Rush Cup 2012

Rush Cup 2012

            The Prairie Ridge Sports Complex hosted the third annual Rush Cup on August 18^th, 2012. Rush Cup is a unique experience for Iowa Rush players.   Select players from ages U9-U14 are scrambled and then placed onto a team randomly. These teams then participated in a round robin tournament to see who will be crowned the Rush Cup Champion. What makes this event truly unique is that there are no coaches or referees for the games. The player’s govern themselves on the field making foul calls, substitutions and strategic adjustments without the assistance or input from parents or coaches. This gives the players an opportunity to handle and face adversity in a fun yet competitive environment. What made this year’s Rush Cup even more exciting was the fact that the finals would be the first games played under the new lights.

            At 8:15, Iowa Rush celebrated and officially recognized the lighting project with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  On hand were the Iowa Rush board president, Gary Buelt, and Corbin Stone, Iowa Rush Technical Director, who stated,  “We are extremely excited about the opportunities the addition of lights represents.  The investment in this project is worthwhile and we will see the benefits for years to come.  It is a testament to the support and diligence of our members and the City, that we now have lights at Prairie Ridge."

            Ankeny's honorable Mayor Steven Van Oort was also in attendance, joined by Todd Redenius, City of Ankeny Parks and Recreation Director.  Redenius added, “The City of Ankeny is very pleased to see the new soccer platform lights. It has been a pleasure partnering with the Iowa Rush on this project. Providing sports field lighting for training, recreational and competitive soccer has been a mutual goal of the City and Rush organizations for a long time and will certainly add to the experience of soccer participants. The City of Ankeny Parks and Recreation Department is pleased to see the project come to fruition and is appreciative of the Rush Board of Directors, Park Board and City Council for their efforts to make this great improvement a reality!”

                Immediately following the ribbon-cutting, the lights were illuminated and utilized for the final games of the annual pre-season intra-squad Rush Cup tournament, crowning the champions under the lights for the first time.  

Rush Cup 2012 Champions