CUT Camps is bigger and better than ever with new camps in San Francisco and North Carolina!
March 3, 2015 by Ultiworld in Sponsored with 6 comments
This post is brought to you by Competitive Ultimate Training.
After years of successful youth summer camps and rapid growth in Chicago, CUT Camps are expanding to both coasts in 2015 with camps in San Francisco and North Carolina.
CUT Camps director Arnoush “Java” Javaherian — who has heard from dozens of potentially campers about how great it would be to have a camp on the west coast — is working with Beau Kittredge and ERIC founder Jim Gerencser to host CUT Camps San Francisco. Kittredge was a counselor at the Chicago camps last summer and loved the experience; now he’s bringing it to his neck of the woods.
Soon after Javaherian set up plans in San Francisco, he had a conversation with North Carolina organizer Lindsey Hack, who loved the idea of a camp in the Triangle area. It was a perfect fit for an east coast camp. “The youth world in North Carolina is fantastic,” said Javaherian.
The growing operation necessitated a branding change as well — no longer is it Chicago Ultimate Training camps: now it’s Competitive Ultimate Training. Regardless of where the camps take place, they are all run in the same high quality fashion.
CUT Camp is a week-long overnight ultimate frisbee camp over the summer which teaches every aspect of the game of ultimate for youth players. The directors have created an amazing curriculum which has been worked on for years by their skilled and talented staff. All campers improve their skills in Ultimate dramatically from day 1 to day 6. They incorporate every fundamental skill in the sport and then incorporate the skills into game situations.
Javaherian and the counselors also pride themselves on being able to teach to all different skill levels of ultimate from the beginner to the advanced. They split up the campers into groups based on their skill level so they can teach campers based on their skill level to improve them as a better and faster pace. But all skill groups are also put together on teams so they can play together and continue to improve each other.
Every camper gets a sublimated jersey, a disc, three meals a day, high quality instruction, evening programs, a stadium game, transportation to/from the airport, and overnight accommodations (for overnight campers).
This year, CUT Camps Chicago is also adding a new elite camp specifically designed for the experienced and talented high school player.
“The game of ultimate is growing at the youth level at a very rapid pace,” said Javaherian. “It was just as little as seven years ago that all you heard was Paideia and Amherst. They have a historic and amazing tradition — both programs. But recently, there’s been a lot of other programs popping up that have been doing amazing. Programs like Carolina Friends, Lone Peak, Hopkins, and Holy Family. The demand from those kids at that top tier is now at a level that we haven’t seen at the youth level before.”
Campers with many years of experience weren’t quite getting as much out of the camps as they had in the past. So CUT Camps is opening up new curriculum just for those kinds of players, including more high-skill concepts, film analysis, and an in-depth playbook to learn from. Potential campers have to apply and be selected by the organizers. Already the camp has signed up players from across the United States, Canada, and even Colombia.
Every CUT Camp offers high level instruction from exceptional players like Kittredge, Opi Payne, and Dylan Freechild. “It’s very important to me to continue to go out, spend the money, and make sure we get the quality coaches,” said Javaherian.
“Their knowledge of the game is so amazing; I want that to be transferred over to the campers,” he added. “But the other reason is that our sport is at a very critical stage right now. Our youth players are, for the first time ever, becoming fans of the teams that play at the club, professional, and college levels. These campers get to know a Dylan Freechild in person. They get to know a Beau Kittredge or an Opi Payne in person. And they become fans of them and their teams.”
Former campers are even returning as counselors this year, which shows just how much youth players can gain from the camps.
“CUT Camp was an exceedingly positive experience,” said Berkeley High player Finn Collom, who attended CUT Camps last year. “I was blown away by the camp’s professionalism. The entire camp’s mentality — from the coaches to the campers — seemed to be focused on getting to a point where you were always elevating your level of play.”
Seattle’s Ben Kass-Mullets, who is returning to Chicago for CUT Camp Elite this year, also had great things to say. “My experience at CUT Camp was fantastic; it was not only one of the most fun things I’ve ever done but it also improved my skills immensely and helped me in my high school ultimate career back in Seattle.”
The CUT Camps website has information about all of the camps. Here are the dates offered:
CUT Camp San Francisco — June 21st – June 26th, 2015
CUT Camp Raleigh — June 21st – June 26th, 2015
CUT Camp Chapel-Hill — July 5th – July 10th, 2015
CUT Camp Chicago — Session I: June 14th – June 19th, 2015
CUT Camp Chicago — Session II: July 19th – July 24th, 2015
CUT Camp Chicago ELITE — July 19th – July 24th, 2015
If you sign up by May 1st, you can get an early registration discount. Camps are likely to fill up, so sign up today! And be sure to enter below for a chance to win one of three $150 scholarships, exclusively for Ultiworld readers. The contest starts today and runs through March 31st. Winners will be selected at random.
You can check out the CUT Camps website, Facebook page, and Twitter account.
