We will always try to play Ultimate whenever a league is scheduled or people want to play! However, inclement weather happens and we rely on guidance from the National Weather Service as well as the City of Knoxville to keep our players safe and our fields playable. Knoxville Ultimate, the League Commissioners, and Captains will communicate weather delays, game modifications, and cancellations as quickly and efficiently as possible. The following policy outlines our weather policy for all leagues and Ultimate events sponsored or run by Knoxville Ultimate.
Freezing cold temperatures, compounded with winds, can cause chapped faces, dry skin, and other irksome winter ailments. However, it can also cause more dangerous conditions like frostbite, hypothermia, and elevated risk of severe asthma attacks.
When freezing cold conditions are expected, Knoxville Ultimate will monitor the “feels like” or “wind-chill” temperature conditions. If the wind chill drops below 15° F (-10° C), play will be halted and players will be encouraged to seek warmer conditions.
The dangers posed by heat stroke, stress, and other ailments can come up quickly when we are playing in the summer months.
When extreme heat events are poised to affect play, Knoxville Ultimate will monitor the WetBulb Globe Temperature for the area. OSHA, USAU, and professional sports teams recommend the use of WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) monitoring to evalutate the heat stress index. The heat stress index is different than the Heat Index (which is a measurement of temperature and humidity in the shade.) WBGT technology includes measurements of temperature, humidity, wind, cloud cover, and other environmental factors that impact the stress heat places on the human body. WBGT can be used in lieu of Heat Index to more accurately adjust the pacing of competition to lessen the chance of heat-based injury.
Knoxville Ultimate will use the WetBulb Globe Temperature guide on the NOAA National Weather Service website. Fifteen minutes before games start, the WBGT will be evaluated and used to determine actions according to the Rest-Break Table shown adjacent.
If field conditions would result in a risk to player safety OR if significant damage to the grass/turf could occur by playing on the fields, games will be cancelled for the evening. Examples of poor field conditions include; standing water and/or pooling water when walking the fields.
This call is most frequently made by the owner of the fields! Once this call is made, Knoxville Ultimate does not have the power to reverse the cancellation.
For example at Victor Ashe Park, the City of Knoxville evaluates the field conditions approximately 2 hours before league begins. If they deem the fields unplayable, the fields will close and league will be cancelled.
Summer League 2024 Addendum: If league is cancelled due to field conditions, Knoxville Ultimate will inform captains by 4:30p on the day of league!
A little bit of rain never hurt anyone. Lightning kills.
Per guidance from the National Weather Service, games will be delayed if lighting strikes within 10 miles of the park at which games are played. If lightning strikes within 10 miles, a horn and/or whistle will sound 5 times and players should immediately vacate the fields to a covered location.
Games will be delayed by 30 minutes. If more lighting strikes occur within 10 miles, the timer resets from the time of the last strike. Delays will occur until the restart time is pushed past a determined threshold at which point, games will be cancelled. This threshold changes for each league!
Summer League 2024 delay threshold: 7:50p
If games have reached halftime before cancellation occurs, they will count towards the record for the season.
“On April 10th of 1994, Shawn Adams was struck by a bolt of lightning and killed while playing in a game of Ultimate Frisbee in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 29 years old. He died playing the game that he loved.” – Fred Baes
Shawn Adams was the embodiment of Spirit of the Game. He was a friend and teammate of Charlie Cwiek, Knoxville’s own Godfather of Ultimate. Click the photo above to read more about this Ultimate player taken from the Tennessee community too soon.
