Westerville Summer League

As CUDA registration winds down, Westerville Ultimate is just starting to form teams for their 4th season of summer league. It's a great option for people in the northeast part of the county or anyone just itching to fill their last few empty days of the week with more Ultimate.

Unlike CUDA, Westerville runs their leagues through the city recreation department. Games are played at Heritage Park, which scores major points for having flat fields free of potholes and mole mounds. They are also marked and painted throughout the summer, which makes baby Jesus smile.

Last year the league had 8 teams, and registration is done a little differently. It's coed, but you can register entire teams if you've got enough friends. If you're alone in the world, they'll still make sure you have a home with one of the teams, so no worries there. Well, no Ultimate worries. You should still try to be more social in your life.

The real twist in Westerville, however, comes with the referees. That's right, Westerville games are all reffed by at least two officials who make every call on the field. You don't stall count, you don't check your feet and you don't call your own fouls. They follow MLU rules, which include a 7-seven stall count and two 15-minute timed halves as two of the biggest changes. Last year was the first in this experiment, and after the refs gained experience and the players got used to the new rules, play generally went off without a hitch. The shorter stall count (and not hearing it out loud) forced faster disc movement and decision making, and passive-agressive spirit arguments disappeared, although they were sometimes replaced with yelling at the refs.

It's different, but worth giving a shot. Westerville offers a nice alternative to the traditional Ultimate that CUDA provides, and at $210/team the price is great. League winners get t-shirts and the final tourney winners all get shorts. If you're interested in signing up a team, yourself, or just getting more info, email Westerville Ultimate today.