U.S. National Teams’ 2015 WCBU Campaigns Kick Off Sunday
Posted: March 4, 2015 11:40 AM
Colorado Springs, Colo. (March 4, 2015) – Over the next several days, more than 100 American athletes will be making their way to Dubai, U.A.E., to represent the United States and USA Ultimate at the 2015 World Championships of Beach Ultimate (WCBU).
The United States is one of only four nations sending seven teams, one each in the men’s, mixed, women’s, men’s masters, mixed masters, women’s masters and grandmasters divisions being contested at this year’s WCBU. Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom are the other three nations sending seven teams.
This year’s World Championships of Beach Ultimate will feature more than 1,000 athletes from 71 teams representing 25 nations. Nearly 400 games will be played on Jumeriah Beach over the course of the five-day event. Competition kicks off at 3:00pm (6:00am ET) local time on Sunday, March 8, when the U.S. women’s team faces off against Germany in the event’s opening showcase game.
The United States nearly swept all seven divisions at WCBU 2011, taking home six gold medals and a silver medal in the mixed masters division. This year’s teams will look to make it a clean sweep and all arrive in Dubai as the overall one seeds in their respective divisions. But ultimate around the world has progressed in the last four years, and plenty of nations will have their eyes on the U.S.
In particular, fan favorites the Philippines’ Boracay Dragons will surely provide plenty of excitement for everyone on the beaches of Dubai. After falling 9-13 to the U.S. men’s team in the finals in 2011, they are back for more. They have been working with U.S. strength and conditioning coach Tim Morrill twice a day, six days a week in the lead-up to this year’s Championships.
Both the mixed and women’s divisions had close calls in their 2011 finals victories, 9-8 over Germany and 10-9 over Canada, respectively. Because the mixed division includes pool play this year, the U.S. doesn’t have a chance to meeting Germany until bracket play, but the women’s team will face off against second-seeded Canada in their second game of the tournament – at 12:00pm local time Monday.
The U.S. victories in the 2011 masters division were less closely contested, although the grandmasters squad did suffer their only loss of the tournament at the hands of Austria before getting their revenge in the finals.
Of the 109 American athletes, 35 are veterans of the 2011 World Championships of Beach Ultimate. The men’s squad looks the most familiar, with five returners on the 15-man roster. Competition at the World Championships of Beach Ultimate are played under the WFDF Rules of Beach Ultimate which designates 5 v. 5 play with roster limits set at 15 for the men’s, mixed and women’s divisions and 17 for grandmasters and all masters divisions.
The sheer size of the United States makes team training sessions logistically difficult to arrange in the lead-up to the World Championships. Many U.S. athletes met and competed together at Lei Out in mid-January, but for most, that weekend was the extent of their team training. Each team will need to find chemistry quickly to be successful in Dubai.
Follow along with the U.S. teams on Twitter (@USAUltimateWCBU), and stay tuned to usaultimate.org for daily updates on the action from Dubai.
WCBU 2015 Fast Facts
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Event Information
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2015 U.S. Beach National Teams
Mixed
Name
|
City, ST |
Current/Most Recent Team |
| Adam Raty |
San Mateo, CA |
Polar Bears |
| An-Chi Tsou |
Berkeley, CA |
Polar Bears |
| Bob Liu |
Ames, IA |
Machine |
| Byron Liu |
Atlanta, GA |
Chain Lightning |
| Claire Desmond |
San Francisco, CA |
Fury |
| Eli Friedman |
Portland, OR |
Rhino |
| Greg Marliave |
Berkeley, CA |
Polar Bears |
| Jenny Fey |
Arlington, VA |
Ant Madness |
| Kevin Cocks |
Sacramento, CA |
Polar Bears |
| Kiran Thomas |
Austin, TX |
Doublewide* |
| Markham Shofner |
Washington, DC |
Truck Stop |
| Natasha Won |
Pleasanton, CA |
Polar Bears |
| Nicky Spiva |
New Orleans, LA |
Chain Lightning |
| Raha Mozaffari |
Philadelphia, PA |
AMP |
| Samantha McClellan |
Washington DC |
Scandal |
Open
Name
|
City, ST |
Current/Most Recent Team |
| Alan Kolick |
Washington, DC |
Truck Stop |
| Asa Wilson |
Atlanta, GA |
Chain Lightning |
| Brett Matzuka |
Raleigh, NC |
