El ECC cuenta con nuestra presencia

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ECC 2009 PREVIEW

Initial Planning Underway

Seattle, WA - Tournament organizers have started initial preparations for ECC '09, and are excited about the possibilities.

The Emerald City Classic has grown into one of the premier Ultimate tournaments in the world. Arguably stronger than any tournament outside of the UPA Series over the past 5 years, ECC continues to draw the top teams from North America in the Men's and Women's divisions. Recently, an equally strong Mixed division has been added. ECC '09 looks to continue the trends and maintains the same goals: Great games for great teams with great fields, long rounds, and personalized organization.

This year's tournament will be held August 13-16 in Burlington, WA. ECC will continue the highly-effective cooperation with the mixed tournament Spawnfest. Ben Wiggins will be returning as Tournament Director, and will oversee the Men's, Women's and Mixed division invitations and initial planning.

With field reservations for 4 days, ECC'09 has increased capacity for international teams. On the Women's side, interest from British, Colombian and commitments from two Japanese teams highlight the team list. On the Men's side, final negotiations are ongoing with the UK's Clapham, Colombia's Kie, Venezuela's Warao, Japan's Buzz Bullets and Loquitos, and Sweden's Skogskyddans. Interest has been received in both divisions from Australian and Philippino teams. Initial invites to North American teams have gone out in both divisions, and response has been strong. Mixed division invites will go out this week. Thursday, August 13th will be a global day, as international teams will descend on Burlington and play each other. The US/Canadian teams will join in on Friday. Championship games will be held on Sunday, 3pm PST.

Tournament title-sponsors Patagonia return, and Ultivillage will be covering the event. The UPA Observer program is working on providing a well-trained crew of game officials, and DiscNW, Seattle Sockeye and Spawnfest Directors from Bellingham Ultimate will again provide logistical assistance. A full medical staff will be on hand. The-Huddle.org will be analyzing games in all divisions.

Bids will be given out over the next two months, after which a full panel of teams will be announced. If your team is interested in attending ECC '09 in the Men's, Women's, or Mixed division, please contact the tournament director at benlwiggins@gmail.com.

ECC '09 has the potential to be one of the best tournaments ever played in the US. This will be excellent preparation for Prague 2010. Stay tuned for more details, and teams are encouraged to proactively contact the TD for bid information.

Photos courtesy of Scobel Wiggins Photography.