIF(170K) JPG(70K)
    Bob and Chris
    P10: GIF(200K) JPG(75K)
    Chris throwing past Arfon (huge recoil!?!)
    P11: GIF(175K) JPG(55K)
    Mike throwing past a Mad Kow.

    1996 photos

    PIC1 gif(119K) jpg(67 K)
    Leicester Regional Indoors Championships 1996. Team Photo. (plate winners). Dave McNeilly, David MacKay, Sander L., Graham F., Arfon J., Richard J., Sven K., Matt R., Alice B.
    PIC2 action shot - Huge layout by Ho from Leicester gif(129K) jpg(51 K)
    Leicester Regional Indoors Championships 1996: Red versus Bears game.

    1994 Photos

    2: gif(88K) jpg(27K) - action shot
    Lurkers 94: New York player and GB man with hat (Si Moore) jumping for the disc.
    3: gif(85K) jpg(24K) - action shot
    Lurkers 94: One of the best layouts I've seen: from the GB/GB Masters final. Young GB player (Oz Freire) catches upside-down disc leaving the GB oldie (Tim Phillips) way behind. Note the shadows: neither of them is touching the ground.
    4: gif(120K) jpg(44K)
    Lurkers 94: `Strange Jest' team photo. (minus Susie)
    14 gif(117K) gifb(83K) jpg(45K, looks crummy)
    Ross-on-Wye 1994. Excellent team photo. (We had just had a surprise win against Sneeekys.) From left to right: David MacKay, Rob Ward, Ken Matson, Ashraf, Jackie, Clare (fan #1), Simon, Jeff, Adrian Lane, Hayley AvRuskin, Peter Grossenbacher, Klaus, Cynthia (fan #2), Andy, Julie-Ann (fan #3). That was a great tournament! Photo provided by Ashraf.
    ross3 gif(K)
    Ross on Wye - Half-team photo, when we won the spirit award. Picture quality is crummy.
    practice gif(K)
    A very over-exposed picture of a practice on Jesus Green.
    6: gif(133K) jpg(29K)
    Strange Blue team photo, taken in Cambridge 1994? This is a night-time photo with flash, it hasn't come out that well. Features long lost lamented transatlantic players: Rob Ward, Ken Matson.
    9: 1994 Strange Blue team photo: gif(173K) jpg(40K)
    GB Nationals 1994, Radley. Strange Blue Team Picture, Day 1. Nice sunny picture, with big shadows.
    Back row: Matthew Robb, Dave McNeilly, David MacKay, Peter Grossenbacher, David (the crowd). Middle row: Jim, Karsten, Tom Lovelace, Janos, Jason Mattingley, Hayley Gigglesome. Front row: Adrian Lane, Rik the Red, Tom's dad (shadow).
    8: gif(164K) jpg(35K)
    Another Strange Blue Team Picture, Day 1, GB Nationals, Radley 1994. This one doesn't include Hayley, but otherwise it's a poorer picture than the other.
    11: gif(109K) jpg(37K)
    Radley 1994, day 1: yet another team photo; a bit overexposed, and seems to have some finger prints on it, this one. Also features Hayley and Adrian looking rather manic. Nice trees in the background.
    7: gif(161K) jpg(32K)
    Radley 1994 day 2: There doesn't seem to be any opposition in this picture, so I guess we were just playing catch. Adrian catches disc. Janos looks hopeful for a drop, everyone else looks inactive. Nice sunshine, nice trees.
    12: gif(97K) jpg(31K)
    Radley 1994, day 2: A nice blue sky in this picture, nice grass, nice trees. Also shows an unidentified opposition player apparently just breaking Rob Ward's force.
    10: gif(145K) jpg(30K)
    Radley 1994, with the Bristol R+D team, at the end of the tournament. Apparently the photographer is missing some good action on the next pitch. Janos seems to be playing cricket, and Jon is changing in the background. Everyone else looks pretty cheerful.
    TOT1 gif(K) jpg(K)
    Tottenham Dec 1994 - Strange Blue team photo (joint winners of spirit award).
    TOT2 gif(K)
    Tottenham - another Strange Blue team photo
    Darwin-Wolfson sports day 2002
    Darwin-Wolfson sports day 2002 - Read it!
    Darwin-Wolfson sports day 2002 - DJCM hucking
    Darwin-Wolfson sports day 2002 - DJCM getting horizontal
    Janos's disc design (not quite the final version); and David's
    1: gif(136K) jpg(25K) cropd.gif(63K) cropd.tif(63K) cropd.jpg(32K) shrunk.tif(20K) shrunk.jpg(12K) shrunk.gif(20K)
    Not an Ultimate picture - a picture of David MacKay laying out in some snow while attached to a snowboard.
    All these pictures are copyright (c) by Cambridge Ultimate.

