The World Ultimate Club Championships will be played in Cincinnati, Ohio, from the 23rd to the 30th of July. With the cancellation of the 2020 World Ultimate Championships, this WUCC will be only the third opportunity (after the World Games and WMUCC) to see elite, international Ultimate in the last few years—that means we’ll see last hurrahs, smiles on faces, zany new offensive structures, another evolution of the “meta” (is vert still cool?), and whole new generations of superstars who are here to remind us of our own impermanence and mortality.
This tournament is a real highlight of the international calendar. WUCC has a way of levelling the global playing field, providing a platform for local clubs to represent their community and country. There is nothing quite like playing for your team against the best in the world. In this article, we’ll do a brief overview of the Women's Division, and get to know the team that Australia are sending to compete.
Women’s Division
Thank you for this picture Ultiworld, IOUs infographic team is currency on leave so yours will do nicely.
Ellipsis did not perform as well as they would have liked last WUCC, and no one is more aware of this than Ellipsis. In the 2022 tournament, we will see the realisation of a long-term, possibly four-year plan to convert the club’s dominance of the Women’s division in Australia into a big result on the world stage. They are the only team we are sending in the division, and in addition to having the best players in Melbourne, they’ve pulled talent from around Australia and New Zealand.
As something of a show of force, and in an attempt to test the depth and strength of their club roster, Ellipsis split into two teams at this Nationals. Though there were some tight games, they went to (what we all thought was) Universe Point in the grand final against themselves. That’s pretty elite. That’s pretty sick. And hopefully, that’s a pretty good sign for what’s to come.
This division is all about the North American teams, and Colombia’s Revolution. The top Japanese team may present some headaches for this contingent, but it’s likely Colombia's ever-strengthening Revolution will be a serious contender for the Gold. There’s going to be a real fight in bracket play, and Ellipsis will have to win some tough games to get there in a good enough position to avoid Revolution and Fury for as long as possible.
Ellipsis — 9-12 Seed
‘We will play with a simple belief, and unshakeable faith, that we can and will win. As long as we play with that belief, we are unstoppable.’ — Asaka Iitoyo.
The big names on this team are names that you know, and know well. Six of the seven Crocs women play for Ellipsis, and the rest of the roster is filled out with superstars both present and emerging. Here’s the team list:
The Crocs women are obviously the biggest matchups on this roster, bringing athleticism, experience, and a high degree of skill to the team. Cat Phillips was a clear stand out even at World Games level, and WUCC will be no exception.
But there are also many up and comers to keep an eye out for—Pania Preston is a self-proclaimed ‘off-leash rookie’, and Dot Li and Laura Forbes are electric on defence. Zoe O’Connor, allegedly rocking a semi-bleached mullet, smokes the rest of the team in the 200s they run in training, which is no mean feat when you look at how fast this team is. Lucy Deller is a star that continues to rise. And the New Zealanders, Mara Neall and Eve Weatherall, were huge for Ellipsis at Nationals, coming up with big plays at big moments to keep them dominant throughout the tournament.
This is, in short, an all star team.
Their seed might not do them many favours, but to win WUCC, you have to beat a strong American team eventually—might as well be early in the tournament. Ellipsis will need to put the other teams in their pool to bed, and then take on Riot. Beating the 4th USA team and 6th seed overall will be the Aussie’s best chance of going deep into the tournament, and it’s well within their reach.
For Ellipsis, this tournament is all about belief. Belief in each other. Belief in the vision. The team is all about winning—winning moments, winning points, winning halves—and are confident that if they believe in their ability to win, their tournament will take care of itself. Now would be a nice time to say that IOU believes they can win too—this is an exceptional team, with a decent draw, and a great chance to succeed. Go Lippy.
You can follow Ellipsis on their Facebook page and Instagram. You can also follow couplayoungducks on Instagram for a nicher and weirder kind of content.
Good luck to all teams competing at WUCC! We believe in you!