In May, AYU and the Cutthroat coaches wondered what if anything to do about our traditional, summer-time Cutthroat youth club teams. In light of COVID-19 and USA Ultimate cancelations of the spring college season and the summer’s Youth Club Championships, doing nothing was a real possibility. Participant safety and compliance with the Colorado Department of Health guidance had to be the highest priorities from the beginning. With masks, social distancing, plenty of sanitizer, and other modifications, AYU decided to offer some of the country’s only USAU-sanctioned youth programming in the country.
Summer 2020 Cutthroat was born. Boys and girls from 16 different schools practiced and played together on eight Thursday nights in Lakewood during the months of July and August. 15 players worked with coaches Jason Brask, Justin Salvia, and Ted Barnett in the Under 17 group, while 22 players joined coaches Hannah Matthys, Phil Lohre, David Miller, and Henry Furuta for the Under-20 group. By the end of our final scrimmages in the smoke of August 27th, we agreed that this summer’s modified Cutthroat experience had been a great success! We made new friends and built community, improved our individual and team skills, and restored a semblance of normalcy and fun to these difficult times.
We offer our heartiest congratulations to all of the players, families, and coaches who helped make this summer’s Cutthroat a success. We wish the older players moving on to college teams the best, and can’t wait to see eligible returners back on the field as soon as possible. Watch Altitude’s website and newsletter for other non-school-based opportunities throughout the year. Hopefully, Cutthroat teams will be able to compete again together next summer!