Johnny Bravo |
| David Cranston |
Arlington, VA |
Truck Stop |
| Frank Devin Barich |
Seattle, WA |
Sockeye |
| Jack Hatchett |
Somerville, MA |
Ironside |
| Jack Marsh |
Piermont, NY |
PoNY |
| Jack McShane |
Westminster, CO |
Johnny Bravo |
| Jared Inselmann |
Decatur, GA |
Chain Lightning |
| Jonathan Helton |
Chicago, IL |
Machine |
| Mario O’Brien |
Seattle, WA |
Sockeye |
| Mark Poole |
Atlanta, GA |
Chain Lightning |
| Teddy Browar-Jarus |
Somerville, MA |
Ironside |
| Tyler DeGirolamo |
Bellevue, PA |
Temper |
| Tyler Kinley |
Seattle, WA |
Sockeye |
Women's
Name
|
City, ST |
Current/Most Recent Team |
| Anna Nazarov |
San Francisco, CA |
Fury |
| Becky Malinowski |
Somerville, MA |
Brute Squad |
| Claire Chastain |
Boulder, CO |
Molly Brown |
| Claudia Tajima |
Medford, MA |
Brute Squad |
| Cree Howard |
Oakland, CA |
Fury |
| Jessi Jones |
Raleigh, NC |
Phoenix |
| Kristin Franke |
Princeton, NJ |
Scandal |
| Liza Minor |
Iowa City, IA |
Heist |
| Nora Carr |
Seattle, WA |
Riot |
| Qxhna Titcomb |
Medford, MA |
Brute Squad |
| Rohre Titcomb |
Seattle, WA |
Riot |
| Sally Mimms |
San Francisco, CA |
Nightlock |
| Sara Miller |
Chicago, IL |
Nemesis |
Mixed Masters
| Name |
City, ST |
Current/Most Recent Team |
| Bridget Kane |
Plymouth, MN |
Pop |
| Chris Gwinner |
Decatur, GA |
Reckon |
| Daniel Furfari |
Conshohocken, PA |
AMP |
| Danny Clark |
Jamaica Plain, MA |
Ironside |
| Joel Wooten |
Columbia, SC |
Chain Lightning |
| Keegan Uhl |
West Hollywood, CA |
LA Metro* |
| Kimberly Beach |
Harrisburg, PA |
Scandal |
| Lori Eich |
Chicago, IL |
Mischief |
| Matt Schmucker |
Jamison, PA |
Philly Masters |
| Maureen McCamley |
Atlanta, GA |
Bucket |
| Nick Poore |
Cary, NC |
Boneyard |
| Rachel Poore |
Cary, NC |
Slow White* |
| Remy Schor |
Playa del Rey, CA |
Mischief |
| Sean Murray |
Morristown, NJ |
SHUYAMOUF |
| Trey Katzenbach |
Gladwyne, PA |
AMP |
| Tyler Grant |
San Francisco, CA |
Mischief |
Open Masters
Name
|
City, ST |
Current/Most Recent Team |
| Brett Kolinek |
Chicago, IL |
Machine |
| Chuck Kindred |
Milwaukee, WI |
7 Figures* |
| Dan Gillick |
Oakland, CA |
Blackbird |
| Don Tom |
Houston, TX |
Space City Ignite |
| Greg Husak |
Santa Barbara, CA |
Condors |
| Jason Rector |
Asheville, NC |
Cahoots |
| Joe Iannacone |
Austin, TX |
Cosa Nostra |
| John Sandahl |
Minneapolis, MN |
T.C. Imperial |
| Kevin Ryan |
Columbus, OH |
Madcow |
| Matt Wilken |
Ann Arbor, MI |
High Five |
| Michael Kapoor |
Sheridan, CO |
Inception |
| Ray Illian |
Seattle, WA |
Sockeye |
| Ricky Eikstadt |
Ann Arbor, MI |
Surly |
| Ryan Balch |
Baltimore, MD |
Reckon |
| Sean McCall |
Houston, TX |
Space City Ignite |
| Timmy Murray |
Brevard, NC |
Cahoots |
| Webster McBride |
Brooklyn, NY |
Horse |
Women's Masters
Name
|
City, ST |
Current/Most Recent Team |
| Angela Lin |
Atlanta, GA |
Ozone |
| Becky LeDonne |
Madison, WI |
Dish |
| Brittany Winner |
Boulder, CO |
Steamboat |
| Crystal Davis |
Washington DC |
Scandal |
| Dominique Fontenette |
Portland, OR |
Riot |
| Erika Swanson |
Pasadena, CA |
7 Figures |
| Heather Ann Brauer |
Seattle, WA |
Underground |
| Jessica Blanton |
La Jolla, CA |
7 Figures* |
| June Srisethnil |
South San Francisco, CA |
Darkhorse* |
| Kate Kingery |
Seattle, WA |
Riot |
| Kelly Bolt |
Chicago, IL |
Nemesis |
| Manisha Daryani |
San Francisco, CA |
Fury |
| Rachel Holz |
San Francisco, CA |
Blackbird |
| Tina Woodings |
Austin, TX |
Showdown |
| Tracy Woo |
Cambridge, MA |
Godiva |
| Trudy Philip |
Seattle, WA |
Underground |
Grandmasters
| Name |
City, ST |
Current/Most Recent Team |
| Aaron Moredock |
Cane Ridge, TN |
Reckon |
| Adam Goff |
New York, NY |
Georgetown Brewing |
| Alex de Frondeville |
Arlington, MA |
No Country |
| Arnold Sanchez |
Brooklyn, NY |
No Country |
| Billy Maroon |
Philadelphia, PA |
No Country* |
| David Turell |
Durham, NH |
Reckon* |
| Eric Olson |
Encinitas, CA |
No Country |
| Frankus Flores |
Oakland, CA |
Shadows |
| Fritz Burkhardt |
South Burlington, VT |
No Country |
| Gabe Fuzat |
Pearland, TX |
Tejas |
| Gary LeDonne |
Western Springs, IL |
WSUC |
| Jim Parinella |
Sudbury, MA |
No Country |
| John Hammond |
Atlanta, GA |
Reckon |
| Jon Meade |
Nashville, TN |
Reckon |
| Matthew Krei |
Aurora, CO |
Johnny Encore |
| Stephen LaCrosse |
Indianapolis, IN |
Georgetown Brewing |
| Steve Dugan |
Santa Barbara, CA |
No Country |
*Not on a 2014 team roster
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