    Other people's pictures of Ultimate action:


    Cambridge Ultimate Frisbee squad supporting the Cambridge Two.

    Strange Blue student squad at the indoor championships
     
    The two teams, Strange Blue One and "Cambridge Two" at the Mixed Ultimate tournament in Cambridge

    Exhibition at Leicester City Football Club: Strange Blue played against Red

    at an exhibition game in front of a crowd of 2400 at Filbert Street, Leicester on 11/9/2000.

    Here are nine mpeg clips taken from the stands with a Sharp viewcam. The clips are pretty low quality.

    1
    The stadium
    2
    The players come on....
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9

    More Movies

    Jester's movie is at http://www.endzone.co.uk/ultimate/
  • http://www.forcinghome.co.uk Pics
  • Cambridge Disc Designs

  • Tournament reports from 1995 onwards

    In 1996, we won Spirit at about seven recent tournaments, and Plate at three. In the first and second Varsity Matches, Cambridge beat Oxford; in the third, Oxford won.

    Highlights

    Some of the tournaments we organised

    Tournies we went to, 1995-98


    Contacting team members

    If you want to find the email address of another member of the camdisc email list, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/camdisc/members.

    Contact Addresses for Administrative stuff

    President: Jon Middleton
    
    Mens Captains: Robin Holden and JB Laloe
    
    Womens Captains: Louise Perrio and Hannah Williams
    
    Secretary: Matt Shannon
    
    Senior Treasurer: David MacKay
    
    Junior Treasurer: James Kermode
    
    Social Secretary: Aidan Borrill
    
     
     

    More contact information may be found at Cambridge University Ultimate website

    A spare contact is:
    	David MacKay
    	Snail-mail:	19 Thornton Road
    			Girton
    			Cambridge CB3 0NP
    	E-mail : mackay@mrao.cam.ac.uk
    	Phone  : 01223 740511 (Home, answering machine)
    		       339852 (Work, answering machine) [best number to call]
    		       354599 (Fax)
    

    How to organise events in Cambridge

    A document showing pitch markings for Ultimate by Rob H.

    Places we have used for pickup games and informal practices

    1. Jesus Green (different parts)
    2. Parker's Piece
    3. Cambridge Tennis and Hockey Club, Wilberforce Road. We got permission to use the hockey field weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Mark Brookes (hockey veterans captain). We paid a membership fee for this privilege. Mark Brooks (363 172) has a house overlooking the field (7 The Lawns, Cambridge). Natalie and David ran a couple of Summer Ultimate Schools for kids here in Summer 1997.
    4. Churchill College (as guests of Churchill members)
    5. Trinity College on the Backs (as guests of Trinity members)
    6. St John's College on the Backs (as guests of St Johns members)
    7. Girton Village recreation ground
    8. Lammas Land
    9. Queens Green (good for small pickup games)
    10. Recreation ground near Rustat Road (enter from Davy Road)
    11. Wychfield (Trinity Hall) - between Huntingdon Road and Storey's Way

    Places we have hired for major tournaments, college cuppers events, Varsity matches

    1. Netherhall School
    2. Cambridge Rugby Club, Grantchester Road (space for 6+ ultimate fields
    3. Trinity College New Fields, Grantchester Road (space for 4 ultimate fields). John Carter, groundsman, 467790. (Not usually available weekends)
    4. St Catharine's College rugby ground (adjacent to Trinity New Field)
    5. Coldhams Common. Anthony French, from the council, 456545. 35 pounds per pitch, Abbey pool for showers.
    6. Caius College fields, Barton Road (we held a top European tournament there)
    7. Queens, Robinson, Selwyn, Kings (way out on Barton Road)
    8. Fitzwilliam College and New Hall fields, Oxford Road
    9. Homerton College field, Hills Road

