Cincinnati Ultimate Players Association
Public Statement on Coronavirus Concerns #10
Revised 2020-12-08

Dear CUPA Community, 

I hope that everyone is safe and well this holiday season. It’s hard to believe that we’ve already made it to the final month of the year, and like everything else with 2020, these times continue to feel different from previous years. Regardless, I still send all of you and your family my best as we finish this year together.

The Board of Directors had our quarterly meeting in November, and one of the primary discussion topics remained focused on planning around the ongoing pandemic. We addressed both timing of an eventual return to play and how that might be successfully implemented. As we know that everyone remains eager to get back to the sport that we love, we want to keep you all updated on our current plans.

Our approach has remained consistent throughout the year as we’ve balanced indicative data and state and local resources along with collaboration with other ultimate organizations across the country to make the most informed decisions that we can. While we hoped that time would improve the situation, the recent trends have been a regression (or worse) that leads us to believe that it remains unsafe and not socially responsible to run ultimate events as we are used to doing. Our last update confirmed that we had suspended activities through the remainder of 2020, and today we are extending that suspension of activities into 2021 until further notice.

While we don’t have a specific date in 2021 when this would change because there are simply too many unknowns, here are some further details to help explain what to expect:

• Indoor activities will not resume at the beginning of the year. When we return to play, it will begin once we are safely able to play outside again.

• The Board will be monitoring the situation and our Director of Operations will begin preparations in advance of when we return to play in order to expedite that process when we can.

• The next Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, 2021. If no changes have been made before then, we will provide an update out of that meeting.

• The first activities that we will target once we return to play will be focused on youth activities. However, initial activities will be phased from smaller groups and limited pod activities before returning to full ultimate as we are used to.

• Please understand and be prepared that it will take some time before we can safely administer ultimate in the fashion that we experienced before 2020. This is just the simple truth. That is why we will focus on modified phases of return to play to bridge the gap between now and then.

As always, I appreciate the support and understanding from our community as we do our best to navigate this unknown. The best interest of our community and the safety of everyone that participates in CUPA’s events remain our first priority. In the meantime, stay safe and enjoy this holiday season. If you have any questions or need anything else from us, feel free to reach out and we’ll be happy to help.

Thanks,

Ryan Gorman
President, CUPA Board of Directors
president@cincyultimate.org

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The Cincinnati Ultimate Players Association (CUPA)'s mission is to serve as a regional resource, promoting growth in the sport of ultimate and instilling Spirit of the Game™ at all levels of play. CUPA is an Ohio non-profit corporation run primarily by volunteers. CUPA is tax-exempt under IRS section 501(c)(4). To see how CUPA can help you or your organization at any level of ultimate, please visit the website or contact the Board of Directors.