Two weekends into 2025, Santa Barbara Youth Ultimate (SBYU) has already competed in two tournaments.
Starting with “Beach of Dreams,” a 4 vs. 4 youth beach tournament in Santa Monica on January 4th-5th, SBYU was a force to be reckoned with.
From the participation perspective, SBYU sent four teams to compete, more than California powerhouse organizations based in San Diego and the Bay Area. From the performance perspective, it was easily SBYU’s best showing at Beach of Dreams.
The U20 Open Teams placed second and eighth in a field of 10. The club’s first-ever girls team placed third in a field of four and the U15 junior high team placed third in a field seven.
Coach Carl Palmer had glowing accolades directed to the players, coaches and parents.
“What a great tournament weekend. I hope you all feel a huge sense of pride for the performance we put in on all the teams and on the sidelines. I know my fellow coaches Jim, Sean and Ryan do.” Coach Palmer said.
“More importantly than how we placed, you all played with incredible spirit, enthusiasm and energy. You kept it fun and positive while playing hard every point. Everyone made huge strides individually and as a team in your development as Ultimate players. Thank you coaches, parents and a special shout out to Grubmaster Geri and the parents who helped her prepare a veritable feast”.
Then came the Santa Barbara Qualifier, a 7 vs. 7 college tournament hosted by the UCSB club teams at UCSB January 11th-12th.
The U20 team, named SB Flow, not only competed against college players but found success more often than not! SB Flow won every game on Saturday, earning first place in their division and the #1 seed heading into the championship bracket.
On Sunday, SB Flow learned the challenges that come with the second day of a tournament and lost by one to USC in the semi-finals.
SBYU President Aaron Weaver commented “It’s simply amazing to not only see our High School students thriving at the college level of play, but to also hear how excited college teams are to see our program.
“We’ve been approached by college teams looking to recruit our players, which is not only a first for us, but is also incredibly rewarding for everybody involved in our youth programs.”
Santa Barbara Youth Ultimate is a non-profit organization that provides recreational opportunities for all youth to develop a love of the sport of Ultimate Frisbee.
All youth in Jr. High and High School are welcome to practices and no experience is required to participate. For over ten years, our organization has served youth across the Santa Barbara area with our after-school programs, summer clinics and junior high and high school club teams.
Interested? Spring sessions are starting soon. For more information, please visit www.SBYouthUltimate.com
Quality afterschool sports and success stories are only possible with support from our community.