WCBU 2017 USA Player Leaderboard

WFDF's World Championships of Beach Ultimate (WCBU) were a success for the seven USA beach ultimate National teams. Updating earlier O stats using the provided WCBU data, here is a compilation of the offensive leaders for all the USA Ultimate teams in France.

By DIVISION: TOP-5 OFFENSIVE U.S. PLAYERS at WCBU 2017

TOP U.S. GOAL SCORERS [18 or more goals]
27 = Emily Smith-Wilson (MWMN)
25 = Paul Raymond Illian (MMEN), Calise Cardenas (WMN)
24 = Becky Malinowski (WMN), Kelly Swiryn (GRDM)
23 = Cassidy Rasmussen (MEN), Melissa Gibbs (MWMN)
22 = Tyler DeGirolamo (MEN), Casey Degan (MMEN)
21 = Dominique Fontenette  (MMIX)
19 = Moses Rifkin  (MMEN), Courtney Kiesow (MWMN)
18 = Owen Westbrook (MMIX), Barrs Lang (MMEN), AJ Nelson (MEN)

HIGHEST GOALS per GAME [minimum of 1.5 goal/game]
2.3 = Paul Raymond Illian (MMEN)
2.2 = Kelly Swiryn (GRDM)
2.1 = Emily Smith-Wilson (MWMN)
2.0 = Casey Degan (MMEN)
1.9 = Calise Cardenas (WMN)
1.8 = Becky Malinowski (WMN), Tyler DeGirolamo (MEN), Cassidy Rasmussen (MEN),
Melissa Gibbs (MWMN)
1.7 = Moses Rifkin (MMEN)
1.6 = Barrs Lang (MMEN), Dominique Fontenette (MMIX), Jeremy Clark (GRDM)
1.5 = Courtney Kiesow (MWMN)

ASSIST U.S. LEADERS [17 or more assists]
33 = Robyn Wiseman (MWMN)
26 = Paige Soper (WMN)
24 = Keven Moldenhauer (GRDM)
22 = Calvin Oung (MMIX), Angela Lin (MWMN)
21 = Cassidy Rasmussen (MEN), Keegan Uhl (MMIX)
20 = Jared Inselmann (MEN), Cree Howard (WMN)
19 = Moses Rifkin (MMEN), Tom Doi (MMEN)
18 = Tyler DeGirolamo (MEN), Peter Prial (MEN), Tim Murray(GRDM)
17 = Simon Higgins (MIX), Greg Husak (GRDM), Ben Van Heuvelen (MMEN)

HIGHEST ASSISTS per GAME [minimum of 1.5 assist/game]
2.5 = Robyn Wiseman (MWMN)
2.2 = Keven Moldenhauer (GRDM)
2.0 = Paige Soper (WMN)
1.7 = Moses Rifkin (MMEN), Tom Doi (MMEN), Calvin Oung (MMIX), Angela Lin (MWMN)
1.6 = Tim Murray (GRDM), Cassidy Rasmussen (MEN), Keegan Uhl (MMIX)
1.5 = Greg Husak (GRDM), Ben Van Heuvelen (MMEN), Jared Inselmann (MEN), Cree Howard (WMN), Tyler DeGirolamo (MEN)

Congratulations to USA National Beach Ultimate Teams at WCBU

Congratulations to all U.S. National ultimate Team players, coaches and staff involved with winning a combined 8 medals - 7 gold and 1 silver - in France and in Portugal at WFDF's 2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate. With sand-sational performances and achievements, you are deserving of a parade!

Recognition of the 120 athletes from the U.S. teams:

Consider this your virtual ticker tape parade with color-coded confetti(refer to the key for each division).

Chart: Medals Won at 2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate (France)

Seven (7) different countries medaled at the WFDF/BULA World Championships of Beach Ultimate in Royan, France. The United States led all countries with 7 medals - 6 gold + 1 silver - in the 7 divisions. Russia won their first ever gold medal at WCBU.

Countries By WCBU Medal Division
Gold (2)
Russia
USA

Silver (4)
Canada
France
Great Britain
USA

Bronze (5)
Australia
Canada
France
Germany
Great Britain


[Data via WCBU; chart by SLUDGE]

U.S. Beach Ultimate Teams Win 6 of 7 WCBU Divisions, Falls Short of Sweep

All the US National beach ultimate teams advanced to their respective finals at World Championships of Beach Ultimate in France, yet the sweep was denied by the Russian team in the Women's division final.

