Mick (Michele) Mengucci is a player everyone should meet. As one of the top Ultimate players in Europe he moved from Italy to Portugal around 1996. There he helped start the current (Beach) Ultimate scene. He also is a talented musician with many songs inspired Beach Ultimate and is a regular player in Paganello (SeXXXpensive) where he also sings.

At the World Championships in Brazil Mick played at the openings party and got the crowd dancing to his mix of Latin, African, Italian, Portuguese, and Cuban infused music. He also played two songs with 7-year old Tomas V (yes, my son :-). He was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the Master division, and after the tournament was over he went to Recife, north of Maceio to teach a budding Beach Ultimate community the game and the spirit of Beach Ultimate.

Mick's spirit, music and game play is inspiring. Here is a text he wrote when hanging out at Dunas de Marapé, 60 km north of Maceio, 2 days after the tournament was over. Enjoy.

"When I tell somebody that at last world club championship of disc on sand a player could sleep in a hammock by two palm trees with the sea on one side on the fields on the other, people find this is just a crazy funny strange weak game especially because the most valuable player in the master category is also the music entertainer at the opening ceremony.

But when they see the intensity of beach ultimate and the fascinating world that surrounds it they realize that the ultimate community is a transversal international movement in the social texture of the planet. Still pushed and guided by the simple and not easy idea that players should play keeping attention to each other faults and deal with the responsibility of calling the fouls.

They need to discuss about it, to communicate about it. This show that through communication human beings can achieve peace. This is an enormous message to all other sports and finally to the rest of humanity. Don´t you think so?

You have to be stronger to accept that you fouled than to block the best player. People realize we are stronger when we come back to our normal life after some days of disc on the beach.

So let´s stay strong and unite, let´s keep this beautiful communication alive, based on spirit, together.

I thank God and all the saints and princesses that were at Maceió for one more another most incredible Frisbee tournament in my life."

Mick Mengucci
Mistura Pura
myspace.com/misturapura
(I supported Mick and bought his album online
(only $8!))

Thanks Mick!

P.S. If anyone has footage of his concert at the opening party please contact Mick via his site.

What better way to start off the new year than to come out to Southern California and play a weekend full of 5 v 5 beach fun? Lei-out grows every year and this year they have expanded it from 2 days to 3 days (Jan 19-21).

Here are some of the key details:

• Three day tourney right at the Santa Monica pier. Enjoy the sun and the ocean while you play.
  
• Raging Tournament Party
  
• Hotel discounts and local restaurant discounts for you and your team
  
• No roster cap for your team so you and all your buddies can come and play for only $30 per person.
  
• No UPA fees
  

Of course there will be the normal Frisbee morning cuisine of bagels, fruit, an initial supply of water and some other yummies.

Update: Pictures and guestbook at www.wcbu2007.org

Finals Sunday:

Open: Australia - Philippines 14-12 (Australia World Champions!)
Women: Great Britain - US 11-8 (Great Britain World Champions!)
Mixed: US - Germany 11-9 (US World Champions!)
Master: US - Great Britain 11-9 (US World Champions!)

Spirit of the Game winners:

Master´s: Brazil
Mixed: Switzerland
Women: Australia
Open: Philippines

Individual awards winners:

Masters Division
Best Defender: Rich Pancost (Great Britain)
Most Assists: Marco Aurelio (Brasil)
Top Scorer: Matt Luck (USA)
MVP: Mick Mengucci (Portugal)

Women division
Best Defender: Becca Tucker (USA)
Most Assists: Becca Tucker (USA)
Top Scorer: Becca Tucker (USA)
MVP: Becca Tucker (USA)

Mixed Division
Best Defender: Raoni (Brasil) & Katja "Resi" Hattermann (Germany)
Most Assists: Javi Perez Carames (Spain) & Catrin Schreiber (Germany)
Top Scorer: Justin Palmer (Spain) & Daniela Sprunk (Germany)
MVP: Raoni (Brasil) & Daniela Sprunk (Germany)

Open Division
Best Defender: Panoy Delos Santos (Philippines)
Most Assists: Kristian Guerero (Philippines)
Top Scorer: Buboy Famorcan (Philippines)
MVP: Kristian Guerero (Philippines)

Results Saturday afternoon:

Mixed division:
For 10th position: BR-CA: 6-11
For 8th position: CH-Sc: 7-6
For 6th position: GB-Pc: 4-7
For 4th position: ES-IE: 11-5
For place in finals: DE-AT: 16-4

