Preoccupied

Haven't posted in agesss, I know. Been preoccupied lately, got so much on my mind. (Will most likely blog next week about a little project we're working on.) And it's playoff season! So my mornings are pretty much spent watching  games. Was heartbroken when my boy DRose was out of the running early on due to an injury. While I've been rooting for  my other boy, KD since then, I can live with the Spurs winning it all. Yeah, I never thought I'd see the day. But the older I get, the more I can appreciate the Spurs. Haha. And I have such ill feelings for both teams playing in the East that San Antonio is the lesser evil. (My respect for Rondo has grown though.)

So anyway, one of the highlights during my blogging hiatus was the first National Championships. That was one of the most incredible finals I've ever seen (comparable to Spirits 2008, when Team Pilipinas won). It was a layout fiesta! You can watch the exciting game in its entirety here (video by Ian Villar). It's between Manila team Sunken Pleasure (our captain, Felix, played for them) and Dumaguete Extreme. For now, take a look at this sick, sick block by my friend Dada. Watch til the end!

Video by Ian Villar

Three Years in the Making

In 2009, the Ultimate Warriors were the New Year League Pool B champions.

Three years later, we finally FINALLY won again.

Congratulations, Ultimate Warriors, my beloved team and 2012 New Year League Division B champs! Thank you to Makiling Ultimate Club, the kids who gave us a good fight during the finals, and who were ever so polite ("Foul po").

To my teammates, old and new: Thank you for all the effort you put in on the field, and your commitment to training. Thank you for giving my team of five years another championship at last. *sniff* And now, a song...

Now, go rock it in Division A!

We've Got Spirits

It's Manila Spirits weekend, so if you're interested in seeing some super competitive disc action, head on over to Alabang Country Club to watch local and foreign teams at play. Today, the first day, the Pilipinas Bebots faced defending champs Kung Pao Chicks in the Women's Division finals, but the Kung Pao Chicks were able to hold on to their crown. The Boracay Dragons, however, beat CUUP (China United Ultimate Party, made up mostly of white guys from Beijing, Hong Kong, etc.) by one point, 17-16, to become this year's Open Division champs. Hurray!

I'll be away for a few days, so I'll be missing all the games for the second year in a row. My travel plans aren't quite as grand as people have guessed, but I still have high hopes for the trip. At the very least, I'm getting the break I've long been hankering for.

Happy weekend, everyone.:)

Pretties in Pink

After four years of competitive disc, I finally have half-decent photos of me in action. And I finally figured out the key to action photos wherein I don't have a stupid expression on my face...

Just cover my damn face!

In other news, we weren't champions at the recently concluded Malakas at Maganda league, but our Yaya Couture jerseys were definitely winners!

Had a blast playing with this team. I loved everyone's never-say-die attitude (even when we were way behind, and even when there were just eight players standing after three games). And whatever happened, walang sisihan (no blaming each other)--we were all in it together! I used to hate this league, but this year I realized that it was a great opportunity for the girls to step up. It was an awesome learning experience, and I think I've finally embraced my role as handler.

To the girls, if you're reading this, thank you for putting up with my temper, for playing your hearts out, for keeping your heads up. I truly enjoyed the last few weekends with you. And...sino si Victorio?

All photos by Ivy.

The Problem with Tiny Feet...

...is that you have to check 22 (count 'em, twenty-frickin'-two) stores before you find cleats in your size!

Those beauties are from Adidas in Power Plant, kids' size 5.5 (I'm a 5Y in Nike). I checked stores from Sta. Rosa to Trinoma. After days of searching, I finally found this just-delivered pair, in my team's colors, no less!

But seriously, 22 stores?! And here's the thing: You won't find women's sizes here. If you're a girl who needs cleats, you either have to have small feet and go for kids' sizes, or big feet and go for men's sizes. (Luckily, I fall under the first category, which means my shoes are cheaper. I think the men's version of my new shoes are over five grand!) The last time I found shoes in my size, I bought two pairs because they're just so damn hard to find.

Which reminds me, a moment of silence for my retired pairs...

Goodbye, Adidas cleats, which Pia wore during her MVP run in Shanghai. Farewell, Nike cleats, which didn't give me blisters. You've both served me well.

Sports stores, the disc community is growing and growing and growing, and lots more girls are playing disc. Please stock up, I beg of you. And include women's sizes too! Or I could just order loads of women's cleats abroad and resell them here. Ha!

So, my problem is cleats. Ladies, tell me--what do you have a hard time finding here?

A Dance with (Boracay) Dragons

As the recent Filipino dragonboat racing team's win has shown, there are a lot of Pinoy teams out there that remain unrecognized, excelling on the international platform in sports that aren't really a part of the mainstream consciousness (or the PSC's budget...). One of my favorite examples: the Boracay Dragons, a beach ultimate team that has caught the eye (and, at the 2007 Worlds, captured the hearts) of the international disc community.

