WA Ultimate hosted the 2015 WAFDA Awards night on Wednesday 16th December at UWA Sports Park. The Awards ceremony was hosted by the newly appointed Executive Committee; Ellen Shackles (President), Rhiannon Coad (Secretary), and Annie Jessop (Treasurer). As a thank you to the WA Ultimate community, each PUL Team captain was provided with a picnic hamper to share with their team during the awards presentation. And this year's winners are:

Club of the Year - Sublime Ultimate Club
Coach of the Year – John Damiani
Tournament of the Year - UWA Open
Administrator of the Year - Jason Carr
Team of the Year - WAnchors
Outstanding Service Award - Caitlin Bartholomeaus
Female Rookie of the Year – Michelle Tobin
Male Rookie of the Year - Josh Howard
Female Youth of the Year - Jaime Castleden
Male Youth of the Year - Seth Lovell
Female Player of the Year – MJ Rigby
Male Player of the Year - Kyal Oh

Club of the Year - Sublime Ultimate Club
After a giant 2014 for the club, Sublime have continued their hard work to develop and promote themselves to the wider community. Here are some highlights from 2015: We had 40 paid members of the Club. Sublime's representative teams finishing first and third at Western Regionals 2015. Sent a representative team to AUC division one. Sent a representative team to AUC division two. Continued active promotion of the sport of ultimate and our club on social media, growing our likes/followers on Facebook from 320 to 485. Hosting of a WA men's hat tournament. Launched our Website hosted through the Ultimate Central platform. Holding of several fundraising activities to help our club members be involved within the club, and provide opportunities to play at a higher level. Holding of regular off field club social events. Maintained our affiliation with WAFDA and AFDA. As a club, Sublime Ultimate has achieved many great accolades in the past year, on and off the field, we have put a lot of effort into our Growth and improvement of the club as a whole, development of our individual players and general club involvement and inclusiveness. Although our division one representative team's overall success at our peak event, The Australian Ultimate Championships (AUC), was only 1 place higher than our 2014 ambitions, we still developed and improved on and off the field in our performance, behaviour and procedures. Our team was the fittest and strongest it has ever been, it also included several new club members and youth players who had not played with a Sublime team before. The 2015 club season started in December 14', which saw our club members attend several open sessions, mental strength sessions and selection events. From these events, we then carefully chose the players who would represent our club as a part of this team. By seasons end each player's disc skills, ultimate understanding, game sense and enthusiasm toward high level Ultimate had multiplied. After our final game at AUC, each team member was excited for more, and were sad that it had come to an end. Uniforms and team identity The Sublime logo is now recognised across WA, Australia and even the World. Our club is associated with having a competitive and fun team/s. Our uniforms in 2015 saw a new look from the traditional designs of seasons past. Our uniforms marked a re-invigoration of the club and the teams who represent it, inspired by our 2014 WUCC efforts. Our reputation and identity still lies within our uniform with a traditional big bold Sublime logo printed on the chest, a recognisable trademark of the club. These shirts where used for both representative teams at separate events, the Sublime team at AUC DIV1 and the Sublime WAnchors team at AUCD2. Spirit shown on the field Sublime's club teams placed a large focus, in 2015, on improving their spirit and our perception to others on and off the field. This was driven and supported by every member of each team and was inspiring to see. Sublime finished in the top 10 of spirit at AUC in 2015, equal second at Western Regionals 15', and third at the Sydney-Melbourne Open 15'. These are achievements that we hold in high regard as not only was it part of our development as a Team but also a goal we had set. The Sublime WAnchors represented at the Western Regionals - Third place, equal second in Spirit, and the Australian Ultimate Championships, Division 2 - 3rd place, and high in Spirit. Representation in leagues and tournaments - Australia Wide The 2015 season saw Sublime Ultimate send representative teams to several events: Sublime - WA Western Regionals - First place, equal second in Spirit. Sublime - Sydney-Melbourne Open - Fifth place, third in Spirit. Sublime - Australian Ultimate Championships - 11th place, top 10 in Spirit. WAnchors - Western Regionals - Third place, equal second in Spirit. WAnchors - Australian Ultimate Championships, Division 2 - 3rd place Sublime's club members have also competed in their respective teams in the Perth Ultimate League over the past year improving their skills and contributing the skills they have gained from Sublime, to their teams and communities. Sublime Ultimate Club continue to invest the time, energy and proactive encouragement to keep the club moving forward. Our volunteers who run the club are well respected and see fit that we are well deserved winners of this award.

