The competitive game action might not kick off until Wednesday, but the IFAF Americas Flag Football Championship is already in full swing in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Players, supporters and those who tune in to watch live are in for a treat when they see the impressive custom-built venue at the United States Performance Center and University of North Carolina Charlotte. You can catch a preview from drone footage of the Championship Field and the whole facility on the @IFAFMedia twitter feed as anticipation builds for Wednesday morning when the United States take on Panama to open the women’s tournament at 9am.
On Monday, the Americans were the first to enjoy the expansive practice fields at their disposal, two of which will serve as competition fields. Canada opted to recover from long day of travel from Halifax, Nova Scotia, where only a few days ago they were competing in the Canadian National Championships, playing nine games in three days. So, they’ve earned their rest.
“Nationals started last Friday in the beautiful city of Halifax, hosted by Saint Mary’s University, and they’re really intense tournaments, and then we flew from there this morning at 5am and arrived in Charlotte around 10am,” explains defensive back Guillaume Beland. “We just took the day to relax and get to know the facilities and walk around the city. On Tuesday we’ll get down to flag football and practice and focus.”
Nutrition is of the utmost importance to the athletes competing here in Charlotte, and the menu options at the buffet-style SoVi dining hall at South Village Crossing at UNCC. To whet your appetite and give an insight as to the fuel for flag football on offer to the participants, here’s a sample of Monday’s dinner menu: fresh salads, sliced grilled meats, fresh fruit, spicy teriyaki chicken, grilled cheese sandwich, chicken tenders, fries, cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza and for those with a sweet tooth there were cookies and small cakes. There is also a gluten free food zone and at all buffet stations the number of calories in each item are clearly listed.
Notes: The temperatures will be in the 90s/30s this week, so a small village of fan-cooled tents are available to all teams to serve as on-site locker rooms and cool down zones… Chile were the first team to arrive in Charlotte and having acclimatized will hit the practice fields on Tuesday, as will Canada, Brazil and the United States, all with staggered start times… The US men’s national team held a loose but productive practice on Monday night until the sun went down, while the women continued under the glare of floodlights… Quarterback Vanita Krouch was interviewed by NFL Network after practice, saying: “I feel like I’m living a dream... to be here representing my country means the world to me.” Vanita spoke with IFAF before heading to Charlotte. Read that interview here.
Photo: Wes Lorenz/USA Football
