TEAM USA TOUR WINDS DOWN

TEAM USA TAKES ON WORDLY RIVALS ON THE 2001 WORLD TOUR

Pride and athletics seem to go together as naturally as salt & pepper. Athletic competition is based mainly on that emotion - pride. And in the flag football community, pride runs deep. Flag football isn't always about the trophy or the reward - it's about showing prowess on the field, finding athletes who share your passion for the game, and the camaraderie that you find on and off the field. There is a fine line between friendship and rivalry. In the world of flag football, no one gets to experience those extremes of friendship, pride, rivalry, and competition more than the members of TEAM USA.

TEAM USA members are athletes selected to represent the US as they travel around the world. Their purpose is three-fold. TEAM USA is traveling the globe to promote the sport of flag football, and encourage it's growth on foreign soil. These athletes travel abroad and teach other football athletes how to play the 9 Man game, ultimately promoting the World Cup of Flag Football. The World Cup features TEAM USA vs. The World in 9 Man competition for the men, and 7 Man competition for the women. During their travels, they compete in local tournaments - whatever the style of play might be, play exhibition games (a World Cup preview), and run clinics to help these foreign athletes further develop their own game. Not all TEAM USA members can be considered a "super-star" of flag football. They are all very good athletes, have a passion for the sport, and above all possess a great attitude and sportsmanship - on and off the field of play. TEAM USA athletes are ambassadors of good will associated with the sport of flag football.

The 2001 TEAM USA World Tour began with a return visit to Mexico. More affectionately referred to as the "Border War", TEAM USA first stormed into Mexico in 2000, where a rivalry was born. TEAM USA first played a tournament in San Cristobal with only 5 American athletes. Mexican teams were much better than anticipated, and team TEXCOCO dominated the US team, and used all remaining time-outs in a 26-point lead game, to further humiliate the American loss. And so the "Border War" began. A month later TEAM USA returned to Mexico City for the Coca Cola Bowl, this time with a full squad of American ringers. TEAM USA saw some of the same athletes from the TEXCOCO team, and their earlier loss was avenged by defeating their newest rivals, and winning the tournament. Ahhhh, sweet revenge.

The American women have a sordid history with the Mexican teams, having experienced only defeat from Mexico's top teams. At the 2000 Coca Cola Bowl in Mexico City, TEAM USA put in a strong performance, losing only to the tournament winners, Aguilas Blancas. Aguilas Blancas remains the strongest team in Mexico, utilizing many of its members to form TEAM MEXICO. For two years now, Mexico has defeated TEAM USA in the finals to win the World Cup Tournament. Years of playing together has been the strongest advantage for the Mexican women, as once TEAM USA is formed, they usually have less than one day to prepare as a team.

This year's visit to Mexico was to introduce the 9 man style of play to the Mexicans, and to promote the World Cup, while striving to bring home another championship. The Mexicans were ready to do more than learning though - they had beating TEAM USA on their mind. The men of TEAM USA lost to Mikes of TEXCOCO in round robin play, handing the Americans their only loss of the tournament. The Americans rebounded to defeat the Mexican champions Perros Negros in the Championship game 48-33.

The second leg of TEAM USA's 2001 World Tour sent them across seas to make several stops in Europe. The first stop was Switzerland, where the Americans put on a two day clinic. Over 200 Swiss athletes showed up the second day to learn the 9 man style of play, generating enough interest to make the local papers and television. The second stop was Italy, where TEAM USA was warmly greeted by several Italian athletes awaiting their arrival. TEAM USA played the Italian 5 Man game, before introducing the 9 Man exhibition game. The Italians played quite remarkably, displaying their quick running game and aggressive defense. The Italians continued their warm hospitality by treating the Americans to a meal at a local wine distillery.

