We’re excited to post the final team list for ECC 2010. More information on travel, hotels, format, etc. to be updated soon. Thanks to everyone that expressed in interest in Emerald City Classic!

Open:

1. Sockeye (Seattle, WA)
2. Furious George (Vancouver, BC)
3. Ironside (Boston, MA)
4. Ring of Fire (Tri-cities, NC)
5. Revolver (Bay Area, CA)
6. PoNY (New York, NY)
7. Truck (Washington DC)
8. Wolf (Bay Area, CA)
9. Emerald City Ultimate (Seattle, WA)
10. Bodhi (Boston, MA)
11. Streetgang (San Diego, CA)
12. Rhino (Portland, OR)

Women’s:

1. Bent (New York, NY)
2. Brute Squad (Boston, MA)
3. Fury (Bay Area, CA)
4. Knock Out
5. Nemesis (Chicago, IL)
6. Pop
7. Riot (Seattle, WA)
8. Safari (San Diego, CA)
9. Showdown (Austin, TX)
10. Traffic (Vancouver, BC)
11. Underground (Seattle, WA)
12. Zeitgeist (Bay Area, CA)

Mixed:

1. Swagger (Seattle, WA)
2. Dogfight (Portland, OR)
3. Polar Bears (Bay Area, CA)
4. Mischief (Bay Area, CA)
5. LA Metro (Los Angeles, CA)
6. Brown Chicken, Brown Cow (Los Angeles, CA)
7. Psychoplastique (Canadia)
8. CTR (Bay Area, CA)
9. Slow White (Boston, MA)
10. District 5 (Connecticut)
11. Barrio (Arizona)
12. A.I.R. (Bay Area, CA)
13. Mental Toss Flycoons (Montana)
14. Funk (Bay Area, CA)

Emerald City Classic is excited to announce it has locked in dates for 2010. ECC will be held on August 14-15 in the Seattle area. We are currently in negotiations with field sites close to the Seattle metropolitan area, and will update this site (and on twitter @ecc_ultimate) when more information becomes available.

The ECC TD’ing torch is also being passed from Ben Wiggins (ECC TD 2006-2009) to Skip Sewell for 2010. Thanks to Ben and all volunteers who have helped bring the ECC tradition to new heights. We’re exited to maintaining and improve upon the already excellent competition and quality of play.

Interested in a Bid?

Bid window has opened, and we are currently accepting bids in Open, Women’s and Co-ed divisions. Please email hudson@cultimate.com to submit your bid today.

Moving day at ECC saw teams rise and fall. On the Open side, struggling Chain LIghtning kicked it up notch and won three games against Johnny Bravo, Sockeye, and Goat, much on the shoulders of newly arrived to the tournament Josh Ziperstein who played over 90% of their points for the day. At the end of the day, there were a lot of teams clustered around 3-3, hoping to get the eighth and final spot into the quarterfinals. The odd teams out were Ring of Fire and Furious George, who played a five-point tiebreaker game just before the showcase game which Ring won 5-2.

RIng will join the other seven teams in the quarterfinals: Ironside, Sockeye, Revolver, Chain Lightning, Goat, Johnny Bravo, and PoNY. It should be an amazing bracket to the finals.

The Women’s Division held court for the showcase game as Riot face off against Fury. The teams traded points until 6’s, and then Fury went on a run, breaking Riot after a couple dump turnovers at their defending endzone. It was 11-7 Fury, when Riot started to shift the momentum. A break, and then another break, and then another, and somehow Riot was back on top 13-12. And then like that, Riot finished. 15-12 Riot. Monkey off the back? Maybe.

The two showcase teams are in to the quarterfinals along with Uno, Revolucion, Backhoe, Traffic, Brute Squad, and Schwa.

On the Mixed Side, Chad Larson Experience continued to roll to an undefeated pool play, and CTR got hot with wins over CTR and Amp. Both of those teams are into the quarterfinals along with Mental Toss Flycoons, Amp, D’oh, Mischief, Barrio, and Slow White.

We’re going to crown some Champions this afternoon.

We’ve got new photos and videos!

