Battle at Altitude Jan. 27, 28 2024
Agnes Debrunner
Hello, fellow underwater hockey enthusiasts!
The Denver Area Underwater Hockey Club (DAUHC) is pleased to announce the 18th annual Battle @ Altitude tournament. Please help us spread the word by forwarding this announcement to anybody you think might be interested!
This year's edition of our tournament will be held on January 27-28, 2024, at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center (VMAC), in Thornton, CO. We will be using both playing areas to accommodate up to 16 teams. Additionally, we will be holding our Battle's-Eve Potluck tournament on Friday January 26, 2024, 1:00 PM. See below for additional information.
B@A REGISTRATION:
DO NOT PAY YET! As we have done for the previous several editions of B@A, we will be selling registration spots through the EventBrite website. We can accommodate a total of 16 teams (including 2 Colorado teams).
Team Registration Opens at: Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 at Noon Mountain time (that's 11am Pacific, 1pm Central, 2pm Eastern)
We can accommodate a total of 16 teams (including up to 2 Colorado teams). There will be a two-team waitlist after the available spots are taken. Only one registration may be provided per person, and spots are non-transferable. Please note the following very important details:
Registration Payment Amount: $100. This non-refundable deposit secures your team's spot and will count towards your team's entry fee, provided payment in full is made by the team-payment deadline (failure to pay in full may result in your team's spot being offered to a team on the waiting list). Please register your team on UWH Portal at the time of your deposit. Details on how to register are listed below.
Registration Payment Method: Registration website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/battle-altitude-2024-tickets-748181881147
Registration payment methods accepted: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
Once your deposit is paid and your team's spot is secured, you will be sent details for submitting your roster and how to pay the remainder of your entry fee via check, Paypal, or Wise
Total Entry Fee cost: $1700 per team (this includes $420 refundable team banquet fees, see below). Your $100 registration fee counts towards this total. Late fees may be added, see below.
Ref Opt-Out cost: $250, available to the first N teams, first-paid first-served (N to be up to half (rounded down) of the total number of entries received), New this year: your team must also provide at least 2 players from your roster to be Hybrid Referees.
Team entry payment deadline: Friday, December 15, 2023 at 5pm, Mountain time.
Waitlist: Any registered teams that have not paid in full by the team payment deadline (Dec 15) will be moved to the end of the waitlist (and their entry fees will increase by $50). We will then start offering spots to teams at the front of the waitlist for the original entry fee. The waitlisted team will be notified and have 1 week to pay in full or be moved to the back of the waitlist (and also have their entry fees increased by $50). We will continue in this manner until Friday, January 12, 2024, or until all spots are paid for, or no more teams are interested.
Roster completion deadline: Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 5pm, Mountain time. All players must have accepted their UWH Portal invitations by this time or their invite will be canceled and your team will have to pay $20 per player for them to be re-invited. Same with late roster additions (emergency replacements excepted).
To register your team visit www.uwhportal.com, sign in, and then navigate to the 18th Annual Battle @ Altitude event page. Once registration opens you will be able to click on "Register a team" and follow the prompts. The only information required to initially create a team is a team name (can be edited later). Any other team information and your roster members can be added/edited later. Please send any questions regarding team creation and roster building to sup...@atlantissports.org.
Battle’s Eve Potluck tournament
Potluck-style games start at 1:00 on Friday, January 26, (Battle’s Eve). Get used to the pool, get used to the altitude! Battle’s Eve games are open to anyone interested. No need to be a Battle at Altitude participant, so even if you are not playing at B@A, you are welcome to join!
A potluck style tournament means you bring yourself and not a team - we will make the teams from the players who register.
All players should expect to play at least 4 games and will also be assigned some reffing and scorekeeping duties.
Entry fee is $20 per player. Players need to register by Monday, January 22, before the end of the day.
Guidelines for player level:
Rank yourself as 1-10
New player. Has played a few games, but is still getting the hang of things
Newer player, knows basic rules, basic skills
Newer player, comfortable in the water, team skills started
Solid skills, but not super experienced.
Solid player. Good skills. Comfortable at home scrimmages.
Good skills. Good teamwork. Can take on any player, but not necessarily win.
That player who can’t decide if he’s a low A level or high B level player
Player definitely ready for the A level
High level player. Experienced at the A level
Player who is likely among the strongest at B@A
Any questions or comments, contact Agnes at agnesde...@icloud.com
To sign up for the Battle’s Eve Potluck Tournament:
1) Pay your $20 fee via Paypal, or make arrangements with Agnes to pay cash at the pool.
2) Give your name and skill level in the comments with your Paypal payment, or tell Agnes (via email agnesde...@icloud.com) if you choose the cash payment option.
3) Do the above by the end of the day on Monday, Jan. 22 so we have time to work out teams and/or get extra playing area if necessary.
If you are a no-show and you don’t give a reasonably good excuse for not showing up, you will still be charged your $20 fee for being a pain in the butt.
Payment/sign-up options:
PAYPAL: Make a personal money transfer to our Tournament Paypal Address - ColoradoUWH...@gmail.com As always, if you incur Paypal fees (by paying with a credit card, choosing the wrong type of payment, etc), we will ask you to cover those fees.
TO PAY WITH CASH AT THE POOL: contact Agnes at agnesde...@icloud.com
Note that you DO need to sign up ahead of time! No deck-side entry.
