21st Annual Amherst Invitational Tournament on Saturday, May 5th and Sunday, May 6th
Thirty high school teams from coast to coast will compete in one of the largest and most prestigious Ultimate tournaments in the country. Founded in 1992 by ARHS Boys Varsity Coach Tiina Booth, the first year had only 8 teams show. This year, the 21st year, 538 athletes and 60 coaches and chaperones from seven states will participate in the tournament. To orchestrate this growing event, there are 17 (all-volunteer) committees that handle every aspect of the tournament. This is truly a community event!
On Saturday, games will be played from 9:45am to 5pm at ARHS, ARMS, Groff Park and Hampshire College; on Sunday, all the action will run from 8:30am to 5pm at ARHS. The “Invite” will once again be divided into three groups: Girls and Boys A & B Divisions. The Boys Division A finals will be played Sunday at 1:45 pm at ARHS. The Girls Division and Boys B Division finals will be played Sunday at 3:30pm at ARHS.
The ARHS Boys Varsity Ultimate team plays all of its early games against college teams and, last year, won both the state championship and the USA Ultimate Eastern Championship. The ARHS Girls Varsity team, coached by Josh Nugent, went 22-0 last season and also won the USA Ultimate Eastern Championship in 2011. A testament to the strength of the ARHS team was evident last month as three ARHS Players were chosen to represent the USA on the National Team at the World Championships (the Olympics of Ultimate) in Dublin, Ireland in August 2012. These three ARHS students, Danny On, Angela Zhu and Zoë Freedman-Coleman, will be playing in the 21st Amherst Invitational. Both ARHS varsity teams won this tournament last year! Come cheer the 'Canes on to another AI tournament victory!
For schedules, times, locations, and much more information on the tournament, see: http://www.facebook.com/amherstinvitational - and please don't forget to "Like" the AI 2012.