Scobel Wiggins: Shot from all four rounds plus the showcase game.
http://photos.scobelwigginsphotography.com/v/ultimate_001/09ecc/09eccfriday/

UltiVillage: With a UVTv Subscription you can watch two full game highlights, each around 10-12 minutes long.
http://www.ultivillage.com/index.php/Now-Playing/ECC-2009-coming-to-UVtv

Bill Elsinger: With an umbrella duct taped to his tripod.
http://www.pbase.com/elsinger/2009eccfriday

Our first full day in Burlington saw a small rain in the late morning, but a great day for Ultimate nonetheless.

On the Mixed side, defending UPA Club Champions Mental Toss Flycoons looked strong winning all three games over some strong teams. Chad Larson Experience also won all of their games. Don’t be surprised to see both teams in the finals tomorrow.

In the Women’s Division, the Japanese team Uno played the toughest schedule and came out looking strong. With a win over Riot and a close game with Fury, the deadly accurate squad from the orient looks to be one of the teams to beat. Both Fury and Traffic went 3-0 for the day.

In the Open Division, Ironside side remains the only undefeated at 3-0. Clapham and Kie, our two furthest traveling teams are winless, and Sockeye, Revolver, Goat, and Johnny Bravo are all in the hunt for the best records in the tournament.

Should be another great day today on Saturday!

After a great day and night of Ultimate, our intrepid photographers and videographers have captured some really good stuff:

- Newly anointed “Official Photographer” Bil Elsinger brings us his shots:
http://www.pbase.com/elsinger/2009ecc

- Rob at UltiVillage has four clips (and perhaps more at this reading) from JamborECC:
http://www.ultivillage.com/index.php/Table/COTD-2008/

- Scobel Wiggins has all of the day’s shots up on her site too:
ECC Rounds 1 & 2: http://photos.scobelwigginsphotography.com/v/ultimate_001/09ecc/rounds12/
JamborECC: http://photos.scobelwigginsphotography.com/v/ultimate_001/09ecc/rounds12/

What a great start to the tournament!

Our Thursday international action was great. With Vancouver, Toronto, London, and Medellin all in house, we thad two really quality rounds of Ultimate today.

Round 1 started with Kie and Clapham United squaring off, and Canadian powerhouses Furious George and Goat battling on the next field over.

Clapham looked strong early, and took advantage of nearly all of Kie’s mistakes. Their height allowed them to dominate the skies, and their hucks were looking spot on. Up 8-3 at half, and 10-5 early in the second, Clapham look assured for victory. Then Kie threw into fifth gear and started getting blocks behind their incredible speed and their ability to get their bodies, whether vertical or horizontal, in front of the disc. They rattled off four straight breaks to tie it up at 10’s. They traded for 11’s, but the cap came on with the disc in Clapham’s hand and the Brits took the game on DGP.

The Goat/Furious George game looked intense from the beginning, with neither team willing to give an inch. Goat struck first with two breaks off the back, 2-0. The game’s momentum swung back and forth throughout the game, with Furious taking half 8-7, but the boys from Toronto finished strong with a two point margin at the end—the same margin they came out the blocks with—and won 12-10.

Round 2 saw Goat versus Kie, and Furious versus Clapham. Where Clapham seemed to let Kie back in the second half, Goat closed the door on the Colombians. After building a halftime lead of 8-3, Goat stayed strong the rest of the game, winning 15-8.

The Furious/Clapham matchup looked very similar on paper; big players throwing big. It was a shootout all afternoon, with each team hitting the endzones from 60 and 70 yards away. More times than not, Furious was able to come down with the disc. It looked like Clapham had less legs than Furious at the end, and the Monkey slipped away at the end. 15-13 Furious George wins.

Goat goes undefeated, Furious and Clapham split their games, and Kie goes winless.

All of these international teams, three quarters of which travelled many thousands of miles, seemed like they were just getting oriented to playing today. I expect they will be deadlier and hungrier in the days to come. Thursday was the prelude; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—that will be the real test.

No lightning yet…worrying about the weather is really the only thing that hasn’t gone perfectly this morning. Fields are strong (at Seattle’s Magnuson Park) and Clapham, Goat and Furious were all on the fields by noon. Kie rolled up a couple of minutes ago, and they are 30-deep and excited. 25 minutes ’til the first pull…

Up at UltiVillage they have Clips of the Day from ECC’s of yore. Check out:

From 2005, Ryan Todd of Pike makes a spectacular catch, and then gets moidered.

From 2006, Ray Illian of Sockeye goes up lefty and skies his teammate Jimmy Chu.

