This will be the 38th year for the Versailles Poultry Days Ultimate Classic and is considered one of the oldest and top tournaments in the nation. A record number of 75 teams will be competing from all over the USA and Canada. To put this in perspective each team includes an average of 20 swelling the Versailles population from 3,000 to nearly 5,000. The resulting tent city is welcomed by village residents and the players are always friendly and with great spirit. Over the year’s friendships have formed the community looks forward to the annual flood of visitors.
The tournament is planned and ran by Rodger Oakes and Oshadega. Oshadega is a Columbus based non-profit with a mission of supporting players and promoting and growing the sport. This includes conducting several tournaments throughout Ohio including the Poultry Days Ultimate Tournament. The Poultry Days tournament is held during the annual festival and involves 28 fields spread over Heritage Park, Pheasant Ridge and one on the festival grounds.
So, what is Ultimate Frisbee? Ultimate Frisbee is a non-contact team sport played with a 175 gram flying ultimate disc. The object of the sport is to score points by passing the ultimate frisbee disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby. Ultimate requires both athleticism and endurance. Ultimate is a fast-growing sport and commonly played on university campuses and parks worldwide. Basic ultimate frisbee rules involve two teams. One team pulls the disc to the other as in a kick-off scenario. Once the receiving team gains possession of ultimate frisbee disc then the ultimate frisbee players pass the disc to their teammates to advance up the ultimate field toward the end zone. The opposing ultimate team attempts to thwart the offense by intercepting the disc or (more commonly) knocking the ultimate disc to the ground during a pass. Once the ultimate frisbee disc hits the ground the possession changes
History of the game: Ultimate Frisbee was invented by Jared Kass and Joel Silver, in 1967 at Columbia High School, located in Maplewood, NJ. Its collegiate roots can be traced back to the first ever game played between Rutgers and Princeton in 1972. In 1979 and 1980 the Ultimate Players Association (UPA) was formed. The UPA organized regional tournaments and has crowned a national champion every year since 1979. On May 25, 2010 the UPA rebranded itself as USA Ultimate. Ultimate Canada is the National Governing Body for the sport of Ultimate in Canada. The popularity of the sport spread quickly, taking hold as a free-spirited alternative to traditional organized sports. In recent years college Ultimate has attracted a greater number of traditional athletes, raising the level of competition and athleticism and providing a challenge to its laid back, free-spirited roots.
There are several changes to Versailles Ultimate this year. First the teams increase from 70 to a record 75 with additional matches being held on the festival grounds. Second the Ultimate players will conduct a FREE youth clinic Friday, June 14th. Versailles also very excited to host a match between the Indianapolis Red and Columbus Pride professional ultimate teams. These teams are part of the professional women’s Premier Ultimate League. The league has eight teams located throughout the United States including New York, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. The professional match will occur at 7pm Friday, June 14th on the grounds of the Poultry Days festival.
Versailles welcomes visitors to the annual Poultry Days June 14-16th. When planning your trip include time to watch an Ultimate match. A full schedule of contests and activities can be located at www.versaillespoultrydays.com.
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