Disc-overing a new pro sport for Charlotte
Plus: New CMS superintendent says safety is job No. 1; Housing market continues to cool; New exclusive social club in SouthPark opens; Duplex and triplex rules to be discussed
Good morning! Today is Monday, May 22, 2023. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Need to subscribe — or upgrade your Ledger e-newsletter subscription? Details here.
Today's Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by T.R. Lawing Realty:
The commissioner of the men’s Ultimate Frisbee professional league wants to bring a team to Charlotte; 24 teams now play across the U.S. and Canada
Players competed in Charlotte Ultimate’s “Needle in a Ho-Stack” tournament on March 25 at Ramblewood Park in Charlotte. About 250 adults participate in Charlotte Ultimate’s leagues during the spring. (Photo by Brent Powell)
by Lindsey Banks
Ultimate Frisbee could soon join Charlotte’s roster of professional sports.
The American Ultimate Disc League, (AUDL) a professional men’s Ultimate Frisbee league, is looking to add two more teams in the South, and Charlotte could be on the list. Steve Hall, the CEO and commissioner of the league, said he is putting together an investor group for a Charlotte-based team that could start in late 2024 or early 2025.
Charlotte’s identity as a sports city has grown in recent years, as pro soccer entered the scene alongside professional football, basketball and minor-league hockey and baseball. Ultimate Frisbee, called “Ultimate” by the sport, is played with two teams of seven players who pass a disc to each other with the goal of getting it in the other team’s end zone.
Charlotte has had an Ultimate Frisbee pro team before. In 2015 and 2016, a team called Charlotte Express competed in the league and practiced at Johnson C. Smith University. But Hall, who owned the team, said the city’s Ultimate market for players and fans was small, and he wanted to gain more experience in the sports entertainment world in Atlanta’s larger market.
AUDL has 24 teams across North America, with 22 in the U.S. and two in Canada. The Ultimate season runs from May through July with 12 games in a season, and the postseason is in August.
The league is in its “next phase of growth,” Hall said. He wants to expand from 24 to 28 teams, including two teams in the South Division. The other Southern cities being considered are Nashville and New Orleans, he said.
The South Division includes Austin Sol, Dallas Legion and Houston Havoc in Texas, the Atlanta Hustle, and the Carolina Flyers in Raleigh. Hall said the Triangle has a large Ultimate scene (likely due to the cluster of colleges with club-level Ultimate teams), and although Charlotte’s scene is smaller, it has the potential to grow.
Potential as a pro town: Charlotte Ultimate is an active community that hosts leagues in different areas of Charlotte. It has roughly 250 adult players and 100 to 200 youth players each season, according to Will Heisner, the executive director of Charlotte Ultimate.
Local universities like UNC Charlotte and Davidson College also have Ultimate teams.
Heisner, 27, said Charlotte’s Ultimate Frisbee scene isn’t as large as some areas of North Carolina such as the Triangle, but it’s been growing quickly over the past few years. He thinks that a pro team in Charlotte would help bring more people to the sport.
“The sport and the community sell themselves,” Heisner said. “I don’t think I’ve encountered many people who tried it out and didn’t enjoy it. We just need help getting more people to discover the sport, and I know an AUDL team could help do that.”
Charlotte “checks all the boxes” when it comes to infrastructure and a city with interest in sports, Hall said. “As I look at Charlotte from a business perspective, I think we’ve got a good opportunity. Not a huge Ultimate crowd when you compare it to some of the other cities around the U.S., but I think we’ve got a great couple of places we could play.”
One of those places is the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews. If that sports complex didn’t exist, the league would probably not be considering Charlotte as the South’s newest team, Hall said.
Most professional Ultimate Frisbee players don’t make enough to support themselves as an athlete financially, so they often have to work day jobs. (Each season, they can earn from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand — more of a stipend than a salary, Hall says.) The job market is a quality the league considers before bringing a team into a city.