From 2007, Seth Wiggins of Sockeye get a layout D against Johnny Bravo.

Rob and UltiVillage will be there all weekend, as well as at Thursday night’s JamborECC filming all of the action.

Welcome to the Emerald City Classic!

On behalf of the players, teams and fans of Ultimate in the Pacific Northwest, I want to thank you for joining us in Burlington for what promises to be an excellent weekend of Ultimate.

For myself, this tournament has been my dream for more than a year, and I’ve put countless hours into details I never thought possible. With some really excellent assistance from way too many people to list here, we’ve put together a tournament that we hope you forget. Seriously. I hope you are able to fall asleep on Sunday night, whether in your own bed or on a red-eye or thousands of miles from home, thinking only about one thing; the amazing games that you played in. If we did our job right, the idea of ECC will fade into your memory while your layout near-misses and silky throws on great fields against amazing opponents are etched, permanently, into your brain.

I’d like to thank our sponsors for their support; without them ECC would not exist. I would especially like to thank George Plomarity and Patagonia for supporting ECC when it was simply a local tournament with big dreams. Patagonia has been with us all the way, and they really care about creating the best possible environment for the players.

I’ve been lucky enough to play Ultimate at the highest level, across the globe and in many unique environments. I can tell you, unequivocably, that the Spirit of the Game is more alive now than it ever has been. In my opinion, Spirit gets better as you play at higher levels. I’m not talking about hugs and cheers, I mean the real thing: two teams giving their all to crush their opponent’s game while demanding from themselves an ironclad adherence to the rules. If you are playing in ECC, your team has been able to do this in the past, and I expect this to continue. Help your teammates and your opponents. Let them help you. This thing that we do….it’s honorable, and it is worth it, but it isn’t easy.

Our dream is to bring the best players together in an environment that allows them to concentrate solely on the game. If we can help you do that, please let us know. Otherwise, I hope this letter finds you ready to tie your cleats, say your prayers, and give every point your most complete effort. From all of us, thank you for joining us in this dream.

Sincerely,
Ben Wiggins
Sockeye #8

On Saturday, Revolucion beat Underground 13-10 in a friendly tune-up for ECC.

Across town, Seattle’s men’s team Voodoo beat Colombia’s Kie 15-7. Kie was without much of it’s Bogota contingent for this game, but they have since arrived in town.

Later, Sockeye narrowly squeaked out a win against Voodoo, 11-10 (even on breaks).

Clapham United leaves today from the UK heading to the Pacific Northwest.

Sockeye and Kie will be practicing together on Tuesday as a final preparation for the weekend’s games.

Touring in Seattle? Got some extra time before or after ECC?

Here are five solid “touristy things-to-do”, and five low-key and fun things to do that are more “yeah, I’m local and I have the afternoon off”. All are things that you could do without really planning ahead more than an hour.

5 THINGS FOR A TOURIST IN SEATTLE
1. The Seattle Aquarium
Most Seattle folks love it, and not just because when they were kids they went to school sponsored sleepovers in the Big Tank Room. You could insert Seattle Zoo as well, but it just an okay zoo for the most part (though, there is a baby tiger cub right now). Seattle’s aquarium is a nice 75-minute tour. It is also on the Seattle waterfront, which ain’t bad. Could definitely combine this with #2, #3, or with a Mariners game at Safeco field just south of Downtown. (One of the best ballparks in the country, and the White Sox are in town Monday through Friday before the tournament).

2. Ferry Ride to the Islands
Seattle is in large part amazing because of what is just outside. Get on a ferry and watch the Sound go by, then ride around (bike or car) on one of the islands and take it in. Whidbey is really nice, ’specially in the spring. The ferry route plan is here. Note that Anacortes, which is not far from Burlington and ECC, is the gateway to the beautiful San Juan Islands.

3. Pike Place Market
They throw fish. Which is cool. And there are little donuts, and a pretty entertaining little open-air market. Go early on a weekend and eat breakfast at the Crumpet Shop a block away (the only suggestion I have ever made that has a 100% ‘you were right, that was awesome’ rate.

4. Bike the Burke Gilman Trail
The trail is a belt around northern Seattle that goes from far West (Ballard on the Sound) to the east (Laurelhurt). Pass through parts of Fremont, Wallingford, and the U District. Stop at Agua Verde at UW for great and unique Mexican.

