USA Ultimate

USA ULTIMATE ANNOUNCES 2013 WORLD GAMES TEAM
U.S. National Team sets its sights on defending its 2009 gold medal in Colombia this summer

Boulder, Colo. (March 28, 2013) – USA Ultimate is pleased to announce the 20 people named to the U.S. National Team for the 2013 World Games. More than 500 people from across the United States applied to be considered for the 2013 National Team. Invitations to participate in one of two tryout camps, either in San Francisco or Washington, DC, were extended to 99 applicants, 78 of which attended the camps.

Given the vast amount of talent displayed by all the athletes at the training camps, the selection process was incredibly difficult. The coaching staff and selection committee worked tirelessly to be sure the players selected form the best possible team to represent the U.S. at the World Games. The final roster will be pared down to include 13 athletes (seven men, six women) before the team travels to Cali, Colombia this summer.

"The decision process was difficult for selecting such a small number of players but very easy to make a strong team given the depth of talent at the tryout events. The quality of play at both events was very high, and all of the tryouts showed they are world-class ultimate players. The athletes who were selected truly represent the best of ultimate in the United States, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them play together as the U.S. National Team," said head coach Alex Ghesquiere.

The World Games are scheduled to take place July 25-August 4. Ultimate teams from six nations will compete in the three-day flying disc tournament July 28-30. Participating teams will represent Australia, Canada, Colombia, Great Britain, Japan and the United States.

"The 20 men and women named to the National Team represent the best of the best from across the nation and were selected from a deeply talented pool of applicants. I am confident that these players, when paired with world-class coaches Alex Ghesquiere and Matty Tsang, have the talent and passion to win gold in Cali," said Ben Slade, chair of USA Ultimate’s International Committee and member of the U.S. National Team Selection Committee.

The National Team will have five practice weekends before the Games begin, the first of which is tentatively scheduled for May 11-12 in Boston where they will take on a group of local all-stars at an exhibition held in conjunction with USA Ultimate’s Northeastern High School Championships.

The 2005 and 2009 U.S. National Teams won gold at the World Games in Duisburg, Germany and Kaohshing, Taiwan. In 2001, at the first World Games’ Flying Disc competition, the U.S. team won silver.

USA Ultimate National Team Staff

Byron Hicks Team Leader Parker, CO		Alex Ghesquire Head Coach Washington, DC		Matt Tsang Assistant Coach Oakland, CA

Athletic Trainer: Josh Markette (Medford, Mass.)

USA Ultimate National Team

Georgia Bosscher Madison, WI Club: Heist College(s): Wheaton, Wisconsin		Cara Crouch Austin, TX Club: Showdown College(s): Texas		Ryan Farrell Boulder, CO Club: Johnny Bravo College(s): William & Mary
Sarah Griffith Seattle, WA Club: Riot College(s): Michigan		Cree Howard Oakland, CA Club: Fury College(s): California		Sandy Jorgensen Washington, DC Club: Scandal College(s): Wisconsin
Ashlin Joye San Francisco, CA Club: Revolver College(s): California-Davis		Beau Kittredge San Francisco, CA Club: Revolver College(s): Colorado		Brett Matzuka Raleigh, NC Club: Ring of Fire College(s): Queensland, North Carolina State
Mike Natenberg Austin, TX Club: Doublewide College(s): Texas		Anna Nazarov San Francisco, CA Club: Fury College(s): UCLA		Octavia Payne Washington, DC Club: Scandal College(s): Pennsylvania
Alex Snyder Madison, WI Club: Fury College(s): Colorado		Chase Sparling-Beckley Portland, OR Club: Rhino College(s): Carleton College		Nicky Spiva New Orleans, LA Club: Chain Lightning College(s): Colorado College, McGill
George Stubbs Somerville, MA Club: Ironside College(s): Harvard		Mac Taylor San Francisco, CA Club: Revolver College(s): Colorado		Rohre Titcomb Seattle, WA Club: Riot College(s): Dartmouth
Dylan Tunnell Atlanta, GA Club: Chain Lightning College(s): Georgia		Russell Wynne San Francisco, CA Club: Revolver College(s): California-Santa Cruz

Athlete photos are available from USA Ultimate upon request for media use. For further information about USA Ultimate’s 2013 World Games team or to request athlete photos, please contact Andy Lee, USA Ultimate’s Director of Marketing & Communications at andy@hq.usaultimate.org or 303.447.3472.

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