The WFDF World Ultimate Championships are much more than your typical Ultimate tournament. The WUC is a celebration of the sport and the unification of the massive, global community of fans and athletes. The 2024 event took place August 31 - September 7 in Gold Coast, Australia, making it the largest Ultimate event ever hosted in Australia.
Featured on this year’s roster for Team USA was Utah Wild’s own, Kendra Miller.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Miller said about the west coast tryouts, which were held in San Francisco in March, consisting of fifteen hours split into two days.
“I got the invite in December to try out, and that was the highlight of what I wanted,” said Miller, “In my mind, there was no way I was going to make the team. That was my goal going, I wanted to have a tryout that I was proud of.”
And that goal was certainly achieved as Miller received an offer later that March, receiving the news from her Molly Brown coach, making the moment extra special. “The whole trajectory of my playing career really shifted when I made Molly Brown in 2022,” said Miller about the Colorado-based Ultimate team. "Just making that team has made me a much better player and the connections I made from that team lead me to the national team. I wasn’t even going to apply to the national team but Claire Chastain, my club captain, sent me the link. I remember being like, ‘Well if Claire Chastain says you apply, then you apply.’”
The road to the championship finals is challenging, facing long training camps, extreme heat, and wind, all while playing with and against the best players in the world.
“Winning felt good because we really had to fight for it,” said Miller about the final against Colombia. Team USA had initially lost 15-13 during pool play but came back victorious in the finals when they won against Colombia 14-12, earning USA the gold medal.
“It’s always fun to play under different coaches, you learn from how they approach games differently,” said Miller, “And you become such good friends with everyone on the team and that’s been awesome, getting to know so many people and make those connections.”
Miller is returning from winning gold with Team USA to play with Utah Wild in the upcoming WUL season, “I want to continue holding myself to that standard of play after recognizing the level I can play at.”
This coming weekend (Nov 19-20, 2024), Kendra will be competing in 2025 Wild Tryouts. Tryouts are open to women and non-binary players. Learn more about attending tryouts here: 2025 Utah Wild Tryouts. We hope to see you there.
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