Ambush Story

So most folks are aware that Ambush was strapped with two suspensions this past club series. I wanted to write a piece on this story because I think it is 1) a very interesting and compelling story and 2) another major event involving the UPA and suspensions. I am lucky that I have friends out in the ultimate community and I could not have done this without the help of an Ambush player and friend of mine, Iana Aranda.

First I wanted to start with a little bit about the team and where they come from. Ambush is a women’s team that is based out of New York City and this year marked their 10th year of existence (hence the Hamilton dime jerseys at natties). The team is made up of young female professionals and students with the average age being around 25. In addition to being talented female athletes they also bring the ruckus and enjoy a good party, (cough) Tucker. I asked Iana to give me some background on Ambush and one thing that really stuck out in my head is how difficult it is to play disc as a woman in NYC. First, there is basically zero field space. Combine every downtown you have ever lived near and that’s NYC for +180 city blocks. I dunno how NYNY was so dominate. There are fields off the island (an hour away) and it is no surprise that teams struggle for patches of grass. I have heard from several folks that fields in dangerous neighborhoods riddled with broken glass are not uncommon. Not only does this bring some major challenges to all disc players but I can only imagine what this would be like for a woman. Having to put yourself in harms way, in a bad area, at night, repeatedly? I cannot imagine what this must be like. And as if this were not enough of a challenge, you are also living in NYC. The poor college kid mentality is non-existent. People in NYC laugh at 40-hour workweeks. The 8a-8p workday is not uncommon considering that the cost of living rivals that of any major city in the world, and it's not like NYC is the safest place. In addition, the average duration of living in NYC is 3-5 years for most people. Folks are always moving in and out to try the city out, work a little then they take off to an easier city to live in, go back to school or take their life/career elsewhere. Needless to say, I just wanted to articulate that playing in NYC is no picnic and any team, men’s, women’s, co-ed, masters, is brave and noble for even trying. In addition, I didn't realize how difficult this region is to compete in. Unlike college, NYC is in the Northeast region (it's the metro east in college) and has to compete with not only all the Boston/New England teams but Eastern Canada as well. Having to start/develop/maintain a team in such an ominous region (not unlike the NW) has to be extremely difficult and hats off to these women for making it to nationals in the face of such adversity.

The main story revolves around two players, Amanda Goodin and Alison Kling. Amanda is a cutter and a defender, not to mention Ambush's tallest player and veteran. After accepting a clerkship for a judge in Baltimore mid-season, she moved out of NYC. Despite this departure, she still maintained her commitment to her team and made the 5 hour weekend trek (each way) to NYC, healthy or injured. She also volunteered to call subs, and coming from a club captain, having someone else call subs makes things infinitely easier. Alison Kling is a long time club ultimate veteran who was playing for Ambush for the 4th time in the series. She was a second year captain and a main handler for Ambush. As described by Iana, Alison was "an ideal captain" who is "the first to teach and the last to criticize". I thought this last comment was particularly interesting because it is often that those that teach also criticize the most and having Alison's pairing would be quite nice in a teammate/captain.

When the team first submitted their series (sectionals and regional) roster Amanda was mistakenly left off by Alison. Regardless, Ambush as a whole competed in the club series and earned the 4th and final bid out of the NE by defeating Storm, a women’s team out of Montreal. The problems ensued once they made it to nationals and had to re-submit their rosters. When you make nationals you have to re-submit your roster of players that are going to compete because you pay per player for your team. When the UPA received the roster for Ambush, and compared it with their series roster, there was one name that was not on both lists, Amanda Goodin. Once the UPA discovered this, they notified the captains of Ambush to let them know of their invalid roster status and that potential punishment would ensue. Alison, the team's roster/organization captain, quickly protested the possible suspension of Amanda because it was her (Alison's) fault that Amanda had been left off the roster and it was simply an oversight. The UPA convened to determine what they thought to be the most appropriate course of action.

Possible punishments could be 1) suspending the entire team (which has happened many times in the past), 2) suspend Amanda, or 3) some other combination of suspensions. After deliberation, the UPA decided to suspend Amanda, the ineligible player, because she was not on the original series roster, and then as a penalty for playing with this ineligible player, they suspended Alison, the captain in charge of rostering. Obviously this hurt the team in more ways than can be articulated here. A team already limited in numbers (16) was now cut down to 14. However, the tickets had already been paid for, the journey was already set in motion, the question then became, what next? At the request of the entire team, both Amanda and Alison decided to attend Nationals, despite the fact that, as of now, they were not allowed to compete.