Fielding players: The league primarily focuses on recruiting athletes who played Ultimate in college, although there will be a public tryout soon. They’ll focus on recruiting people from the Triangle, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
“As Charlotte has grown and diversified its business, that makes it easier for me to get people who play to look at Charlotte as a place to go,” Hall said.
The league is trying to diversify the sport and recruit athletes from outside of the Ultimate scene.
“We think there are actually a lot of athletes who don't make the NFL, the NBA, the MLB, who could crossover and become Ultimate players because they have some transferable skill sets,” Hall said.
Football, basketball, soccer and lacrosse players understand the spacing that’s required in Ultimate, and they also have hand-eye coordination, speed and high vertical jumps.
Exposure is another perk that Hall uses to recruit players, especially those from other sports. Every year, Ultimate typically has five to 10 plays featured in ESPN SportsCenter’s Top Ten moments, he said.
“You can get the exposure; you can be on national television,” Hall said, “so why not take all that — great athletics, the athletic skill you have to apply it to something else, which is Ultimate? We’ll teach you how to throw. We can teach you that, and again, you get exposure and majors pick you up, and you leave after a year and get picked up by the major sports.”
One AUDL “game of the week” is broadcast each week on Fox Sports 2, and games are also streamed on the league’s service called AUDL.TV.
Once the Charlotte investor group is formed, Hall said they’ll talk about a team name. The former name Charlotte Express from 2015 is not completely off the table, but the group could choose to rebrand, he said.
Lindsey Banks is a staff reporter for The Ledger: lindsey@cltledger.com
Today’s supporting sponsors are Landon A. Dunn, attorney-at-law in Matthews…
… and CLT Public Relations, the experts in Charlotte politics. Specializing in municipal lobbying, real estate advocacy, public affairs management and professional networking within the greater Charlotte Region.
New CMS superintendent: ‘Safety is our No.1 priority’
Crystal Hill, who was selected as superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Friday in a 6-3 school board vote, says her first priority is safety.
“Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on safety,” Hill said at a Friday afternoon news conference. “Safety is our No. 1 priority — safety for our students, our staff, their family members, the community. They all deserve to be safe.”
Hill has served as interim superintendent since Jan. 1. Now that her superintendent role is permanent, she said she plans to continue her focus on improving reporting systems for sex-based discrimination, known as Title IX; developing a new strategic plan; and setting goals for student achievement — which includes improving reading scores among Black and Hispanic 3rd-grade students.
Hill’s four-year contract includes a base salary of $300,000, according to board meeting documents.
Summer Nunn, who was one of the three “no” votes at the Friday board meeting that appointed the new superintendent, said that the school board is 100% behind Hill.
“We, as a board, actually have delivered on a much stronger [search] process than previous boards have in the past,” Nunn said. “Ultimately, it was a tough decision. Dr. Hill is going to do a tremendous job. It’s just a difference of opinion, but we are all 100% behind her success.”
Asked about school assignment changes in south Charlotte and new school boundaries, Hill said she’s planning for the vote to take place on June 6, despite some parents’ request to delay the vote.—LB
➡️ Want to hear more from Hill? New CMS superintendent Crystal Hill discussed student safety, teacher retention, transparency and more in a Q&A with The Charlotte Observer and WSOC. You can read the transcript here.
No spring housing boost: Charlotte region home prices fall again; April’s new listings and sales decline from March
The Charlotte region’s housing market remained quieter than usual in April, with the median sales price declining year-over-year for the third straight month, new data shows.
And despite hopes that spring would bring its usual surge of new listings and sales, the number of houses placed on the market in April actually declined compared with March — which had not happened since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Sales fell month-over-month, too.
Higher-than-typical interest rates are making houses more expensive for buyers, and sellers are reluctant to part with their homes because most have rates than are far lower than today’s rates. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 6.99% last week, according to Bankrate.
Real estate agents have described current conditions as balanced, in a shift from the sellers’ market of the last few years, with the supply of available houses still tight.