Overall, U.S. medaled in every division - 6 golds (men's, mixed, men's masters, mixed masters, women's masters and grand masters divisions) and 1 silver (women). Congrats to all U.S. players for their amazing accomplishment.

Results of World Great Grand Masters Beach Ultimate Championships 2017

Congrats to the inaugural World Great Grand Masters Beach Ultimate Championships 2017.

The results of the international WGGMBUC tournament in Portugal:

Gold: USA (13-3 over Canada)
Silver: Canada
Bronze: Austria (13-9  over Germany)

Chart: Club Teams of U.S. Rosters at World Championships of Beach Ultimate

Forty one different club teams are represented across the seven USA National teams competing at World Championships of Beach Ultimate.

San Francisco Fury is the represented the most with 9 players. There are 23 club teams with more than 1 WCBU player, and 18 club teams with one WCBU player.

[Club team data based on 2016 or most recent USAU roster data; chart by SLUDGE]

RECAP: 2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate Teams in the Semifinals

One hundred nineteen (119) countrie across 7 divisions competed in France at WFDF's World Championships of Beach Ultimate. Here are the divisional semifinalists:

Follow the remaining beach ultimate games to crown the WCBU champs.

Events Sites of World Championships of Beach Ultimate

Here are the five locations of the World Championships of Beach Ultimate:

2004: Figueira da Foz, Portugal
2007: Maceio, Brazil
2011: Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy
2015: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2017: Royan, France

[updated from original WCBU post.]

WCBU Logo Maps Location of 2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate

Let's dig deeper about the logo for WFDF's 2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate.

Obviously, the blue-white-red logo colors match the flag of France.

Also, the outline of France can be seen subtley etched in the disc shape.

Moreover, the specific location of the international beach tournament - Royan - is embedded within the country's boundary. Royan is a seaside resort town on France's Atlantic coast -- look for the dot.

2017 WCBU Stats for USA Beach Ultimate Teams

The 7 U.S. beach ultimate teams at 2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate are off to a hot start. Here is a current compilation of the top-3 offensive players on each U.S. divisional squad.

[Stats via WCBU 2017; chart by SLUDGE]

Chart: WCBU 2017 Teams per Country by Division

The international competition has begun in Royan France at the 2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate. A total of 119 teams from around the world are playing beach ultimate this week at WCBU.

Six countries have teams participating in all 7 divisions: Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, and USA.

[NOTES: Guam and Currier Island are considered countries for this data visual]

MAP: Participating Countries at WCBU 2017

Thirty eight countries from five continents (plus the Currier Island) are represented at the 2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate.

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Currier Island, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guam, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Venezuela.

WCBU starts in Royan, France on June 18.

2017 World Championships of Beach Ultimate Adopts Fluorescent Yellow Disc for Competition

The World Championships of Beach Ultimate (WCBU) announced the official game discs for its international beach ultimate competition on June 18-25 in Royan, France. In addition to the standard white plastic Discraft UltraStar, WCBU is requiring a fluorescent yellow UltraStar. Both discs are the standard 175-grams weight.

The primary reason for adopting yellow fluorescent discs is to be fan-friendly in being able to attendees and stream viewers to track the disc. All broadcasted games will be played with a neon yellow disc. Non-streamed games will have the choice of playing with the white or neon yellow disc.

The idea of a flying disc specific for beach ultimate is not new. WCBU cites "heat absorbing research" to support their choice of bright yellow over black, bright orange, dark red, red, royal blue, light blue, or sparkle blue UltraStar ultimate sportdiscs. Specifically:

Heat absorbing tests show that the fluorescent yellow disc stays firmer than other colors when exposed to the sun, while in-competition tests showed that there is not a significant impact on play using a fluorescent disc.

The tournament host recommends teams to "play and practice with yellow disc before the WCBU starts."

Tennis plays with a yellow ball yet is played on a green or blue hard court. AVP (beach volleyball) plays with a white and yellow ball.

On This Day: In 2015, USA vs Philippines WCBU Semifinal

On this day in 2015....oh, what a thrilling men's semifinal game between Team USA and Boracay Dragons (Philippines) from 2015 World Championships of Beach Ultimate. The strong wind made this a game of throwing into the wind, reading the blade-y discs, and catching fast-moving plastic.



