2014 U.S. Open Ultimate Championship & Convention Head To Twin Cities
Posted: November 6, 2013 10:57 AM
2014 U.S. OPEN ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIPS & CONVENTION HEAD TO TWIN CITIES
Blaine’s National Sports Center Set to Host World-Class Ultimate in Minneapolis-St. Paul Area
Boulder, Colo. (November 6, 2013)—The third-annual U.S. Open Ultimate Championships and Convention will head to Minnesota’s Twin Cities next year with the National Sports Center in Blaine hosting the four-day tournament July 3-6, USA Ultimate announced today.
Organized by USA Ultimate, the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) and Minnesota Youth Ultimate the 24-team international tournament will again serve as the opening leg of USA Ultimate’s Triple Crown Tour and feature some of the world’s best ultimate teams in the men’s, women’s and mixed divisions.
At 600 acres, the National Sports Center (NSC) is the largest amateur multi-sport and meeting facility in the world. The U.S. Open Ultimate Championships will utilize 15 of the NSC’s 52 world-class athletic fields, including the 8,500-seat NSC Stadium.
The 2014 U.S. Open Ultimate Championships will be covered live by ESPN as part of their exclusive coverage of the Triple Crown Tour.
"Minnesota Youth Ultimate and the Twin Cities ultimate community are pleased to host the U.S. Open in 2014," said Bruce Mebust, tournament director and chairman of Minnesota Youth Ultimate. "This is the first time we’ve been privileged to host this premier event with USA Ultimate and we look forward to delivering a quality, world-class tournament. We anticipate that hosting the U.S. Open will contribute to the continued development of the sport at all levels in the Twin Cities and Minnesota."
Launched in 2012, the U.S. Open Ultimate Championships and Convention feature a four-day tournament, as well as an international convention. The annual gathering of the worldwide ultimate community and industry serves to promote USA Ultimate’s mission of promoting Character, Community and Competition while providing interactive seminars, presentations and social events.
The venue selected to host the convention component of the event will be announced at a later date.
The Twin Cities has long been a thriving and supportive ultimate community. The National Sports Center has hosted the USA Ultimate Youth Club Championships since 2005, the 1998 WFDF World Ultimate Championships, and the area is home to several notable ultimate teams, including reigning mixed division national champion Drag‘n Thrust, men’s Elite Flight squad Sub Zero, and winners of the last four national titles in the masters division, Surly. Minnesota also has one of the most robust high school and youth ultimate scenes in the nation.
As one of the top four teams in the 2014 Triple Crown Tour’s Pro Flight, hometown favorite Drag ‘n Thrust automatically earns a bid to the invitation-only tournament and is excited about the opportunity to compete in a truly world-class tournament in its own backyard.
"Drag‘n Thrust is very much looking forward to battling top-level competition in front of family and friends and for the U.S. Open to experience the great Minneapolis Ultimate Community," commented team captain Josh Hemmesch.
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