Competition Policy

Hydras Ultimate Frisbee was founded in 2014 to provide homeschooled youth in the Triangle area with the opportunity to play an engaging, athletic sport in a supportive community setting. Since then, our club has grown significantly and now fields teams at the Elementary, Middle, and High School levels. We offer practices during the fall, winter, and spring seasons, ensuring that both new and experienced players can develop their skills, embrace the core values of Spirit of the Game, and compete with other teams in the Triangle region. Above all, we prioritize fun, personal growth, and building a strong sense of community among our players.

Our Elementary Team

Our Elementary team welcomes players ages 8 and up as of January 1 of the registration year. This team provides a supportive and enjoyable environment for younger players to learn the fundamentals of ultimate and develop their skills. Each season, we strive to offer scrimmage opportunities—both with our Middle School team and with other local teams—to help players gain experience and confidence on the field.

Our Middle School and High School Teams

Our Middle School and High School teams welcome both new and experienced players. Each team offers two seasons focused on learning and skill development, and we especially encourage new players to join us at these times. For High School, these are the winter and spring seasons; for Middle School, the fall and spring seasons. Each team also participates in a competitive season—High School in the fall and Middle School in the winter—where the focus shifts to competition and team performance.

Playing Time

Our Middle and High School teams have the opportunity to play games in four different formats: 

  1. Scrimmages within our club

  2. Scrimmages against other local teams

  3. Competitive season games against other teams

  4. Tournaments. 

For scrimmages (the first two formats), playing time will be distributed as evenly as possible among all team members to promote player development and enjoyment. During competitive season games and tournaments, playing time may not be evenly distributed. In these instances, experienced and skilled players who consistently attend practices and demonstrate focus will receive priority for playtime. Less experienced and skilled players will be given more opportunities for playtime when we are playing teams whose skills match those players. 

Decisions regarding playing time are made by the coaching staff and Team Manager. We ask that players and parents respect these decisions and refrain from intervening unless specifically invited to provide input.

Commitment, Community, and Communication

At Hydras, we value community and recognize that players have varying levels of commitment and interest in competition. We strive to accommodate a wide range of experience and enthusiasm within each team, though this can sometimes be challenging. If you have concerns about your player’s playtime or team experience, we encourage you to reach out to the Team Manager or a Board member outside of games and practices for support and discussion. 

We also invite all players to take advantage of the many ultimate frisbee opportunities available in our area to further develop their skills and passion for the sport:

  • Triangle Ultimate offers a year-round recreational ultimate league, providing an excellent opportunity for players to gain experience and enjoy more playing time in a relaxed setting. This league is particularly beneficial for beginners and less experienced players, with options to participate in practices, games, or both. 

  • Triangle Ultimate also hosts summer camps designed for kids who are new to the sport as well as those seeking to further develop their skills.

  • The Carolina Flyers, Durham’s semi-professional ultimate team, also supports youth development by offering a Youth Academy during the year and Flight School camps in the summer, giving young athletes additional avenues for training and skill-building.

The Triangle Tourists provides opportunities for female identifying players to learn the game and compete at a high level with top level coaching.