Thank you for coming!

Land Acknowledgement

To begin today’s captain’s meeting, we acknowledge that we play on fields which are part of the unceded land of the Pocumtuc. In recognition of this violent history, we commit ourselves today to being good stewards of these fields, to respect the space and keep it clean, and, most importantly, we commit to supporting indigenous people in our community in the places and spaces where they request it. You will see a collection bucket for donations to the Ohketeau – the only Native founded and Native run cultural center in all of Central and Western Massachusetts. Their work focuses on uplifting the voices of Native peoples and dismantling unjust frameworks, replacing them with accessibility, equity, dignity, and wellness for our Native communities. They provide a safe place for Native people to gather regularly and educate their youth in impactful ways – a value we share and wholeheartedly support. Please visit the main tent to learn more about Ohketeau and make a donation if you are so moved.

I’m Josh, I’m the co-TD. You *may* have received a few emails from me over the past few weeks, months… and possibly years.

We exist on a spectrum… over here is a sort of collective reality. Over here is what each of us wants reality to be. For me, for this weekend, I get to merge those two ends of the spectrum. This is the world I want.

Thank YOU for being here.

A HUGE thanks to the chairs that make this event happen:

Team Boxes: Amy Langdon

Traffic and Parking: Tom Nields Duffy & Liz Friedman

Water: Mike Filas

Merchandise: Noël Raley & Hannah Ray

Waste/Recycling: Sonia Bouvier and Kira Jewett

Main Tent Food: John Grossman 

Fields: Lee Feldscher 

Housing: Dawn Cordiero & Danielle Pedelaborde

Dinner and Party: Hannah Ray & Greg O’Donnell

Shopping: John Grossman & Scott and Maryellen Rousseau 

USA Ultimate for their continued support, without which this event would not happen!

…and the army of volunteers that make the PVI possible. Please say thanks to all the volunteers you see… they are doing a ton of work! [Have them raise their hands, call them out.]

This is Karin: She’s the scorekeeper. Send her your data. Please write neatly. Text exact, specific data. She gets upwards of 700 data communications this weekend so… be clear! Text your results to her 617-797-5627.

My challenge to your whole crew: Aggressively thank these people that make the PVI possible!

A few more special thanks:

A massive thanks to VC Ultimate. They are just awesome. And they make THE BEST gear!

A special huge thanks to my co-TD, Lee Feldscher!

Okay… now to some logistics:

Our trainers are:        

Mieka Davis (508-277-4156)

Please add Mieka to your contacts on your phone..

Who is at this event for the first time? Attended 3-5 times? More than 5? Who was here at the first one in 2014? Anyone attend one of the St. Johnsbury Academy Invitationals?

Some numbers for y’all:

66 Teams, 6 states, 3 provinces, 20 fields, 1206 players, 75 coaches, 264 chaperones and managers, 195 games, 20 acres, 4.3 miles of painted lines

The big thing: Know the tournament schedule and program! Know where your team needs to be at what time. Understand how the schedule works. Understand how the event works.

Some important items:

1. Be careful on Island Road. Drive 15mph or slower. Only park on the grass in the designated parking areas. Please minimize trips to and from the Oxbow to reduce traffic on Island Rd.
2. Please know the schedule.
3. Please know the program.
4. Some of these fields are being used for the first time today since the spring floods, so there could be debris or trash on the fields. Also, the Oxbow is a natural place, so over the winter some wild animals may have taken up residence on the fields. Please have your teams line up on the back end zone line and walk the entire field to pick up anything that shouldn’t be there and mark any obstacles or unsafe areas before you start your first game. There are trash bags in your team boxes you can use for trash and debris.
5. Start and cap your games on time.
   1. No softcaps
   2. No horns
   3. Text in your scores to Karin at 617-797-5627.
6. All games must be played.
7. Please set alarms on your phones for hard cap. 
8. No dangerous plays, spiking, poor language, or bad behavior. At all. Just don’t. I will eject your entire team.
9. Bring a full water bottle each day. We’ll have water towers all over the place and Gatorade at tourney central. Anything you can do to cut down single use plastic bottles would be appreciated.
10. Weather: 5 horn blasts = get to your cars, wait for call/5 horn blasts. Text/@PVInvite/Email will be sent out with updates.
11. Keep all sidelines clear. Nothing, at all — even players! — within 3 feet of any sideline. All hard objects — tents, chairs, must be at least 7 yards from any sideline. Some sidelines are very narrow. Do not store any gear or items on the narrow sidelines. That means most chairs and tents will need to be on the wider sidelines or out the back of the endzones.
12. You’ll find water on the sidelines. If your jugs are empty, call one of the posted numbers.
13. You’ll find extra food at tourney central.
14. When you leave a sideline, please leave it cleaner than you found it.
15. Opponent late? Assess a point for every 3 minutes they are late.
16. A chaperone must be with your team at ALL times. You cannot leave your team unattended at any tournament location or event.
17. Please, please, please return your completed spirit score sheet promptly at the end of your games on Saturday and Sunday. Please. You are bringing a hard copy of the sheet at the end of each day.
18. Thank you sponsors: VC, Friction Gloves, Northampton HS Athletics, and most importantly the Oxbow Marina. 
19. Please make sure you promptly report your game scores after each round to Karin at 617-797-5627. 
20. We have AMAZING merch made by VC! Make sure to visit the merch tent!
21. Please stay off the docks, away from the boats, and out of the water. There is no fishing.
22. The next PVI will take place on May 17th and 18th, 2025!

Have an AWESOME WEEKEND!