    Places we have hired for practices

    1. Long Road 6th form college sports hall
    2. Hills Road 6th form college sports hall
    3. The Leys sports hall, and astroturf
    4. Kelsey Kerridge sports hall
    5. Cambridge Regional College sports hall, Kings Hedges Road

    Places where we have been invited to hold Ultimate events for the community

    1. The Perse school new astroturf facility (2006)
    2. Girton Village recreation ground
    3. Netherhall School (2006)
    4. Parker's Piece (2006)
    5. Cottenham school (2006)
    6. Chesterton Community College (2006)

    Venues that College members should be able to reserve for inter-college games

    1. Christs and Sidney Sussex (Huntingdon Road)
    2. Girton College fields
    3. St John's College fields. 357362
    4. Clare and Peterhouse (off Bentley Road, off Trumpington Road)
    5. Trinity Old Field, Grange Road. Trinity New Fields, Grantchester Road.
    6. Emmanuel College sports ground, Wilberforce Road
    7. Corpus Christi sports ground, between Gough Way and Leckhampton, Grange Road.
    8. Queens, Robinson, Selwyn, Kings (all way out on Barton Road) [Kings - Ron Pearce, groundsman, 741201 or home 741198.]
    9. Wychfield (Trinity Hall) - between Huntingdon Road and Storey's Way

    Places we have asked to use and not succeeded

    1. University Rugby ground, Grange Road

    From: Graham C Fletcher: Hosting a tournament in Cambridge

    I thought I'd try to put a few things down on email to make it easier for
    the next tournament organiser who wants to host a tournament in Cambridge.
    Ill start with the most important points and probably keep going till
    things get fairly trivial. Thanks very much for helping! It is a fair
    amount of work but it is rewarding, it does generate cash (Dora and I are
    halving around 700 pounds profit with the club) and it does provide a very
    cheap home tournament for the team. I think its worth doing and I think
    the advice below should make it easier. I think Cambridge should host at
    least one tournament per year and we have venues well capable of hosting
    16 team tournaments (i.e. the coed tour/Nationals/ a non-BUF tournament).
    It might be possible to find a venue with more pitches, it should be easy
    to find another venue that can provide 4 or so pitches which would mean we
    could hold a split-site Open Tour event.
    We need to host some profit-generating events since were losing our annual
    135 pound grant from the university.
    
    Venue:
    Coldhams Common is not in use over the summer but from the beginning of
    September, football starts. Coldhams Common has no pavilion on site so its
    worth arranging shelter especially if youre hosting late summer/early
    autumn. John Schoch booked and brought the army tents, which are about 50
    pounds each. Alexa borrowed one good-sized tent and the club bought the
    open sided tent that was covering the BBQ for the coed. Red and DSM can
    also bring tents for their own shelter.
    Abbey pool provided changing rooms, showers, parking, water, overnight
    storage and a plug socket. They were open till 7.30pm both days and needed
    the changing rooms empty by then at the latest. They can unlock the gate
    to allow car access to the field (I wish we'd known that earlier!). They
    charged 210 pounds for the co-ed and 240 pounds for the Nationals (more
    teams and they probably knew they could get away with the increase).
    Coldhams Common can hold 6 pitches, if you encroach on one football pitch
    and probably 8 if you encroach on 2-3 football pitches. Unfortunately no
    camping is available.
    
    Colleges weren't that useful at short notice: 
    St John's. 357362. Most of the ground was being used by the school, which
    have just gone back. Might be a good venue when the school is on holiday. 
    King's. Ron Pearce, groundsman, 741201 or home 741198. Couldn't use that
    weekend as groundsmen not available over the weekend. 
    Trinity New Fields, John Carter, groundsman, 467790. Archery hire both
    days every weekend. Have provided 4 lovely pitches very cheaply in the
    past.
    
