Spirit Scores Info 
| Spirit Scores |
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BUDA High School Ultimate League Spirit of the Game & Spirit Score Reporting Spirit of the Game: 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. (Introduction, UPA Official Rules of Ultimate) In Ultimate, an intentional infraction is considered cheating and a gross offense against the spirit of sportsmanship. Often a player is in a position to gain an advantage by committing an infraction, but that player is morally bound to abide by the rules. The integrity of Ultimate depends on each player’s responsibility to uphold the Spirit of the Game, and this responsibility should remain paramount. (Preface, UPA Official Rules of Ultimate) Overview Following each league game, in addition to reporting the final score, each team will submit a spirit score for their opponent. These spirit scores will be compiled and averaged, and then shared with the league in a manner to be determined. A team that receives consistently low spirit scores may be subject to sanctioning by the league. Purpose of assigning spirit scores The BUDA High School Ultimate League seeks to: Promote personal and team accountability for all aspects of the Spirit of the Game, including respect for one’s opponents, teammates, and the rules of the game. (Mission Statement of the BUDA High School Ultimate League) The league recognizes that a majority of players and coaches embody the principles of Spirit of the Game. Through the assignment and publication of spirit scores, the league hopes to acknowledge those teams who play with great Spirit of the Game. However, some players and coaches need support in living up to the ideals of Spirit of the Game. As a youth league, we have a responsibility to provide such guidance, encouragement and accountability. Spirit scores will provide a quantifiable way to determine which teams need support, whether informal, or through a formal sanctioning process. Procedure for assigning spirit scores After each game, in addition to reporting a game score, each team must also assign a spirit score to the opposing team. The spirit score must be one of the following numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, with 5 being the highest (best) score. Provided on the score reporting page is a set of guidelines teams may use when assigning a spirit score. When a spirit score is reported, a team may include a brief comment regarding the spirit of their opponent and the spirit score that was assigned. Teams reporting a spirit score of 1 or 2 are required to provide a comment explaining the assigned score. Teams assigning a spirit score of 3, 4, or 5 may provide a comment, but they are not required to do so. Public access to spirit scores Spirit scores for individual games, the average spirit score for each team, and the league average spirit score are accessible by the league administrators. Public and individual team access to spirit scores is as follows: After a team has played at least four games, that team will have access to its own spirit score. During the season, each team’s average score can only be viewed by that team (along with league administrators). Upon completion of the championship tournament, the average spirit score of each team, as well as the league average, will be made available to the entire league. Guidelines for assigning spirit scores A sprit score is a subjective measure by one team of their opponent’s behavior on and off the field. As such, it is neither simple nor desirable for the league to specify certain actions that would warrant a particular spirit score. However, in consultation with coaches and players, the league has compiled a list of actions widely viewed as being elements of good spirit as well as a list of elements of poor spirit. Feel free to use these lists as guidelines when assigning a spirit score to an opponent. Elements of good spirit: Respect for an opponent. Knowledge of, and play within the rules. Resolve disputes calmly and clearly without anger or aggression. Trust that an opponent will make the right call. Willing to make the right call even though it results in a turnover or other negative situation for own team. Acknowledgement of an opponent's great play. Elements of poor/questionable spirit: Lack of control and/or dangerous play. Consistent violation of rules. No knowledge of the rules and no willingness to try to learn them. Taunting, spiking on an opponent, other belligerent behavior. Acknowledging that a teammate has poor spirit, but not taking steps to fix the problem. Note: A spirited cheer does not offset poor Spirit of the Game. Scoring suggestion: Start at a score of "3" and go up or down from there, adding points for displays of good spirit and subtracting for poor spirit displays. Responding to poor spirit scores As mentioned above, one of the goals of the league is to encourage great Spirit of the Game, which involves holding teams accountable for their actions on and off the field. As a youth league, it is important to educate players and coaches about appropriate behavior and to respond to reports of inappropriate behavior in a way that provides an opportunity for the violating team to make changes and improvements within the season. The league may respond to a team’s poor Spirit of the Game in any of the following ways: The league may provide a written warning to a team regarding its poor spirit, with the expectation that the team would show immediate improvement. The league may put a team on probation for a particular period of time or number of games. The terms of probation may include a specific improvement in the team’s spirit score average. If, at the end of the probationary period, the team has met the terms of probation, the team may be removed from probation. If, upon completion of the probationary period, a team has not met the terms of probation, the team may be disqualified from further league play, and may be deemed ineligible for the championship tournament. If a team is on probation at the end of a season, that team may begin a new probationary period starting at the beginning of the following season. Any of the following may prompt a league response to a team’s poor Spirit of the Game: * Consecutive low spirit scores (1’s and/or 2’s) * A low spirit score average over a certain number of games (2.5 or lower) * Comments submitted with a spirit score * Observations of poor spirit by league administrators or other coaches * Any other means by which a team’s poor spirit is brought to the attention of the league. Guidelines for maintaining Spirit of the Game in the league Since Ultimate is self-officiated, every player should endeavor to possess a referee-level comprehension of the rules. All coaches and players should have a personal copy of the latest version of the UPA Official Rules of Ultimate. The rules can be found at http://www3.upa.org/ultimate Coaches should read and abide by the UPA Spirit of Coaching and should consider joining the UPA Coaching Corps. More info is available at http://www3.upa.org/coaches Players and coaches should continue to communicate with each other about Spirit of the Game. The existence of a spirit score reporting process should not discourage players and coaches from confronting spirit violations when they happen, or as a part of a post-game follow-up. Feedback As a player-governed sport, feedback from players and coaches is invaluable. Please contact the league administrators with any suggestions regarding the spirit score reporting and/or sanctioning process. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 04 December 2006 ) |
