October 19^th, 2005 (3:44pm) - Concluding a very successful freshman year for the Pump It Up Championship Series, the National PIU Competition was held in Charlotte, N.C. on September 24, 2005. With over 13 states represented, including California and New York, the best of the best were there to prove that they are not only the top Pump It Up players in the country but that they also deserve to represent the U.S. at the World Pump Festival in Seoul, Korea this November. Winners and runners up in the two Pump style categories took home cash prizes, merchandise, and all-expense paid trips to the WPF 2005 being held next month. With Korea being the birthplace of Pump It Up, this is the ultimate prize for U.S. players of the game who will compete against 10 other teams from Europe, South America, and Asia.

Only the top four players were chosen for Team USA, two of each Pump style, Freestyle and Speed. The team who will represent the US in Korea are: James "Smidget," U.S. Freestyle Champion, Rick "Redviper," U.S. Speed Champion, Bruce Leroy, runner-up Freestyle, and Jason "Dread," runner-up Speed.

"The level of competition in the U.S. has finally reached the international standard," says James "Smidget" DeVito, official Pump It Up ambassador and U.S. Freestyle champion. "We had an outstanding year of national competitions, and being one of the 11 teams going to Seoul is a tremendous achievement."

Pump It Up: Exceed for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox released to stores throughout North America on August 31, and comes in a package that includes the special five-button Pump It Up mat for a suggested price of $59.99. A separate mat is also available. Pump It Up: Exceed for Xbox supports an exclusive step editor that allows players to import their favorite music and design their own choreography. The step editor is available via free download from Xbox Live.