The USA Mixed Ultimate team once again proved its nerve on the biggest stage, edging Canada 13–12 on universe point to claim gold at The World Games in Chengdu, China, last August. In a final that had everything—momentum swings, defensive heroics, and heart-stopping errors—the Americans extended their remarkable streak to six consecutive The World Games titles.
The championship clash lived up to its billing as a showdown between North American rivals. Canada arrived sharper and more cohesive than in previous meetings, pushing the USA to the verge in a back-and-forth contest that went all the way to a final point.
For Kami Groom, part of the team, that pressure was exactly what defined the victory.
“Huge credit to Canada. Their performance was something we hadn’t seen yet,” Groom said.
“Mentally, what steadied us was the foundation we had built in terms of both individual roles and trust in each other.”
That trust was cultivated long before the opening pull. According to Groom, the USA coaching staff emphasized personal connection as much as tactics, meeting individually with players and reinforcing their unique roles within the team.
In the final pre-game huddle, Head Coach Matty Tsang asked each athlete to identify a teammate they were playing for beyond themselves.
“That kind of buy-in and player empowerment can carry you through tight moments,” Groom explained.
On the field, those tight moments came often. Canada disrupted the American offense, forcing high-stall throws and capitalizing on red-zone mistakes to build late leads. Yet the USA defense repeatedly found a way, generating crucial blocks and breaks when the margin for error was gone. Groom herself delivered one of the defining plays of the match, reading a high-stall throw on double game point to set up the go-ahead score.
Strategically, the Americans leaned on meticulous preparation. Groom noted that every opponent in Chengdu received a tailored scouting report, refined every night in team meetings.
"we’d played most of these teams before,” she said. “That familiarity let us craft game plans specific to them. By the time we reached the final, our approach was the sum of everything the teams before had pushed us to learn.”
The gold-medal game capped a week full of defining moments for the USA roster: universe-point layouts earlier in the tournament, pinpoint hucks under pressure, and big contributions from nearly every player. Groom believes that collective identity—rather than any single star—will define this team’s legacy.
“It felt like every player had a big moment at some point,” she reflected. “You never knew who it would be, but you knew someone would step up.”
Off the field, that same unity carried through shared meals, late-night laundry sessions, trivia games, and quiet recovery rituals. Chengdu itself left a lasting impression on the team, providing both world-class facilities and memorable cultural experiences.
“The volunteers and staff were phenomenal—warm, organised, and so happy to provide for us,” Groom said. “That structure took stress off our plates so we could recover, prepare, and compete.”