Night Train (UVA Ultimate Team)

Night Train is the men's Ultimate team at the University of Virginia. Founded in 1978, Night Train is a member of the Ultimate Players Association College Open division, playing the Blue Ridge Section of the Atlantic Coast Region. Night Train strives to compete with the best college ultimate teams in the United States, and is consistently ranked UPA College Open Top 25 1. The team won Atlantic Coast Open Regionals2 on April 26,2009, and will make its first appearance at the UPA College Championships in May.

Overview

Night Train is a University of Virginia Contracted Independent Organization, receiving funding of around $20,000 per year that covers the cost of tournament travel and accommodation. Aside from two captains, the team has the officer positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recruitment Chair, and Webmaster, all of which share duties such as administrative meetings, travel accommodations, budget management, and public relations. These positions are usually filled by upperclassmen, and carry the added responsibility of participating in strategic planning both on and off the field. Night Train practices three times per week in the Fall and four times per week in The Spring on UVA's Carr's Hill Field.

History

Team Name and Origin

The men's team at UVA has Undergone a number of name changes, with Night Train being only the most recent incarnation. In the late 1990s and early years of the 2000s, the team was called the Roadhead Warriors, a name that was accompanied by explicit cheers and an equally vulgar logo. While popular among the men on the team, the name was replaced by Virginia Disorder in the middle part of the decade. Not to completely desert the suggestive theme of earlier years, The New name was often abbreviated as VD and said to stand for venereal disease.

In late 2005, the team decided that it would undergo yet another name change for the upcoming Spring season. Due to his penchant for the cheap and potent fortified wine, a visiting student from Tulane suggested Night Train3, and after winning a vote, the first Night Train logo was stolen from a New Zealand jazz band4. More recent versions have been original pieces, and Night Train's current members hope that the name lasts.

Recent Season Performances

Night Train perennially performs well at Sectionals and has enjoyed moderate success at Regionals. Its most recent performance is among its best ever, and it is currently projected as the 2 seed for the 2009 Atlantic Coast Regional tournament.

Former Captains

UPA Club Championships Participation

While competing with Night Train in the Spring, players have also played for high level teams such as Blue Ridge Ultimate (BRU) 5, Truck Stop6, Axis of C'Ville7, Potomac8, Chain Lightning9 and Johnny Bravo10.

Current Team

Tournaments

The team typically enters its new players in the UPA Club Championships, playing Club Sectionals and Regionals in addition to a fall schedule of North Carolina State University's Wolfpack11 and University of Georgia's Classic City Classic12. In the Spring, Night Train typically travels to five or six tournaments, those of which have recently included the ACC Championships, Trouble in Vegas13, University of North Carolina's Queen City Tune-Up14, Georgia Southern University's Southerns15, University of North Carolina at Wilmington's Easterns16, and the Ultimate Players Association's College Championship Series.

2008-2009 Roster

8 Greg Ericksen (Captain)

4 Robert Runner (Captain)

7 Charlie Scott (President)

27 Jonathan Neeley (Vice President)

00 Tyler Conger (Treasurer)

5 Tyler Healy (Webmaster)

1 Peter Van De Burgt

2 Jesse Macadangdang

10 Matt King

11 Svet Neov

13 Justin Webster

17 Ryan Early

19 Aaron Mullins

20 Tom Licitra

21 Brian Kiernan

23 Stephen Mondschein

24 Jim Boley

30 Will Galebach

33 Roy Matthews

37 Andrew Wilkes

41 Alex Dagley

44 Brooks Taylor

66 Iv Neov

99 Jason Lippman

B Team

While they fielded a B team for the college Sectionals tournaments as early as 2001, it wasn't until 2004 that Night Train's first B team practiced and competed throughout the season as a separate squad, captained by Dan Harlan. The B team serves as both a developmental program for new players to hone and perfect their skills, as well as a platform for those who do not want the time commitment or competitive attitude required by the A team. Since its inception, Night Train's B team has seen remarkable growth.

Miscellaneous

Night Train's members are ACTIVE in the greater Ultimate community, with members having played on teams and in tournaments throughout the United States, Canada, China, and Thailand. Vice President Jonathan Neeley currently serves as President of Charlottesville Ultimate Disc Organization17, Charlottesville's governing body for Ultimate players in the community. Many team members are also active in Cvilleyouthultimate, a project to expand playing opportunities for high school students in the greater Albermarle County area.

External links

• http://www.student.virginia.edu/~ultimate/men/
• http://upa.org/college/index.html