I've seen these Dragons play, and it's unbelievable. Anyone who's tried to run on sand knows how difficult it is, but they're all incredibly light on their feet. It's as if they're simply running on grass. Their foreign competitors are normally a head (or more) taller than them, but never has "small but terrible" rung more true than in the Dragons' case!

Tonight, the Dragons begin their quest for the gold at this year's World Championships of Beach Ultimate. Much like the Olympics, this event happens every four years (the last one was held in Brazil, and our countrymen got the silver in the Open category!). This year, it's being held in Italy, and select games will be broadcast here. The first game--Philippines vs. Italy--will be broadcast tonight, 11 PM Manila time. Do pray for the team (a couple of members are my friends!) and watch, support, and see just how awesome they are!

Go, Dragons! Go, Pilipinas!

Five Years

To see just how much my team has grown through the years, one need only look at this...

Warriors in 2007, at our very first tournament

...and this...

Warriors at WTF 2011

We've come a looong way. Retired players are surprised when they see this latest photo because the team really has grown since we started competing in 07 (the core was formed in 05).

A bit of a backgrounder on that second photo: That, folks, was taken at the recently concluded WTF, or Warriors Tourney and Farty. It started in 2007 as the Urda Open, named after the park where we used to train. We weren't quite ready to compete at a league yet, but we wanted to have a friendly tournament and were able to invite enough players to make it happen.

My Urda Open team: Parokya ni Vino. That's me on bent knee, in all my gusgusin glory.

At the party after the tournament, with my fellow Mythical 6 awardees (the Shadow was missing). Damn, I can't fit into those jeans anymore!

The champions for this year were the Ultimate Warriors, and that's where we got our name. If we had had another champion, our team name today could very well be Parokya ni Vino, the League of Shadows, or DKNY (Disc Ko Na 'Yan)!

The following year, we moved from Urda to Camp Aguinaldo, which merited a name change. It was right about the time acronyms were all the rage (all the "OMG"s, etc.) so the team decided on WTF. It originally meant Warriors Tourney Festival, which, to me, didn't make sense. So Farty it was, since we really intended to party afterwards!

With the Dragon Warriors. Can you tell Kung Fu Panda had just come out?

The champions: Green-ada A-discs. This particular year was notable because it marked the first time that nearly an entire team succumbed to cramps!

This is kind of a bad history lesson because I can't tell you anything about 2009. I don't even know where it was. Haha. The reason? The week of the tournament, I booked a ticket to Dumaguete! It was an unlikely place for a bachelorette party, but, lemme tell ya, it was the best possible way to say goodbye to singlehood!

In 2010, WTF got fancier, as each player was given an "Adidas" jersey in his or her team color, with the Warriors logo printed on it!

I can't remember who won but Dino and Czar were definitely on that team!

This year, I was thrilled to be on the same team as Dino, who had been on the winning team all four years prior to this year's WTF. Alas, he was not meant for a five-peat. The PULAr Bears, made up of players coming out of hibernation, were the champs. No matter--I was happy enough just being able to play with Dondi again, one half of our special guests from Australia.

And I won a pair of limited-edition shorts! And a new jersey!

Mythical 6: breakthrough beginner Jane, Macky Puentevella Lifetime Achievement Awardee Macky, Lem, JM (and baby!), Mundz, and me holding our special white jerseys

So it's been five years and I still haven't won a championship. But I'm pretty okay with that. I guess in WTF, winning really isn't the point.

Warriors = love!

Party Rock Is in the House Tonight!

We jammin' to some reggae beats. We were just getting started. (Photo by Ian Villar)

One of the best things about the Philippine ultimate community is we definitely know how to party. Proof: As I was leaving last Saturday's "Summer" League party, some dude stopped me outside the venue.

Dude: I'm not from here. Is it always like that in there?
Me: Uh no. There was just an event tonight--a Frisbee party.
Dude: So if I take my friends there another time, it won't be the same?
Me: Nope. If you wanna go clubbing you could try the Fort or Republiq or...
Dude: I went to (name of club) and it was lame.

And he seemed genuinely bummed that his friends weren't around to see what was going on.

In Shanghai, whenever we would invite people over to Manila Spirits (an annual international tourney) and tell them that the parties here are off the hook, players from other countries would say, "Yeah, we heard!" So as you can see, we have a bit of a reputation!

With Garon and Sib, two non-disc-playing friends who recently discovered the awesomeness of PUA parties

Last Saturday's party was planned by Breakfast Club, a super fun team recognizable by their pink jerseys. (One of their former players, a big white dude, would wear a pink skirt to go with it sometimes.) The theme? Playboy Mansion.

