Who We Are

• We serve as Parkway’s team and are also open to all students who aren't already enrolled in a high school that has an ultimate team, regardless of experience (8th graders may also play).

• In the 2023 spring season...

  • The Varsity team beat previously undefeated De Smet to finish second place in the State Tournament—Parkway United's best ever finish in the Boys tournament!

  • The Girls team won the Girls tournament in its first year of existence!

• Our JV team had an UNDEFEATED season of 6 - 0 - 1, earning the top rank in the Developmental Division.

• We play as club sports teams in The St. Louis Ultimate Juniors High School Spring League, which is affiliated with the St. Louis Ultimate Association (SLUA) and USA Ultimate. We also compete in the Missouri High School State Championships in May. We strive to improve the abilities and skills of our athletes while teaching them to always compete with the “Spirit of the Game.”

Details for the Spring 2024 Season

1. Players don’t need prior experience playing competitive ultimate. Players who are committed to growing athletically and are eager to learn will pick up things quickly. The learning curve isn’t as steep as many sports.

2. The main way that the team communicates is through GroupMe. If you’re interested in being on the team, you can join the team GroupMe without committing yourself.

3. If you’d like to be on the team, fill out the United Ultimate Player Info Form (as soon as possible): tinyurl.com/unitedplayerinfo

4. Practices officially begin the first week of February and games will be played in March and April and the MO State Tournament (held in the STL area) is the first weekend in May. 

   1. • We're hosting *two* clinics on Saturday, Feb. 3rd, on the Parkway Central High turf. Everyone is invited to the one at 11:00 AM and there will be one specifically for girl players at 1:00 PM. Invite your friends since all skill levels are welcome... we can coach people up pretty fast!

      • Returning players, the clinics on Feb. 3rd are the "official" start of our practices. Although we can add new players at any point in the following few weeks, we expect you to come on Feb. 3rd and the subsequent practices unless you have a true conflict.

      • We practice three times a week until games start on the second Sunday in March. 

Here are the practice times for the spring 2024 season...

4. 1. • 1. Feb. 3rd to Feb. 24th:

           • Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 (or until dark) at Parkway Central turf or behind Parkway Central Middle

           • Saturdays, 10:00-12:00 at Parkway Central turf or behind Parkway Central Middle

        2. Feb. 27th to March 9th:

           • Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 (or until dark), TBA but likely at Parkway Northeast Middle

           • Saturdays, 10:00-12:00 at Parkway Central turf or behind Parkway Central Middle

        3. March 12th to May 2nd (after DST and games have started):

           • Thursdays, 5:00-7:00 behind Parkway Central Middle

           • Saturdays, 10:00-12:00 at Parkway Central turf or behind Parkway Central Middle

           • Tuesdays, 5:00-7:00 may be used for makeup practices

      • We want players to come to all practices that they can, even if that means coming late or needing to leave early. We cover a lot of important stuff at practices so we need as many players to be on the same page as possible, especially as we’re improving. Practice attendance is one factor that can affect playing time in games, especially for the Varsity team.

      • If you’re playing another sport or have another conflict and can’t regularly make all of the practices, please let the coaches know. We can probably make allowances for that. We'll assume that you'll be at all practices unless you've let us know that you can't make it. 

      • Weather: Lightning/thunder and heavy rain will cancel practice. We will practice in light or moderate rain if we have access to a turf field. Sometimes we have virtual practices due to the weather.

5. Games are usually played on Sunday afternoons and weekday evenings. All in the STL area.

   1. • The final schedule is usually published by the third Tuesday of February.

      • The regular season is comprised of eight games and is six to seven weeks long—starting the second Sunday of March.

      • We meet for warmups 45 minutes before game time.

      • The MO State Tournament is the first weekend in May and is always in the STL area. Please make every effort to be available for it.

      • Lightning/thunder and heavy rain will cancel or delay games (for 45 minutes since the last sign of lightning/thunder).  We will play games in light or moderate rain if we have access to a turf field.

6. The total cost will be $90 to $130. See the registration page for more details.

7. Invite your friends! Remember, players don’t need prior experience. Send people to this page: parkwayultimate.com.

Want More Details?

1. The coaches are volunteers with years of ultimate experience. None of us are paid, and we're fine with that because we love what we do and being part of the team! If at any point you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out! Coaches certified with USA Ultimate must pass the NCSI Background Check, SafeSport training, CDC Concussion Training, and Coach Membership Test (rules, ethics, and professionalism).

2. Our team goals are to teach the values of fair play and good sportsmanship as embodied in “Spirit of the Game” through the sport of ultimate frisbee and to teach the basic skills, techniques, and strategies of ultimate frisbee to enable and promote continued play from the high school level and beyond (college, club, recreational, etc.). As you’ll see the “Spirit of the Game” is a big part of Ultimate on all levels. As described in the 11th Edition of the USA Ultimate rulebook:

   • “Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed-upon rules, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate unsportsmanlike conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression, belligerent intimidation, intentional infractions, or other 'win-at-all-costs' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players."

3. Recommended equipment:

   • 1. We recommend soccer or lacrosse cleats for all players. Football cleats also work.

     2. We recommend buying a good ultimate frisbee disc. For $10-$15 at Academy Sports or Amazon, you can buy a Discraft Ultra-Star (“Discraft 175 Gram Ultra Star Sport Disc White”) rather than the Wham-O brand that you'll find in Target. The former is a higher quality disc that is used in games and costs the same as the latter. Buy a white disc since that's what we use in games.

     3. A white shirt and dark shirt for when we scrimmage during practice.

4. Need some more motivation?! Watch this video of our team from a previous season!

5. And here’s a set of helpful videos that we’ll refer to and ask you to utilize: tinyurl.com/unitedvideos

6. Here’s our Varsity & JV Spectator’s Guide with our 2023 Team Roster & “Ultimate in 10 Simple Rules”

7. Lastly, Ten Things To Love About Ultimate Frisbee!...

   • 1. Most importantly, it's a lot of fun! That's the main reason it has taken off at colleges (and now high schools).

     2. The fast pace and flow of the game make it a great team sport.

     3. It's relatively easy to learn compared to other sports.

     4. It helps players be in good physical shape without being super-taxing to the body.

     5. It's safe. The non-contact nature makes it a safe sport for players of all ages, sizes, and abilities.

     6. Sportsmanship is a super-high priority at all levels. For example, at the high school level, both teams circle up and complement each other about specific things.

     7. It's self-refereed at all levels except the professional level; this teaches maturity in competitive situations.

     8. It's affordable! A disc costs about ten bucks. Cleats are a good idea. Not much equipment beyond that.

     9. It's a lifetime sport. These days, most young people play it at least a little by college-age, and it’s common to see players in their sixties.

     10. The sport is growing! There are 24 St. Louis high school teams (co-ed, men's & women's), many universities have official teams, and it is being seriously discussed as an Olympic sport.