Next stop on the European leg of the World Tour was Normandy, France. After a 12 hour bus ride to Normandy Beach, TEAM USA competed with over 70 teams in a 5 Man tournament. Teams from England, France, Germany, USA, Israel, and Mexico were all in attendance at this event. The USA and MEXICO women competed against men's teams, due to lack of women's teams. And although TEAM USA women only won one game, TEAM MEXICO came through strong, winning 4 games before being eliminated the second day -losing to TEAM USA men, and Indians of Austria. In the championship game, TEAM USA played an American team from Ramstein Air Force Base, the "Knights", defeating them 34-18 in front of 400 cheering fans. After TEAM USA was mobbed for photos and t-shirts, they played an exhibition 9 Man game against FRANCE. The French team had over 50 players anxiously waiting to play against the Americans. The French were well-prepared, and will be a contender in this year's World Cup.

The next stop on the 2001 TEAM USA World Tour was Montreal, Canada. The rivalry between Canadian athletes and American athletes has been brewing for several years. In the past two years, the World Cup Championship has seen the Canadians fall to the Americans by a narrow margin. If pride runs deep in the heart of American athletes, it is matched, if not surmounted by the Canadians. The Canadians have a national sentiment, and it is to beat the Americans. And this pride knows no limitations of gender. This makes for a fierce battle on the field, and an anxious expectation for the arrival of TEAM USA to Canada. The Canadian tournament saw it's entries double, as teams were anxious to get a piece of the action against TEAM USA.

TEAM USA men showed their strength in the 7 Man tournament. The Americans did not lose, until the semi-finals matched them against last year's tournament champion and hometown team, Cardio Energy. Cardio Energy is an assimilation of Canadian all-stars, with hopes of defeating TEAM USA in the 2002 World Cup. In this controversial game, TEAM USA lost to Cardio Energy 26-16. TEAM USA had sixteen penalties equaling 200 yards, as compared to Cardio Energy's two penalties, totaling 15 yards. The officiating seemed biased, but you can make your own assumptions. Energy Cardio went on to defeat the Panthers 30-21, to win the tournament, and represent their country as TEAM CANADA in the 2002 World Cup Tournament.

Once TEAM USA had been handed its loss in the 7 Man tournament, they took on TEAM CANADA for an exhibition 9 Man game. As these two teams battled it out in the rain, this time TEAM CANADA got their sweet revenge of winning by an extra point, revisiting a reversed scenario that ended last year's World Cup Championship game. TEAM CANADA showed that they are ready for the World Cup, and that TEAM USA had better be prepared for the next time they face the Canadians. Two US teams had entered the 4 Man division as well, and it was an All-American final as MTA defeated their TEAM USA teammates of Mr. Steer in a 20-12 game.

TEAM USA women also felt the Canadian pride, as teams were eager to begin competition against their rival Americans. As in the past, TEAM USA women took a while to "gel", due to the little practice time they had together prior to the start of the tournament. But perhaps the women were more fortunate in experiencing the fierce competition shown by the Canadians. TEAM USA women played hard, and although they did not win a single game, even with the help of Lake Worth high school girl's team, they experienced camaraderie at its best. They also played an exhibition game against a team from Ontario. With volunteer referees, and an opportunity to play for fun, TEAM USA shined, beating the Canadian team by 2 touchdowns. To demonstrate the friendliness shared between the two teams, the Canadians asked to implement one of their local rules to the game - one forward pass after receiving a kick-off. TEAM USA agreed, and immediately scored on this rule variation. A good time was had by all, and the focus of the game was not about winning, but about sharing a love for the game, and a willingness to help the sport grow by engaging in friendly competition.

As TEAM USA prepares for its final stop on the 2001 World Tour in Valencia, Venezuela, they know that the road ahead of them will not be an easy one. As foreign countries promote and develop the sport of flag football, competition will increase. One thing that will not change, is the camaraderie found by traveling the world to promote the sport. TEAM USA hopes to continue its success by hosting five Regional Qualifiers throughout the US, allowing for the powers that be to assimilate a true team of US All-stars to form the TEAM USA that will compete in the 2002 World Cup.

By Kodi Wilson, Flagmag Editor