AYU MISSION
Altitude Ultimate is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to developing athletes and promoting youth participation in Ultimate Frisbee teams, leagues, tournaments, camps, and clinics across the Front Range, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain West.
With a focus on equitable access and spirited play, Altitude Ultimate aims to foster opportunities to participate in all levels of competition; provide a clearinghouse of resources for coaches, players, parents, and fans; and serve as a stable, sustainable organization that grows and strengthens the ultimate community in the region.
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, & INCLUSION STATEMENTS
AYU’S VISION FOR EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Altitude Youth Ultimate (AYU) seeks to create a welcoming environment where participants of all backgrounds and identities feel comfortable bringing their full selves to all of our events. We recognize the importance of having our Ultimate community reflect all members of our Colorado community, and to prioritize breaking down barriers for marginalized groups for whom access has not historically been equitable.
AYU acknowledges that this will not be an easy task, and that we may make mistakes. Nevertheless, we commit to pushing ourselves to put diversity, equity, and inclusion at the core of our operations, while being a progressive force in society to promote these values.
AYU’S EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MISSION
To realize our vision of an Ultimate community that represents and welcomes all people, AYU is dedicated to committing significant time, people and funding. Our goal is to provide more access to our sport within racially and ethnically diverse communities, and to raise awareness of DEI issues among members of our existing community.
Toward that end, we will establish, measure and evaluate annual goals within the following broad areas:
Education. We will educate ourselves and provide opportunities for our community to be educated about issues around equity, diversity and inclusion. We will foster opportunities and conditions to learn and grow together. We will be open to dialogue and feedback from the community.
Support. Our Board will center equity, diversity and inclusion in our decisions and conversations. We will work to support all members of our community by seeking out diverse voices and actively including people from historically marginalized backgrounds. As a part of this, we will dedicate significant money and resources to providing scholarships and affordable pricing for players for whom cost is a barrier.
Programs. We will create new or expanded programs in and for traditionally underrepresented communities, based on the needs and wishes of the community. To do this, we will develop and foster partnerships within the communities so that they can inform our practices.
Transparency. We will be transparent and accountable to all members of our community and to all our member communities. This means that we will solicit feedback, empower our EDI Task Force to highlight inequities and blindspots, build community partnerships, and show how we are spending our funding.
AYU EMPLOYEES
Mike Richard
SENIOR OPERATIONS MANAGER
Mike is AYU’s second full-time employee and will be responsible for managing the logistics for summer camps and other youth programs, along with assisting in delivering quality tournaments, developing resources and new programs, and expanding our effectiveness in serving the Colorado ultimate community.
Mike was introduced to the sport of Ultimate his senior year at Monarch High School. Since then it has been a huge part of his life. Mike played 4 years at the collegiate level with the University of Wyoming, helping to build the small program from the ground up, all while facing powerhouses like CU Mamabird. After returning to Colorado, Mike was recruited to coach at his alma mater, Monarch. Since then Mike has been heavily involved in the youth Ultimate scene in CO. Mike’s professional career is also based in teaching youth. Mike worked in education as a teacher and support staff for 10 years. In the summer of 2015, Mike was granted the opportunity to coach abroad in Israel with an organization called Ultimate Peace. This experience further grew his love for the sport. Outside of Ultimate, you may find Mike traveling, riding his bike across the country, woodworking in the garage, or playing some basketball (only because it’s great cross-training).
Contact Mike
Christian Gentry
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Christian is AYU’s third full-time employee and will be responsible for managing the logistics for adult leagues and other adult programs, along with assisting in delivering quality tournaments, developing resources and new programs, and expanding our effectiveness in serving the Colorado ultimate community.
Christian first started playing Ultimate at a late-night pickup game at the University of Arizona during his senior year of undergrad. After moving to Colorado to pursue graduate degree in Physics at CU Boulder, he joined a few leagues and really, really fell in love with the sport. Christian began playing Club in 2018 with The Strangers. In that same year Christian began volunteering with GrassRoots Ultimate to coordinate many of their adult leagues and tournaments, and in 2019 he joined their Board of Directors. In addition to Ultimate, Christian enjoys weightlifting, board games, and spoiling his absolutely incredible dog Kenton.
Contact Christian
AYU BOARD
AYU is run by a volunteer board, made up of experienced Ultimate frisbee players and coaches dedicated to addressing the needs and goals of the Ultimate community in Colorado.
JEFF “BEV” BERGET
CO-EVENTS DIRECTOR STATE MIDDLE SCHOOL COORDINATOR
Jeff started playing Ultimate at Overland HS in ‘96. He attended Colorado School of Mines and started the team there in‘97. After college he played on teams including Sack Lunch, Johnny Bravo and Mesteno and most recently played with Johnny Encore (who won a Bronze medals in the 2014 and 2018 World Games and a National Title in 2017 ) and now currently on Johnny Walker (Won Gold in the Pan Am games in 2019). He has worked in the Colorado Youth Ultimate scene since 2001 and Coached Lakewood HS from 2001 to 2006 (two state titles), several seasons of YCC coaching, and has been running the state championship tournaments (fall and spring) for over 15 years. Jeff has most recently taken over organizing and running the Summer Camp Program (since 2018) and has been helping run and grow the Middle School community (since 2018). He is currently running the McAuliffe MS Ultimate Program where his two children attend.
