Before you register to attend tryouts for the 2023 Utah Wild professional roster, read through this information and list of frequently asked questions!
Quick Hits:
When:
Saturday November 5th, 1-6pm MT
Sunday November 6th, 10a-2pm MT
Where:
Saturday: McCarthey Family Track and Field (outdoors)
Sunday: Spence Eccles Fieldhouse (indoors)
Both are turf fields
This shows where the fields are, where you should park, where you should not park, and where the entrances/sign in tables will be for each day.
SATURDAY: There is a University of Utah football game at 5:30pm. We anticipate that there may be some traffic coming into tryouts from people going to tailgate. Please refer to the parking map for where you can park for free near the fields and plan your trip accordingly! We do not anticipate much traffic leaving tryouts at 6.
Who:
This team and tryout is open to all people who play ultimate as defenders of women, or women-matching players. This may include but is not limited to cis women, trans women, non binary people, and gender nonconforming people.
Players of all ages are welcome to our Saturday tryout, players must be 18 as of November 6th, 2022 in order to attend on Sunday due to field house restrictions.
Players must be 18 by March 1st, 2023 in order to be eligible for a roster spot.
Cost:
$35 for adults
$30 for students
$15 for youth (only Saturday attendance)
The cost does not include a Utah Wild reversible pinnie, but all attendees are expected to wear a Utah Wild reversible pinnie for the duration of tryouts.
If you need a Utah Wild reversible pinnie, please add that item to your cart during the registration and check out process. For tryout attendees, the cost of a reversible pinnie has a 75% discount applied to the standard price.
Purchasing a reversible pinnie on the day of tryouts will not guarantee sizing and will cost the full market rate.
All people attending tryouts or pursuing a spot virtually are required to pay the fee during registration.
We do not want finances to be a barrier to entry for any potential tryout player, please select the "Name Your Price" ticket option during registration to choose a price that works for your budget.
COVID-19:
All people attending tryouts will be required to submit proof of a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours of arriving at tryouts (taken after 1pm MT on Thursday 11/3). The form to submit proof of a negative test will be sent out via email on November 3rd.
Attendees should isolate or mask in line with CDC guidelines if they have been in close contact with a positive case of COVID-19.
Per WUL COVID-19 guidelines, any player who accepts a roster or practice player spot with Utah Wild is required to be fully vaccinated and up to date with boosters, and must receive the omicron-specific booster (released September 2022) before attending any Wild events as a player (practices, games, etc.).
Players are highly encouraged to receive their vaccine and boosters in advance of tryouts, but do not need to be vaccinated in order to attend.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I have to attend both days?
This is a two day tryout and all players are expected to attend both days; however, it is acceptable to attend only one day if you have a religious, work, or other legitimate exemption.
If you are under 18 years old as of Nov 6., you are not allowed to participate on Sunday due to field house NCAA restrictions.
If you cannot attend these dates, please fill out the form and indicate that you will not be attending. You will be sent a follow up email to provide additional information and reference material for the Tryout Committee in place of an in person tryout.
We highly encourage attending the tryouts in person when possible!
I am not local to SLC, can I stay at someone's house?
If you are in need of local accommodation, please reach out to info@utahwildultimate.org no later than Oct 31st, 2022 with your travel plans and we will do our best to find you a place to stay.
I am a parent and will have my kid(s) with me at tryouts, will there be space for them?
Yes! We recognize that many people who are interested in attending tryouts have caregiving responsibilities and are making accommodations for those responsibilities.
We will have a dedicated babysitter on site on Saturday and Sunday of tryouts. If you plan to utilize this service, please make sure you reach out to info@utahwildultimate.org or to Erica directly so we can make sure we have enough hands on deck. The Wild will be covering the baseline cost for this service, but tips directly to the babysitter(s) are appreciated if you are able.
There will be shade tents available for children and coparents to keep them out of the sun or rain.
I live outside of Utah but don't have the financial privilege to afford a flight, is there support for this?
Due to a generous donation, we do have the ability to offer one, approximately $300 "scholarship" for a flight to Salt Lake City for tryouts. We will be offering this on a first come first served basis, please reach out to finances@utahwildultimate.org to express your interest in this funding.
This funding has been used and is no longer available.
Beyond this scholarship, we also offer a virtual tryout process for anyone who cannot make it to tryouts. Please fill out the registration form and you will be contacted before tryouts to gather more information.
