DALE PUES ULTIMATE
Our youth team here in Managua, Nicaragua just returned from their first tournament as a team. We traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica to compete against three other youth teams, all from the San Jose area. The students didn't know what to expect, but were ready for the trip and the opportunity to compete against other students. They came back equipped, encouraged, and excited for more Ultimate in the coming year.
*pictures from the event can be seen HERE
*video of the event can be seen HERE.
THE EVENT
The event consisted of two parts: a leadership and skills clinic and a tournament. We had about 50 students for the clinic which we split into 4 mixed groups so the students would not only grow in their skills, but meet new people. The clinic was split into 4 stations for the 4 groups of students to rotate through. The stations were staffed by area club players and coaches from Namu, The Lunaticos, and The Red Moustaches. We are so thankful for their time and how they challenged all the students involved. At each station the students learned a leadership value, an Ultimate skill, and how the two were connected. At station 1 we discussed the importance of being teachable and how it is impossible to learn how to throw well in Ultimate without that value. At station 2 we discussed the importance of humility and how it is required when cutting in an offensive stack. At station 3 we discussed dedication and service and how those are the core values of a great defensive leader and player. Station 4 was a reset-swing station and the importance of communication was stressed.
The tournament consisted of 4 youth teams and was played under the lights in Parque La Sabana. Every team played each other and from that seeding was created for the semifinals. Country Day School went 3-0 during pool play and secured their finals victory in the rain on Sunday. They were coached by Lauren Blanc and used their height and athleticism to win the first "UFJ Juegos de Centro America" tournament.
Country Day School
Breaking Borders sponsored the tournament and leadership clinic with the support of area Costa Rica teams Namu and The Lunaticos. There were two main purposes of this tournament. The first was to give Dale Pues an opportunity to compete. The second was to create a foundation for the growth of Youth Ultimate in Central and Latin America. Ultimate Frisbee Juvenil (UFJ) is the movement created by Breaking Borders and several Costa Rican players with the intention to create a consistent and high quality opportunity for Latin America youth players to compete and compete at a high level. The UFJ movement exists to connect youth players and teams all across Latin America. This tournament was the first of what we hope to be many more to come.
SPECIAL THANKS
We would like to say a special thank you to our sponsors Disc Store and Five Ultimate for supplying some awards and giveaways. We would like to thank all the Costa Rican instructors, volunteers and area club players form Namu and The Lunaticos that helped put on the clinic and tourney. Without you guys none of this would have been possible. Our students learned so much because of your hard work. And finally I would like to thank Nick Davenport, the coach of The Red Moustaches, for connecting all the volunteers, managing things when they went wrong, and being a great host to Dale Pues Ultimate.