Welcome to Pride of New York Ultimate (PoNY) 2009!
Pride is about:
Traveling to the best men’s tournaments on the planet this summer
Dominating the UPA Series
Preparing so very hard during each week and each weekend from May to October
Playing high level, consistent, winning Ultimate and enjoying every minute of it
True sportsmanship and respect for the game
Pride has been convened by:
Captains: Thomas Burkly & Emilio ‘Mio’ Panasci
The ‘Junta’ a.k.a. Dongbu: Berend Van Heuvelen, Chris Gore, Aaron Bell and Alex Masulis
Pride is getting in the following trouble this season (subject to choices listed and other slight alterations):
Note: Default practice time, for now, is Sunday evenings in Red Hook.
May 10 – NYC Men: Ultimate Frisbee Combine, Sunday Only – see details in the FAQ at the bottom of the page.
May 17 – Invite only tryout
May 30 – Invite only tryout
June 6/7 – Cazenovia Ultimate Tournament (Confirmed!)
June 14 – Invite only tryout
June 21 – Invite only tryout
June 27/28 – Boston Invitational
July 19 – Practice
July 26 – Practice
August 1/2 – NY Invite (Confirmed!)
August 9 – Practice
August 13 through 16 – Emerald City Classic (Confirmed!)
August 23 – Practice
August 29/30 – Chesapeake Invitational or practice
September 5/6 – Labor Day or practice
September 12 through November 1 – practices and/or UPA Series tournaments
Pride 09 is an unwritten page. Everyone interested in the team must tryout. Grown-ass ballers with skills, mental toughness and lion hearts will be invited past the Combine (May 9/10) to the subsequent tryouts and June tournaments. Our roster will carry ~40 players during May and June, ~30 from July to September, and exactly 27 for the UPA series. Get some!
For those who don’t run with the Pride this summer and fall, there are other ways to be a happy Ultimate player in NYC. At the May combine, you will learn about another competitive men’s team – Brooklyn – and a competitive mixed team – Puppet Regime – that will be the correct fit for many local area players. Until May, we’ll see you at Monday night pickup in Harlem. Stay healthy, stay fit, and good luck!
Pride, Mio and Tom
Tryout and Combine FAQ
Who can tryout for PoNY?
Pride has a policy of asking all of its players to tryout each year, regardless of who made the team in the past. So, you can tryout! And we want you to tryout! Please tryout! In particular, the combine is open to all men’s players in the NYC area.
Do I have a shot? I hear they are pretty much stacked with great players already.
That may be true. But we are always looking to get better – and we’ve got a ways to go. So, we’ll select our team based on performance and commitment to this year, not reputation. And we’ll do so in July after a lengthy and thorough tryout process. Only 6 players (the captains and core group who organize the team) are finalized so far. We expect a battle for not only spots on the 27 man roster in September, but also playing time generally. Live the uncertainty. Relish the opportunity.
What is the Combine?
The combine is a joint effort by the NYC Ultimate community to help us get to know the seemingly countless male players that want to play frisbee in 2009. It will feature drills and scrimmages that test skills, ultimate IQ and fitness. It is basically a big, long, fun practice.
Pride is asking that all players serious about trying out make it to the combine – it really should be a priority for you. A group of about 40 players will be asked to come to subsequent tryouts, and most of that will be based on your performance at the combine.
Cut to the chase – what are the details of the combine!
When: Sunday, May 10 from 5-8pm. Please be cleats on and ready to jog at 5pm sharp.Where: Red Hook Park Ballfields. (MAP) There are several subways, buses and water taxis you can take to get to the fields. Essentially, you are going to IKEA, so you can use their directions. Please account for the weekend scheduling vagaries of the NYC public transportation system when planning your trip.
Bring: Bring light/dark shirt, a disc w/ your name on it, cleats, running shoes, water, food and any other gear you’d need for a long practice.
Are there workouts or other official team activities between now and tryouts?
Most of the players are working out in small groups and playing pickup here and there. If you want to connect with other top players, email the captains with some info on where you live and they will try to put you in touch with folks to work out with. You can also find lots of info about pickup and leagues at the WUDI website.
I’m, like, in college until May or June. I want to make the team. But I can’t be in NYC for another 2 months. I will be there after that and into the fall. Uhhh…?
If you, like, can’t make the Combine because you are busy with the college series, please get in touch with the captains and just tell us who you are, that you want to make the team and desire to play with us in the fall series, and when is the first weekend you are available to practice. We’ll do our best to give you a fair tryout when you come to the city.
What can I expect if I make Pride?
It all, pretty much. Expect it all.
It’s no secret that we are going to play in really competitive tournaments all over the country this summer and fall. We are going to demand of each other a commitment to physical training, full-team practices, and placing team goals and policies above our own play time, preferences, comfort level, etc. All this takes time, energy, money and an selfless attitude. Such is the price of victory. (Psssst! It’s very worth it!)
For what is it worth for?
Exactly.
FUNY, Captains