Coach of the Year – John Damiani
John "JD" Damiani donates so much of his time to coaching new and experienced players in WA year after year. Between 2014/2016 he coached the KAOS A team to another national medal and assisted both the B and C team coaches and players throughout the season. He also coached Sublime during the same Nationals season and took on the development of a men's Div B team; WAnchors' who competed and medalled at Division II Nationals. JD also took on the head coaching role of the curtain university women’s team for their inaugural University games campaign. After the official nationals season finished, he ran regular open Tuesday training and development sessions for anyone in the Perth ultimate community to participate in. Jd was also invited to assist international teams with their coaching from Vietnam, India and Singapore during 2015 and attended a tournament in Vietnam playing with a team of mostly beginner players helping them throughout the tournament.

Tournament of the Year - UWA Open
The UWA Open switched to a separate gender format this year and provided an excellent training opportunity for University and local players to have take part in soemthing different than the regular mixed events on the local playing calendar.
Attended by over 100 players it was a real run event supported by the local community and run efficiently with two fantastic Tournament Directors Kirsten Chick and Leighton Cotter. Great value for money, plenty of photos shared, fantastic prizes (let's not ever forget the ice cream cake) and a superb healthy lunch provided for all participants.

Administrator of the Year - Jason Carr
Jason was elected as President of the Sublime Ultimate Club in mid-2014. In this time, Jason championed the transformation of the Sublime organisation from a ‘nationals team’ to a ‘structured club’. In addition to this, Jason performed the role of Captain during the successful Sublime campaign to attended WUCC in Lecco in August 2014. Jason undertook many initiatives during his time as President and these are summarised as follows:

• Implemented a new executive and committee structure for the club. This involved the defining of clear responsibilities for each portfolio to ensure transparent lines of accountability and reporting.
• Approached a diverse range of people to be involved on the committee to incorporate a wider coverage of views and perspectives across the WA ultimate community. This created an inclusive atmosphere within the executive committee and club, and produced innovative and fresh ideas on opportunities to expand and enhance club development.
• Undertook a comprehensive member and WA ultimate community survey to establish a baseline for the perception of the club, the reasons why members played with Sublime and the barriers to non-members joining the club. This meant the Sublime club could identify opportunities for improvement, pursue strategies for player recruitment and retention, and develop a long-term vision for the club. A copy of the outcomes of the survey is enclosed.
• Assisted in setting the long-term vision for the club, and co-ordinated and chaired regular committee meetings. Jason’s drive and leadership meant that club projects and activities were identified, planned for and successfully implemented. This resulted in one of the most active years for the Sublime club in terms of committee productivity and outputs. A copy of the club vision is enclosed.
• Played a major role in establishing the Sublime team (WAnchors) that won bronze at Division 2 Nationals in 2015. Jason was one of the driving forces behind this team and a key recruiter to ensure there were sufficient numbers for the team to be viable. The development of a second team generated the opportunity for grassroots development of elite players in WA ultimate, ensuring the long-term sustainability and viability of the Sublime club.
• Assisted other members of the committee in running of fundraising events, which saw the club return a profit for the year and provide the incoming committee with available funds to invest in club development and growth.
• Facilitated the first club donation to Beyond Blue with the potential for further partnership with the men’s health charity organisation. This new relationship will put Sublime Club in a position to give back to the wider community while generating awareness on the importance of men’s health for club members.

