Almost a year into the pandemic we’re at the crossroads of two questions: CAN we return to play? And SHOULD we return to play? 

Valley Ultimate is just one organization in a vibrant ultimate community. We recognize that pick up games, school programs, and other organizations will make their own choices regarding return to play. As a USAU Affiliate, community leader, and resource, we offer up the following guidance. 

CAN we return to play?

 We want to support our broader ultimate community in making the safest choices possible. We hosted the Annual Meeting/Return to Play Conversation on Feb. 7th to do just that. Sharing information and helping to set up a common standard for any program choosing to play is part of Valley Ultimate’s mission to serve as a unifying community resource. Here are some of the resources and standards that we highly suggest all programs and organizers take into consideration.

• Massachusetts Dept of Health still categorizes ultimate frisbee as a high risk sport. As of Feb. 26, 2021 the state is still in Phase 3 Part 1 (report updated Feb. 8, 2021) of reopening. As an outdoor sport, Ultimate can be active in Levels 1, 2, or 3 (as outlined in the report), assuming compliance with any local Board of Health regulations and standards on top of those in the report. For high school programs, refer to the MIAA FAQ document regarding the report for additional support.
• USAU Return to Play Guidelines are updated as of Feb. 19, 2021. The guidelines still say to defer to local and state guidelines, suggest rules adaptations for social distancing, and setting up systems of safety protocols, including testing, temperature checks, and symptom checks. In addition, the guidelines now mandate mask wearing at all times and includes considerations regarding the vaccine.
• Through the winter, a workgroup of Western Mass coaches created rules adaptations based on the above information. This group was led by Emeritus Board Member Jim Pistrang, coach of Amherst Regional Middle School. Explore the rules adaptations and how they might be useful for your program. VU highly suggests that any programs planning inter-community or inter-school games adopt these rules.

SHOULD we return to play?

Though each program is independent, we are all part of the same ultimate community. Almost a year ago, many of us made the choice to collectively protect our community by staying off the field. After more than 500,000 deaths nationally, we find ourselves full of hope with the gradual rollout of a vaccine, and evidence that outdoor sports can be played safely. We also find ourselves facing variants of the COVID-19 virus and an unknown timeline for adequate rollout of the vaccine. That means many of the same considerations of how each program impacts our collective safety are still at play.  

• We still can’t ALL safely return to play right now. There are many people in our community who are at higher risk than others: essential workers who are exposed regularly; people caring for at-risk family members; people in towns with higher rates of exposure; people who are immune compromised or have pre-existing conditions that put them at higher risk; people caring for children without any of the support they usually have; people who rely on public transportation.  Adaptations lower the risk, but for many members of our community, even managed risk is too much. Just as we said in July 2020, Valley Ultimate believes that in order to return to playing ultimate as we know it, we need to be able to provide a safe environment for all members of our community.
• COVID-19 has disproportionately affected populations of color, and only broadened the already existing resource gaps that plague the country and our sport. This stark fact compounds the risks mentioned above that mean we can’t all safely return to play, even with modifications. In our community, that impacts which programs are able to return to play, and which programs will have to stay inactive.  Ultimate is a sport and community that has always held equity at its heart through spirit of the game–the long term fallout of a season with such a stark imbalance could easily derail what progress has been made in our sport and community toward closing the resource gap.  Valley Ultimate strongly suggests programs take this into account when determining return to play, especially as we are striving to become a more anti-racist and equity driven organization.

Will Valley Ultimate return to play?

Our Board and Volunteers are still deeply considering the issues. We are hopeful that vaccine rollout, state guidelines, case numbers etc. develop in a way that we can offer programming of some kind in the late summer or fall. While our goal is to provide something (we are all desperate to get moving and see your faces again!), Valley Ultimate cannot guarantee any in–person offerings, adult or youth, at this time. Needless to say, weighing the “can” and “should” while considering the logistics and resources available to us is a complicated task. We value your input and support as we navigate this unprecedented time.

The ultimate community is still here. Last fall, VU offered the Color of Ultimate Screening Series to keep ultimate in our lives from a distance. We are continuing to develop other guaranteed COVID-friendly events we can offer–175g Disc Golf League? Trivia Night? More screenings? As before, please fill out this survey to help us choose what to offer next.

If you have questions or ideas about this guidance and our understanding of the USAU and MA state guidelines, please feel free to contact us at valleyultimateboard@gmail.com.

If you want to help VU continue to engage, support and grow the ultimate community in Western Mass, fill out our volunteer form!

If you live in a state other than MA, we urge you to look into and abide by your state’s regulations.

Please always check directly with state and local authorities for the most up-to-date information.

Western Mass is a region where the numbers of infections have decreased enough to safely open many things. Let’s enjoy and honor that privilege and continue to protect our whole community.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Spirited!