Tiina Booth is noted for her contributions to creating and implementing the template for the development and support of youth ultimate. From the Amherst Invitational to school clinics to the National Ultimate Training Camp (NUTC), Tiina built the foundation of youth ultimate in the Northeast that has been replicated throughout the U.S.A.

After helping to found the women’s division and serving as a women’s regional coordinator in the Northeast in early 1980s, Tiina became the coach of the Amherst Regional High School (ARHS) ultimate team beginning in 1989. She co-founded the Junior National Championships in 1998 and coached her ARHS boys’ team to national championships in 1998, 2003 and 2004. In 2001, she founded NUTC, the first overnight high school ultimate camp. Over the years, the NUTC experience trained the next generation of ultimate stars and attracted players from across the U.S. and internationally, with many NUTC alumni returning as NUTC coaches. She was a coach of the U.S. Boys’ National Ultimate team in 1998, 2000 and 2004; these teams won the World Championship in 1998 and 2004. She co-wrote the original curriculum for the UPA/USA Ultimate coaching certification in 2003-04, co-authored the book, “Essential Ultimate” in 2006, and has been a writer for the online publication Ultiworld since 2013. Tiina founded the Ultimate Players and Coaches Conference in 2007, which brought together giants in the sport for the promotion, teaching and growth of ultimate for several years. After retiring from coaching the ARHS boys in 2013, she became a coach for the University of Massachusetts men’s ultimate team in 2014, helping to bring them to Nationals in 2014 (their first time in 26 years), a position she continues to hold today.

Rowan McDonnell

Talking about PerformanceBy Tim MorrillMar 02, 2019