USA took the first point (1-0), then was down 2 goals (3-5), took the lead back (7-5), and then Boracay Dragons came back to with 2 goals. The game was tied at 7's FOR A LOOOONG TIME. Whichever teams scored the next goal would win a trip to the WCBU finals.

Watch the entire beach ultimate game. Or, start watching at double-game point @ 54:32.

This game is infamous for the Spirit of the Game timeout called.

Spirit timeout called by Team USA. [Game tied @ 7s]

According to WFDF, If there is ever an issue with Spirit of The Game during play, Captains should be aware that the Appendix to the WFDF Rules of Ultimate include a Spirit of the Game Time-out (A7):
If a team's captain believes that either or both teams are failing to follow the Spirit of the Game (SOTG), they may call a "Spirit of the Game Time-out."
This can only be called after the start of a point and prior to the ensuing pull.
During this time-out, neither team may engage in tactical discussions.
All team members of both teams will form a “spirit circle” in the middle of the field.
The two opposing team captains shall separately discuss all current issues with adherence to SOTG, determine ways to rectify those issues, and then convey the agreement to the spirit circle.
SOTG time-outs do not affect, nor are they affected by, the number of time-outs available.

World Series of Beach Ultimate Canceled for 2016

Have you heard of the World Series of Beach Ultimate? This new beach ultimate event would be played biennially with the inaugural 2016 edition planned to utilize existing tournaments on three continents as qualifiers to eventually meet in November for the Series Championships in Mixed, Mixed Masters and Mixed Grandmasters divisions.

UPDATE: The 2016 series was postponed due to lack of sponsorships. BULA hopes to try the World Series event again for 2018.

The original plans was to have the longest-running and largest Beach Ultimate tournaments on each continent - Paganello (March 2016, Europe), Boracay Open (April 2016, Asia), and Wildwood (July 2016, North America) - to host the continental editions.

The, the top 5 teams in each division at Continental Series will qualify for the World Series finals in November 2016 in Dubai - site of the World Championships of Beach Ultimate in March 2015. BULA hopes to be able to offer players FREE travel to Dubai, "IF" they "can pull this off" per the original (July 2015) notice about the event.

via Facebook

[image and text via Slideshare]

Vines of the Year, 2015

In the amount of time it would take you to count a dozen stall counts in a row, you can watch these favorite 6-second clips from 2015...

International Olympic Committee approves WFDF.


Timmer Farrell [NY Empire] celebrates with the kick brush.


Rob Corddry loves the Frisbee. Seriously. He loves the plastic flying disc.
Nick Spiva [DC Truck Stop] goes after the disc.


Drops are not usual for Muk [NY Rumble], but he sure can drop knowledge on ultimate disc throws.


Below is the final clip featuring the team Ditch compiled for Manilla Spirits. Let it be known that previous draft versions included a cut to Alice (the housekeeper).


Layout!


Layout!!


Layout @ WCBU 2015!


Jeff Snader stepped down as MLU Commish in September. This snippet from October 2013 uncovered his possible aspirations.


Jump! Catch! Score! @ PAUC 2015


Jon Stewart said something about Ultimate Frisbee.


Matt Esser (briefly) attempted American Ninja Warrior.


NOTE: Thanks to all video providers for use of recordings.

Interview with WCBU Broadcaster Evan Lepler

Before too much sand falls in the hourglass, we caught up with Evan Lepler who discussed broadcasting for WFDF's 2015 World Championships of Beach Ultimate (March 8-March 13). An experienced broadcaster for ultimate games - for both USA Ultimate and the American Ultimate Disc League - Evan admitted getting the WCBU gig with no prior beach ultimate experience and his choice of footwear in the booth.

SLUDGE: Congratulations on successful coverage of the World Championships of Beach Ultimate. How did you get the gig to be a broadcaster for WCBU games?

Evan Lepler: Skyd Editor Elliot Trotter first reached out to me to gauge my interest back in October, and I was immediately intrigued. But it was not until mid-February that Elliot finished negotiations with folks in Dubai and the opportunity became official for me. I booked my flight on February 20, basically two weeks before the event.

SLUDGE: That's a tight window to prep for an international trip. Were there any issues you were "nervous" about when accepting the invitation to broadcast the WCBU games in Dubai?

