Starvation vs Domination: Getting Subs in Ultimate

from the 2018 archives

SO. I’m getting older.

I have 15 years of injuries and I’m out of shape and I’m less excited about ultimate and I’m training in Colorado and they have, like, 0 oxygen molecules.

So. Take my complaints with a grain of salt — but omg we need to give everyone subs, especially our women.

In mixed, minimal subs trains women to play in starvation mode: “I will play at 85% so I have enough energy to get through the tournament.” We’re training ourselves to be used to women playing at that 85% speed and aggression. We’re forcing women to play, even if they’re injured, uninterested, or want to coach or socialize, which pushes away a huge part of our female population.

Plan ahead. Adjust accordingly.

More subs = better ultimate, more primary cutters, excellent defense, and more time to socialize, connect, learn, and build community.

2 lines + 1. Always.

Two lines of subs plus one person should be your absolute baseline for every team. Anywhere. Any division. Any gender.

*crowd grumbles in discontent*

Listen to me, you idiots, we have a range of skills, injuries, backgrounds, and time availability.

At a social event, day of, 2+1 should be your baseline for every team. At league, when you’re planning teams in advance, that should be your baseline. At club practices, that should be your baseline (unless you’re actively and specifically choosing to train for savage ultimate).

How do those numbers work out? That’s:

• 3:1 ratio = 3 women, minimum, per team
• 3:2 = 5 minimum
• 4:3, 3:3 = 7 minimum
• 3:4 = 9 minimum

This lets people play full speed. It lets people head home when they need to. It lets people chat. It removes that social pressure of, “fuck, I have to play or this entire practice comes crashing to a halt because there’s no one else. I really wanted to get home for lunch and I really want to catch up with Sam and I really wanted to rest my shoulder, but I guess I’ll play…ugh.”

Please stop pressuring me to play. Okay? I have shit to do.

What if that gives me an odd number of teams? At practice, shorten your games so the odd team has some rest but not too much — or give the off-team a specific plan for skills or sprints, or tell them to hang out and socialize. All are legit. We don’t need to be playing every second.

I also love playing “Presidents,” which uses side-by-side fields and every time you win, your team moves up a field. Any time you lose, you move down. The off-team can be the loser of the top field or the bottom field (either have pros/cons), which means they have time to chat and refocus after a loss. Games can be to time or to points.

In a league with more than four teams, waitlist some guys and put the extra women on the other teams. Yes, this hurts your profit margins — but it does create a positive cycle of female recruitment, which will result in more players and teams over time. I promise.

Too many of your other gender? Subs are good. Sprints are good. Planning ahead is good — there’s nothing wrong with a little waitlist or saying no (even if it hurts). Just communicate the plan. Try to keep the ratio fairly even — 3:2 is better than 4:2, unless you have something like 3+ lines of subs for your bigger gender. Keep the ratio of guys:girls on the field as close as possible to keep it mixed-like.

Why: Enable Positive Leadership & Strategy

Have you ever tried to call a line when you’re exhausted? Tried to think of strategic adjustments when you don’t have subs? Tried to give or ask for feedback, when you have approximately 1.5 minutes before you need to get on the field again — and you need to hydrate, eat, breathe, find your hat, and refocus, as well?

Yeah, look, it’s pretty hard.

When women have subs, your team gets to practice with them at full speed — physically, mentally, and emotionally. They can call lines. They can communicate feedback. They can dominate as your first cut, second cut, and everywhere.

Not having many subs is physically and emotionally draining. Take that limitation away and you can learn their full speed, so you can lead your throws correctly and minimize turns. You learn each other’s pacing and timing, so you can time your cuts off one another.

Aim for and enable female domination, instead of forcing them into a calculated conservation of energy every point and every game.

Why: Starvation vs Domination

Have you ever tried to get yourself to be a primary cutter immediately after a turn, when you know you have six more games and you’ll have to play the next point and you have three subs, but one’s pretty injured?

Guys, have you ever looked at your sideline, saw that you have 5 girls total, and really wanted to help them out? So you decide (or are told) to work really hard so your women can rest on the field?

Not having female subs is a huge mental framework on offense. It forces the women to think long-term. If I don’t cut right now, I’ll have energy to play defense. If I chill in the stack for a few seconds after the turn, I’ll have energy to cut deep and finish the point. If I…

We’re teaching our women to rest instead of be our primary; we’re teaching women to make calculated decisions on exactly when and where to spend their energy; and we’re teaching men to take the lead on everything, so our women can survive.

Gross.

If everyone has subs, then everyone can go and dominate — and you can practice that in every practice, every game, and every tournament.

Sick.

Why: Elite Defense

Defense is so beautiful and wonderful. But, five years ago, women in elite mixed did less than expected on offense and defense.

If we can give the offense subs at practice, that means they’re running full-speed, playing as primaries, and generally able to dominate…which means we’re practicing our defense against excellent players, playing excellently.

No wonder women are getting less d’s and shit at Nationals. When did they get a chance to practice that?

