Scobel Wiggins Photography

Tournaments like Philly Classic and Centex have the potential to raise the level of Women's competitive play around the country. I believe that ample opportunity for good regional competition is one of the biggest reasons the West Coast produces so many powerhouse Women's teams. Tournaments like Presidents Day, Santa Barbara Invite, and the Stanford Invite host primarily, if not exclusively, West Coast teams, providing some of the top teams in the country the opportunities to play one another multiple times before the series even begins. Good teams become great teams by playing against and learning from other great teams.

As a result of this, historically Women's teams from other parts of the country wanting to make a place for themselves in the top tier of College Utimate have had to travel great distances at their own expense in order to see some of the top teams and different styles of play before Nationals. This has put non-West Coast teams at a great disadvantage in years past because of the financial, mental, and physical strains of traveling cross-country. Additionally, the best non-West Coast teams have traveled to West Coast tournaments in order to get good competition in lieu of competing in more local tournaments, denying non-traveling teams the opportunity to compete against and grow from good regional rivalries and competition.

With the growth of Women's Centex in the past few years and the conception of Philly Classic, more opportunities for competitive play are becoming  available for non-West Coast teams. With tremendous help from Michelle Ng and ample incentives such as skills clinics and seminars hosted by some of the best players and coaches around the country, these tournaments are gaining more competitive draw for teams from both the East and West Coast. The quantity of teams accepted to these tournaments allows for more teams to see good competition early in the pre-season and elite non-West Coast teams are provided with more chances to play one another and top-tier West Coast teams without as much of the burden of travel. Ultimately, I think that the continued support and growth of these tournaments will greatly help in leveling the national playing-field for Women's Ultimate.

Despite what might be perceived as a rocky start for Philly Classic this year, with the weather and the resulting change of location and format, I think that Philly Classic still provided a lot of positive opportunities for growth for attending teams.  The wind and the rain were so severe on Saturday that little finesse was possible in many of the games.  However, the teams that succeeded at Philly were the teams that were able to adapt new approaches to the game, both mentally and strategically. Teams were challenged to stay positive, work together and stay willing to try new things in order to flourish under new or difficult circumstances — all challenges that teams face in the best competitions and in the nicest weather.  Overall, I would call Philly Classic a success.

I also believe that the presence of a large and elite Women's tournament on the East Coast will open the flood gates for the support and promotion for more high-level tournaments of its kind. There is already discussion of attempting to enhance Queen City, a North Carolina tournament, starting next year. In summation, I am incredibly excited about the direction which Women's College Ultimate is taking on a national level, and it is thanks to the inspiration of administrators and organizers like Michelle Ng who have worked so tirelessly to promote women's ultimate that such advances are possible.

Leila Tunnell, current University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill captain