FIELD OF TEAMS ANNOUNCED FOR U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Pro Flight Teams, International Squads and Local Favorites Heading to Raleigh, N.C. in July
Boulder, Colo. (May 10, 2013)—The top Pro Flight teams, eight international squads and a pair of local favorites highlight the list of teams set to compete at the second annual U.S. Open Championships in Raleigh, N.C., USA Ultimate announced today.
Scheduled for July 4-7, the U.S. Open Ultimate Championships & Convention serves as both the kick off to the inaugural Triple Crown Tour and the annual industry gathering of the Ultimate community.
The Triple Crown Tour’s Pro Flight is comprised of the nation’s best Ultimate teams in three divisions (Men, Women & Mixed). The top four ranked teams in each division earn a bid to the U.S. Open.
Pro Flight teams competing in the Men’s Division in Raleigh include 2012 National Champion Doublewide (Austin, Texas), Revolver (San Francisco, Calif.), Ironside (Boston, Mass.) and hometown favorite Ring of Fire (Raleigh, N.C.).
The top four Pro Flight teams in the Women’s Division confirmed for the U.S. Open include seven-time defending national champions Fury (San Francisco, Calif.), defending U.S. Open Champion Riot (Seattle, Wash.), Scandal (Washington, D.C.) and Showdown (Austin, Texas).
Two-time defending national champions Blackbird (San Francisco, Calif.), 2012 U.S. Open Champions Polar Bears (San Francisco, Calif.), Drag N’ Thrust (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Mischief (San Francisco, Calif.) represent the Mixed Division’s top Pro Flight teams competing in Raleigh.
Highlighting the international field and challenging the best the U.S. has to offer are teams from North & South America, Europe and Asia.
Canada and Colombia are fielding teams in all three divisions, while Japan and Denmark are sending teams in the Women’s and Men’s Divisions respectively. These four countries represent some of the top Ultimate nations in the world, highlighted by Japan’s world title in the Women’s Division of the 2012 WFDF World Ultimate Championships and Canada’s gold-medal performance in the Mixed Division and double bronze effort in the Men’s and Women’s Divisions. Colombia continues to be an international force and up-and-coming nation, winning a gold and silver at last year’s World Junior Ultimate Championships, while Denmark took home the bronze medal from the 2012 European Championships.
Joining the Pro Flight squads from the U.S. and the international teams are several other notable Triple Crown Tour teams. Phoenix (Raleigh, N.C.) adds some more local flavor to the women’s field and Ambiguous Grey (Washington, D.C.) joins the mixed field.
"We are thrilled that the field of competing teams includes the top Pro Flight squads, local Raleigh-based teams and a significantly improved international contingent compared to a year ago," said USA Ultimate CEO Tom Crawford. "And there was a ton of interest from even more international teams, but unfortunately preparation for the World Games later this summer prevented some of those teams from attending in 2013, although many expressed interest in getting a bid in 2014. This opened up the opportunity for several additional U.S. teams to participate, each of whom will have the chance to further showcase the depth of quality teams in the Triple Crown Tour. We feel fortunate because in many ways, we couldn’t ask for a better scenario to kick off the inaugural Triple Crown Tour – a deep and talented field of teams, live coverage with ESPN, a world-class hotel to host the Ultimate industry’s annual convention, a passionate fan base, and the support of a local community steeped in Ultimate tradition with their local teams competing for the U.S. Open title. With the lineup of phenomenal speakers we have for the convention, and the youth clinics and programs, everyone should start making plans to attend what will be a wicked fun and action-packed weekend!"
The USA Ultimate Triple Crown Tour represents the highest level of competitive Ultimate in the world and kicks off with the U.S. Open – a four-day, world-class tournament and industry convention designed to celebrate USA Ultimate’s mission of promoting Character, Community and Competition.
Live coverage of the Triple Crown Tour, including the U.S. Open and the National Championships will be provided by ESPN.