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The Schwan's USA CUP, presented by PUMA newsletter provides the latest information and updates about the tournament. |
| Maximize your Schwan's USA CUP Experience |
Schwan's USA CUP is so much more than just a soccer tournament. It's a complete soccer experience with so many additional activities to take advantage of. Exciting activities occur throughout the week, and many of them are free!
The Kohl's 3v3 tournament provides an excellent way for players to get more minutes on the field. Three players on a small field offers non-stop action. Another way for players to hone their skills is participating in the NSC Soccer Academy Clinics. Teams can register on the website and learn how to move their feet like Ronaldinho. But remember its first come, first serve.
A great way to make the tournament a wonderful and memorable event is to meet other teams and experience new cultures through the meet-a-team program. Local teams will be matched with out-of-state teams and invited to participate in various fun activities like visiting the Mall of America or Valleyfair amusement park, or attending a Minnesota Twins game. There are more than 40 activities to choose from at Schwan's USA CUP!
For a complete list of all the fun activities and registration forms during Schwan's USA CUP visit the activities section of our website here.
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| PUMA brings celebrity soccer star Ethan Zohn to Schwan's USA CUP |
 PUMA is excited to be bringing Ethan Zohn, winner of SURVIVOR: AFRICA and co-founder of Grassroot Soccer, to the 2008 Schwan's USA CUP. Zohn will be arriving the Sunday of Schwan's USA CUP and will be hosting and participating in a great lineup of activities that are accessible to all Schwan's USA CUP participants!
Since SURVIVOR: AFRICA, Zohn co-founded Grassroot Soccer, an international non-profit organization that uses Africa's role models and professional soccer players to educate youth about the dangers of HIV/AIDS (www.grassrootsoccer.org). In August of 2008, Zohn will set a Guinness record by dribbling a soccer ball 550 miles from Boston to Washington, D.C., while raising money for his charity. Throughout Schwan's USA CUP, Zohn will be educating people about the dribble and giving players the opportunity to get involved and join the "Kids United Soccer Team". Kids can join the team by dribbling a soccer ball one mile or more and raising $100 or more for Grassroot Soccer. Each teammate will be assigned a partner in Africa who has graduated from GRS's program in Africa. The top 11 fundraisers between the age of 8 and 16 years old will win a trip to Africa (with a chaperone) in the summer of 2009 to meet their African teammate, play some soccer and learn about life growing up in Africa.
Stay tuned for next month's e-mail which will have full details on Zohn's schedule at the tournament!
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| Introducing the PUMA BOOT LAB |
If experiments are your thing, visit the PUMA BOOT LAB while at Schwan's USA CUP - but leave the test tubes out of it. Our hypothesis? You'll love our boots - but you need to see for yourself. How?
See how easy that is? And the best part - it is completely free! This is your chance to test a pair of PUMA boots in a game and let us know what you think of them. The BOOT LAB will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day of Schwan's USA CUP and will be located in the PUMA LAB, which you will hear more about in the coming weeks. Lastly, don't forget to bring a valid driver's license or ID that we can hold on to while you take your game to a new level in our boots! Look forward to seeing you there! |
| Utilize Our Guest Player Program |
Coaches, are you short of players due to injury or other commitments? Aren't having any luck finding a player to complete your roster? Then the USA CUP Guest Player Program is for you. It connects coaches with players who want to have the USA CUP experience.
Players, are you looking for a team to play on during USA CUP? Sign up online to have an opportunity to play with a team during the weekend and/or weeklong tournament. Many teams are looking for players to satisfy their team's needs, and it is a great experience!
For more information about the program, to request guest players for your team, or to apply as a guest player, visit the guest player section of the website.
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| Calling All Volunteers! |
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Schwan's USA CUP is right around the corner and we need your help. This year's tournament is going to be one of our largest ever and we need your help to make it happen! We have a wide variety of areas where we need volunteers: Activities, Awards, Airport Greets, Bike Corps, Field Managers, Field Medical, Final Team Check-in, Gift Packing, Guide Program, Opening Ceremonies, Pre-Tournament Set-up, Referee Transportation, Schwan Zone.