Why: Injuries & Cultural Barriers

Women face a lot of high-risk injury situations — we’re more likely to tear everything on our period, since our bodies are loosening up for babiez; our femur to hip size ratio increases likelihood of ACLs tears, as does our neuromuscular control (is that a body or training thing? who knows); women have slower rates of connective tissue formation, which slows recovery; and, anecdotally, I repeatedly see incredibly young, athletic women selected for elite teams, but with no physical and emotional training preventing burn-out, injuries, imposter syndrome, anxiety, and negative learning cycles. We expect them to know how to protect their bodies and hearts, but they’re never taught.

Plus, stereotype threat is a huge barrier in women feeling comfortable in weight-lifting and training — and many, many, many cultural barriers remain for women in sport, world-wide, ranging from policies, leadership, and role models, to grass roots level accessibility and acceptance in sport.

Look. All I’m saying is that women in sport is a growing, changing, and complicated business. Women have been through a lot to get to wherever you see them right now in ultimate.

If we can remove this one barrier — not having enough subs to play well — we’re supporting a larger, positive cultural cycle. We’re letting women play their best, be actively part of offense and defense, learn, have time to think and ask questions, rehab their injuries, get emotional support off the field, and show off how incredible they are.

Why: Recruitment & Retention

Look, I’m good at frisbee. I’ve won, um, three Australian National Championships and been to four World Championships, captaining at two and medaling at the other two (…which apparently means I need to work on my captaining skills).

I’m not the best, but I’m good, you know?

I’m also old, injured, lazy, busy, and get tendinitis like it’s my job. I’m not really interested in playing every point (or even every third point) any more.

But I love ultimate and I love hanging out with ultimate players.

If I have subs, I am very effective. I am an excellent sideline player that gives great feedback, fabulous high fives and hugs, and goes on once or twice a half to switch up your offense or defense and give one of our top players a rest.

I’m an excellent back-up.

But I can’t — and don’t want to — play a ton. Is that such a sin, in a self-paid, community-focused sport? Is that such a sin after 15 years of dedicating my life to you? I want to hang out with my friends and play a bit.

That’s…not a ridiculous request.

Connect with vets and more casual players alike by planning for and promising subs. There is so much talent in the ultimate world. Why are we limiting ourselves to players who can/want to play at top speed every other point? Subs usually mean more people are interested in playing, regardless of your team’s level or goals.

Plus, if I have time on the sideline, I’m building friendships. That means I’m connecting with people, building chemistry, building community, and ultimately more likely to go out and recruit. (Hey Sandy, I had so much fun playing with you last year!! Are you playing league this season? Let’s go to tournament together, I’ve heard that the one in Vermont is super fun…)

How?

Look, I know we complain about our lack of women all the time. (Check out USA Ultimate’s article on that or in Skyd or chat to, like, anyone in mixed.)

What I’m arguing is that mixed — from league to Nationals — isn’t conducive to retaining or recruiting women…and we need to change that, if we actually want to recruit and retain women.

More subs =

• Fewer injuries
• Less physical and emotional exhaustion to play = a wider range of people interested and able to play
• More women dominating on the field = more women interested in playing
• More women connecting on the sideline = more friendships, chemistry, community, women recruiting women

Plan for subs. Provide subs. Demand subs. Please.

Help me make this cycle better. I want to play ultimate and I just…can’t, right now, you know? I hope you can help players like me stay in the community.

Is that so selfish?

Maybe.

But maybe me complaining helps us realize that we can change this cycle for the better.

❤

May 6th update!!

Bros and brosettes! Thank you so much for the feedback, emails, posts, reposts, hype, and love. You are amazing.

Two fantastic points have come up from all this chatter —

1. Some women love playing savage or savage-ish

Yes! Amazing! You are amazing, that is amazing, and I love your fabulous body and brain. From a league level, support these badass ladies and old, broken people like myself by providing a range of players on each team. Yeah, it’s extra work (I’m sorry!!), but I think asking during registration something like,

How much do you want to play?

• Put me on!! I want to play!! I will be at most games and love playing almost every point.
• Yay friz! I think I will be at most games and I love playing, but subs are good.
• Yay hanging out! I’ll miss a decent amount of games or I’m mostly there to hang out. I’d love to play a bit, but not much!

Make your hat teams like normal, then go back and check to see that there aren’t more than 1–3 savage-stoked ladies (or guys) on one team.

2. I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to women’s

I’m definitely a career mixed player and mixed league organizer, and it’s been wonderful/fascinating talking to women’s players who love the article but laugh at the 2+1 recommendation.

When does that become ridiculous? If you’re running a women’s league, I think 2+1 on each roster still makes sense — there’s usually a 10–20% no-show rate on most casual ultimate events, league or otherwise. So. Having 15 players on your women’s roster sounds large, but doable, since you assume 12–13 players actually show each week.

For single gender, maybe the roster baseline is 2 lines for league, 1.5 for day-of tryouts, 2.5 for teams and longer leagues?

I have no idea. Also, why the difference? Super interesting.

Love y’all!! Remember to email me at geoa.geer@gmail.com — super love hearing all your ideas, thoughts, and projects. Happy to listen and help you troubleshoot whatever you’re working on, too.

❤

Interested in more ultimate shit? Check out

• Female Leadership: Recruit. Support. Hooray.
• Work Hard, Play Hard: Being an Anxious Female Athlete
• Thrill of the Game: Changing Lives, Gender Equity, and Aussie Ultimate

❤

Thank you to UltiPhotos for the photo!

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