PHIL LOHRE
PRESIDENT
Phil discovered ultimate at Williams College, where he encountered Rude Boy, Finlay Waugh, and the first high school coach he had ever seen: David “Buzz” Ellsworth. He played on Open club teams in Colorado and DC as well as in Germany and the Caribbean. He has continued to play in local leagues and in the Masters and Grandmasters divisions, mostly with Old and in the Way. Phil began coaching high school in 1996, when a handful of schools scheduled informal games. Phil has coached college and club teams, but his steadiest gigs are with the ultimate teams at Jefferson County Open School (where he teaches) and with the Colorado Cutthroat YCC teams. His children, Ben, Lisi and Will, share a love of this great game!
FINLAY 'FIN' WAUGH
TREASURER
Fin has been involved with Ultimate in multiple roles since the mid 70’s. Primarily as a player early on (although he founded his college team, at Stanford). Then as a club player, in stints with top teams (one National championship) on the West coast, East coast and playing on the U.S. team in the first world championship in 1983. The level of all that ancient badass play (in cotton T-shirts and shorty shorts) earned him some Hall of Fame consideration. But since moving to Colorado a decade ago, along with some summer league and masters play, he’s mostly been involved as a youth coach and organizer. Fin helped one of his daughters (in a family of three kids and wife who all play/played Ultimate) to start a team at Monarch High School in 2004. He has continued to build the program ever since, helping to properly introduce the sport to hundreds of high school boys and girls in Colorado and also field teams that regularly compete for state titles (and some regional ones too), while crafting tons of google docs behind the scenes to keep things organized.
Joe Durst
Colorado native, Joe Durst, started his ultimate career at Cherry Creek High School when there were only a few high school teams in the state. He played college ultimate in Oregon for Lewis & Clark Bacchus Rawkus. He played elite Open and Mixed club in Oregon before moving back home to Colorado where he continued to play and began his coaching career in earnest. He has played here in Colorado and across the pond in England for many moons. At the local level, Joe has coached at Denver East High School, as well as for Molly Brown, and currently for Johnny Bravo. At the international level, he has coached for Team USA and represented Team Great Britain. He lives in Denver with lots of chickens and dogs and bees and some other humans too.
HANNAH JONES
SECRETARY/CUTTHROAT PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Hannah joined the ultimate team at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire as a way to recover after an ACL surgery. She quickly fell in love with the sport and continued playing during graduate school for Kali, and has continued to play for a number of mixed and women’s club teams. She started coaching ultimate in the spring of 2011, coaching both the Boulder-Fairview girls team (the Zingers) and the first ever YCC Boys B-team. Hannah is currently coaching at Lakewood (since fall 2011), coaching the YCC mixed team, and serving as the USAU State Youth Outreach Coordinator.
ANNE “POGO” POGORILER
VICE PRESIDENT
Pogo started her ultimate career as a graduate student at CU-Boulder, joining the women’s team Kali for three trips to the semi-finals at nationals during her four-year stint on the team. She played on Rare Air from 2005-2008 (captaining for two years), before helping launch Molly Brown in 2009. She retired from Club ultimate in 2011. Pogo has coached girls and mixed rosters for East High School, YCC, and multiple clinics starting in 2007, and has attended multiple trainings, clinics, and conferences for coaches in that time, as well.
JUSTIN "RABBIT" SALVIA
STATE YOUTH COORDINATOR
Justin is a homegrown Colorado Ultimate player. He played for the Loveland High School Squid Farmers when there were only a few other high school teams in the state. He then migrated to Boulder where he won a National Championship with University of Colorado’s Mamabird. Continuing up the ladder he played six years for Johnny Bravo. Justin currently serves as the USAU Open Division State Youth Coordinator and coaches at Colorado Academy.
Libby Cravens
Libby Cravens moved to Fort Collins in 2021 after years of coaching, playing and organizing ultimate in both the Greater Philadelphia and Austin ultimate communities. She got her start playing pick up as a high schooler in Houston, spent her collegiate career playing for Melee at the University of Texas at Austin, and has played on a variety of Women’s, Mixed, and (most recently) Master’s Division teams in the years since. She has enjoyed coaching elementary-aged through Club-level players and is an advocate for growing the number of girls playing ultimate as a Girls’ Outreach Coordinator for the Girls’ Ultimate Movement. She is excited to bring energy to developing new programming and will utilize her experience serving as a Youth Ultimate Director, Ultimate Summer Camp Director, Youth Club Championships Coach, and more. In addition to her focus on gender equity, she hopes to reduce financial barriers and improve the accessibility of our sport at all levels through fundraising efforts. Off the field she works as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and met her husband at a party tournament in 2015.