Welcome to the first year of The League! The League is a Pittsburgh-area youth club Ultimate league open to anyone under 19 years of age as of June 1, 2012. It serves as a way for players to get more playing time after the conclusion of their PHUL season, and before the summer YCCs clubs hit full stride. It will also serve as the qualifying league for Impulse both this year and in the future.
All players who plan on playing Impulse this summer must play in this league. Every team in The League will be coached by current University of Pittsburgh players.
What is the structure of The League?
Beginning the week preceding May 12th, every team will have one local practice and two centrally-located games. Practices will be during the week and scheduled by their individual teams/coaches. Games will be on weekends in Oakland on Pitt's campus. There may also be skills clinics on game days while teams are not playing their games.
There will be regular-season games on May 12th, May 19th, and June 2nd. Playoffs (semifinals and finals) will be played on June 9th.
There will be four regionally-based teams, each with a maximum team size of 20. Players may play in the region they live if they choose, or play elsewhere if they so desire.
Meet the Coaches...
Northwest Region (Pine-Richland/Hampton area)
Marcus Ranii-Dropcho is a sophomore at Pitt, and in his second year on Pitt's A team. He attended high school at Pine-Richland, and played for Impulse in 2009 and 2010. He currently anchors Pitt's D line as one if its main handlers.
Scott Marsh is a grad student at Pitt, and playing his first year on Pitt. He attended the University of Delaware for undergrad, where he played on Delaware Sideshow for four years, including one college nationals appearance. He is also a D line handler.
Northeast Region (Fox Chapel area)
Alex Thorne is a fourth-year senior at Pitt. He has played on Pitt's A team all four years. A North Hills alum, he played for Impulse for four years. Al also played for Team USA at junior worlds in 2008, winning a world championship. He is currently one of few favorites to win the Callahan award, awarded to the top college player each year. Alex was 1st team Metro East freshman of the year in 2009, and 1st team all-region for the Ohio Valley region in 2011.
Tyler Degirolamo is a fourth-year senior at Pitt. He has played on Pitt's A team all four years of his college career, and is one of three team captains. He is also one of the few favorites to win the Callahan award this year. The person he is jumping over in the picture to the left is 6'8". Tyler was 2nd team Metro East freshman of the year (behind Alex) in 2009, and 1st team all-region for the Ohio Valley region in 2011. Tyler loves candy.
Central Region (Oakland/Squirrel Hill area)
Pat Every is a fourth-year senior at Pitt. This is his third year on Pitt's A team as a D-line cutter. He is universally known as one of the funniest people alive, and can bench well over 200 pounds. He will not wear sleeves.
David Hogan played for Pitt's A team from 2006-2009 as a D-line cutter. He is currently a trainer/assistant coach for Pitt, and coaches Pittsburgh's U-16 YCCs team in the summer. He will also not wear sleeves.
Zach Kauffman is a junior at Pitt, a D-line cutter, and a team captain. He attended Pennsbury high school, and played for Philadelphia's YCCs team for three years, winning a national championship once. He was also 2nd-team Metro East Freshman of the Year in 2010. Zach Kauffman will also not be seen wearing sleeves. Don't worry.
South Region (Mt. Lebanon/Upper St. Clair area)
Aaron Watson is a sophomore at Pitt, playing his second year on the A team as an O-line cutter. A North Hills alum, he played for Impulse in 2009 and 2010. His favorite hobbies include skying players on Florida, and skying players on Florida and then Tebowing.
Joe Bender is a freshman at Pitt, playing his first year on the A team as a D-line cutter. He attended high school at Mt. Lebanon, and played a huge role in getting Impulse into YCCs finals in 2011, including throwing the winning goal in semifinals against Boston. He also played for Impulse in 2010 and 2009.
Julian Hausman is a Mt. Lebo grad and a fifth-year senior on Pitt. As Ari Weitzman said, Julian is one of few players in college ultimate that could O-line handle one year and then cut on the D-line the next year. The guy's versatile. He played three years for Impulse, captaining two of those years. He was also voted 2nd team All-Region for the Ohio Valley region in 2011.
The League will cost $40 per player. Proceeds will go towards both U19 and U16 Pittsburgh Open YCCs teams. Please e-mail league commissioner David Hogan at hogandavidp@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.
Posts