How will I know that I am being fairly assessed?
We have a tryout committee, led by the coaching staff, and composed of senior members of the ultimate communities that will make up the Utah Wild: Utah, Idaho, and Montana.
If you have a bad day, ideally at least one person on the committee will know more about you as a player and be able to speak to your strengths and weaknesses beyond the single tryout.
The committee will be making an effort to seek out more information on players that are unknown to them if any exist.
We are considering parts of your tryout interest form in your tryout assessment so please fill out the form thoroughly.
If you have any edits to your tryout interest form, please email us and we will add them, please do not fill out the form multiple times.
I am injured, can I still try out?
You are still encouraged to register and will be considered for a spot based on your projected recovery. We prioritize a safe return to play and do not want anyone to sacrifice recovery timelines for tryout attendance.
Are spectators allowed?
Spectators will be allowed both days under the following conditions:
It is encouraged that if they are able, each spectator contributes a $5 donation per day to observe and learn from the athletes and coaches at tryouts.
Spectators are not allowed to socialize with players who are trying out throughout the duration of tryouts (1-6p Sat, 10a-2p Sun)
Exceptions: Parents of players under 18, or co-parents and children of players at tryouts are not expected to donate and may interact with their family member as needed.
What are you looking for in a Utah Wild player?
Someone that values promoting ultimate for people of all genders and the progressive mission of the Wild and WUL.
People who are committed. Given the limited nature of the season (3-4 practice weekends, limited games), we need people that will prioritize attendance at these events.
Flexible and experienced players - there won't be a lot of time to build chemistry. Players who can work within many systems and are easily coachable are desirable.
What if I don't live in one of the noted practice pod locations?
Please note that at this time we are really trying to minimize the number of people who cannot attend weekly pod practices. We offer five practice pod locations (SLC, Provo, Boise, Bozeman/Missoula, and Denver) and will be heavily prioritizing people who will be able to attend those regular practices. Your chances of making the team will be lower if you cannot attend those weekly pod practices.
"Does the Wild have any plans to actively support recruitment of women of color and other minority groups to increase the diversity of the team and Big Sky ultimate?"
Thank you to a tryout registrant for posing this question to us! The Wild is committed to increasing the diversity of the ultimate community and recognizes that our roster and pool of tryout registrants is predominantly white.
In large part, this is due to the financial and racist barriers to participation in competitive Ultimate; the college and club levels of ultimate often require some level of financial privilege, are often steeped (whether consciously or unconsciously) in the dominant culture of white supremacy, and do not accommodate players who lack privileges such as private vehicle ownership, conventional 9-5 work schedules, and a lack of caregiving responsibilities among other things.
The Wild is currently working to change and open up this pipeline in a few ways:
By providing playing opportunities for adults with no or low financial barriers to entry such as mixers, leagues, hat tournaments, and more. All of our events have a "choose your price" option with no repercussions for paying less than someone else.
By introducing ultimate to youth organizations outside of the ultimate community that include more racially diverse youth such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Game On Sports 4 Girls.
By working with the Indigenous led organization Utah Dine Bikeyah in crafting grant programming for Indigenous youth to ensure that the programming is both desired by their community and in line with the needs of their community. Pending grant funding, we hope to kick off Discovery, Inclusion, and Sport in our Communities (DISC) UT in 2023, which would host summer programming to teach ultimate and create a self-sustaining ultimate community in southern Utah among Indigenous youth.
We are always open to hearing feedback and making changes or additions to our programming! This can be submitted to info@utahwildultimate.org via email, or submitted anonymously via our Code of Conduct.
"How much playing time will non Utah players get? I have heard that Utah players got most of the playing time and non Utah players struggled to get time on the fields."
Thank you to a tryout registrant for posing this question to us! We want to dispel any concerns about bias in playing time for Utah vs non-Utah players. As one of our values is "Western Community" we strive to value our travel players and ensure that players on the roster are not treated differently based on where they reside.
Looking at 2022 WUL stats, over the course of the season a total of 647 points was played by non-Utah players, while 557 points were played by Utah players. This means that despite only making up 46% of the roster, non-Utah players played 54% of the points.
If we break these numbers down into players who played more than 40 points (roughly half of max played) this included 4/5 ID roster players, 3/3 MT players, 2/4 CO players, and 6/14 UT players. Our top 8 players based on points played breaks down to 4 ID, 1 CO, 1 MT, and 2 UT.
