A very good 10 minute report on the World Championships in Brazil. It was shown today (13 January) on TV Globo, Brazil's largest TV station with millions and millions of viewers...

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.

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

The latest information about the World Championships was just emailed to all the captains with the request to pass it on to the players. It has information about registration, parties, BULA congress, rules, etc... In case you didn't get it yet: download the file here.

BULA and the local Brazilian organizing committee have decided that bad spirit during the World Championships can lead to exclusion from the finals.

Using the objective BULA SOTG scoring system, all teams will judged similarly by the teams they play against. Teams that have negative spirit ratings will be talked to at the end of each day by the Tournament Rules Group (TRG). Consistent bad spirit ratings throughout the championships can lead to disqualification to play in the finals.

BULA will continue to hold the Spirit of the Game as the most important part of Beach Ultimate. Play hard, be respectful and have fun!

Both readers of this blog might have be wondering why it has been so quiet lately... I feel bad and will try to improve, but the main reason for my silence was the preparation for the World Championships.

Getting teams to respond and commit has been a challenge. Since I started playing (20+ years ago!) I always heard and found that Ultimate players are great, but there are a lot of unreliable people. At least relatively to other friends and or co-workers. They mean well, but committing to something is tough. Organizing the World Championships has been no different.

However, after a very intense 2 months with lots of emails, phone calls, etc.. we now have 27 teams confirmed. We have rosters, payment, flight info etc... we have WCBU lift off!!!

The turnout could have been better, but flying to Brazil is not cheap and that is always a problem. I believe that the World Championships (grass) Ultimate in Perth had a bit of the same problem. Beach Ultimate is even more handicapped because not that many players are playing it yet.

Nevertheless Maceio will be the biggest South American disc event EVER, and with 300+ players, 15 countries, beach, disc, parties, etc... it will be an event to remember! I am really looking forward to it and I know many other players are. Now we are going to work on scheduling and other details and we will get you all the info as soon as possible.

Until then, keep 'em flying and here are the divisions:

Mixed: Austria, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, the Peace Team, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, and the US
Masters: Portugal, Brazil, GB, Canada, US
Open: Philippines, Australia, Brazil, US, GB, Currier Island
Women: Currier Island, Australia, US, GB, Brazil

The social network site Facebook now has an entry to the World Championships Beach Ultimate in Brazil:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2588136862

The Scottish team found that vaccinations for Yellow Fever and Polio are recommended when traveling to Brazil, however they are not required. Vaccination is country specific. Players might want to ask the Brazilian consulate about this. When you contact the consulate, also check if you need any visa to go to Brazil.

The WCBU2007 website created by the Brazilian organizers is ready and can be accessed at http://wcbu2007.org.

I suggest that you also bookmark (or RSS) the official BULA WCBU Blog at http://beachultimate.org/blog/wcbu_2007_news to make sure you don't miss any information.

Players that want to take advantage of the special WCBU hotel rates should book though CVC.

Players that want to book other accommodations might want to know on which beach we play: we play at Praia Pajuçara and Praia de Ponta Verde is also close. See the Google Earth image

Alternate sites you might want to check:

http://www.feriasbrasil.com.br/al/maceio/hoteis-pousadas.cfm
http://www.ipdal.com.br/#hoteisemmaceio
http://www.ondehospedar.com.br/al/maceio.php

Fees

• Team fees: 150 euros ($200). Deadline: 15 Sept. Late payment fee: 25%
• Player fees: 80 euros ($110)/player (9 player minimum). Deadline 15 October. Late payment fee: 25% extra.
• Non-Player fees: 50% discount on player fee.

Early bird special: Players that pay before 30 June July you only pay 100 euros ($135 USD) for the team fee and 60 euro ($85 USD) per player (9 player minimum).

This money will get players a player package with several items in it and rights to play. This money will be used to cover all costs of the tournament, including stands, licenses, first aid, free water and fruit on the field, etc... We are not looking to make a profit on this (although some money for BULA and the Brazilian Federation will be put aside to further develop of Beach Ultimate), but we have to make sure we don't make a loss. Once we know exactly how many players we'll have, and get sponsors on board, we'll start to add more benefits for the players.

Accommodations

There are 4 hotels that have special prices for us. They range between $286 - $354 per week per person (breakfast included). More information and booking instructions at http://www.cvc.com.br/campanhas/cvc/frisbeeinternacional/

Flights

The same company that arranged the hotels for us (CVC) also has a charter flight players can use:

PARIS / MACEIÓ / PARIS (connection in S. PAULO): EUR 1158,00 PLUS AIRPORT TAXES EUR 169,17.
MIAMI / MACEIÓ / MIAMI (connection in S. PAULO): US$ 1288.00 PLUS AIRPORT TAXES US$ 158.18.

To book these flights, click on the CVC link above and contact the travel agency directly. If you know of cheaper flights, please add a comment.

