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What Is Touring?
Touring play differs from league play in four important respects:
It is divided into Open, Women's, Co-ed, Masters, and Juniors
divisions
It is inter-city, not intra-city
It is based entirely on tournaments, not a regularly-scheduled
league
It is not governed by any overarching body like HUC
As a result, the line-up and rosters (and sometimes even the names)
of teams tend to change with each tournament, and there is no carryover
of standings from one tournament to the next - though tournament
directors do loosely base their initial seedings on past performance.
Most tournaments run for two days over a weekend:
Saturday is used for round-robin pool play and Sunday for playoff
brackets. Games are usually 1-2 hours, or to 13/15 points but
there are more of them: 3-4 on Saturday, followed by 2-3 on Sunday.
A small handful of tournaments, including the national championships,
run for three days or more (the world championships run for seven!).
The calibre of play, compared to HUC leagues, generally
starts at the high-B level with the majority of teams composed
entirely of A-level players. There are no differences in the rules
of the game, though some top-level tournaments employ "observers"
to make line calls and offer second opinions when players cannot
agree on a call. They are usually only employed in the semis or
finals.
And yes, touring players do cheer.
How Much Time & Money?
The touring calendar in generally runs from May
to October, during which there are 5-7 tournaments available in
each major division (Open, Women's, Mixed) within driving distance
of Hamilton (i.e. Ontario, Quebec, Michigan, and upstate New York).
Higher-level teams usually attend 2-4 additional
tournaments in the United States outside the summer months, while
lower-level teams usually attend 3-4 tournaments total, mostly
in-province. For those who qualify and are willing to make the
trip, the season culminates with Nationals in August.
Since ultimate is still an amateur sport, almost
all the costs of touring fall on the player. Team members can
expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $1,000 (or more, if travelling
to distant tournaments like Worlds) above and beyond what they
would normally spend on league play. This includes things like
transportation, accommodation, tournament fees, and extra apparel
or equipment.
Getting Involved
The touring community can appear quite "cliquey"
at first to the uninitiated. The two most important pieces of
advice for anyone thinking of getting involved in touring is to
(a) be seen by higher-level players and team captains, and (b)
get serious about skill-building.
HUC Policy & Procedures
Touring Policy - pdf
Application Form - pdf
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