On Friday, February 24th, volunteers from SF CalHeat organized and ran the West Region Tryouts for the upcoming Youth National Team selection. The U.S. announced its intention to participate for the first time in the Pan American Championships to be played in Chile in April, where the 5 best teams will qualify for the World Championships to be held at Tbilisi, Georgia in August.

Craig Rot will lead the team as Head Coach, and together with several USATH officials will determine the selection of players to complete a roster of 16 players and 4 alternates that will represent the U.S. at the continental competition.

 

 

In charge of the tryouts was Pauline Marangoni, with the assistance of Michelle Mensing, Arthur Caillau, and Arnaud Girsch, all volunteers from SF CalHeat. They guided, assisted, and filmed the performances of the candidates for Coach Julio Sainz, the West Region representative, to asses their skills and potential, and to transmit his impressions to the selection committee.

Recent Youth California Cup Champions Sebastian Taylor-Smith, Patrick Hanley, and Ramsey Quintanilla were in assistance, showcasing their skills and biding for a spot on the historic roster. They will be competing with more than 30 players from across the nation and from abroad.

SF CalHeat is proud to be helping these young players to achieve their dreams, and just hope for more opportunities like this in the future to be available to athletes from the bay area. The club will continue working towards expansion of the sport in the community. If you want to help don’t hesitate to reach out to us.