    Web site:
    Having a website, which was provided by David, was invaluable. We had
    directions, the seedings and schedule, accommodation information and party
    information on the site.
    
    First Aid:
    I tried St Johns ambulance a week and a half before the event but they
    were busy. I understand they ask for a donation of 100-200 pounds. In
    fact, they are not supposed to be very good for sporting injuries, better
    for cleaning and bandaging wounds and presumably helpful for scenarios
    like broken bones and loss of consciousness etc. However, for the serious
    injuries you can phone an ambulance, so I dont think St Johns are
    necessary. At the weekend Guy Bowles broke his wrist, Dora phoned the
    ambulance which arrived in 10 minutes and we were given advice over the
    phone. 
    You should have a qualified first aider to run to, to help with some
    medical scenarios (i.e. CPR). We were going to use Olivier.
    You must have ice and a stocked first aid kit (Dora has a first aid kit) -
    painkillers, plasters, bandages, disinfectant
    If you can find a physiotherapist/masseur willing to spend the weekend at
    a tournament thats worthwhile.
    
    Accommodation:
    I tried, in about this order, Queens, Johns, Christs, Jesus, Emmanuel,
    Sidney Sussex, Anglia, Wolfson, New Hall, Homerton, Churchill and
    Robinson. All were full, possibly because of an alumni weekend. Forward
    planning presumably would help but I think to guarantee college
    accommodation forward planning by about 9 months might be in order to book
    before the conferences. (When I phoned one college to ask about
    accommodation on Sept 23rd I was asked "which year?") . 
    There is a Conference Cambridge line that knows which Colleges have free
    accommodation 740 578. I dont know the price range of college
    accommodation or if members can get a discount for block bookings.
    It appears most people found B and Bs/guesthouses fairly easily from the
    websites we gave them.
    I stressed we had limited accommodation and in the end only around 20
    people wanted me to organise floorspace (plus Druids with Toby and UTI
    with Dora and me). Actually, after a bit of pleading, I had star
    volunteers willing to put up a maximum of 71 people (plus space for 5-6
    tents in gardens). However, it was clear that some people, understandably,
    would rather not put up people if given the choice. Thanks Paul, John and
    Clotilde for helping people out.
    
    Party:
    Most pubs cannot be booked on Saturday night. The Fort St George is an
    exception and you can book the back bar (good for about 80 people) for 50
    pounds. It has outside seating and I think was a pretty good venue. 
    
    Team information pack:
    Rules game length and timeouts
    2 copies of the Schedule
    Score and spirit sheets
    Pitch layout map
    Rules about using Abbey Pool
    3 Maps of Cambridge for the evening (ask Dora for one with suggested
    restaurants on) or 20p for an A3 map from Tourist Information.
    
    Captains meeting: 
    We didnt have a meeting on Saturday morning since we had all the
    information in the pack and wanted to save time. This was a mistake  we
    should have had a captains and players meeting so we could have told
    everyone what was going on. I dont know how much of the team information
    pack was read or passed on to SB players and players on other teams. I do
    know that UTI lost their pack in a record 3 minutes!
    
    BBQ:
    This did generate money for the club (170 pounds, thanks to those that
    helped) and Im sure was very much appreciated by SB and other teams.
    However, it was by far and away the biggest time consumer for Dora, me and
    non-SB players, both before and during the tournament. It would have been
    easier without having to worry about a visit from Health and Safety who,
    in brief, wanted, perhaps not unreasonably:
    Hot water available (preferably a supply of running water)
    BBQ cordoned off
    Food stored below 8 C and served over 63 C
    No cross-contamination of cooked and raw meat (separate labelled utensils)
    Regular hand washing
    A wipeable surface for food preparation.
    
    I'd recommend next time avoiding discussing the BBQ with the council (if
    you're using Coldhams Common) but getting the relevant information and
    things like aprons, thermometers, ice blocks and ice boxes, wipeable
    tablecloth from Dora and I and using their guidelines and common sense. If
    you do go through health and safety talk to Mrs Whitelaw 457897 who was a
    bit more flexible than Anne Parker.
    
