May  16-17, 2026

Dear Elected Officials:

As the organizers of the annual Pioneer Valley Invitational high school ultimate frisbee
tournament here in Western Massachusetts, we want our elected officials to know the impact
that the Trump Administration’s policies–both on the border and against diversity, equity and
inclusion–have had on our program. The negative effects our tournament feels from these
federal changes pale in comparison to the harms suffered by individuals and groups specifically
targeted by these policies, including many in our ultimate frisbee community. Nonetheless, the
economic and personal consequences to us—and most importantly to the young people we are
raising and coaching—are heartbreakingly real, and will impact our community into the future.

The Pioneer Valley Invitational is one of the largest high school ultimate frisbee tournaments in
the country. The 11th Annual PVI will take place on the weekend of May 16 and 17 at the
Oxbow Marina Fields in Northampton, and we cordially invite you to attend. Two years ago we
hosted 70 teams for PVI, and 13 of those teams were from Canada. Last year, we had 19
Canadian teams registered before the Ottawa teams decided they could not risk crossing the
US border. Ottawa Junior Ultimate publicly posted their reasoning for withdrawing, citing
multiple factors in the political climate in the US. This year, the Quebec teams regretfully joined
them. Our Canadian counterparts do not currently feel that it is safe to bring their young people
to the United States. For the first time since 2014, the PVI is no longer an international
competition.

This harms our community in multiple ways.

Economic harm to our program: Registration fees for PVI are the primary fundraiser for Blue
Devils Ultimate (BDU), the Northampton High School ultimate frisbee teams. While the public
schools partially underwrite the teams, the proceeds from PVI fund coach salaries, some player
uniforms, and equipment for our teams. The additional funds realized from PVI have been
crucial in building BDU into a recognized and accomplished program: our girls+ team competed
at High School Nationals in 2024, and both the girls+ and boys+ teams have trained players
selected for the biannual U20 Worlds USA National teams (Roan Dunkerley in 2024 and Alysha
Parshall-Matylas this year). Making the U20 Worlds team, to represent the US against teams
from other countries, is a huge honor, as these NHS athletes have been selected as being
among the top high school players in the country. Both the girls+ and boys+ teams also have
alumni playing professional ultimate: Mary Andrews for the Colorado Alpenglow, and Roan
Dunkerley for the Boston Glory. The reigning 2024 and 2025 MVP in the men’s professional
ultimate league, Boston Glory player Jeff Babbitt, is a former NHS coach. PVI funds make this
level of excellence possible.

Economic harm to the community: While PVI provides food and housing for players and
coaches during the tournament, the economic impact of their families’ presence in the Valley is
not negligible. In prior years as many as 400+ Canadian guests were in the US for PVI
weekend, contributing to the local economy. Their positive experiences with us create a
pathway for visits to the Pioneer Valley many years into the future.

Moral injury: PVI prides itself on its history of building international US-Canadian links between
teams and individuals. This has expanded the universe of possibility and of human connection
for our children, and also for us as parents and coaches. Families who have home-hosted
Canadian teams are frankly distraught that these friends no longer feel able to visit us for PVI.
Our players, who each have favorite teams and friends among their Canadian counterparts,
also feel the loss. Moreover, the opportunity to play against teams with vastly different

backgrounds (including some which speak French primarily) expands our kids’ lived experience
in a way that is unique at this level of sport competition. Ultimate frisbee prides itself on the
“spirit of the game,” which at the most obvious level refers to ultimate’s tradition of being self-
refereed. Players on opposing teams literally need to decide together when and whether there
have been rules violations, and how to solve them. Imagine what this means for our players that
they can engage in fierce competition while also building an environment of mutual respect.
Imagine what it means to have the opportunity to do this with international competitors. When
we are isolated from our Canadian counterparts for no good reason, we all lose.

In sum, you can imagine how our hearts fell when we realized that no Canadian teams had
registered for PVI this year. But we feel that this issue does more than just affect us personally
and as an organization: it reflects the great harm that current federal policies are creating, in
seemingly small but collectively grave ways, for our economy and our integrity as a nation. We
hope our experience can serve as one more example urging you to use your legislative power
to oppose and to roll back hostile federal border policies and anti-DEI efforts, particularly anti-
trans policies, that not only harm U.S citizens and immigrants, but unjustly drive away visitors
from our country.

Sincerely,

Lee Feldscher, Tournament Co-Director
Josh Seamon-Ingalls, Tournament Co-Director

and members of the PVI 2026 Organizing Committee:
Anne Schlereth
Blair Barondes
Connelly Stokes-Buckles
Elizabeth Schoenfeld
Gina Wyman
Janet Bowdan
Jeffrey Kelly
Jim Stokes-Buckles
Joe Wyman
Kate Kruckemeyer
Mike Dunkerley
Mike Thompson
Noel Raley
Pranay Parikh
Scott Remick
Sonia Bouvier
Tim Parshall