Between our standard O and D starting line ups 7/14 were not Utah players.
In terms of roster composition for 2022, the roster contained a majority (54%) of Utah players. Yet when it came to who was selected to play on a game roster, all 3 MT players were were rostered for all of the games they were available, 4/5 ID players were rostered for all available games, and 2/4 CO players for all available games.
Hopefully this transparency makes it clear that among players who made the roster, there is not data to support that Utah players received significant prioritization over non-Utah players when it came to playing time.
Are players paid?
Yep! Check out the breakdown at the bottom of this page under Season Expectations.
Do you offer feedback from tryouts?
Our tryout committee will have many people to watch and evaluate over the weekend. They have been encouraged to take notes in order to provide feedback but we cannot guarantee that every person will have detailed feedback provided to them. If you are interested in feedback after the tryout feel free to reach out to info@utahwildultimate.org and we will do our best to gather feedback from the committee.
When will we hear whether we have made the team?
Players should hear no later than midnight on Wednesday November 9th whether they are being offered a spot on our roster or as a practice player. All players must accept or reject their spot within 48 hours of being offered.
2023 Season Expectations
What does it look like to be offered a spot on the 2023 Utah Wild?
Given that tryouts are earlier than past years, we have limited information on the 2023 WUL game schedule and format. Below are the expectations as we currently know them, this page will be updated as we learn more.
We currently anticipate rostering fewer players than in 2022, but increasing the size and scope of our practice player squad. Exact numbers will be based on the skill exhibited at tryouts and the final tryout pool.
This will mean roster players can expect to play in most/every game, and practice players can expect to attend team practice weekends to get full field reps and more dedicated coaching.
Our season will run from November to (possibly) early June, and will consist of the following events (subject to change). All players, both in-state and out-of-state, will be held to the same expectations.
Virtual team kick-off meeting(s) in November: will cover expectations of being a player (on + off the field) and introduce internal Utah Wild systems (such as how to get reimbursed).
Virtual team coaching session(s) in December: will cover more on-field topics, run by coaches.
3-4 team practice weekends in January and February
January 7-8 (SLC)
We expect this weekend to include significant discussion around team culture and brand
January 21-22 (SLC)
February 4-5 (tentatively Boise)
February 25-26 (SLC)
Regional pod practices every week
These are tailored to be run with small groups, and we hope to bring on enough roster + practice players in each pod location to ensure pod practices remain productive.
2-4 home games in SLC, UT and 2-4 away games from March - May for a total of 7 games
Subject to change with WUL scheduling
Home game weekends will also have practices, clinics, or other events that will be required - expect to be in SLC for the majority of those weekend(s)
Game rosters will be a subset of the rostered players based on availability and performance selected at the discretion of the coaching staff no later than two weeks in advance of a game.
(If we qualify) WUL Championship Weekend will be on either May 13-14 or June 3-4
Off-field:
Fitness and lifting workouts outside of practice.
Learning team playbook and WUL rules
Participation in community outreach events such as fundraisers, clinics, volunteering, etc.
Participation in WUL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training modules
Practice Player Expectations:
Expected to attend all (or close to all) regional pod practices and team practice weekends
Practice players will not have the opportunity to be pulled up to a roster spot unless there are season ending injuries or other circumstances that open up roster spots.
Limited financial compensation for travel to practice weekends: gas can be covered, flights can not.
Pending the confirmation of a WUL jersey sponsorship deal, we aim to provide practice players a full kit at no cost. While that is not guaranteed at this time, at the least they will be able to purchase a Wild jersey with name and number at the wholesale rate instead of the retail cost.
Will be featured on Wild social media
They are allowed to be on the sideline of any Wild game with the team, although no travel reimbursement will be provided should they choose to travel and they must comply with all WUL COVID-19 restrictions at the time of each game
Cost of the Season
The goal of the Wild is cover as many costs as possible for players. Each rostered player will receive the following financial accommodations:
A $25 baseline salary for the season + compensation for each game played + a portion of home game ticket sales
All hotels and housing accommodations covered
All rental car and gas reimbursement covered for out of state travel
Minimum 50% of flight costs reimbursed/covered, ideally 100%
All jerseys (light, dark, shorts) covered
There will be no team dues
We do not want finances to be a barrier to entry! Please let us know if you feel limited by the financial burden of playing or trying out and we can make accommodations!