News

Kicking It Into High Gear – Georgia Games Power Soccer Event
July 12th, 2010
Alison Geist, Georgia State Games
Local News

MARIETTA, GA - July 12, 2010 - The Georgia Games held their first ever power soccer event Sunday, July 11th at Fair Oaks Recreation Center.

The speed and concentration that these players possess is matched only by the precision and deliberateness of each kick. Like traditional soccer, in power soccer the quickness of the players is key as is a little bit of aggressiveness.

Power Soccer, a version of soccer for athletes in power wheelchairs, is a fairly new sport that has become quite prominent among many countries. Directing and controlling themselves in power wheelchairs is challenging and exhilarating to witness. The support from their families and communities also just encourages these players even more.

After a morning filled with exciting games in the gym at the Fair Oaks Recreation Center, the gold medal went to the Atlanta Tigers, which included the following players: Ricky Burnette, Keair Bussell, Jerry Frick, Nic McClay, Jujuan Redmond, and Dustin Swafford. Second place went to the North Georgia Screamin’ Eagles with players Carlin Camp, Russell Gregory, Karen Johnson, and Justin Pressley. And the third place bronze medal was awarded to the Carroll County Dominators, which included Anthony Hammett, Matthew...

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2010 Nationals: A Lesson in Perseverance
June 28th, 2010
Tony Jackson
Tournaments

After a great second place finish at the Western Regional, we on the Arizona Heat 2nd Degree were feeling really good about our chances at this year’s national tournament. However, those hopes were dampened slightly when we found out that one of us wasn’t going to be able to make the trip. It would change our game plan a bit, but we still felt strong heading to Indianapolis. Arriving at the airport, another member of our team showed up extremely ill, but he decided to make the trek anyway. He wanted to be there for the rest of us and he was sacrificing his health for the team. When the team arrived in Indianapolis, it was decided that our sick teammate was too sick and needed immediate medical attention. A trip to the hospital now left us with only four players. Despite the circumstances, we had to carry on.

The first day of the tournament was particularly challenging because we were playing with a different line up and we had never played against the other teams. Unfortunately the two games against the RHI Indy Cruisers and North Georgia Screamin’ Eagles resulted in two heavy losses, but we knew that there was still plenty of soccer left to be played. Off the court, our teammate who fell ill was being kept in the hospital, so we knew we had to...

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2010 National Tournament Has a Bittersweet Ending
June 28th, 2010
Gabe Trujillo
Tournaments

Tournament was going to be the culmination five great years with the Arizona Heat soccer team. After spending the last five years with the Heat, I decided to join the new Arizona State University Power Soccer Club at the conclusion of the season. But before I join my new team, I wanted to make sure that my final season with the Heat would be our best season ever.

Expectations were high as we welcomed two new teammates from Indiana, Ginny Munson and Katie Dickey. The two came from a successful power soccer program, so we were hoping some of that winning spirit would follow them to the Valley of the Sun.

And follow them it did.

From the first practice, our new teammates brought a renewed vigor to the Heat squad that hasn’t been around for a long time. Our team had a new dimension and excitement that gave us hope for a very successful 2010 season.

It didn’t take long to see the impact of our new teammates. The Heat won their first ever PowerBlast tournament and even took Third-Place at the Western Regionals. The Arizona Heat won more games during the season than they've ever had before. We had developed a great chemistry throughout the season and were eager to see how we would do against the Nation's best at the National...

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2010 National Champions
June 20th, 2010
Tournaments

Circle City Rollers repeat as Division I national champions; Courage Thunder claim Division II title

FISHERS, Indiana: Local powerhouse Circle City Rollers repeated as USPSA National Champions at last weekend's National Tournament. The tight match against Atlanta Synergy was finally decided in the penalty kick round, just as it was the year before. The San Jose Stemarollers defeated the Tampa Thunder to take third place.

In Division II, Courage Thunder continued their movement up the ranks by beating the RHI Indy Cruisers for their first national championship. They had previously placed third in 2008 and second in 2009. The Indy Cruisers returned to the national tournament this year after a two-year hiatus to take second place. Ball State Fury defeated DASA Firecrackers for third.

For more scores and final standings, visit USPSATeams.org. The Division I championship match can be seen in its entirety online at xAble.com.

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San Jose Hosts International Power Soccer Weekend
May 30th, 2010
Jenny Mitchell
Tournaments

Last weekend, the San Jose Steamrollers hosted the Vancouver Lightning for two days of exciting International Power Soccer games. The BORP Bay Earthquakes (from Berkeley), Hollister Free Wheelers, and Santa Barbara Rollin' Gauchos also participated in the tournament, which served as a season finale for some teams and a warm-up for the USPSA National Championships for others.

