USA Ultimate

The 2012 National Champions are making their U.S. Open debut in 2013, having missed last year’s competition to compete at the World Ultimate and Guts Championship. The first seed has seen some significant roster turnover this year, but much of it will be extremely beneficial. For starters, the team is adding ex-Revolver star handler Robbie Cahill and elite women’s leader Krista McDonald. Although Cahill and a few other key players won’t be attending the U.S. Open, the team is bound to be a contender for the title. Blackbird’s biggest competition might very well be local: Mischief and Polar Bears, both from the Bay Area, have the skill and determination to overcome the winning team. Will Blackbird be the Bay Area team that comes out on top?

After losing to Blackbird in a windy finals game at the 2012 Club Championships, Polar Bears are ready to begin the new season with a vengeful rawr. Polar Bears came away with the gold at the 2012 U.S. Open and are undoubtedly hoping to hold on to that title. The question is, will they be able to avenge their 2012 National Championships loss to Blackbird, or will their Bay Area rival get the best of them yet again? Polar Bears boast a 14-7 win over Blackbird early this season, so they have already gotten some revenge. Only time will tell whether Polar Bears will be able to come out on top despite the required travel and the North Carolina heat, but it’s looking good.

Drag’n Thrust is stronger than ever in 2013 after finishing last season with a semifinals loss to Blackbird at the 2012 Club Championships. The team has worked especially hard during the off-season, making significant gains in fitness and skill. DnT has experienced minimal roster upheaval, which will work to their advantage at this early tournament. They will undoubtedly spend less energy learning how to play with a new set of teammates than some other teams in the mixed division. Interestingly, Drag’n Thrust has 1-1 records over the past couple of years against Polar Bears, Odyssée and Ambiguous Grey. Expect to see some neck-and-neck rematches this week.

After tying for third at the 2012 Club Championships in Sarasota and besting the Polar Bears early this season, Mischief is ready to show the mixed division who’s boss. The team boasts a deep roster comprised of Mischief veterans who were a part of the National Championship team in 2006, such as Tyler Grant, Lori Eich and Beth Liebert, and new players such as Matt Crawford and Nemesis’ Candice Tse. The team wins games with consistent offense and plans to utilize that at the U.S. Open. But with 10 new players on their roster and only a few practices under their belt, Mischief’s offense has the potential to be rattled by a persistent and chaotic defense. Will they come out on top, or will competitors get the best of Mischief?

This Canadian team has the advantage of having competed at the Boston Invite before the U.S. Open which allowed their teammates to mesh in a high-pressure environment before arriving in Raleigh. Considering the U.S. Open is the first tournament of the season for many of the mixed teams in attendance, this may prove to be a huge advantage for them. Moreover, Odyssée has only two new male additions this year, and most of their players have competed with Odyssée for years. Unfortunately, two of their key players, Kevin Groulx and Caroline Cadotte, will be absent this weekend. Will Odyssée’s stable roster and early season tournament attendance give them the edge they need, or will missing star players shake their confidence?

Team Colombia has the potential to do some serious damage at the U.S. Open. The team’s roster includes the athletes that will play for Colombia at the World Games plus some add-ons. They will undoubtedly come out hard against the best teams from the United States. Although some team members played in the men’s division with Euforia at the 2012 U.S. Open, assume that this team will fare much better than any of last year’s Colombian teams. Watch for the athleticism and skill of Team Colombia’s female players; the Colombian women’s team won the 2012 World Junior Ultimate Championships, and there will likely be some roster overlap.

Despite having missed out on the 2011 and 2012 Club Championships, Ambiguous Grey is ready to prove that they belong at the 2013 U.S. Open. The D.C. team has some key additions to their team this year, most notably Jess Richárd and Paul Grabowski, both formerly of Death by Jubilee, and Knute Swenson of Renegade. Their new, younger set of athletic cutters, combined with a noticeably tougher tournament schedule and competitive outlook, will help this team succeed. Watch them against Drag’n Thrust on day one of play: the teams have played close, dramatic games against one another in the past two years.

Cahoots is truly the mixed division’s question mark, and that may well work to their advantage. Although they’ve lacked depth in the past, the Asheville, N.C., team has picked up some extremely skilled additions, including World Games veteran Cate Foster-Yackey, and has worked especially hard on fitness to improve their endurance. Although Cahoots doesn’t have tons of elite experience, they certainly have a home advantage. The North Carolina team is used to the heat and humidity and won’t have to endure jet lag. This team has heart, and they can only go up at the 2013 U.S. Open.