Next up in our team profiles is another USQRA team, the Portland Pounders.
History at the Vancouver Invitational
Portland has been the most dominant team in the tournament’s history. Led by U.S. Paralympic gold medalists Seth McBride and Will Groulx, the Pounders won seven consecutive titles from 2007-2013, only losing one match during this time.
In addition to McBride and Groulx, Portland’s dominant run featured a revolving door of other international stars including:
- 2x Paralympian Chuck Aoki
- Heavy-hitting Chance Sumner (Check out the 0:40 mark)
- Former Belgium international Lars Mertens
- Colombian superstar Jhon Orozco Nunez.
The team has recently transitioned into a D2 club.
Watch Out For!
Jake Wheeler: A big and powerful player for Portland who should be one of the team’s primary threats. He was a try-scoring machine at last year’s tournament and also dished out a number of big hits on opposing players.
Player/Coach Kip Johnson won Best Picker at last year and was a key player on several of the title-winning teams. Opposing players will aim to avoid his pick at all times.
Learn more
To learn more about the Portland Pounders and follow the team, check out their Facebook page.
Thanks to Pomme Natural Market and Clif Bar who will be supplying snacks to keep all the athletes fueled up and ready to go.