Make sure you mention your player level!
We may have time for some extra pick-up games (all women, all elite, all beginners, all college, etc). Let Agnes know if you are interested in such a game.
POOL LOCATION & TIMES:
The pool is the Veteran's Memorial Aquatic Center (VMAC) at 5310 E 136th Ave, Thornton, CO 80241 (same as usual).
VMAC features crystal-clear water and some of the fastest UWH on the continent, with state-of-the-art sport court and built in walls and goals. The two courts are ~7 feet deep, and 25 yards long by 15 yards wide. The tournament pucks will use polished stainless sliders that provide one of the fastest and smoothest playing experiences in the world.
B@A will run approximately:
Saturday: 8am to 9pm
Sunday: 8am to 5pm
Players should plan to be present for all of the hours listed above. We will not re-arrange the schedule to accommodate teams whose players are not present for some games.
REFFING:
This year we are planning to again follow the Tri-Referee Rotation. This means Dedicated Referees (Level II or above) in the water and on deck for every game! As before, the other reffing slots will be staffed either by qualified Hybrid Referees or Player Referees (Minnesota Rule) with some timing help by our fantastic volunteers. If you are interested in being a Dedicated Referee (travel and lodging expenses covered + per game stipend) please fill out the Dedicated Referee Interest Form by December 1, 2023.
OPT-OUTS:
For an additional $250 fee, your team can opt-out of Player Referee (Minnesota Rule) referee responsibilities entirely. However, there is an added stipulation this year, your team must also provide at least 2 players from your roster to be Hybrid Referees (must be at least level 1 to qualify); the opt-out system only works if there are Hybrid Referees to cover the games. The Hybrid Referees must accept their UWH Portal invitations by Saturday, January 20, 2024 to be counted. All Hybrid Referees receive a per game stipend of $15 if they are level 1 and $20 if they are level 2 or above.
There are up to 8 team opt-out slots available. These opt-out slots are handled on a first-paid first-served basis (once registration is open). This fee is refundable if your team does not secure one of the final number of opt-out slots, if you cannot provide the required 2 Hybrid Referees and are therefore disqualified from opting out, or if opting out is canceled due to lack of participation. All non-opt-out teams will be responsible for providing 1 Player Referee after their games are played.
TOURNAMENT MANAGEMENT:
We are happy to feature the complete Atlantis Sports time/score management system to provide up to date integration with UWHPortal.com.
LODGING:
We recommend you look for hotels in Thornton near 120th and I-25. There are several to choose from, including, but not limited to, LaQuinta, Super 8, Double Tree by Hilton, Baymont by Wyndham, Holiday Inn Express, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Fairfield Inn and Suites, Comfort Suites.
BANQUET:
The banquet will be held Sunday, January 28 at 6pm, at Cinzetti's Italian Market, 281 W 104th Ave., Northglenn, CO 80234
This year, the banquet pricing has been automatically added to each team’s entry fee with the assumption of a 12 player team ($420 total). The team organizer may request as many opt out refunds as they would like, but the refund request must be received by Friday, January 19. Please organize your team and figure out how many refunds you need, and ask for refunds only one time so we can refund the entire team all together.
Additional banquet tickets may be purchased for $35/ticket until January 19 and then for $70/ticket until January 28th via PayPal to ColoradoUWH...@gmail.com.
Please get your wristband for the banquet BEFORE you get to Cinzetti’s.
The banquet venue (Cinzetti’s) has a strict policy against outside alcohol and fighting. There will be no tolerance for outside alcohol or fighting at the banquet. Please be considerate of these rules. Our ability to use this venue depends on it.
SKI-O-RAMA:
Agnes is once again offering an opportunity for anyone coming to Colorado for B@A to also experience Colorado outside of the pool. You will have the opportunity to ski, sled, skate, XC ski, hike or just hang out. All of this fun takes place about 1 ½ hours’ drive (assuming no snowstorm) away from VMAC in Frisco, Colorado. Skiing is at Copper Mountain, but there are also several other ski areas close by. Unfortunately, the 2-for-1 coupons we got in the past are no longer available, but we’ll try and secure any discounts that we can. Housing in a private residence is provided for up to 20 people for 3 nights (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) following the tournament. There are also hotels nearby if you want more than a very basic place to sleep. Rides can hopefully be arranged amongst attendees. In the past we have been able to arrange carpools to Frisco and back to the airport. Worst case, there are also buses. Agnes will help arrange rides, but ultimately that will be up to you to finalize.
Please contact Agnes at agnesde...@icloud.com with any questions or to let her know that you are interested and to reserve your spot. A text to 303-885-8443 is also fine, but identify yourself or you will likely be ignored.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
All standard USOA-sanctioned tournament rules will apply. All 2024 USOA dues and waivers should be taken care of through Underwater Society of America prior to your arrival in Denver. We ask that you please link your UWHPortal profile to USOA to make this verification easier on us. Please contact sup...@atlantissports.org for any registration or linking questions.
B@A WEBSITE:
For regularly-updated tournament information you can visit https://battleataltitude.weebly.com or https://uwhportal.com/events/us-2024-18th-annual-battle-altitude Colorado UWH also has a FaceBook page that will include updated information.
Tournament T-Shirts: Stay tuned on how to order our always-awesome T-shirts
Questions, comments, etc, please email us ColoradoUnde...@gmail.com