Team USA won
the overall team title at the World Cyber Games Grand Final in Seattle. Competing
against more than 700 gamers from 74 countries, the United States overcame
the stiffest competition in World Cyber Games history to capture the gold. It is
the United States second team title and first since the 2005 WCG Grand Final in
Singapore. In claiming the title, the Americans won three gold medals, two silver
medals and a bronze medal in 12 PC and Xbox 360 titles. Korea and Brazil each earned
two gold medals while Germany had one gold, one silver and three bronze. The result
was a huge disappointment for the heavily favored and defending world champion Korean
team who have dominated professional gaming since its inception.
Team USA captured gold medals in Tony Hawk Project 8, Gears of War, and Dead Or
Alive 4 (DOA 4). In Tony Hawk, Dustin Valcalda (Reno, NV) bowled over the competition
as he never lost a game during the entire event. Participating in his first professional
tournament, Valcada defeated England in the finals and the Czech Republic in the
semis. The Gears of War team-- including Keith Haggen (Phoenix), Jesse Cranker
(Bowling Green, OH),Michael Cannon (Harrisburg, PA), and Jesse Rodriguez (Chicago)
-- also experienced little difficulty in rolling to the gold medal. They defeated
The Netherlands 2-0 in the gold medal match. In DOA 4, Jeremy Florence (Albuquerque,
NM) also never lost during the competition in coasting to the title. Florence overcame
American teammate and bronze medalist Carl White (Toledo, OH) in the semifinals
as he avenged his loss to White during the National Championships last month in
Orlando, FL. In the gold medal match, he dominated Sweden, 2-0.
Wes Cwiklo (Camarillo, CA) and Ragav Phadke(Buffalo, NY) each earned silver medals
for the Americans. The defending 2006 WCG Grand Final world champion in Project
Gotham Racing 3, Cwiklo dominated in his first eight matches before he was upset
in the gold medal match against The Netherlands. Phadke, meanwhile, came out of
nowhere to compete at a world-class level in the Age of Empires III tournament,
a game typically dominated by the Asian countries.