    Other stuff youll probably need:
    A car or two (thanks Alexa, Miles, Steve, John and Paddy)
    Trophies (ask Dora for advice)
    Discs (available at cost from David)
    Hooter* (11 pounds from Halfords)
    Dustbin bags 
    Scoreboards, water canisters and cones (supplied for Nationals by BUF)
    Permanent pen for marking discs.
    
    BBQ.
    Shelter
    Cleaning products
    Aprons*
    Cool boxes and block and thermometer*
    BBQ (we used Richs and a half-barrel bbq from Miles work.
    Possibly a gas ring adapter (borrowed from Tom Corder) and gas from
    Cambridge Gas Supplies on Barnwell Rd. This was in a failed attempt to
    have hot water at the BBQ, but it was too windy.
    Food and drinks - we sold about 180 burgers, 180 cans of drink, 50
    bananas, 30 apples, and 80 chocolate bars. 
    Charcoal (we used 2 and half large bags.
    
    *borrowable from Dora and I.
    
    Cambridge tournaments have got a good reputation, I think. Its because we
    have good pitches, were in a good location, weve been lucky with the
    weather, weve provided accommodation to those who need it, weve had some
    good parties and some punting, weve generally organised on pitch food or
    free tea and coffee and weve done what we can to make it easier for teams
    who are attending.  
    
    I look forward to attending the next one. Id like to take this opportunity
    to thank the organiser in advance...
    
    
    

    Contact information of people whom Cambridge Ultimate contacts

    Fields for tournaments

    Coldham's common. Anthony French, from the council, 456545. 35 pounds per
    pitch, Abbey pool for showers. Because football season has started
    goalposts are up and only 5 pitches available. Worth trying for a summer
    tournament.
    
    St John's. 357362. Most of the ground being used by the school, which have
    just gone back. Might be a good venue when the school is on holiday. 
    
    King's. Ron Pearce, groundsman, 741201 or home 741198. Can't use that
    weekend as groundsmen not available over the weekend. 
    
    Trinity New Fields, John Carter, groundsman, 467790. Archery hire both
    days every weekend. 
    
    Churchill and trinity hall said pitches weren't available.
    

    Advice about physiotherapy

    From: Marfleet11@aol.com
    

    Unfortunately, the term 'physiotherapist' is still unprotected. Any of you could do a weekend course and then put up a sign saying you are a physio. When looking for qualifications, ignore the number and variety of letters! If you want a degree physio, ie one with a full 3year course and then further experience, your therapist should have the letters MCSP. If they also have ACPSM then they have a further qualification in sports physio. There are plethora of other therapists qualifications ranging from weekend courses, through 6 week to 2 year modular courses up to 2 year full time courses. I could only recommend MCSP although I couldn't possibly comment on the individual skills of other practitioners. Look for the letters Dip Sports Med or MSc in Sports Med. when looking for a sports doctor. I'm very happy to recommend people in your area if anyone wants to mail me.

    Dr Paul Marfleet (DIP. Sports Med!!)



    Links to UK ultimate documents.


    Links to ultimate documents in Europe, and rest of the world.


    Rules of Ultimate


    Juniors Ultimate in the U.K.

    Kevin Lowe is the national coordinator of Junior Ultimate -- I strongly recommend that you try starting your own local juniors team. I can help by providing Ultrastars at excellent prices. Contact me.
    David MacKay

    I've written some Tournament software called 'infera'. It allows you to rank teams based on the outcomes of games in any tournament format at all.

    Old Cambridge documents:

    Strange Blue 1st team

    Our first team is self-selected on the basis of commitment.
    Original proposal | The commitment agreed to by the members of SB1. Historians of ultimate might note that this plan didn't work too well and we reverted by default to `whoever comes, plays; whoever doesn't come, they said they were coming yesterday.' Rats. Our preceding season's proposal policy on selection of A and B teams. (That didn't work either)
  • In 2005, a new selection effort - fingers crossed!
  • News from old Cambridge players: Marcus Frean and Rob Ward. Sandy. Darren

  • David J.C. MacKay, Strange Blue
    Site last modified Mon Jul 20 08:46:49 BST 2009