Women's Clinic - 15 years of success

Last weekend's Seattle Women's Clinic was a rousing success.  Over 80 participants showed up to play Saturday, some from as far away as Oregon and British Columbia, and all seemed to go home with a smile on their face, whether they were 9 years old or over 50.  Riot players had to over come broken tents during set-up, crows trying to make off with lunch fixings, and some last minute organization, but everyone just "rolled with it" and pulled it all together in the end. The biggest part of the clinic's continued success is the participants' eagerness to learn and elevate their game--regardless of whether they were beginning players just picking up the sport or more seasoned veterans fine tuning their game. For example, players from Mercer middle school were just as likely to give their all as some of the top youth talent in Seattle honing their skills for the Youth Club Championships.  

Photos were taken throughout the day and can be seen here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lawson.kathryn/Clinic2010?feat=email#  Below is a favorite of mine from the lay-out session of a sweet D block.

After all the great stories and moments from the day, I wanted to share a few quotes from clinic participants that were especially touching: 

"I had sooo much fun at the clinic and learned so much today! I took some notes and am ready to share my new wisdom with the rest of [my] team when I go back home! and I was actually laying out which is a blast, just ask KK how much I loved it haha. I'm now an even bigger Riot fan!"

"Your clinic was a breath of fresh air. It was really nice to be with a group of talented women who were eager to support a group of less talented women by sharing their knowledge and skills. Really, if you think about it, there are very few opportunities for girls and women to see that sort of female camaraderie in action. Saturday was a great example of that and I bet it had an impact on all those girls because they could probably could use a good dose of female support now and then...can’t we all!!!!  And man, you women are fun. Just a hoot. A total… RIOT!"

15 years ago Seattle's top women's club team at the time, Women on the Verge, started the tradition of hosting a summer women's clinic for local players. When Riot formed in 2000, the new team took over the task of organizing and running the yearly event. All of the funds raised will be used to help pay for team expenses such as field rental costs and tournament fees; being able to keep our team dues low in a year with the huge cost of traveling and competing in Worlds is especially appreciated. We are really grateful for the tremendous support of the Seattle ultimate community. Thanks to everyone who came out and made the 15th annual Women's Clinic such a great event.  We hope to see you all again next year!