Before you register to attend tryouts for the 2024 Utah Wild professional roster, read through this information and list of frequently asked questions!
Things labeled "NEW" have been added on 11/3/23 based on questions we received from players on the registration form.
Quick Hits:
When:
Saturday November 4th, 12-5pm MT
Intros and warm ups start promptly at 12! Registration starts at 11am, plan to arrive early enough to spend 2-5 minutes signing in and doing anything else you need prior to the group warm up.
Sunday November 5th, 10a-2pm MT
Intros and warm ups start promptly at 10! No registration will occur on Sunday. You may arrive prior to 10 but we expect not to be able to take the field until 10.
Where:
Saturday: Riverside Park, Salt Lake City (outdoors, grass)
Sunday: Spence Eccles Fieldhouse (indoors, turf)
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. Please reach out if you have any questions about Google MyMaps.
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 5th, 2023 in order to attend on Sunday due to field house restrictions.
Players must be 18 by March 1st, 2024 in order to be eligible for a roster or practice player spot.
Cost:
$50 for adults
$40 for students
$30 for youth (only Saturday attendance)
The cost includes a newly redesigned Utah Wild reversible pinnie as all attendees are expected to wear this new Utah Wild reversible pinnie for the duration of tryouts.
All people attending tryouts or pursuing a spot virtually are required to pay the fee during registration and can pick up their pinnie or have it shipped.
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 are expected to monitor for any symptoms of COVID-19 prior to tryouts. If you are experiencing any fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing, or un-seasonal allergies you are expected to wear a mask or stay home.
Utah Wild will have free surgical and N95 masks on site for anyone who wants to wear one!
Testing will not be required by Utah Wild but it is strongly encouraged that everyone attains a negative COVID test prior to the start of tryouts.
If symptoms arise during the weekend, we will have a small number of tests available on hand to be purchased at cost in order to minimize trips to the drug store.
Attendees should isolate or mask in line with CDC guidelines if they have been in close contact with a positive case of COVID-19.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who are these new coaches? Will I have a chance to get to know them before tryouts?
We are very excited to be promoting two coaches from our 2023 season and bringing on several new coaches! You can shake off the rust and meet our new coaching staff at one of our two Pre Tryout Mixers! We will be in Provo on Saturday 10/21 from 10a-12p and SLC on Sunday 10/29 from 10a-12p.
These events will be opportunities to get some reps and a sneak peak at the drills that will be tested at tryouts. Anyone can attend, even if they do not plan to try out so bring all of your women-matching friends!
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 5, you are not allowed to participate on Sunday due to field house NCAA restrictions.
If you cannot attend these dates, please fill out the tryout registration 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!
NEW If you do not feel like you were able to showcase all of your skills on Saturday, we offer the chance for virtual tryouts. Feel free to share any or all of the following with Coach Guthrie at benjee.012@gmail.com no later than 2pm on Sunday the 5th:
Game Footage: Any previous game footage to help us assess your playing style and skills.
Ultiworld Articles: If you've been featured in Ultiworld, please share them with us to highlight your achievements and contributions.
Other: Any other information about you that you feel like we should have when making roster decisions
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 Monday Oct 29st, 2023 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.
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 (12-5p Sat, 10a-2p Sun)
Exceptions: Parents of players under 18 as well as co-parents/caregivers of 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. We are looking for people willing and able to be team players.
What if I don't live in one of the noted practice pod locations?
You will still be considered for a spot on the roster. If a player is good enough to make the team they will be given a spot, with less emphasis on pod size as long as the player is prepared to learn and work out outside of pods.
If it came down to two players of the same skill set and one was able to be a part of a pod while the other was not then the first one would be chosen over the second.
It is not currently expected that any practice player spots will be given out to people who are not able to access one of our pod locations (Salt Lake City, Provo, Boise, Bozeman, Missoula, Denver).
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.
NEW If you have requested feedback in your tryout form, we’ll make note to send feedback to you when we notify you of the results of the tryout. If you would like feedback after the tryout, please reach out to benjee.012@gmail.com or info@utahwildultimate.org and we can provide it at that time.
