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Double Down!!

What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas. So what if you lose $3,000 on a roulette wheel in Vegas. No one will tell your wife. Do you have that “hot tip” on the Padres game this weekend. Lay it on the line. You are in Las Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Day trip to the Moonlight Bunny Ranch. Yup Yup!!! What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas. Flag Football Nationals under the new leadership to the IFF, staying in Vegas for another year? That is as sure a bet as you can find. What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.

In the case of the Flag Football Nationals, this was not a sure thing one year ago. A little over a year ago, AFA (American Football Association) president, Bill Williams passed away after a long bout with cancer. The future of the Las Vegas hosted AFA nationals were thrown into doubt. But much like a blackjack that comes along when you are playing your last chip, the IFFF and Jim Zimolka charged into the fray. They decided to do Williams the honor of taking over the event at the last minute and forge forward in 2006.

“When Williams passed, the future of the Nationals was in doubt,” says Zimolka. “It was his baby and it has been played in Las Vegas for as long as anyone can remember. Then Bill died and the event was left in limbo. We decided that even if we lost money that 1^st year, it was an important event for Flag Football and should continue on.”

“It was a logistical nightmare to take on the nationals on such short notice. But we pulled it off. The teams came and had a great time, although burdened with a heavy heart.”

Logistical nightmare indeed. When the IFFF took over, there were no host hotels, and few teams that had already registered. But the time they were finished the Nationals were locked into a new group of hotels, and a large field of 48 teams came out to Vegas to compete in the esteemed event.

“In the past the event has had draws of upwards of 80-teams, but on such short notice, to get 48 teams to come out and play was just awesome. Now we are going into our second year as hosts and we expect it to get even bigger and better.”

Anyone who knows the works of Zimolka and the IFFF know he is not just blowing smoke. The IFFF hosts the Flag Football World Cup, held annually in Panama City, Florida. This event has become nearly legendary. Held the same week as Spring Break, the World Cup parties have taken on a mythical status. Everyone who plays Flag Football strives to head on down to Florida for the event. All year people talk about the great hotels, the 4-star chefs and of course the beach parties.

“Now we have a chance to put on a show like that in Las Vegas,” said Zimolka. “I mean common. Now you have the best hotels, the best chefs and the best bars at our disposal. You know this 2^nd year has the potential to be the best event we have ever hosted.”

While a host hotel has yet to be announced, you can be sure it will be one of the finest Vegas has to offer. The IFFF uses Magical Mikes travel service to book the event, and when Mike gets into the mix, great things happen. Packages will include hotel, food and an open bar at many, many events.

If they are going to spend money while you are there, it will be at the tables where it belongs. Of course, some of the money might be spent on seeing some of the most beautiful women in the world, in one of Vegas many shows and cabarets.

It promises to be an event that might even surpass the World Cup for the mythical tales that might come from the pool parties alone.

On a more sports related note, winning teams from the Nationals 2 divisions will take double qualifying points towards its World Cup seeding. Now that the World Cup invites all takers, all points from qualifying events will go towards seeding at the Cup. In this spectrum the importance of nationals takes on a whole new urgency. The winner of the Nationals, with the strength of the double qualifying points will help establish themselves among the top seeds. The significance of this is huge when these teams find themselves against World powers like Mexico and Canada.

“It is critical to go into the World Cup as one of the higher seeds if you really want to make a run at the title. With so many teams expected to come down this year you really don’t want to find yourself in the middle of a bracket. Winning Nationals will go a long way towards a top spot. That is HUGE!

On that note it looks like we have finally found something that will leave Las Vegas with you, your double qualifying points. The rest, you know the stripper, that thing that happened with the Llama, those 46-tequila shots, that will stay in Vegas.

But the stories, and trophies, you CAN take with you.