"Rocky Mountain Cup" Name Chosen for Rapids/Real Rivalry
March 4, 2005 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release
DENVER, CO (03-04-05)- The newest sports rivalry in Major League Soccer and the Rocky Mountain region finally has a name, the "Rocky Mountain Cup", it was announced today by the fan-based Committee of 10 (C10)after counting votes cast by over 500 fans in both Colorado and Utah.
Voters going to RealRapidsCup.com were presented with competition name choices after C10 sifted through dozens of supporter suggestions for the competition title.
The overwhelming favorite and winner, tallying twice as many votes as the nearest rival, was the Rocky Mountain Cup.
First announced in January 2005, the supporters-driven C10 is already garnering great fan interest, as well as being endorsed by both MLS soccer clubs and local politicians as well. Fans of both teams turned out in almost equal numbers to vote on the competition's name.
"To have more than 500 votes cast in a one-week period is really amazing," said Jason Maxwell, chairman of C10. "So many voters during the off-season shows that people are already excited about this competition. A good number of the voters were fans of other teams as well, which shows that this rivalry is generating interest all through Major League Soccer, not just in Denver or Salt Lake."
"This rivalry is very natural to the fans of Real Salt Lake," said Juliana Montgomery, RSL supporter and member of C10. "It was discussed from day one and the fans have loved hating each other ever since. We are already very competitive about everything concerning Salt Lake and Denver, from the preseason draft, to politics, to snow totals."
"The Rocky Mountain Cup reflects everything we are forced to live with: each other," said William Fisher, a Rapids supporter. "It doesn't just make sense regionally. As everyone worldwide knows, Colorado reigns supreme among the Rockies, and the Rapids will reign supreme over Real Salt Lake!"
The Rocky Mountain Cup trophy itself will be awarded to the fans of the winner of the teams' four-game regular-season series. Other elements of the competition will include joint sponsorship and ticket initiatives coordinated by the Rapids and Real Salt Lake. Complete competition rules are available online at RealRapidsCup.com.
C10 has also announced its intention to host a fundraising effort for the competition Trophy. The committee is working out details for an online auction of signed team gear and memorabilia for fans of the clubs.
The Rocky Mountain Cup is an effort by fans to promote the already healthy, competitive spirit among supporters of the two top soccer teams in the West. As part of that effort, C10 will also work with supporters and both teams to coordinate road trips and other events surrounding the competition.
RealRapidsCup.com is the organizing website run by C10 (the Committee of 10), is a fan-based supporters organization dedicated to the intra-league rivalry between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer clubs, in partnership with both teams.
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
