WJUC 2010 site is up

Preliminary registration has started for WJUC 2010 on their website:  wjuc2010.de

WJUC 2010 will be held in Heilbronn, Germany which is where the WFDF World Ultimate and Guts Championships were held in 2000.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could look back to almost a decade ago and know what it was like back then in the olden days?

Luckily we can!  The WUGC 2000 site (http://wugc2000.ira.uka.de/en/home.htm) is still up and running with news, results, and final standings.  It’s interesting to note that the US Juniors finished 3rd in 2000 with Sweden taking the top spot over Canada.  Since then the US program has easily outpaced that of the rest of the world to handily defeat any and all teams.

If the US wins easily at WJUC this year (and U23 if they send a team…oh I hope they do) then I believe many countries will reconsider how their National teams for WUGC 2012 are selected.  Presently several countries (US and Canada included) allow the National Champions from the year prior to WUGC to select the National team.  A National tryout and selection system would move Ultimate towards how more popular sports select their National teams.

Naysayers will say that selecting players to a National team loses the crucial chemistry that allow the elite club teams to operate efficiently and make amazing plays.  I respond with a couple of examples:

1. To quote Tom Styles:  “Hassell/Grant Combo”.  How often did these two Team Canada players stun the world during the 2008 Finals?  Teammates only for WUGC, Hassell plays for GOAT and Grant for Furious, their connection during the Finals helped Canada to the Gold.
2. Team Canada and Team USA at Potlatch defeating every team that go in their way up to the finals.  National Selection systems work.

More examples needed?  We’ll have them at the U23s and WJUC.  Until then I leave you with the following:

1. Photos from WUGC 2000 by Eva Roth (note:  I had originally credited the page to Eva Thomas whereas it was Eva Roth that actually took the photos):  http://www.eva-thomas.de/wugc2000/
2. Last and heavily contested point in the Open finals from WUGC 2000:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au4aX4-29Ck