The Opening Ceremonies and National Anthems were very moving, but as soon as the first whistle blew, it was all business. San Jose and Vancouver kicked off the tournament with a tense opening match. Both teams played good defense and the game ended up tied 0-0 – San Jose's first tie all season. Berkeley and Santa Barbara picked up the pace for the second game. The Earthquakes scored three goals each period for a 6-0 win against the Gauchos. Two goals apiece were scored by Brandon Johnson, Jessica Lehman, and Team USA member Kendra Scalia-Carrow. Vancouver then faced the hard-hitting Hollister Free Wheelers. Both teams played admirably and Hollister came away with the victory by a score of 1-0.

The Steamrollers brought more energy to their second match of the day against the Gauchos. Santa Barbara fought hard and Bill Balles scored, but they couldn’t keep up the pace...

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Wheelchair soccer team's goal: traveling to national tourney
May 20th, 2010
Rod Carter, News Channel 8
Local News

The Tampa Bay Crossfire are a power wheelchair soccer team, and they are winning up a storm.

The Crossfire are one of 10 teams in the country invited to the sport's national tournament in suburban Indianapolis next month, and team members are scrambling to raise the money to go.

Power wheelchair soccer is played around world, with 60 teams in the United States. It combines wheelchair maneuverability skills with the strategy and skills of soccer. Instead of kicking, players use a metal guard outfitted to the front of a motorized wheelchair to hit and pass the 18-inch ball.

Teams of four play against each other in 20-minute halves on a basketball court.

"It's pretty much like able-body soccer," said team member Justin McFatridge, 23, who first played the sport in his home state of Indiana before moving to Tampa to major in public relations at the University of South Florida. McFatridge is paralyzed after a diving injury in 2001 injured his spine.

"Before my accident, I was very involved in swimming and soccer," McFatridge said. "I played soccer year-round –...

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USPSA E-newsletter for April 2010
April 9th, 2010
E-Newsletters

President's Letter

Dear Members and Friends of the USPSA,

Regionals are now completed and invitations have been sent out to those teams who have qualified for the national tournament. There was some great competition at all tournaments, which speaks to the success and impact of this great sport. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Far West Wheelchair Sports, Courage Center, Fernando Foundation, Turnstone Center, and Team Royalty who each hosted these regional competitions. I would also like to thank each of the organizations and teams who hosted events like the Power Blast, Ameristar Tournament, and the various league programs that are keeping the sport growing and our players, coaches, and referee's active.

I want to also take this opportunity to recognize the work of Tracy Mayer with the further development of our referee program. Tracy and Chris Mulholland have worked together to make improvements in the processes and training of one of the most important parts of our organization, our referee's! Their work always lends credibility to the game, for without them, our time would be merely...

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2010 D1 Midwest Regional Results
April 1st, 2010
Tournaments

Huntington North High School, Huntington, IN
March 27th-28th, 2010

Final Standings

1st Place: Circle City Rollers
2nd Place: RHI Sudden Impact
3rd Place: Ball State Cardinals
4th Place: DASA Dynamites
5th Place: Turnstone Flyers
6th Place: CNY United
7th Place: Courage Blizzards Blue

MVP: Jordan Dickey, RHI Sudden Impact
Sportsmanship: Deandra Bardell, Courage Blizzards Blue
Golden Guard: Michael Archer, Circle City Rollers

For detailed tournament scores, visit www.USPSATeams.org/results.

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2010 D2 Midwest Regional Results
April 1st, 2010
Tournaments

Monticello High School, Monticello, MN
March 26th-28th, 2010

Final Standings

1st Place: Courage Thunder
2nd Place: Indy Cruisers
3rd Place: GLASA Fire
4th Place: Madison Marauders
5th Place: Ball State Fury
6th Place: Driving Force
7th Place: DASA Firecrackers
8th Place: RHI Indy Inferno
9th Place: Courage Tornados
10th Place: Courage Blizzards White

MVP: Lexi Heer, Indy Cruisers
Sportsmanship: Robert Keck, Courage Tornados
Golden Guard: Pete Winslow, Courage Thunder

For detailed tournament scores, visit www.USPSATeams.org/results.

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Road to Victory: Winning the D2 Eastern Regional
March 24th, 2010
Tyler Farmer
Tournaments

It was finally here. After a long wait, the D2 Eastern Regionals had finally arrived. Day 1 started with me, my teammate Russell Gregory, and my dad (and coach) loading up in our van and making our way down to Lucky Shoals Park in Norcross, GA. On the way, we listened to some music to try and get pumped up, especially a song by Muse called "Uprising", which has the line "We will be victorious!" We got to the gym early and started getting our guards on so we could warm-up. The butterflies were already flying around at a mile a minute even though I felt like we were the team to beat. After everyone was ready, our coaches gathered us up for a quick talk. We had no idea that they had a surprise for us...NEW JERSEYS (a red one & a blue one). They're AWESOME! I liked our old jerseys, but we had used them for 3 1/2 years so it was time for some new ones. So we put on the new jerseys and were ready to play. First, we played at 10:15 against the Chattanooga Speeders, a very talented team who have been our rivals for 3 years.

We got off to a fast start & when the final whistle had been blown we had won 4-1. Next, we played at 12:45 against the Orlando Hurricanes, a physical team. We won 2-0. After that, we played against the Carroll County...

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