50th Anniversary Reunion & Celebration

Welcome! The 50th Anniversary Reunion and Celebration is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see old friends, connect with former teammates and rivals, and enjoy reliving the moments that meant so much in our lives. We have been working hard to host a truly exceptional weekend of events to honor the first 50 years of the sport that we love. Events that we hope will also raise money for some non-profit causes including the Ultimate Foundation, Ultimate Impact, Ultimate Peace and others.

We have also been collaborating with other members of the community, including partnering with multiple ultimate nonprofits to host a beach hat tournament as part of the weekend. Come out to San Diego, bring your friends and support these amazing organizations! We are honored to be a part of this event, and we can't wait to celebrate with you, your family and your friends! 

Below, we have put together some information based on questions we have received so far. If you have questions that aren't answered below, please reach out to us at info@theultimatefoundation.org.

Sincerely, Phil "Guido" Adams, Julia Lee and the 50th Anniversary Planning Team

When is the event? 

• October 18-21, 2018

Where is the event?

• 50th Anniversary events will be held at the Hilton Del Mar. USA Ultimate Nationals will be held at Surf Cup Sports Park on Thursday/Friday and at the stadium at Mira Mesa High School on Saturday/Sunday. Both the hotel and fields are in Del Mar, north of San Diego. 

Who is invited? 

• Everyone! You, your family, friends, teammates and rivals are all welcome.

What is the schedule for the weekend?

• See below for the full schedule.

It says the event is hosted by the Ultimate Foundation. What's the Ultimate Foundation?

• The Ultimate Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose goal is to spread the joy of ultimate and the values of Spirit of the Game to all kids. We fund initiatives in local communities to introduce and teach ultimate to girls (Girls' Ultimate Movement) and youth, especially underserved and underrepresented groups (Play It Forward). We hope that by hosting the 50th Anniversary event we can spread awareness about the Foundation and the programs it supports and accelerate program implementation by raising funds from events at the 50th Anniversary hosted by the Foundation: the history exhibit and dance party.

What is the cost?

• There are 4 separate aspects to the weekend:

  • Club Nationals run by USA Ultimate;

  • The Ultimate Foundation is running two events: the history exhibit (covered by the base package's $69 pricing) and the dance party on Saturday night ($49); 

  • The Hall of Fame dinner and awards ceremony on Friday night ($99);

  • The beach hat tournament on Friday ($79). The link to register for the beach hat tournament: https://ultimatecentral.com/en_us/e/huck-it-back

How was the pricing determined? 

• Determining pricing is challenging, especially with events that have both fixed and variable costs (and only a guess at attendee counts). For instance, the Hall of Fame dinner was relatively easy - the ticket price is essentially the cost of food and service costs, taxes, bartenders, etc. that the hotel charges; so the price works for 100 attendees or 300 attendees. On the other hand, the dance party costs the same whether we sell 100 tickets or 500 tickets. So the art there is picking a price that people can afford, can ensure we have ticket revenue to cover costs, and is in line with the cost of a night out (say to a baseball game or concert). If we get a great turnout and therefore more revenue, we can either add goodies or raise more for the Foundation (or both!).

Why is it so expensive? 

• When we were creating registration, we had no idea how many people to expect which makes it hard to split out the costs for the weekend. Instead, we decided to set the base package price, but as more people register, more things can be included in the base package. Same for the dance party. For the Hall of Fame dinner, sadly that is the cost of dinner at a hotel in San Diego, taking into account service charges, taxes, etc. Hence why we have to charge everyone the $99 price, including kids. This is in keeping with how it's been done at all the other Hall of Fame Induction dinners.

• We understand that people are at different socio-economic levels. If affordability is an issue, please contact Julia Lee at julia@theultimatefoundation.org and we will do our best to accomodate special circumstances. 

Do I have to purchase the base package?

• Yes, though children under 18 and family members of Hall of Fame inductees do not need to purchase the base package if they are interested in attending the dinner only. Without a base package, attendees will not be able to participate in the other events hosted as part of the weekend.

• If you have questions, please contact Julia Lee at julia@theultimatefoundation.org.

What is included in the base package?

• The base package includes

  • A welcome reception, musical jam session, book readings and more on Thursday evening; 

  • The First 50 Years of Ultimate Exhibit Hall with artifacts, momentos, stories, photos and displays; 

  • A reunion tent at the fields with drinks and comfy seating so you can kick back, relax and catch up between rounds;

  • Lightning interviews, laughs, and special guests on Saturday morning (see below for details);

  • A Story Corps-type interview room (a chance to tell your side of the story!);

  • The parade of teams in the stadium at the USA Ultimate National Championships;

  • A goodie bag of memorabilia swag;

  • Free entry into the stadium on Saturday and Sunday for the semifinals and finals of the USA Ultimate National Championships;

  • Lots of time for catching up with friends!

What is NOT included in the base package?

• We cannot waive the cost for parking at the fields on Thursday and Friday for the USA Ultimate Club Championships. That is charged by the field complex, and they are not willing to negotiate or work with us. As far as we know, that cost is $10-12 per day per car (not per person). There is no additional charge for admission at the fields on Thursday and Friday to watch the USA Ultimate Club Championships.