Benefits of Volunteering
Volunteers working eight hours or more receive a unique staff shirt that serves as a uniform and provides access to many tournament activities. Volunteers 19 years old and younger will also receive a participant wristband for access to Schwan's USA CUP activities. Sign-up with a friend, we can schedule you to work together. For more information about volunteer positions or to register visit the volunteer section of the website here.
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| Webcast Games Return in New Form for 2008 Schwan's USA CUP |
Webcasts of selected games will again be available during this summer's Schwan's USA CUP.
All games played during the nine-day tournament on fields U1 (NSC Stadium) and U2 (Exhibition Field) will be webcast. A special Opening Ceremony presentation will also be available.
This unique offering in the amateur sports world allows those unable to attend the tournament the opportunity to watch their children, grandchildren, relatives or friends participate in this world-renown event. In addition, the games will be available live and also on an archived basis, so players, parents and others who are there in person can still watch the webcasts.
In the past, the NSC partnered with an outside vendor to provide webcasts of a small number of events. Beginning with NSC Cup in May, the NSC will take over webcasting operations ourselves, enabling us to offer a wider range of programming to our customers and to improve service. In addition to soccer tournaments, hockey, cycling and selected other events will also be shown. Further details are available on our website here.
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| Opening Ceremonies July 14 |
 A colorful Olympic-style parade of teams, fireworks and a concert will highlight this year's Opening Ceremonies on Monday, July 14.
Set to start at 19:45 in the NSC Stadium., the unique event helps to separate Schwan's USA CUP from other soccer tournaments. It provides a good visual of the tournament's scope while also allowing participants from both parts of the tournament to interact.
Teams will enter the stadium, with many opting to carry team banners and state or country flags, before the lighting of the cauldron takes place.
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| Look for Re-Ranking Emails |
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Tournament organizers are starting to work on schedules and you have the chance to update your team history to ensure you are placed in the flight where your team will have the best experience.
USA CUP Weekend coaches and team leaders recevied re-ranking email on June 3 and have until June 8 to complete it.
USA CUP Week coaches and team leaders will receive the re-ranking email on June 10 and have until June 15 to complete it.
Please contact Colleen Bourdon at 763.458.6634 with questions. |
| Still Accepting Applications |
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We are still accepting applications in all divisions for Schwan's USA CUP Week. There is one spot left in the Schwan's USA CUP Weekend tournament for an A Flight U17 Girls team.
The weekend tournament is July 11-13, 2008 and the week tournament is July 15-19, 2008. Opening Ceremonies will be July 14.
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| Tell Us About Your Team! |
Schwan's USA CUP has a special segment on the website where we like to feature teams.
If your team would like to be featured please send us a brief story about your team and a photo.
- It is especially fun to hear about why your team decided on USA CUP as one on their tournaments.
- If your team has had any obstacles to overcome to make the trip to Minnesota.
- If you have any special stories about your team for fundraising.
- Perhaps some of your players have achieved a special recognition that makes them stand out from the average soccer team.
If you would like to participate in being a featured team, please send your story and photo to Vicki Barnes at vbarnes@usacup.org |
| Link to Us |
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Many soccer clubs/teams put information on their website about their upcoming tournament travels, fundraising efforts to go to a tournament, and updates about what tournaments they have gone to. If your team/club has information about USA CUP on your website we would love to know this and link to you.
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| Sports Star Photo is Back! |
Sports Star Photo has come back in 2008 to take care of all of your action, individual, and team photo needs.
Scheduling for any of these three professional and creative options will occur at a to be determined time. Keep Sports Star Photo in mind for all of your team photography needs and make sure to check our next newsletter for more updates! |
| National Sports Center Launches NSCtv |
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The National Sports Center launched NSCtv in late March on its website. NSCtv offers a behind the scenes look at the events, programs, athletes and people at the facility. Each weekly episode is 4-7 minutes long with new editions available every Thursday.
NSCtv was created after the success of last year's Kick TV, the daily online video journal of Schwan's USA CUP. Kick TV will be returning to the tournament this year as well.
Click here to view the latest episode of NSCtv. |
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