Jason undertook all of this whilst both working fulltime and managing the on-field performance of the Sublime Division 1 Nationals Team. Jason was both a selector of this team and the captain at Nationals. Jason also did this during a period of great change in WA Men’s ultimate, with the establishment of a rival men’s team for the first time. Jason was proactive in managing the relationship with this new club and quickly sought to address the various issues that arose to enable each club to move forward positively. The leadership demonstrated by Jason has provided the foundations for a strong and sustainable club. Sublime’s attendance at international tournaments, increased number of teams, increased participation rate, and establishment of a new executive committee ubiquitously represent the contribution Jason has made during the course of his Presidency of the new Sublime Ultimate Club.

Team of the Year - WAnchors
The WAnchors, a product of Sublime Ultimate Club has achieved so much in the past year. As a team their contribution to recruitment and improvement has seen them rise from a 'brand new team' to a well-represented team within WA and Australia. Growth and improvement of the team as a whole, Development of individual players, Players enjoyed being on the team: The Australian Ultimate Championships Division 2 (AUCD2), was the peak event for this team in 2015. From the early beginnings of this team in January 2015, their overall team and player development was phenomenal. Winning a bronze medal at the 2015 AUCD2 in their first year! Developing skills, understanding, structure and involvement had each and every player improve. This team’s enthusiasm toward a higher level Ultimate had soured and has seen their player base enter as a team in various WA events. Uniforms and team identity ss a product of Sublime Ultimate, their uniform consists of two strips. One as the 2015 Sublime team jersey with a traditional big bold Sublime logo printed on the chest, and the other as a personal identifier of the WAnchors also a recognisable trademark of the club. With the WAnchors entering in many events held in Perth, they are a team who are becoming more well known on and off the field. Representation in leagues and tournaments and Spirit shown on the field. In 2015 the Sublime WAnchors attend several events including; WA Western Regionals - Third place, equal second in Spirit. Australian Ultimate Championships, Division 2 - 3rd place, spirit? WAnchors' team members have also competed in their respective teams in the Perth Ultimate League over the past year improving their skills and contributing the skills they have gained from WAnchors, to their individual teams. The Men's Division of the Perth Ultimate League saw a WAnchors Team enter who placed second in the league, many of those players the same from our 2015 season team. Their willingness to play at any level, ability to retain players and continued development and investment proves that this team is a well-deserved winner of this award.

Outstanding Service Award - Caitlin Bartholomaeus
Caitlin is always positive, always has fun no matter the outcome of a game, and consistently engenders the spirit of the game, cheering for both sides and making sure everyone is happy. She takes time to help every player, regardless of skill to improve, and takes the time to show people how to play the game or answer any question. Organises and steps up to help run Murdoch’s Ultimate Club and is always on hand with advice and a helping hand. Consistent use of "no thanks" as handler if a throw might be contested is hilarious, and never fails to leave people with a smile. We have yet to see her not give her all to whatever aspect of ultimate she is involved in, and her enthusiasm for the game is only tempered by her enjoyment of it.

Female Rookie of the Year – Michelle Tobin
Michelle started out with team Diatribe at the Yokine Social League and was named Female Player Choice when she dominated the peer voting system last league. Michelle has gone on to be a key player for The Ducks (UWA Social League and Perth Ultimate League). She is a fast, hard working athlete who clearly displays Spirit of the Game at all times.

Male Rookie of the Year - Josh Howard
Josh began playing in March this year has demonstrated high levels of growth and enthusiasm from the start. H was selected in the UWA Men’s AUG team for 2015 and Won UWAs only Green and Gold award at AUG 2015. He has been a n active member in PUL since beginning to play and was also a Member of UWA-NYP exchange team, November 2015.

Female Youth of the Year - Jaime Castleden
Jamie started playing socially at the Yokine Social league and went to be a key player in for the Yokine All-Start Perth Ultimate League Team key player for Yokine All-Stars. Part of the first WA girls state team Jamie competed at the 2015 U18 Youth NAtionals and was named inthe All-Austalian U18 team and went on to compete in the Trans-Tasman Cup in New Zealand.
She is fast, fit, agile and catches everything!

