USA Ultimate

U.S. Dominates Spirit Scores in Addition to Medal Stand at Worlds

U.S. squads didn’t just score high on the leaderboard this past weekend at the World Ultimate Club Championships; they also walked away with high scores in the Spirit category. With the growth of Ultimate throughout the world, critics have questioned whether or not Spirit of the Game is lost on American squads. But judging by the results from last week, any debate should be put rest after the 19 teams that represented the U.S. on the international playing field received big scores in the Spirit rankings.

In the Open division, Sockeye may have had a disappointing loss to Revolver in the gold-medal game, but they came out on top of the overall Spirit standings with a 15.4 ranking. Not far behind was Chain Lighting in second place with a score of 15. In fact, the two U.S. squads were the only two teams to receive a rating of 15 or higher in the Open division, despite a total of 48 teams in the competition. Also, with a 14.1 ranking, Ironside gave the U.S. three of the top-four Spirit slots, just behind Bunka Shutter Buzz Bullets of Japan. Also receiving scores above 12 in the Open division were Revolver and Doublewide, scoring 13.4 and 12.0 respectively.

For the women, Riot finished with a 13.1 rating, placing them just behind Germany’s Woodchicas for the second-best mark. Just behind them, the gold medal winning team of Fury finished the weeklong event with an impressive 12.9 rating. Showdown received a 12.8 to give the U.S. three teams in the top five.  

In the Mixed division, Germany swept the podium in the Spirit category, but the Chad Larson Experience and Quiet Coyote finished fourth and fifth respectively with a 14.7 and 14.5 rating. Just off the pace was Axis of C’Ville and the bronze medal team of Mental Toss Flycoons with a 14.3 and 13.9.

With a 15.3, Surly scored the highest Spirit score of the American masters squads, placing third with a 15.3. Gold medalist Troubled Past received a 12.8, the 13^th best score of 16 teams while O.L.D. S.A.G. was last with a 12.1 ranking.

The Spirit scores were calculated by a form that each team filled out after the game. It broke Spirit down into four components, which the team then ranked with a score of 1-5. The form also asked the team to rank their own Spirit throughout the game in order to put their own perception into perspective. The high marks of the United States helps show the world that the U.S. is a great leader in the sport of Ultimate which understands the need to keep integrity and Spirit of the Game intact.