Teams

Based on our communications with all the captains, this is what we know so far:

Mixed Division:

• Austria (100%)
• Brazil (100%)
• Canada (100%)
• Germany (100%)
• Peace Team (100%)
• Ireland (100%)
• Latvia (70%)
• Luxembourg (70%)
• Panama (70%)
• Portugal (70%)
• Scotland (100%)
• Singapore (70%)
• Spain (100%)
• Switzerland (100%)
• UK (100%)
• US (100%)

This looks like a very interesting mix and should be a great championship.

Men's division

• Australia (100%)
• Brazil (100%)
• Canada (50%)
• Currier Island (100%)
• Mexico (50%)
• Philippines (70%)
• Russia (70%)
• UK (100%)
• US (100%)

This is a bit disappointing. There is still some hope for men's teams from France, Colombia, Norway, and Venezuela... So if you know people there, get them to contact their federation or contact person!

Master's division

• Brazil (100%)
• Canada (50%)
• Colombia (100%)
• Currier Island (50%)
• Portugal (100%)
• UK (100%)
• US (100%)

This is a slight increase on the 5 teams we had in 2004. France and Japan are still a possibility.

Women's division

• Australia (70%)
• Brazil (100%)
• Canada (50%)
• Colombia (80%)
• UK (100%)
• US (100%)

We are pulling our hairs out trying to find more women's teams. There is a potential of a Currier island women's team if we find enough women that want to have a pickup team, and perhaps France will still send a team.

Anyway, any help you can give us here is much appreciated. The WCBU will be great. We'll be in a wonderful area, players from 20 countries will be present, parties for sure, so help us get more teams and players. We'll all benefit from it :-)

International Teams

Like in 2004 Currier Island will be the pickup team. There is room for one team in all divisions. So if you know of players that want to play in Brazil, but don't have a national team, have them get in touch with Currier Island (http://www.currierisland.com)

This year there will also be a mixed Peace Team (formerly India/Pakistan and the West East Indies). This team will do some volunteer work in the area. If you know of players that are interested in joining, also have them contact patrick@beachultimate.org.

Raoni, an Ultimate player from Brazil, wants to organize an academic congress during the World Championships Beach Ultimate in Brazil. This congress is aimed to give (Beach) Ultimate and Frisbee researchers a venue to present their findings to a large (and interested) audience and start new collaborations.

If you are interested in participating, leave a comment below and Raoni will get in contact with you. Alternatively, send an email to info@beachultimate.org with the subject "Academic congress" and we will forward it.

Panama, the fledgling Ultimate nation that is organizing its first international tournament this year, has shown interest in attending the World Championships Beach Ultimate in Brazil in December. This means we now have 51 countries interested in playing!

Version 1.3 of the National Team and Player Manual (0.1 MB .pdf) for the World Championships in Brazil can be downloaded by clicking on the link above. The updated manual has some spelling corrections and the long-awaited entry for Currier Island.

A quote from the manual:

"Currier Island— The Beach Ultimate Paradise— is different things to different people. To native islanders, it is home, the sweetest spot on the globe, the hidden treasure on the high seas. To laymen, it is the unnamed tropical haven they dream about when they have their “Hawaii, but better” dreams..."

Luxembourg is the 48th country interested in participating in the World Championships Beach Ultimate to be held in Brazil, 11-16 December 2007. Will we get 50 countries interested? We are waiting for a response from Chinese Taipei and perhaps there is another country out there that wants to play too...

Here is one of the players from Luxembourg (Bob Krebbs) on offense in a game against Diz-Cu Sr. in Portugal.

Today the location of the World Championships Beach Ultimate was made public: the tournament will be held 11-16 December 2007 in Maceió, in the north of Brazil. The beach will be the Pajuçara Beach. With 44 countries potentially participating, it should be a great championship!

UPDATE: The news has already reached the Brazilian national press: http://gazetaweb.globo.com/Canais/Noticias/Noticias.php?n=118257 (Portuguese). More info to follow soon...

At the end of this month we will announce the exact dates and the city where the World Championships Beach Ultimate will be held in Brazil next year. In the meantime we created the National Team & Players Manual which explains the eligibility rules, payment info, sponsorship rules etc... Have a look at this .pdf file

It just dawned on me... Since the World Championships will be held once every 4 years, the one after Brazil will only be in 2011... Hmmm, now there is an incentive to go to Brazil next year :-)

As if you need more incentives... BULA already started contact with many countries, including 'smaller' countries such as Jamaica, Mexico, Hong Kong, Morocco and Zimbabwe(!). Lots of interest. No commitment of course, but I have a feeling that it should be another interesting 'play hard party hard' World Championship with an international Latino flavor... In 2004 we had 23 nations represented. We are aiming for 4 more in 2007!

Hi;

I´m Marco and I will be in charge to organize the WCBU 2007 in Brazil, with my great friend and also president of BUA (Brazilian Ultimate assossiation) Roberto Hucke!!!

Now we are looking for the right beach to held the tournament.

I´ll be here almost everyday to update all the news...

I promisse that my english will improve during that chats.

Tanks and keep in touch!

Marco