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OUR
STORY
TOGA
Toledo's ULTIMATE Sport
In 2008, Luke Shortridge and group of friends were playing a game of pickup when they decided that a Toledo based ultimate league was needed. Their goals were to start a league offering opportunities to play, learn, and teach ultimate frisbee to a range of experience levels. The first league started with 109 people in a beginner-friendly recreational league. That day TOGA was born. Over these fifteen years TOGA has seen a growth in the community and still strives to be a place to grow and learn.
Today, TOGA has grown to over 300 players signing up over 2 days of leagues for all ranges of players. Toledo ultimate is still growing and has a range of different pick up leagues, off season playing options, and so much more. We hope to continue to grow and it is all thanks to the many players who come back year after year showing that their passion for the game has no end.
Thank you Toledo! Now lets play some ultimate!
Meet the Leadership Team:
Dean Barley
Dean has been married 32 years to Kathleen and has 2 children, Ian (26) and Maura (22). He has held various technical and leadership roles in Owens Corning’s Information Systems organization and most recently started and now lead Global Lifecycle Management. Dean became hooked on Ultimate as part of a trade deal to get a much needed email system change implemented by the email administrator who needed players to help him start his lunchtime Ultimate games.
Dean is our President and the man in charge! Dean is behind the communications and organization of TOGA on and off the fields. You'll find him wherever there is team spirit and usually towing his wagon of gatorade and bananas.
Tristan Bowerman
Tristan is a lifelong resident of the Toledo area and a proud graduate of the University of Toledo, where he earned a Master’s degree in Accounting. During his time there, he also spent three years playing for the university’s ultimate frisbee team, Toledo Savage. His love for ultimate frisbee began in high school, where casual pick-up games with friends after school eventually led to the formation of a team in the TOGA Friday league. With over a decade of TOGA experience under his belt, Tristan continues to grow his love for ultimate, currently serving as a captain for "Twist," a mixed ultimate frisbee club team based in Ann Arbor.
Tristan makes sure TOGA files all the right paperwork to maintain its Non-Profit title. He is our money-man and makes sure we aren't overspending to help keep our prices down!
Cody Smith
Cody is a Toledo native and has been playing in TOGA leagues since 2014.
He has been playing ultimate frisbee since 2010 when he began playing the sport
with his high school youth group. He graduated from the University of Toledo with a bachelors in communications in 2017. During his time at UT he played for the UT club team all four years and was team captain and president 2015-17. During the 2018-19 season Cody coached the UT team. His passion has grown for the sport each year since and he enjoys introducing it to new people he meets in the Toledo community.
Currently, Cody and his fiancé live in Perrysburg with their dog and two cats. He works for Wholehan Marketing Insurance Brokerage as a sales consultant, helping financial professionals nationwide source insurance products for their clientele.
Cody's role with TOGA includes recruiting new players, updating rules and regulations that coincide with guidelines set by USA Ultimate, and ensuring the overall playing fairness of the league to create a positive, competitive atmosphere for players of all skill levels.
Katie Hanf
Katie is by far not an athlete, but thanks to her husband Dylan Hanf (Pickles) she has grown to love Ultimate Frisbee, even if it means running. Katie is a graduate of BGSU with a Masters in Architecture. She and Dylan have three children, Sam (4) and Eve (2) and a third due In April. Although they are too young to join TOGA, Dylan promises they will be future ultimate players and plans to start training asap.
Katie runs the website, art department, and marketing for TOGA. Although this is not her professional background, she is loving the challenge.
We are looking for help!
TOGA Highlights
Volunteer Positions we need:
TOGA is solely run by volunteers. Nobody on our leadership is paid. We are here for the love of the game and to keep it alive in Toledo. Want to volunteer with us? Here are the positions we need most:
Photography - Weekly? Monthly? Whatever!
On field management - Refs to keep time