Male Youth of the Year - Seth Lovell
Seth always plays within the rules and is always keen to learn more about spirit of the game, as well as sharing his knowledge with others. Seth has a lot of enthusiasm for Ultimate both on and off the field. He has developed well so far as a player, but is always keen to push himself and take advice. He has played at a very high level this year, achievements include; playing in the Cable Beach Hat 2015 where his team won spirit; playing in Youth Nationals 2015 for the WA team, and from this tournament he was selected to play for the U18 Australian team to attend the trans-tasman cup in NZ; playing in the trans-tasman cup 2015; playing for his local team 'Broome Cyclones' at the Phoenix has Risen State Champs, where Seth won male MVP; playing in the Witch’s Hat 2015; captaining his school team as they won the Ultimate section of the Kimberly Cup ( interschool competition) inaugural showing for Ultimate. Seth has stepped up with leadership this year, his play on the field is always respectful and this is something that makes him a great role model for others when he plays. He has also been instrumental for the growth of youth Ultimate in Broome, by showing his peers what is possible when you have the passion. He helps locally by running youth sessions in Broome, attended the WA state Championships and even flew down to Perth to play in the Witch's Hat. He demonstrates great leadership and has a healthy competitive attitude at all times.

Female Player of the Year – MJ Rigby
MJ Rigby has hasd an outstanding 2015 as a a player.Aside from attending all local leagues and tournament she has investing time in taking her development further and pushed herself physically and mentally to be part of the best teams in the country.
I want to self-nominate cos I'm super proud of my achievements this year.After a stellar performance the World Ultimate club Championships in Italy last year (Women’s masters spirit winning team PRIMAL). MJ competed in Kaimana (Hawaii) with Kaos was then named in the Mixed Masters Team set to compete in the 2015 World Ultimate Beach Championships who went on the take the Bronze medal over the GB. Back home again and MJ was a key player in the Bronze medal winning Kaos team at AUC. She made th Fretails squad and attend four training camps continuing to work on her skills and push her athletic abilities to the max.Back on the plane again to take part with a development team in the Zone cup (Vietnam) and then named in the Australian mixed team for the Asian Oceanic Ultimate Championships Hong Kong 2015 where they bought hme a silver medal.
MJ has recently been named in the Australian Master Squad the Flying Foxes who are preparing for the World Ultimate and Guts Championships in London 2016. she also dedicates her time to assisting with volunteer committee duties with kaos Ultimate Club.

Male Player of the Year - Kyal Oh
Kyal has been playing Ultimate since 2009, after his first nationals season in 2012 with Sublime Ultimate Club he as excelled within the sport and is a leader within the Perth Ultimate scene. In addition to his amazing contribution as a coach in the past year Kyal has also dominated on the pitch as a player as well. Australian Ultimate Championships (AUC): Kyal vice captained the Sublime Ultimate, Australian Ultimate Championships team in 2015. Kyal was awarded MVP for Sublime as voted by his peers at their annual awards, winning by a large margin, taking out the title 2 years in a row. Perth Ultimate League (PUL): Kyal assists many teams in the Perth Ultimate League always on hand to lend his skills and help teams improve however he can. The past year has seen Kyal be a part of 3 league winning teams, including a Spirit winning team across both A and B divisions. Kyal has also picked up two PUL MVP awards in 2015. Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships (AMUC): Kyal attended to 2015 AMUC with his team WordArt. With a small roster Kyal was an integral member of the team and at the end of the tournament took home the AMUC Male MVP award. Asia Oceanic Championships (AOUC): Kyal was one a few Perth players named to Represent Australia at the 2015 AOUC in Hong Kong, and the only Perth player on the Open Team. Barramundies: Kyal has been named in the initial squad for selection in the 2016 Australian Senior Mixed team, the Barramundies, who will go on to compete in London in 2016. Kyal plays with passion and integrity at all times, who is exciting to watch. Treating himself like a true athlete, he is always motivating his team mates to improve and work hard around him. As a leader, coach and an athlete Kyal's strives to lead by example at all times on and off the pitch.