5. Muppets and Rockets and Jimi
The Experience Music Project is a signature Seattle museum. The travelling Smithsonian exhibition (which ends on ECC Sunday) is on Jim Henson and the Muppets. This is in the Seattle Center, a good place to stare up at the Space Needle.

5 THINGS THAT I WOULD DO WITH MY AFTERNOON OFF
1. The Locks
This is awesome. I go here at least 3-4 times per summer. This is where the entire Seattle watershed feeds in and out of Puget Sound. the Locks are the canals that move boats big and small in and out and up and down a 20 foot elevation difference. Watch then guide the ships in. The fish are almost always jumping like crazy, especially as the salmon run peaks from mid-August to mid-September. This point feeds the entire salmon run for the region. (fun fact; they had a gargantuan sea lion removed that had been decimating the salmon by himself. Since it was illegal to kill him, they relocated him to San Diego. He was back in two weeks, eating crazily. Then a killer whale swam up to the locks RIGHT INTO SEATTLE and ate him. Problem solved itself in true passive-aggressive Seattle style). Walk across the dam, look for smolts in the shoots, and then head underground to see the salmon close-up.

Then go get a cupcake in nearby Ballard at Cupcake Royale.

2. Go get coffee in Capitol Hill.
Seattle’s gay and trendy district is a great view away from downtown. Plenty of places to eat, get a great drink, and hang out. Not as sketchy as it used to be, or as you might think. If you like Burgers, there is a Dick’s there (see below). Hungry after 9pm? Check out 611 Supreme, a barely-marked but really excellent restaurant on Boylston and Pine, shockingly still affordable.

3. Canoe in the Cut
UW has an outdoor rec center where you can rent canoes and paddle around in the water for a while. You can go to the south side of the Cut (the canal between north and south Seattle) and see the Arboretum (MY arboretum) and animals and plants and water and stuff.

If you have a Seattle native with you, they can show you where you can walk onto the deserted overpass and jump about 35 feet down into the lagoon.

4. Sushi in Wallingford
Wallingford is chill. Dave Matthews pushes his kids on the swings at our park while we throw, play mini, and do Air Alert. Start walking on 45th street and just cruise through the drag of shops and places to eat just west of the freeway. By the time you get to 45th and Stone, you’ll be hungry enough for Musashi’s amazing takeout sushi; call first, they are closed on weird days. Burrito-sized California rolls. If you are here during the day, Kozue Sushi has a dollar-a-roll lunch deal for simple sushi which is a nice way to start a day, if you are starting the day at lunch.

Then finish the stroll north to our pretty urban lake, Green Lake, and let the rollerbladers dodge you while the pretty people of America’s Most Attractive Population (US News and World Report) jog by with their ubiquitous iPod cords jangling.

There is also a Dick’s in Wallingford along 45th. Greasy tiny hamburgers for cheap. They haven’t changed their menu since the 60’s or something. Open til 2am. This is where the punks and weirdos come after everything else kicks them out. It’s like a watering hole in Sub-Saharan Africa, only with more eclectic fauna.

In Wallingford at night? Get in line at Molly Moon’s Ice Cream and try one of the new flavors. This line typically gets 30-50 people long, and they turn folks away every weekend night. Good stuff.

5. Cruise Ravenna Park
Walk to the end of that trail, and then go into the park….down to the bottom. Then take the trail
all the way through the ravine. This one is nice when it is sunny, and really cool when it is poring rain.
It’s about a mile to the other side and a pretty lush little jungle for inside a city. Bears in the middle of the city? We didn’t think so either.

Come out the other side and hit up Kidd Valley for garlic fries and a gourmet milkshake. A nice halfhour stroll before your next party engagement, or to fresh start a morning. Yes, you can start a morning with garlic fries. Or, if you are so inclined, head to 65th and 15th and the Sunshine farmer’s stand for an array of fruit and veggiee awesomeness, at wholesale prices. Smoothies ensue.

The results of the 2009 Huddle Mock Draft have particular resonance with the participants at the tournament next week. We ran the numbers, and this is what we discovered:

Approximately 75% of the Open players drafted will be at ECC.

Approximately 70% of the Women’s players drafted will be at ECC.

Pretty interesting and astounding numbers. Looks to be a great—if not incredible—long weekend of Ultimate in Burlington next week.

