WASILLA, AK (April 8, 2010) – The Wasilla, AK Predators and the Wyoming Cavalry professional indoor football teams are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to face each other for the second time in as many weeks.

“We’ve had great practices all week. Our guys are focused and ready to go,” says Hans Deemer, Head Coach and Predators’ co-owner. “Our performance in Casper was not indicative of our team’s talent. Although we do have a young team, some of our starters were not able to make the trip to Casper last week due to work obligations, and that hurt us a little bit.”

“My guys are excited to play in Alaska,” says Cavalry Head Coach Dan Maciejczak. “Tomasi [Kongaika] has family in the area, and they’ll be at the game. By chance, Shane Odell has a sister visiting in Alaska, and she’ll be at the game. It’s crazy, but it’s fun!”

Little did these two coaches and teams know that the complex travel arrangements that everyone has been talking and wondering about would actually become a cog in the wheel in this complex world we call professional indoor football.

The Cavalry were all set to board the 5 am bus from Casper to Denver, CO; get on the flight from Denver to Seattle, WA; and then fly into Anchorage, AK from Seattle; and then take another bus from Anchorage to Wasilla. What could possibly go wrong?

“Somehow the reservations into Anchorage were released by the airlines,” says Predator’s co-owner Michelle Deemer. “I booked these reservations weeks ago for the Cavalry. I made name changes early this week; I got the team their confirmation information, and assumed we were good to go. But when I went to check on the status late Thursday night, I couldn’t find the names.  I immediately called the airlines, and they said the reservations I had made had been released, but couldn’t tell me why.”

The two organizations and the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) quickly began trouble-shooting the situation … working to find and re-book flights into Anchorage; looking at alternative start times on Saturday night; and even looked at playing the game on Sunday or Monday.  But when it was all said and done, there were not enough available seats to get the entire team into Anchorage – even traveling all day and night on multiple flights. “We just couldn’t get all our players into Anchorage. We even looked at having some players on stand-by, but there was no guarantee they’d make it to Wasilla, and therefore no guarantee the game could be played,” says Cavalry General Manager Mike Layton.

“At a certain point, we had to ‘call it’ and make the decision to re-schedule the Cavalry at Wasilla game,” says AIFA co-owner Michael Mink.

“This was definitely a stressful night – for all of us. I know the Deemers worked very hard to make the travel arrangements and they were ready to host the defending Western Conference Champions. They are doing a terrific job in their market, and we hope the community understands this unique situation.”

According to the Deemers, anyone who purchased a ticket for the April 10^th game is invited to attend a meet-n-greet party and scrimmage, and they will be able to exchange their game ticket for any one of the remaining home dates in Wasilla.

More information to follow on the rescheduled date.  

The American Indoor Football Association, currently in its fourth year, has a national footprint of 13 teams spanning from Wasilla, AK to San Jose, CA and from Reading, PA to Fayetteville, NC.  The AIFA and its member teams provide affordable family entertainment in-and-around a professional indoor football game. They engage their fans with a unique style of football and fast-paced action. They are committed to supporting their communities through various outreach programs, fundraisers, and special events.

Please contact Michael Mink at mmink@aifaprofootball.com, Michelle Deemer at michelled@goarcticpredators.com or Argeri Layton at Argeri@wyomingcavalry.com with any additional questions.

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