In a desperation move to try and sway the UPA, Becca Tucker sent a letter to the UPA and simultaneously posted on RSD concerning the situation that had occurred. Ambush felt that this punishment was too excessive considering it was simply a "clerical error" and the resultant punishment was quite severe and unjust. After all this is club, not college. There are no eligibility issues regarding how long a person can play and the only 2 major restrictions concerning a series roster is that 1) a player must be on it by the due date and 2) they cannot be on any other roster. Because it was simply a clerical error, surely having these players compete at nationals does not compromise the competitive nature of the sport. However, the UPA is strict on their rules. The guidelines for registering a team and submitting rosters are announced with sufficient time to put together a roster while abiding by their limited restrictions. Considering that other teams had committed similar moves like this, albeit in college disc, the UPA felt like they were lenient in suspending only 2 players as opposed to all 16. Never was there a more prominent case of this situation than in 2004 with UCSB Black Tide (check out blog entry Sports Scandals - Ultimate, 7/25/07).

After posting the news/response on RSD, the team captains of Ambush discovered a rule known as the "Captain's Clause” which stipulates that "A game may be played under any variation of the rules agreed upon by the captains of the teams involved. In tournament play variations are subject to approval by the event organizer". They took this to mean that they could contact the 15 other women’s teams competing at nationals and ask for their compliance in allowing these two players to compete, thereby over ruling the UPA's suspension. Despite this Hail Mary effort to save their teammates, the action was staunchly opposed by the powers that be and was rejected at the captain's meeting even before a vote could have taken place. Most of the teams in attendance were in support of this utilization of the "Captain's Clause" and I am curious to know what would have happened had a vote actually taken place. Regardless, Ambush would have to compete with 14 players and 2 devoted fans.

Ambush then set out to compete minus these two players. The words that Iana used to describe the situation are far better than I could ever muster: "We banded together as a good team should. Our resolve was strong even if our numbers were not. At nationals, you compete against the best of the best in the country. Every player is crucial. Every play is full of energy. Our small squad took a serious beating. Injured players pushed themselves to critical points. Exhaustion set in both physically and emotionally. Alison and Amanda were a permanent presence on our sideline. We played for them. It was painful in every sense of the word. We needed Alison's strong and accurate throws and Amanda's smart cuts and long reach. We needed them desperately but we are women of integrity. Neither of them played a single point."

When the dust settled, Ambush was scratched and scarred, battered and bruised, but they still gave it their all and competed at the highest level in a manner that is worthy of pride and acclaim. They are women of integrity and for their efforts both on and off the field and for their unlucky teammates they were awarded the spirit award. Despite the events that precipitated these suspensions they still exhibited class, composure, and as far as their peers were concerned, the spirit of the game.

One of my biggest questions for Iana was, "What advice would you give to team organizers out there? " To which she responded: "On a practical note, I would advise team organizers to share the task of administration. Captains have immense responsibilities. Mistakes WILL happen and team organizers cannot bear the entire burden of a time consuming job. Furthermore, the UPA needs to help these hard-working, dedicated athletes do their jobs better. Yes, there are automated notices of roster additions currently sent out, but additional checks should be provided earlier in the season. Whether physically at sectionals or via improved online rostering cross-referencing tools."

Considering that this team overcame similar obstacles in the past and made nationals in 2001, I am sure that they will have little trouble overcoming this set back. This situation should serve as, if nothing else, motivation for next year and the year after and so on. Coming this close only makes teams stronger and helps to recruit and continue the success that has already been reached.

The only regret that I have for this situation was when I asked Iana if she was aware of previous teams that had been suspended due to ineligible players before this situation occurred. To which she replied: "Honestly, I wasn't aware of previous teams prior to our situation. At this point, however, I'm quite familiar with a number of squads who've endured similar circumstances." This is one of many reasons why I write this blog. The history of ultimate is not about the rosters, the titles, the numbers, or the dates. The history of this game is in the stories, both good and bad. The legacies and the failures. The legends and the unknowns. Sad stories like that of Ambush are not uncommon but they should be. Players all over the world should have learned from Santa Barbara but that wasn't the case. I suppose this could be one of those lessons where you never really learn it until you commit the mistake. I for one am very glad I have the best administrative captain out there, Jacob "Assman" Kravitz. I am also thankful for another player in my past, Jake "Bamboo" Chang, for taking care of me and the rest of the UCSD Air Squids. Do not overlook those rosters or the people that organize them. They are as important as all the practices and track workouts and play makers out there.

I want to say that I make NO judgments concerning this story. I have been on the positive side of this situation and have celebrated the strict nature of the UPA, so bashing the UPA would make me a hypocrite. I have also been on the administrative side of this situation and can say that organizing rosters is no easy task. I will say that I hope this story, along with many others, are not soon forgotten. The mistake of Ambush should serve as a lesson to teams at all levels out there. The UPA is the real deal and should not be taken lightly. However, the perseverance, team dedication and devotion of Ambush in response to this should serve as a positive affirmation to every player out there that this game matters to all of us. We as players should do everything in our power to honor, respect, and protect our fellow players, both teammates and opponents.

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