Evan: It was an honor to be invited and a thrill to accept the invitation. Perhaps some minor nerves about the challenge of becoming informed about all of the teams, but I was eager to embrace the challenge.

SLUDGE: There were 20+ livestreamed games during the event covering lots of international players. How in the world did you prepare for the WCBU broadcasts?

Evan: Heading into the event, I knew that it would be a team effort between myself and my superb commentating partners, Bryan Jones and Megan Tormey. They were the heroes in brilliantly formatting the rosters and acquiring some general information about many of the teams we planned to cover.

WCBU broadcasters (l to r): Bryan Jones, Megan Tormey and Evan Lepler

Over the course of the week, we each had certain games "off" in order to go watch other games and talk to different people to get ready for the next telecast. Before the trip, I read as much as I could, but I also was very focused on my basketball work in the weeks leading up to it.

I literally drove straight from the Big South Championship game to the airport to begin my journey to Dubai. On the flight, I read the official beach ultimate rule book a couple times (in between episodes of "House of Cards"). Overall, it was a different prep experience because, for the most part, it was not like there was a media guide or extensive written coverage online of the 25 countries and the seven divisions. But thankfully most everyone in the ultimate community is super interesting to talk to and generous with their time, even in the hours and minutes leading up to a game. I'm proud of how the broadcasts came across, even though I wish I could have prepared more.

SLUDGE: During the broadcasts provided by Skyd Magazine, I marveled that wind was not being picked up in the audio. Explain your setup.

Evan: I had no idea what to expect in terms the overall production, but was very pleased with how it all came together. There was a really big-time TV truck, producer, and crew from DubaiSports. We had three headsets, allowing us to have three broadcasters on the air simultaneously, and two monitors in our "booth" that enabled us to see a live program feed. We were located at the top of the grandstand underneath a remarkably sturdy tent that somehow withstood the fierce Thursday winds and shielded us from the sun, both of which were clutch. There were six or seven camera and all were high quality. So many people commented about how good everything looked, and obviously I had nothing to do with that but was grateful to be a part of the team.

SLUDGE: What were some of your favorite parts of WCBU?

Evan: My favorite part was just being there and being able to see players from so many countries that I had never seen before. It was surreal to walk up and down the beach and witness the spirit, energy, and passion that everyone displayed. It was my first experience traveling outside of North America for an international tournament like this, so simply having the opportunity was incredible. My least favorite part was the jet lag. But it was worth it.

SLUDGE: Yep, jet lag is a drag. (cough) Any other challenges to speak of?

Evan: It was a challenge I was eager to embrace, but it's always tough calling 4 or 5 games with 8 or 10 different teams in the same day. But that's ultimate and it's a privilege to try and conquer that challenge as best you can.

SLUDGE: Is there anything you would improve upon for future beach ultimate events?

Evan: It's really hard to imagine having a better setup in terms of a stadium showcase field and a great broadcast location on the beach. Obviously, in identical circumstances, the next time is almost always better just because of the increased familiarity. I hope I have the good fortune to experience future beach ultimate events. It's cool to broadcast barefoot. I had never done that before.

SLUDGE: There are some obvious difference between playing beach and grass ultimate. What about for broadcasting beach ulti games??

Evan: Having not been to a beach tournament in my life--Lei Out, Wildwood, and Sandblast are all on my list, but haven't been able to make it happen yet--I really did not know a whole lot about beach. The speed of the game is very different, which frankly makes it a little easier on the play-by-play announcer. Players also talked about how much easier the beach was on their bodies than the grass. Except for the occasional face full of sand, laying out on the beach is usually harmless.

SLUDGE: Sounds like an amazing experience.

Evan: It was a whirlwind, but it was awesome. I am very grateful that Elliot offered me a chance to be a part of it.

WCBU 2015 USA Player Leaderboard

The World Championships of Beach Ultimate were a great success for the seven USA Ultimate National teams. Over one hundred players competed at the week-long international event. Goals and assists stats were tracked for every WCBU game in Dubai. Using the provided data, here are the offensive leaders for all the USA Ultimate teams.