This year we are very proud to partner with three great photographers.

Scobel Wiggins: Hailing from Corvallis, Orgeon, the always classy, mother-of-the-TD Scobel Wiggins will be shooting with her bazooka of a lens from the sidelines. This will be her umpteenth Emerald City Classic. Take a look at some of her past shots from the tournament:

2007 Emerald City Classic
2006 Emerald City Classic
2005 Emerald City Classic

Michael Ignacio: Seattle’s own Michael Ignacio will be there, snapping away for every round.

Hugh Carey: Hugh Carey is trekking to ECC this year from Montana. His Ultimate shots, as well as his photojournalism shots, are quite impressive.

Welcome all three, and say hi to them if you see them at the fields.

Throughout the extended ECC weekend there will be many opportunities to socialize with other teams and players. Here’s a short, unofficial list:

THURSDAY
JamborECC, 7-10 PM, in Seattle. Featuring great Ultimate, an exciting format, and Bear Naked juice!

FRIDAY
Showcase Game between the Seattle Sockeye and Boston’s Ironside. Grab a Jamba Juice, kick back, and watch these two powerhouses. Should run from 6-8 PM.

For dinner that night, head to the Burlington Pizza Factory on Pease Road (just a mile from the fields). ECC players, coaches and fans get 20% off on Pizza throughout the tournament. We’ll try to pack the house Friday night for some eats.

SATURDAY
Showcase Game between the world’s most dominant Women’s teams, Seattle’s Riot and San Francisco’s Fury. The last time these two teams met for real Fury made one of the most stunning comebacks in Ultimate history. Both teams have re-vamped their rosters, with Team USA’s Gwen Ambler switching from Fury to Riot for 2009. Should run from 6-8 PM.

Also, Spawnfest’s Salmon Dinner: Bring your own plate, if possible, to cut down on waste…Spawnfest uses only local and sustainable merchants to provide a really great meal! Beer Garden (our first ever) will be open to ECC players over 21 years of age.

Post-Showcase, Flashlight Games: Play a relaxed round of “Super-sized Disc Croquet,” Cups/Frickets or pull some players together for a relaxed game of Ultimate. Discs and lights will be available to play with if you just want a little throw and catch. Come chill and watch the light show. Bring your refreshments. If there is enough interest, we can create a Fricket bracket and play for prizes.

SUNDAY
ECC Finals! Starts at 3:00PM.

Later that night, ECC players often congregate at a bar in Seattle. Stay tuned for more news on which bar that will be as we celebrate another ECC and try not to think about going back to work…

The first version of the schedule is now online!

We’ve personalized the schedule to give teams as many of the games that they are thirsting for. We abandoned the much-simpler pool system, instead making personalized schedules for each team. Teams have had opportunities to request certain matchups or timing.

Check out the Schedule page for more. All teams will play 8+ games over the course of the three main days of play, with several of the international Men’s teams having the possibility of 11 top-quality games! Showcase games Friday and Saturday will feature a couple of extremely competitive matchups.

As is habit with ECC, we provide the schedule as early as possible to allow the players to error check it. We have inserted an error into this version of the schedule. If you find it (or some other error), please let us know; we’ll see what kind of special prize we can come up with!

The Colombians are coming! 48 players from Medellin and Bogota are arriving today and throughout the beginning of this week. They’ll be living in Seattle apartments in the U District and filling their time with tourism, Goaltimate, going to local practices and track workouts, and hanging out with friends on Sockeye, Underground, Voodoo, and Riot.

(If rumors are to be believed, Sockeye and Riot will be returning the favor in November. Check out http://www.tepmedellin.com for more!)

We are proud to welcome you to the home of the Emerald City Classic on the web. In this space you’ll be able to follow the development and promotion of the tournament in the weeks leading up to play, as well as live updates throughout the four day event.

We hope this website will be a great asset for those of you who cannot make the trip out to Burlington. We are going to do our best to give up the most complete, up-to-date information, media, and news about the tournament as it is happening.

This site will be updated continuously in the next two weeks, so stay tuned. And snag an RSS feed while you’re at it.

Discs are en route! We’ve got a classy little disc design coming; you’ll be able to pick yours up at JamborECC or at the fields in Burlington for $10.

We’ll have photos of all of the merchandise that will be on sale at the fields in the coming weeks.