Open division:
For 5th position: BR-Ci: 14-9
Semi final 1: AU-GB: 13-5
Semi final 2: PH-US: 9-7
For 3rd position: GB-US: 5-9

Master division:
For 4th position: BR-PT:8-12
For place in finals: GB-CA: 7-2

Women´s division:
For 4th position: BR-Ci: 2-8
For place in finals: US-AU: 10-5

Mixed Divison

	AT	BR	CA	CH	DE	ES	GB	IE	Pc	Sc	US	Pts	Pos
AT	X	13-4	12-6	8-9	10-13	6-12	9-8	8-5	10-6	10-7	1-13	12	4*
BR	4-13	X	4-7	6-10	3-16	2-12	3-15	2-15	4-10	4-13	3-18	0	11
CA	6-12	7-4	X	6-11	6-16	6-10	9-11	2-9	6-9	7-8	2-10	2	10
CH	9-8	10-6	11-6	X	2-14	5-9	5-8	6-9	5-9	10-5	5-14	8	8
DE	13-10	16-3	16-6	14-2	X	9-6	13-2	12-8	12-4	16-3	7-11	18	2
ES	12-6	12-2	10-6	9-5	6-9	X	10-3	8-3	11-2	12-7	10-8	18	3*
GB	8-9	15-3	11-9	8-5	2-13	3-10	X	7-9	14-6	15-9	3-13	10	6
IE	5-8	15-2	9-2	9-6	8-12	3-8	9-7	X	9-8	13-7	6-8	12	5
Pc	6-10	10-4	9-6	9-5	4-12	2-11	6-14	8-9	X	9-2	6-12	8	7
Sc	7-10	13-4	8-7	5-10	3-16	7-12	9-15	7-13	2-9	X	3-13	4	9
US	13-1	18-3	10-2	14-5	11-7	8-10	13-3	8-6	12-6	13-3	X	18	1

Pc = Peace Team. Sc = Scotland
* Since Spain is a tyro team, they can not go into the semifinal. Their spot is taken by Austria

Open + Master Divison*

	AU	BR	Ci	GB	PH	US	BR	CA	GB	PT	US	Pts	Pos
AU	X	13-10	21-4	10-11	11-10	11-7	20-4	15-4	14-1	15-5	14-4	13	2
BR	10-13	X	8-7	4-16	8-18	8-9	7-4	8-6	9-7	14-4	6-8	6	5
Ci	4-21	7-8	X	3-15	5-8	4-13	10-11	7-12	7-10	5-9	6-4	1	6
GB	11-10	16-4	15-3	X	10-13	8-5	15-3	13-1	18-4	17-3	12-3	13	3
PH	10-11	18-8	8-5	13-10	X	10-8	13-7	13-4	11-7	15-9	11-8	13	1
US	7-11	9-8	13-4	5-8	8-10	X	11-4	11-7	10-2	12-6	11-6	9	4
BR	4-20	4-7	11-10	3-15	7-13	4-11	X	4-11	9-12	6-9	6-8	1	5
CA	4-15	6-8	12-7	1-13	4-13	7-11	11-4	X	10-7	8-5	5-10	7	2
GB	1-14	7-9	10-7	4-18	7-11	2-10	12-9	7-10	X	12-6	10-11	5	3
PT	5-15	4-14	9-5	3-17	9-15	6-12	9-6	5-8	6-12	X	7-13	3	4
US	4-14	8-6	4-6	3-12	8-11	6-11	8-6	10-5	11-10	13-7	X	11	1

*Top left is Open division. Bottom right is Master's division. A win within a division is 2 points. A win against other division is 1 point. After combined round-robin, play-off within divisions. Ci = Currier Island

Womens Divison

	AU	BR	Ci	GB	US	AU	BR	Ci	GB	US	Pts	Pos
AU	X	10-3	13-2	2-13	3-11	X	9-8	13-1	3-10	6-7	8	3
BR	3-10	X	6-8	3-14	0-15	8-9	X	7-5	4-9	2-11	0	4
Ci	2-13	8-6	X	0-18	3-13	1-13	5-7	X	1-13	3-18	2	5
GB	13-2	14-3	18-0	X	9-5	10-3	9-4	13-1	X	5-8	12	1
US	11-3	15-0	13-3	5-9	X	7-6	11-2	18-3	8-5	X	12	2

Ci = Currier Island