TOP GOAL SCORERS
28 goals: John Hammond (GM)
22 goals: Becky Malinowski (W)
21 goals: Asa Wilson (O), Gary LeDonne (GM)
18 goals: Claire Desmond (X)
17 goals: Jessica Blanton (WM)
16 goals: Jack Hatchett (O), Tim Murray (OM)
15 goals: Samantha McClellan (X), Jared Inselmann (O), Cree Howard (W), Joe Iannacone (OM), Sean Murray (XM)
14 goals: Michael Kapoor (OM), Frederick Burkhardt (GM), Alan Kolick (O),
12 goals: Markham Shofner (X), Jack Marsh (O), Tyler Degirolamo (O), Dan Gillick (OM), Joel Wooten (XM)
11 goals:  Jason Rector (OM), Danny Clark (XM)


HIGHEST GOALS per GAME
2.8 goals/game: John Hammond (GM), Becky Malinowski (W)
2.1 goals/game: Jessica Blanton (WM), Gary LeDonne (GM)
1.9 goals/game: Asa Wilson (O), Cree Howard (W)
1.7 goals/game: Sean Murray (XM)
1.6 goals/game: Claire Desmond (XM), Tim Murray (OM)
1.5 goals/game: Joe Iannacone (OM), Jack Hatchett (O)


ASSIST LEADERS
20 assists: Tim Murray (OM)
19 assists: Nicky Spiva (X), Eric Olson (GM)
18 assists: Jack Marsh (O), Sean Murray(XM)
17 assists: Alex de Frondeville (GM)
16 assists: Anna Nazarov (W), Brett Kolinek (OM)
15 assists: Eli Friedman (X)
14 assists: Jared Inselmann (O), Maureen McCamley (XM), Manisha Daryani (WM)
13 assists: Alan Kolick (O), Tyler Degirolamo (O), Tyler Grant (XM), Kate Kingery (WM)
12 assists: Teddy Browar-Jarus (O), Cree Howard (W), William Maroon (GM)
11 assists: Markham Shofner (X), Kiran Thomas (X) Adam Raty (X), Brett Matzuka (O), Dan Gillick (OM), Greg Husak (OM), Sean McCall (OM), Danny Clark (XM), Chris Gwinner (XM), Aaron Moredock (GM)

HIGHEST ASSISTS per GAME
2.0 assists/game: Anna Nazarov (W), Tim Murray (OM), Sean Murray (XM)
1.9 assists/game: Eric Olson (GM)
1.8 assists/game: Manisha Daryani (WM)
1.7 assists/game: Nicky Spiva  (X), Alex de Frondeville (GM)
1.6 assists/game: Jack Marsh (O), Kate Kingery (WM), Brett Kolinek (OM), Maureen McCamley (XM)
1.5 assists/game: Cree Howard (W)


Twelve players averaged at least 1 goal and 1 assist during 2015 WCBU:

Five Ultimate Siblings Are Pretty Good at Beach Ultimate

In the 4 World Championships of Beach Ultimate (WCBU) events, the 5 siblings that founded Five Ultimate have won a total of 7 gold WCBU medals - at least one at every event since 2004. The Titcombs are to ultimate as the Mannings are to football.

Fact: A Titcomb has won a gold at every #WCBU since it was created in 2004 #thestreakcontinues #seeyouin2019 @sludgebrown chart-worthy?
— Five Ultimate (@FiveUltimateLLC) March 13, 2015

Yes, that fact about the Titcomb siblings is in fact worthy of a chart.

WCBU 2015 USA Results

The WFDF 2015 World Championships of Beach Ultimate in Dubai are now complete. Seven USA Ultimate National Teams teams competed in each division, and all teams medaled adding to the USA's medal total.

Incredibly, the USAU teams finished a combined 65 wins and 1 loss. 65-1!  65 wins in 66 games!! A SAND-sational 0.984 winning percentage!!!

• Similar to 2011, the 2015 USA teams missed a gold sweep in all divisions by one.
• First gold medal for the Mixed Masters USA team.
• Third consecutive gold medal for USA's Masters team (2015, 2011, 2007)
• 6 = most gold medals ever won by USA teams at a single WCBU event.

Congratulations to all the USA teams and players that medaled:
Open: Gold; win 13-7 over Great Britain
Women: Gold; win 9-8 over Russia
Mix Masters: Gold, win 9-5 over Canada
Open Masters: Gold; win 13-8 over Canada
Women Masters: Gold; win 8-2 over Canada
Grandmasters: Gold; win 10-9 over Sweden
Mixed: Bronze; win 11-5 over Portugal

[SOURCE: USAU]