The Gold Continues To Shine!

Good Evening,

Today was a very solid day of ultimate. The morning started off with a marking lecture and demonstration by guest counselor Brent followed by stations. The campers worked on different aspects of their game and I videotaped campers working on their deep game (reading, position, attacking the disc, etc.) so that we are able to review it later. After lunch more stations took place along with lots of scrimmaging to put what they had just learned from the stations into play. After dinner was the traditional Monday night camper vs. counselor game. The only downside was that we had to end the game early due to a large thunderstorm but don't worry us counselors were up 6-0 :-). The sad faces of the campers (because we ended the game early) were quickly remedied when the it was ice cream sundae time! Each camper was able to stuff their face with as much ice cream and toppings as they could handle. The campers have now gone to their floor meetings and will soon be heading to bed to rest up for another awesome day of ultimate tomorrow! Exciting things are set in place for them for tomorrow, they are going to have a blast! So until tomorrow… check out some of todays photos.

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624540749964/

Goodnight,
-Brian

First Full Day of NUTC Gold!!

Hey Everyone,

Today was the first full day of NUTC Gold packed full of greatness. Here is a brief summary of some of the things that took place today. We had several very special guests today including Greg Connelly, chair of the observer committee for the UPA (USA Ultimate) and Dr. Alan Goldberg, a world renown sports psychologist [check out his website at: http://www.competitivedge.com]. This morning, I videotaped each campers throws so that we could review them later in the day in a one on one format which was very beneficial especially since most players here had never seen themselves on film before today. Greg had perfect timing today as he showed up right as campers were discussing the rule of the day which for today was picks. Being an expert in the area he was able to provide some excellent insight and clarification. After lunch, the campers found out which teams they are going to be on for the rest of the week. This will allow them ample time to strategize and bond as a team. The teams scrimmaged each other for the rest of the afternoon until dinner time. After dinner the entire camp along with some community members came to hear a fantastic lecture by Dr. Goldberg on mental toughness and mental preparedness. Upon conclusion of the lecture we had floor meetings and in five minutes it will be lights out for the campers and myself. So until tomorrow, here's a peek at some of the action today in the form of some awesome photos! Enjoy!

Photos

This Morning: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624532342602/

This Afternoon/Evening: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624407663355/

-Brian

NUTC GOLD GOLD GOLD!!!

Hello and Welcome to NUTC Gold!

This is the first ever session of NUTC Gold in celebration of NUTC's 10th Anniversary! The campers are ages 17 and 18 most of them either entering their senior year of high school or will be out in the world whether it be college, work or time off. The campers are going to learn a lot about how to be leaders in whatever capacity their next year of ultimate takes them. By the time they leave camp they will know how to run a solid practice (including stretching, drills, assessing situations, group dynamics, etc.), prepare their team for a game or tournament, proper nutrition and how to be a (better) captain or improve their current team. This is going to be a very fun and exciting week as the campers who have been here previously have no idea of what is going to happen next. We have been planning some new and incredible things for them to do over the next several days which I know will leave a lasting impression upon them.

This evening, the campers scrimmaged for a little while to get their legs underneath them before heading to the dining hall for our first meal together. After dinner the campers were able to meet each other on the disc golf course as we played a tournament which involved us pairing campers and counselors at random through the use of pulling names out of a hat. The winning team shot a very impressive 5 under, winning themselves some sweet disc golf discs. After the tournament we had an all camp meeting then broke out into smaller groups to further discuss camp, their backgrounds and to ask them what they hoped to learn over the course of the week spent with us. Right now, the campers are in their floor/suite meetings which will continue nightly to allow campers to further get to know one another and start to create bonds among the people around them and to ask questions about anything. Without further adieu here is the a few photos from today's scrimmage and disc golf tournament. Enjoy!


Photos

Today's: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624400005525/

-Brian

Session A Completed!

Good Evening,

Today, we saw some incredible tournament action as Sunburn (Red) was able to conquer LavenGrr (Lavender) and make their way into the finals. While at the same time Hucktopus (Blue) was victorious against Tangarangatang (Orange). Although the final score of the finals was 9-3 Hucktopus over Sunburn, you would not have guessed it based off of watching the individual points. Each point was hard fought starting with the very first point which lasted over five minutes. After the cleats had been hung up for the week, the closing ceremony took place and the campers said their goodbyes to each other and departed camp. I have personally seen all of the campers have improved greatly over the course of the five days and know it has been an experience that they will remember forever. I look forward to seeing all of the campers return to have more fun and improve their game even further next year!

