Push Pass looking for talent!

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We have many exciting plans for the future, and we are looking for talented people to work together with us – initially through filming at Uni Nationals 2014!

If this prospect peaks your interest and you want to get involved, simply send us footage you have filmed from 3 points (or ~5 minutes) of Ultimate – it doesn’t matter what the quality of the Ultimate is – we are primarily looking at your filming skills & your ability to get the footage to us quickly. Take some time out at the next practice or tournament you’re attending to film a few points, and when you get home, upload 3 points / ~5 minutes raw footage to Google Drive and share it with footage2014@pushpass.co.uk! If you are selected, you could become part of the Push Pass team for filming at Uni Nationals 2014 and beyond.

  

Applicants MUST:

  • Own a videocamera of spec no less than: 1080/50i, 10x optical zoom, SD card or USB compatibility, ideally image stabilization turned on, with adequate battery/storage to film for 7 hours consecutively, and a monopod/tripod at least 4ft high
  • Have a fair knowledge of Ultimate – having played for a few months for example – or experience filming sports
  • Be free the weekend of 26/27th April (not playing at Uni Nationals)
  • Have access to a fast internet connection (ideally upload speeds of 250kb/s)

Advice for applicants:

  • Get elevation (even if just standing on a table) and film from the centre of the sideline with the sun (or wind/rain) behind you
  • Keep as many cutters in the frame as possible, whilst eliminating the ‘dead space’ at the edges
  • Stay focused on the game and zoom in on plays as they develop towards the endzone – keep the disc and the active players in shot at all times
  • Begin filming the point a couple of seconds before the pull is thrown, and finish just after the celebrations have died down

Once you have your footage ready, upload it to Google Drive, share with footage2014@pushpass.co.uk, and we’ll be in touch! Get your submission in asap! Deadline: 7th April 2014

First step for Ultimate towards the Olympics

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has granted the WFDF provisional recognition. This is the first step on a long road to seeing Ultimate in the Olympics, but again raises the question… How can a self-refereed sport remain fair when an Olympic Gold medal is at stake? In a sudden death Olympics Final situation, with a receiver going up for the winning score, and a defender going for the game-saving block, the pass isn’t completed and there is the question of a strip/foul… How can this situation be resolved fairly, and in a way which can be entertaining for the crowds (as that’s necessary for Olympic sports)?
1) SOTG – the players decide between themselves if it was a foul or not. With an Olympic Gold at stake, it’s fair to say their judgement may be somewhat clouded in a close call, and the discussion may take a while leading to a complete anti-climax.
2) Observers – if the players disagree, the observer with the best perspective makes the call. In reality though, if it’s a close call then the observer knows less than the players about what happened.
3) Referees – as above, except no time given for the players to agree or disagree, the referee simply makes a ruling immediately.
4) Video refs – huge expense to get these implemented, also time consuming to get a result, but probably the most accurate / fair outcome. Not bad for the crowd if they can see it on a big screen!

Which, if any of the above, do you think would be best path of resolution?

Here’s the info in full, originally from ukultimate.com.

“WFDF welcomes this recognition to join the Olympic family and we confirm the commitment of the flying disc community to the ideals set out in the Olympic Charter,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “Our strong value of “spirit of the game” on the field of play and off of it has always reflected these principles. We thank the IOC Executive Board and administration for their support and encouragement, and our Member Associations, board of directors, and athletes for their enthusiasm and commitment to this process.”

“This recognition by the IOC today is a very important milestone for flying disc sports, and should greatly support our grass roots development programs in countries around the world, opening the door for our members to seek their own National Olympic Committee recognition,” commented Rauch further. “However, this is just the start of a long journey as we look to further develop disc sports and fulfill all the criteria stipulated by the IOC so that one day we will have a product which is equal to the current sports of the Olympic Games in both sports excellence and commercial interest.” WFDF joins 33 other international sports federations that are recognized by the IOC but are not currently a part of the Olympic sports program.

The World Flying Disc Federation (“WFDF”) serves as the international governing body of all flying disc sports. Since WFDF was founded in 1985, the development of the sport has been quite rapid and Ultimate and the other disc disciplines today are some of the fastest growing sports in the world, due to the simplicity of the basic rules, the speed of the game, its self-officiation, and its appeal with youth and across gender lines. WFDF estimates that there are currently 7.5 million active participants globally across the various disciplines, including Ultimate, Beach Ultimate, Disc Golf, Freestyle, Guts and Field Events. WFDF today represents 59 member associations in 56 countries. WFDF was approved as a member of GAISF (now SportAccord) and the International World Games Association in 1995, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) registered corporation in the State of Colorado, USA, and it is a signatory of the WADA World Anti-Doping code.