HomeMeet The Board
On January 9th a group of people joined Andy Bandit on stage and promised the Ultimate community to help Andy do whatever it takes to make LA a better place for Ultimate to thrive. The first few months are scheduled to define the board structure, what the job titles are, what the budget looks like, etc. It’s exhausting and sometimes feels like a second job, and no body can believe that Andy has been doing it by himself for this long.
Check back on this page often, as updates will appear. We’re going to start posting our board meeting minutes, have bios of the members, give you a chance to attend board meetings and overall just try to be as transparent as possible. We recognize this is a change and we’re doing everything we can to make it a good change for as many people as possible. We want Ultimate in LA to THRIVE!
PresidentAndy Bandit
Andy has been running tournaments (and tournament parties) since 2003. He has been the LAOUT President since 2004. That means he’s held this position longer than FDR was president of the country. And we’re not even at war. Mic drop.
Vice President, Club LiaisonRemy Schor
Remy has been playing Ultimate since 2000, when she started playing summer league in Chicago. Remy is the VP of LAOUT and she is the National Mixed Director for Club Ultimate for USA Ultimate. She sits on USAU’s Competition Committee & Club Working Group, helping to organize and plan each upcoming club season with an emphasis on big picture growth for the future of our sport. When not at the office, she’s probably playing Ultimate, organizing Ultimate, or Crossfitting.
Treasurer, Web LiaisonRussell Gaskamp
‘Spike’ was introduce to ultimate at Pepperdine University at a pickup game that was run by Law School professors. Playing barefoot and being amazed at the first player he met that could throw a hammer, he instantly found a replacement for the sports he played in High School. He has played his way across Club teams such as Merge, BCBC, Renegade, 7 Figures and was most recently the captain of Point Break (Mixed Beach Nationals Champions 2015). Spike wants to help create an organization that is self sustaining and has the potential to introduce new people to the sport that changed his life.
SecretaryChris Ludwig
Snatch has been playing some form of frisbee since he was a kid but his first ultimate tournament was in 8th grade. Since that moment, he has played every moment he could through college and especially in LA. His love of diving to the ground is realized best by playing ultimate and he will continue to do so as long as he can! When not playing ultimate, he works at the Natural History Museum and helps people learn about our world!
League DirectorColin Whitman
Colin began his playing career 15 years ago during a cross country practice. He instantly fell in love and went on to convert to ultimate in college. He started a team in high school and later played for Florida State University, making it to regionals. While his work in entertainment absorbs most of his time, his experience in LA includes playing in the various leagues, captaining a men’s club team to regionals, and most importantly fostering development by creating a beginner-friendly/developmental team. Colin’s primary interests on the board are growing the LAOUT community and making its leagues and events accessible to all ages, genders, and skill level. And he’s also open to suggestions.
LAOUT Youth Director; SCYU Executive DirectorGrant Boyd
Grant currently coaches King Middle School in Los Feliz and has coached at Windward and Marshall High School. Grant also plays for the pro ultimate team in LA – the LA Aviators – and is the current captain of the Condors, the longest running club team in the world. Additionally, Grant runs several clinics every year with his company Level Up Ultimate. When he’s not on the ultimate field, Grant is an actor, most recently in a film called Mi America.
Women’s CoordinatorJane Carlen
Jane learned to play Ultimate at Haverford College and fell in love with the sport and its nerd-jock culture. She has since played in leagues and on club teams in New York, Portland, Oregon, and now here in Los Angeles. With the LAOUT board she is looking to expand women’s playing and skill-building opportunities and strengthen the community-within-a-community of women’s ultimate players. She thinks the name of the sport should be changed to flatball.
Field Director, Pickup LiaisonChuck Bender
Chuck is a multinational Ultimate player having competed throughout Europe for 7 years. Back in the good ‘ol USA he continued his love of the game, conducting extensive conversations with the City of Santa Monica, LA Parks and LAUSD – championing for better fields than the dirt and rock common to many Los Angeles Ultimate games. Fields such as: the turf field at Playa Vista Park, Airport Park in Santa Monica, the Mar Vista Park’s turf field, Santa Monica High’s turf field. All firsts (with permits) thanks to these efforts. Further, Chuck’s 8 years of good relations with the Rangers at Will Rogers State Historic Park preserved the weekly Saturday Ultimate Pickup Game.