What is the Hall of Fame Dinner & Awards Ceremony? Who is invited? Do all attendees have to pay?

• The Hall of Fame Dinner & Awards Ceremony on Friday night is a special event honoring all of the members of the Hall of Fame and formally inducting the past 5 classes (2014-2018), including the Johnny Appleseeds who spread the sport in the early years. It includes a buffet dinner and the awards ceremony, emceed by Robert "Nob" Rauch. Everyone is invited, including all family, friends and teammates of those being inducted or honored. All attendees must pay for a ticket to attend, including children under 18. 

Tell me more about the event on Saturday morning.

• While we are still working out the details, we plan to have an hour and a half program about the First 50 Years and the Next 50 Years, including:

  • The founders and early developers of our sport talking about where they saw ultimate going and where they see it in the next 50 years, with Jon Hines, Irv Kalb and Joel Silver, legendary Hollywood producer and a founder of ultimate.

  • Trailer for The Sky Is Red Film and Q&A with the producers. This groundbreaking ultimate documentary features the stories of Suzanne Fields, Rhonda Williams, and others. 

  • Lightning interviews and 7 on the line with featured players and organizers. 

• We'd love to hear more about who you want to hear from! Let us know at info@theultimatefoundation.org

What is the dance party? What's included?

• On Saturday night, we will have a 10-piece live cover band playing all of your favorites! For now, the dance party includes admission and the ability to dance the night away. 

I forgot to register for the dance party. How do I add that?

• You're not the only one! We are working on the ability to add/pay for this after the fact. Send us an email and we'll let you know when we have that ready. You will also be able to add it on in person at the event.

What is the parade of teams? 

• On Saturday afternoon at 4:00 pm, we will be gathering at the stadium location where the semifinals of the USA Ultimate Club Championships are being held to represent our team and our teammates! Teams with 7 or more participants will enter the stadium together in their old school jerseys, with flags or signs or banners that they've made to represent their team, waving to the crowd, marching across the field or the track and getting pictures taken. We'll have an announcer reading a bio of your team as you come out, telling the history of your team. We'd really like to display the history and the teams to some of the younger players who might not get a chance to participate in the 50th activities while they're playing at Nationals, and we think this is a great opportunity to celebrate the history of our sport, whether it's the Condors or Ozone who have been around a long time or teams in cities where the younger players might not know about all of the different teams that have existed in their city/area. 

What does it mean to "sponsor" an event? How do I become a corporate sponsor?

• In order to help cover costs and allow us to provide more for everyone, we have added the option for folks to sponsor a portion of the event. By adding $50, $500 or $5,000 on to your total bill, you can help pay for the costs for the First 50 Years of Ultimate Exhibit Hall or the awards, video tributes to the inductees, etc. at the Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony. As a thank you for being a sponsor, your name will be included on a sign at that event listing you as a sponsor and thanking you for your contribution to the event.

• If you are interested in becoming a corporate sponsor for any portion of the weekend, please contact Julia Lee at julia@theultimatefoundation.org.

How do I book my hotel room for the weekend? 

• The Hilton Del Mar, our "tournament hotel" for the weekend, is sold out.

• Here are some nearby hotels:

  • Morgan Run 

  • San Diego Marriott Del Mar

  • Del Mar Motel on the Beach

  • Holiday Inn Express Solana Beach

SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEKEND:

Thursday, October 18

USA Ultimate Nationals Pool Play and 50th Anniversary Reunion Tent, 9:00 am-5:30 pm (Surf Cup Sports Park - complex charging admission)

Welcome Reception and Jam Session (Open to Everyone), 5:00-7:00 pm (Hilton Del Mar, Outdoor Courtyard)

Friday, October 19

First 50 Years of Ultimate Exhibit Hall, 9:00 am-12:00 pm (Hilton Del Mar, Steeplechase Room)

Beach Hat Tournament (Separate registration link sent out with your confirmation email)

USA Ultimate Nationals Bracket Play and 50th Anniversary Reunion Tent, 9:00 am-4:00 pm (Surf Cup Sports Park - complex charging admission)

Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony (limited to first 300 registrants), 7:00-10:00 pm (Hilton Del Mar, Del Mar Ballroom)

Saturday, October 20

First 50 Years of Ultimate Exhibit Hall, 11:00 am-12:00 pm (Hilton Del Mar, Steeplechase Room)

Players, Panel and Spirit, 9:00-11:00 am (Hilton Del Mar, Del Mar Ballroom)

Story Corps Interview Room, 11:00 am-12:00 pm (Hilton Del Mar, Board Room)

USA Ultimate Nationals Semifinals, 12:00-10:30 pm (Mira Mesa High School, $15 per day or $25 per weekend, free for 50th Anniversary base package attendees with credential)

Parade of Teams, 4:00-6:00 pm (Location TBD, Same location as the Semifinals)

Dance Party with Live Band, 9:00 pm-12:00 am (Hilton Del Mar, Del Mar Ballroom)

Sunday, October 21

USA Ultimate Finals, 10:00 am-4:45 pm (Mira Mesa High School, $15 per day or $25 per weekend, free for 50th Anniversary base package attendees with credential)

See you there!

For questions, contact Julia Lee at julia@theultimatefoundation.org.

Header Photo: Alex Fraser (Ultiphotos)