Quad Rugby/Story - 14th Annual Valdosta Cup

UNITED STATES QUAD RUGBY ASSOCIATION

December, 2003

Valdosta Cup trophy finds new home
by Greg Taylor

The 14th Annual Valdosta Cup was held on December 5-7, 2003 in Valdosta Georgia. This is the one of the nation’s longest running tournaments and showcases some of the best teams in the southeast. It also boasts to have the oldest trophy in the league, passed on each year to the tournaments winner.

The six teams who attended this years tournament were 5-time National Champions Lakeshore Demolition, who not only lost 3 players to transfers (Chunn, Crouch and Romero), but were without other key members; Hoveround Lightning, who have their sights on the Championship after adding 3.5 Joe Soares; the new-old look, instant-contender Frazier TNT, benefiting from Lakeshore's loss; D-II's Tampa Generals who split to field 2 teams, the Generals and Tampa Two; and D-II's CIR Carolina Crash, rebuilding after key player losses from last season.

Some key matches on day one included the Tampa Generals, who kept it close before falling to local rivals, Hoveround 25-29. The Lakeshore-TNT match-up was highly anticipated, as TNT now has three former Demolition players on its roster. Lakeshore was short handed for the weekend and had only five players to run with. 2.0’s Bryan Kirkland and Bob Lujano, along with 1.5 Scott Stokes, 1.0 Tommy Sullivan and 1.0 Lawrence Lee played iron man rugby. Running a 6.5 point lineup, the Demolition battled TNT into double overtime before falling, 41-44. This will be a fun rivalry to watch this season as TNT adjusts to its new trio of skill, and Lakeshore’s second line fills in the missing gaps.

Saturday’s games went as expected with no upsets. The higher seeds played the lower seeds, using court time to try new strategies and playing the bench once comfortable leads were established. Games of note included Tampa vs. Tampa Two, 40-35. Expect the Generals to make a solid run for Nationals once rookies (2.5) Ryan Lindstrom and Ryan Kress 2.5 improve playing skills and both Tampa squads combine into one unit. Frazier TNT gave the Hoveround Lightning a strong fight in the days second to last game trailing by two at the final buzzer, 34-36.

The final day of competition in Valdosta brought with it the opportunity for each team to cause an upset. In the early morning contest the Carolina Crash and Tampa Two were both looking for their first win of the weekend and a 5th place finish. Carolina was led by 3.0 Matt Crisp and Aussie import Patrick Ryan, while Tampa Two looked to veterans Dave Ceruti and Mark Hickey for guidance. Tampa could not find its rhythm until the final period when they made a three and four goal run in closing minutes. Despite Tampa’s best efforts, it was the Crash who won the match, 33-30. The following game TNT hammered the Generals, 42-27 sending them home with 4th place, their lowest finish in 14 years of Valdosta Cup competition.

The last game of the weekend held the answers as to who would finish first through third. A win by Lakeshore would create a 3-way tie and force a mad scramble for the USQRA’s tie breaker policy, while a loss would send Hoveround home with the Cup. Considering Hoveround’s 9 man roster against Lakeshores 5 man (6.5 point line-up), most loaded up their vehicles and began the long trip home. Those that stayed behind were treated to a great game that was tied at 29 apiece at the start of the fourth. With just 6 minutes to go Hoveround intercepted a Lakeshore inbound and took the lead from the Demolition for the final time. A second interception minutes later secured Hoveround’s win, 38-36, and sent the Valdosta Cup trophy to Sarasota, at least until next year.

Congratulations go out to 2003 Valdosta Champions-Hoveround Lightning, followed by Frazier TNT, Lakeshore Demolition, Tampa Generals, Carolina Crash and Tampa Two. Special thanks to Valdosta Parks and Recreation and the Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference and Tourism Center, as well as the referees, volunteers and staff of the South Lowndes Recreational Complex. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year for the 15th annual Valdosta Cup.

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