Disc Northwest

Disc Northwest (also DiscNW or Northwest Ultimate Association) is a Seattle-based Ultimate organization with the aim of increasing participation in the sport of Ultimate at all levels. DiscNW is the largest and most active Ultimate organization in the United States, supporting many teams at the club, local, high school, middle school and elementary school levels. Their mission statement is "Serve as a regional resource, promoting growth in the sport of Ultimate and instilling the spirit of sportsmanship at all levels of play."

Disc Northwest (DiscNW) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization in the State of Washington. It is primarily a volunteer organization; however, the Executive Director does draw a salary, and some volunteers receive stipends.

Disc Northwest was founded by Joey Gray, Tom George, Mary Lowry, Jordan Dey, Maria Langlais, Mark Friedland, Bill Penrose and Lisa Thomas in 1995 as a nonprofit repository for funds generated by the growing Potlatch tournament. Soon, DiscNW became an umbrella for the spring ultimate league founded by Mark Friedland and others in 1984 and the fall league founded by Mike King. The first independent Juniors ultimate league was started in 1993 by Mary Lowry, Joe Bisignano, Jeff Jorgenson and others. In 2007, the DiscNW Middle School Spring League had over 400 players on 38 mixed teams. The DiscNW High School Spring League has both mixed and single gender divisions with over 30 teams total. In spring of 2007 DiscNW inaugurated what is believed to be the world's first elementary school League, with eight teams.

Today, Disc Northwest's major effort is the Potlatch tournament, which takes place over the July 4 weekend and is the world's largest co-ed tournament, featuring some of the world's best players and teams. Potlatch is a traditional Native American word that means "feast" and "giving." Giving gifts to each opponent is an important aspect of each Potlatch tournament.