Figures from Canopy Realtor Association show…
There were 4,349 new listings in the Charlotte region in April, down 25% from a year earlier — and about 500 fewer than in March. About 1/3 of the region’s new listings were in Mecklenburg (1,571), a figure that’s down 31% from a year ago and about 300 fewer than in March.
The region’s median sales price in April, $375,900, is down 1.1% from a year ago. It was the third straight month of declines in the region. Mecklenburg’s median sales price, $427,795, was up 2.3% over a year earlier.
The number of closings in the Charlotte region fell 22% year-over-year, and they were down nearly 27% in Mecklenburg.
—TM
Newly opened golf-simulator social club in SouthPark is so exclusive, we couldn’t get in for a peek
An upscale new social club in SouthPark for people who enjoy playing on golf simulators opened quietly last week at the Apex SouthPark development.
Often, when new places open, they’ll crank out the press releases and leak mouth-watering photos of food and “craft cocktail programs” to friendly media. But not so with Intown Golf Club, who we couldn’t get to return our calls or emails last week. Sniff.
The new club might be shooting for a low-key debut. The Ledger reported last October that club initiation fees range from $3,500 for members under age 35 to $8,500 for families, plus monthly dues that range from $150 to $360. A brochure at the time said the club would have TrackMan golf simulators that offer “a convenient and weather-proof setting where you can play 18 holes in 45 minutes, day or night, rain or shine.” Axios Charlotte subsequently reported that the 13,000 s.f. space also includes a restaurant and bar, and that there was a waitlist to join.
The new Intown Golf Club in SouthPark has initiation fees of $3,500+ and offers golf simulators, a putting green and a bar and restaurant.
We dropped in a couple times last week, through a large unmarked door by the Hyatt Centric hotel. (The adjacent putting green was a giveaway — though we didn’t see anyone putting or out on the porch.) Enthusiastic greeters informed us that the club opened last week. However, they politely rebuffed our efforts to “take a look around” and said tours are by appointment only, so we’re unable to tell you just how boujee it is beyond the reception desk.
However, we nabbed a tour appointment for Tuesday through the club’s website, so maybe we can spill the beans later this week.
Additional Apex SouthPark note: Gourmand Market — a “unique gourmet food market and bar that offers a carefully curated selection of specialty items, artisanal drinks, and local flavors” — is in its soft opening stage and has its grand opening later this week. Last week, just the bar and kitchen were open, not the market part. It’s next to Steak 48. —TM
Related Ledger article:
“Private social club for golfers headed to Apex SouthPark” (Oct. 10, 2022)
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
THURSDAY: SouthPark After Five, 5-9 p.m., Symphony Park. Free live music, food trucks and drinks, and hands-on art experiences are coming to Symphony Park at SouthPark After Five on May 25. Enjoy music from On The Border Eagles Tribute Band, plus make your own flower bouquets with Bentley’s Buds! This event series will continue every Thursday through June 1. Free.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
Tennis, UDO on the agenda: The Charlotte City Council tonight is scheduled to discuss the proposal for a tennis center in the River District development in west Charlotte, as well as the city’s plans to implement the Unified Development Ordinance provisions on duplexes and triplexes in neighborhoods.
‘Senior prank’ with property damage: Union County sheriff’s deputies are investigating a “senior prank” at Sun Valley High School in which students apparently poured honey onto electrical panels, printers and copiers and spread flour and toilet paper in the school’s hallways. (WBTV)
Republican candidate for governor: Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker declared his candidacy for governor on Saturday. He’ll face Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and State Treasurer Dale Folwell in the Republican primary. (Associated Press)
Walmart refresh? The Walmart at the Arboretum received a building permit for $16M in construction costs for “upfits, additions, repair,” according to county records.
Taking stock
Unless you are a day trader, checking your stocks daily is unhealthy. So how about weekly? How local stocks of note fared last week (through Friday’s close), and year to date:
Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 4 of our local newsletters:
➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.
➡️ Learn more about The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news through e-newsletters and on a website. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.
Social media: On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Sponsorship information/customer service: email support@cltledger.com.
Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project