Hello SLUA community,  

While COVID-19 has us all on temporary lockdown, staying active is important. I am so fortunate to have children and enjoyed a little 2 on 2 the other day. My son and stepson play and throw pretty well. Not so much for my daughter and teammate. She is very athletic but her throwing distance can be measured in inches. Needless to say, it was a blast and really shifted our energy. It’s important that we take any opportunity to safely shift our energy. 

St. Louis Ultimate Association is excited to introduce new members to the board of directors.

 SLUA leadership continues to move forward. We are excited to announce two new board members. Blake Larson joins SLUA as the Vice President. Blake has many years of ultimate experience. In 2004, Blake won Australian College Frisbee Nationals, he has assisted as a Tournament Director for Glory Days, and is a leader in our Youth ultimate community with six trips to Club Nationals and two of those teams with rankings, the highest 3rd place. Blake received a Bachelor of Science from Truman State University in Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing and information systems.

John Henroid will serve as the Secretary of the board. He started playing ultimate 16 years ago in Houston when he moved for a job at Boeing where he is currently a software engineer. He played on King Louie, the St. Louis Master's team, in 2019 which made it to the Master's Championships. He helps coach the Saint Louis University women's team, Anarchy, and will be coaching Chalice for the 2020 season. John was on the board of Houston Ultimate Community and is looking forward to sharing his knowledge and experience to help grow ultimate in the St. Louis area.

At the same time, we wish to thank those who have retired from the Board: Allen Moentmann, Vice President, Allison Gray, Secretary, and Paul Rebillot, Member-at-large.  Allen, Allison, and Paul generously lent their time and talents to the St. Louis Ultimate community for many years. We are very grateful for their time, leadership and the example they have passed on to us.

 Updates of COVID-19 and the effects it will have on our summer leagues-

We are monitoring USA Ultimate's status on COVID-19 every day. They are following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations. USAU faces many challenges but remains hopeful we will play ultimate again this year. With the federal government having deferred decisions about how to best combat the spread of the coronavirus to individual states, and with no specific national recommendations in place that extend beyond May 10, USA Ultimate is not canceling or postponing any additional events at this time.  Here is the latest update on from USAU, https://www.usaultimate.org/news/usa-ultimate-response-to-coronavirus/

We will continue to monitor USA Ultimate’s updates on sanction status, as there still is a possibility they may extend beyond May 10th. They are the deciding factor because they issue our SLUA insurance. As you know USA Ultimate is a National Organization and we hope they will have the ability to offer coverage on a state-by-state basis so those approved for interactive play by the CDC will have appropriate insurance. We will follow their lead and always choose player safety above all else. 

 When we do get approval from all authorities, we will immediately move into action and have a league coordinator meeting to decide the schedule and timing for each league. It is very possible that leagues will be shortened to fit within the remaining summer. Of course, fees will also be adjusted to match the playing season. And of course, there is the possibility that summer leagues will be canceled. If this is the case, rest assured that we will push hard to increase our fall leagues. We will keep you informed as we receive information from USA Ultimate.

 The first St Louis Ultimate league happened in 1979. Although our Ultimate community is physically separated by space right now, it is as strong as ever and we will return to the field, the sport, and each other soon.

Until then, find an opportunity to connect online and get out and shift your energy.

 Stay Healthy,

 Tim Duggan, President