Boulder, Colo. (June 24, 2013) - The first leg of USA Ultimate's inaugural Triple Crown Tour kicks off in Raleigh, N.C., July 4-7 with the 2013 U.S. Open Ultimate Championships. The tournament is part of a four-day celebration of character, community and competition and features a full slate of some of the world's top teams and athletes in the sport of ultimate.

The competition schedule is set. Eight teams in each of the men's, women's and mixed divisions, will compete in a round-robin tournament and face off against each of the other seven squads in their division. All 12 teams from the Triple Crown Tour's Pro Flight, along with several of the best teams from the Elite and Select Flights, will be competing to win the first leg of the Triple Crown Tour, all while giving fans everywhere an early-season look at this year's top competitors for the National Championships and possibly the first-ever Triple Crown.

The U.S. Open will display some of the best match ups the ultimate world has to offer. Hometown favorites in the men's division, Raleigh's Ring of Fire, will square off against Bogotá, Colombia's Euforia in a showcase game set for Friday, July 5, at 5:30pm. North Carolina will also field teams in the mixed and women's divisions: Asheville's Cahoots in the mixed division and Raleigh's Phoenix in the women's division. Ring of Fire, Cahoots and Phoenix will each be looking to utilize the home-field advantage in their quests to be successful against the world's best.

The U.S. National Team that will represent the United States at the World Games in Cali, Colombia later this summer will also be at the U.S. Open. They will compete in an exhibition game against Team Colombia on Friday, July 5, at 7:30pm, following Ring of Fire's match up against Euforia. Twenty of the country's best athletes comprise the U.S. National Team, selected from over 500 applicants after a rigorous tryout process. Most of the National Team's members will be competing at the U.S. Open with their respective club teams but will come together under the lights on Friday night for a star-studded match up against Colombia.

Games will take place July 4-7, 2013:

• Thursday, July 4 - 10:30 - 4:45pm
• Friday, July 5 - 12:00pm - 9:00pm
• Saturday, July 6 - 9:30am - 10:00pm
• Sunday, July 7 - 11:00am - 6:00pmAll games will take place at the WRAL Soccer Center (7700 Perry Creek Road, Raleigh, NC 27616) and are open to the public. A $5.00 parking fee will be charged at the gate that will allow access to all games that day.

For more information on the U.S. Open Championships, the Triple Crown Tour or to view a detailed game schedule, visit usaultimate.org/usopen.