Thank you and until next year, see you on the fields,
-Brian

Photos

Today's: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624383735523/

Wednesday's Media Update!

Hi Everyone,

Today, the tournament continued and we had two round of pool play action in the morning followed by another two this afternoon. Unfortunately after all five rounds of pool play Pink was the first to be eliminated leaving Orange, Blue, Red and Lavender still in the running for the title of champions of Session A. All of the games were surprisingly close today and even though Pink was eliminated they won their final game of the day against the previously undefeated Lavender team.

This evening was the annual talent show where acts of all varieties performed and proved once again why we continue to let ultimate players show off their other talents. The acts ranged from several acoustic songs to the infamous 6 saltines in a minute challenge (where no one was able to complete it within time). There are lots of great photos from today. I tend to get a bit trigger happy when it comes to shooting tournaments but I think the results are worth browsing through all of the photos. So here is all of the photos for the day including today's and tomorrow's newsletters (again a sneak peek before all the campers provided you check it out before 7am EST as we do get up and to breakfast quite early).

Photos

This Morning: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624372793641/

This Afternoon: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624372811099/

Newsletters

Today's: http://www.nutc.net/bringitin/nutc_2010a_4.pdf

Tomorrow's: http://www.nutc.net/bringitin/nutc_2010a_5.pdf

Thank you,
-Brian

Camper v Counselor Game, Trade Night and more!

Good evening all,

My sincerest apologies for the delay in getting this blog posting up for all of you to read. Last night's event ran late and the Internet connection here is spotty at best. But I have some great updates for you…

Last night, we had the camper vs. counselor game which proved once again why the campers come from all over to learn for the counselors. The points were long and the campers played really hard but in the end the counselors were the ones who were able to take the victory lap after their 23-1 win. I do have to add that that one point that the campers did get was due to one of the campers skying one of the counselors by quite a large margin. I won't name names but all I will say is that it wasn't against me (luckily!). After the excellent match and incredibly spirited play the ice cream sundae tables were set up for us all to indulge in, so it was a sweet night for everyone.

Today, the teams were able to practice zone and work on their marking before putting it all together for the first round of tournament play this afternoon. Right before lunch the players sprinted up the hill to where they were rewarded with their team shirts to wear for the remainder of camp. Actually right now teams are gathering together to discuss strategy and some teams are working on further decorating their shirts. I was able to snap some nice team photos and an all camp photo before the campers had a chance to get them dirty (which didn't take long). The afternoon action was very intense as Lavender took on Burnt Orange and Pink lined up against Red. All the points were hard fought but in the end Red and Lavender were the ones who came out victorious. The event we had this evening was trade night which proved once again how much us ultimate players all love gear. Campers (and even us counselors) were able to acquire new jerseys, shorts, hats, etc. from around the U.S. and world.

Now the part you have all been waiting for… photos and today's newsletter!

I hope you enjoy!

-Brian

Photos

Monday - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624489305700/

Tuesday AM - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624489381976/

Tuesday PM - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624364819471/

Newsletter

Today's - http://www.nutc.net/bringitin/nutc_2010a_3.pdf

Welcome to NUTC 2010!

Hello and Welcome to the 10th Anniversary of NUTC!

Today is the first full day of NUTC session A, and I have some great content to share with you already! The playing was really strong today which lead to some great action shots! The weather was sizzling but the attitude was stellar. Smiles were on all of the campers faces. Right now as I'm typing this, the campers are settling in and finding out what teams they will be on for the rest of the week including tournament Wednesday! The just found out that the camper counselor game is tomorrow under the lights and it is bound to be an epic showdown. So without further adieu here are the photos along with today's and tomorrow's (before the campers even get a chance to see it!) daily newsletters.

Newsletters

Today's: http://www.nutc.net/bringitin/nutc_2010a_1.pdf

Tomorrow's: http://www.nutc.net/bringitin/nutc_2010a_2.pdf

Photos

Last Night: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624349050009/

This Morning: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624349069647/

This Afternoon: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nutc/sets/72157624473750582/

Until tomorrow Thank You and stay cool!
-Brian