I only saw this on video before--the Roaches getting hyped up before the finals, chanting, "Roaches! Roaches! Roaches!" Never thought I would be a part of it. Truth be told, I got goosebumps!
So I went back to the site of last year's last hurrah, an epic trip which was an awesome end to my life as a single girl. While last year, I went mainly to party, this year, I went mainly to play.
The Shindig is an annual national tournament, and this time I played for defending champs Roaches (aka Chupacabras), named after the little critters running around TS (homebase of many of the player-climbers). A little ironic that I played with them considering I'm deathly afraid of ipis! I had played with some of them previously in Boracay and in the recently concluded Malakas at Maganda league.
Yes, there were the usual crazy parties, and I only got a total of two hours' sleep the whole time I was there. But I'm probably the only one whose fondest memories of Dumags 2010 don't involve partying or inebriation. The main highlight of this trip was winning my first national championship, shared with Vismin team KKK. (We were up one, it was getting too dark to play, people were getting hurt, and the two teams agreed to be joint champions before anyone else got injured.)
A Grand Slam moment with our trophy
I got yelled at on the field (stupid stupid error), and had a few drops in the eight games that I played. I've been playing a few years but I've seriously still got a lot to learn--and I've gotta learn not to choke (har). On the flip side, I also had a few points, so yay. What I like about playing with the Roaches is that I don't have to be a handler, and can focus instead on being mid-long. (Highlight reel: One of the teams we played against pointed out that I scored more points than their whole team combined. This little, er, feat earned me a free jersey. In all fairness, it was the first game of the day, and I was probably the only one on the field who was sober!)
I'm also proud of the way my regular teammates played--three other players from the Warriors joined the Roaches. Leahleur contributed her handling skills, I heard Yelle scored quite a bit on the first day (I missed it because of work), and Fel was part of the Mythical 7! Woohoo! Our other teammates Czar and Jacq, who played for our sister Manila team, did really well too--it was especially thrilling to watch Jacq contribute so much to her team. I remember introducing her to ultimate in Indonesia three years ago, as we played a fun-fun game on the beach. She's come such a long way since then, evolving into a highly competitive, talented player, definitely one of the Warriors' go-to girls!
It was an absolute delight to play with the incredible provincial teams, who have improved so much in a span of one year. One team in particular, Loktonz (sorry, not sure how it's spelled), nearly gave me a massive heart attack by almost eliminating us in the quarters! I was touched when they said that they really wanted to play against the Roaches last year, and were just honored to be able to play against us this year.
With my Dumaguete team and KKK
Honored. That's exactly how I felt to be welcomed into this team, to be able to share the stage (field) with some of the best players in the country. Being part of this team, in possibly my last national tourney, is a fitting way to say goodbye to Dumaguete. A true last hurrah.
Yes, there were the usual crazy parties, and I only got a total of two hours' sleep the whole time I was there. But I'm probably the only one whose fondest memories of Dumags 2010 don't involve partying or inebriation. The main highlight of this trip was winning my first national championship, shared with Vismin team KKK. (We were up one, it was getting too dark to play, people were getting hurt, and the two teams agreed to be joint champions before anyone else got injured.)
A Grand Slam moment with our trophy
I got yelled at on the field (stupid stupid error), and had a few drops in the eight games that I played. I've been playing a few years but I've seriously still got a lot to learn--and I've gotta learn not to choke (har). On the flip side, I also had a few points, so yay. What I like about playing with the Roaches is that I don't have to be a handler, and can focus instead on being mid-long. (Highlight reel: One of the teams we played against pointed out that I scored more points than their whole team combined. This little, er, feat earned me a free jersey. In all fairness, it was the first game of the day, and I was probably the only one on the field who was sober!)
I'm also proud of the way my regular teammates played--three other players from the Warriors joined the Roaches. Leahleur contributed her handling skills, I heard Yelle scored quite a bit on the first day (I missed it because of work), and Fel was part of the Mythical 7! Woohoo! Our other teammates Czar and Jacq, who played for our sister Manila team, did really well too--it was especially thrilling to watch Jacq contribute so much to her team. I remember introducing her to ultimate in Indonesia three years ago, as we played a fun-fun game on the beach. She's come such a long way since then, evolving into a highly competitive, talented player, definitely one of the Warriors' go-to girls!
It was an absolute delight to play with the incredible provincial teams, who have improved so much in a span of one year. One team in particular, Loktonz (sorry, not sure how it's spelled), nearly gave me a massive heart attack by almost eliminating us in the quarters! I was touched when they said that they really wanted to play against the Roaches last year, and were just honored to be able to play against us this year.
With my Dumaguete team and KKK
Honored. That's exactly how I felt to be welcomed into this team, to be able to share the stage (field) with some of the best players in the country. Being part of this team, in possibly my last national tourney, is a fitting way to say goodbye to Dumaguete. A true last hurrah.
I have never known someone express so much passion for sports {a woman} except you. And maybe Yhel, too, hehe. :) Congrats for having a fun time at Dumaguete! And congrats with the grand slam!
ReplyDeleteThank you!:) All vanity goes out the window when it comes to disc. It's funny how my guy teammates saw me in a dress recently and remarked "hindi ka mukhang lalake!" Plus I look like an adopted member of my (white) family now. All for the love of ultimate!
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