When will we hear whether we have made the team?
Players should hear no later than midnight on Wednesday November 8th 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.
NEW Will there be a lactation room available?
Yes! We will have a private area set up for this purpose.
NEW How many late night practices will there be?
Likely many :(
Indoor spaces are unfortunately more competitive than ever. We are struggling to find much indoor availability at all, much less during “normal” hours. Be prepared for potential two-a-days with a couple two hour block practices in one day, or late night practices on practice weekends.
Utah players can expect the following for January and February pod practices. March and onwards will be outdoors at a more "normal" hour:
Wednesdays 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, and 2/21 from 6:30-8am at Sport City
Elite 5v5 on Thursdays 1/18 through 2/29 on from 10p-midnight at Zions Bank indoor turf
NEW What indoor facilities do we use for practices?
Spence Eccles Fieldhouse in SLC
Zion's Bank Turf in Herriman
Sports City in Draper
Assorted gyms or outdoor fields as needed
NEW I appreciated the time and effort Wild put in last year for their DEI efforts, recently I've been reflecting on DEI-B (for Belonging). I want to learn more about how Wild will create that culture of belonging among teammates. As a practice player, there were times where it felt "outside looking in". Did I actually *belong* there? Most players made an effort to include, but a few high level players did not.
Thank you for this question and for your honesty! We want to improve the ways in which our roster and practice players mesh as a team, especially when people from across state lines only get to interact in person a handful of times per year. While that is a challenge, one of our core goals is inclusion so we don’t want to use that as an excuse. We spoke to some of our pre-signed roster players for this year to get their thoughts on how to improve our inclusivity and promote belonging. Here is what they had to say:
“As a rostered player, I'm sad to hear this and I'd want to learn more about how to create a culture of belonging as well, for everyone. We need our practice players! Last season, some things that came to mind that could help practice players feel less like outsiders were explaining all warm-ups, drills, plays each time they're introduced so they don't feel like they missed something, encouraging rostered players to pair up with practice players during throwing, and just generally chatting them up at practices.”
“I know personally I have let the geographical challenges of our team affect me more than I’d like to admit in connecting with a lot of the players the past couple of seasons. I know I want to do a better job at creating more communication with all the players! I think if we are more active in the team slack channels to try to connect with everyone it could be better and feel less awkward connecting at practice. One thing I do with some of my long distance friendships is weekly check-ins where we give a “rose, bud, and thorn” where we mention a good thing happening, something you’ve been working on or something you’re excited about, and something that is not so great. It can feel a bit summer camp-y but it could be a good way to check in.”
As leadership (board and coaches) we’ve also resolved to elect season-long captions this year instead of weekend by weekend captions, in the hopes that those people can work more closely with our Head of Player Experience, Coaches, and Board to ensure everyone is included and on the same page.
2024 Season Expectations
What does it look like to be offered a spot on the 2024 Utah Wild?
At this date, we have limited information on the 2024 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 a similar roster size as we had in 2023 (24 roster players, 13 practice players). 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 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 the pre-season. Expect to be in SLC from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon (~4pm) on each of these weekends:
January 6-7
January 20-21
February 10-11
March 2-3
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.
3-4 home games in SLC, UT and 3-5 away games from March - May for between 6-8 total games
Subject to change with WUL scheduling
Opening weekend will either be March 9-10 or March 16-17. The final weekend of the regular season will be May 11-12 or May 18-19.
Home game weekends will also have practices, clinics, or other events that will be required - expect to be in SLC from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon (~4pm) on each of these weekends.
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 June 1-2, 2024
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.
Practice players are provided their own jerseys, pinnies, and shorts like the rostered players at no or reduced cost to the player.
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 + $10 for each game played + a portion of home game ticket sales
Travel
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%
Overall, this has come out to ~80-85% of total travel costs covered by Wild in past years
All jerseys (light, dark, shorts) covered, additional roster-specific merchandise such as hoodies or pinnies.
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!