That collar and bowtie was a hit that night. Um, don't ask.

The Hotlegs (from BC) had some hot hot hot performances. One team had a "magic chair." One guy was wearing a thong. But that's all I'm going to say about it to protect other people's dignity privacy.:) Suffice it to say that I think we've been banned from yet another venue.

If you've got a disc-playing friend, maybe you could try tagging along to the next party. But don't say I didn't warn ya!

Once Upon a Time in China

You know those inspiring family movies where a ragtag football/hockey/baseball team, brought together by a common love for one sport, ends up winning first place? They start off rough, they lose badly, they start winning, then there's some sort of conflict (the star player decides to quit, the coach has some family problem that's holding him back, etc.), but they somehow get it all together and amazingly make it to the finals. And then they beat a team made up of players that are bigger, faster, and by all accounts, more skilled than they are. Because they have heart.

My team, Manila Dirty Ice Cream + Boracay Dragons' Dada and Xtian

Our Shanghai story is nothing like that. Haha.

On our first day, we arrived on the gorgeous, drool-worthy fields with such high hopes. We were raring to face off against some of the best in the region; on that day, we were scheduled to play versus Singapore's Freakshow, Beijing's Big Brother, Team Pilipinas, and Hong Kong. Let's just say that non-Philippine teams normally had a height advantage over us...

That's 6'2" Nina from Beijing, with Map--who actually guarded her on the field! Just to give you an idea of how small our female lineup was, I was the third tallest girl!

Our win-loss record at the end of Day 1? 0-4. Our spirits were kind of low so...we (or they) kept the other "spirits" flowing at that night's hall party! Many of the Philippine players were booked at the same hotel, and every night, we would gather out on the hallway to down the bottles of Ginebra Premium that were stashed in our check-in bags. (I merely watched.)

The next day, it was more of the same--our team strangely didn't gel the way we did during our Manila practice sessions. We ended up placing third in Pool B, after a fun-fun game with Singapore's Disc Knights. C'est la vie. We really couldn't expect to dominate considering we had only a few practice sessions, and were from seven different teams back home, all with different plays. On the bright side...

...we got to cheer for the other Philippine teams: Team Pilipinas and Boracay Dragons which placed second and third in Pool A, respectively. Finals match was between TP and Big Brother.

DIC, Dragons, and TP group hug

...I did a proper layout for the first time!!! I was thisclose to catching that disc at the endzone, and was so utterly frustrated that I didn't. But I did a proper layout for the first time!

...I am now in the possession of a pair of magical cleats! TP's Pia couldn't find a pair to replace her old ones, and was thus shoe-less the night before the tournament. I had packed an extra pair, which fit her perfectly. Pia went on to bag the Female MVP award! She was uh-mazing! I am building an altar for those cleats.

With Pia, wearing my prized cleats, after her jaw-dropping finals performance. Notice Putow (in orange) pouring a drink. Free-flowing beer during the finals!

...we still partied like champs.

Nobody parties like the Pinoy disc community. We were the only ones left after the finals, dancing on the ledge, no less! (Don't be fooled by that fake white guy. He's as Pinoy as dirty ice cream.)

...I can check "play at an international tourney" off my bucket list!

So that concludes my Shanghai tourney report. Not entirely an ideal ending, but happy nonetheless--we didn't win, but we had fun. And really, that's more than enough.

The Road to Shanghai

Let me blog a bit about getting a Chinese visa.

It ain't easy, especially considering all the road blocks I encountered. I intended to go on a mere four-day trip, primarily to compete at the 13th Shanghai Ultimate tournament. Some of the requirements for a first-time China tourist:

• An NBI clearance specifically for travel, made more complicated by the fact that never in my more than eight years of working and traveling was I required to get one. (Go figure.) Tip: Should you need one, go to the NBI office in the afternoon. EVERYBODY goes in the morning.
  
• A photocopy of my SSS ID (which I lost, and which would take months to replace) and contributions (which, apparently, SSS doesn't issue. So they gave me a certificate instead).
• A certificate of bank deposit--which I had to re-submit,to the embassy because my initial submission was from the association where I keep my time deposit, not from a commercial bank. (The Korean embassy seemed to think it was fine, but oh well.)
  
• A TIN ID--while trying to get this, I found out that all these years, I was listed as a "professional" and not an "employee," which means that I have "open cases" despite all the damn withholding tax I've been paying for nearly a decade.
• Additional requirements for me, since they figured out I was a member of the media: letters from me and from my employer stating that I was not going to publish anything about the trip. (Hmm does blogging count?)

And then there was the matter of our passports.

Our rag-tag team made up of players from different Manila teams had submitted our passports, along with our other requirements, to one person (X) who was to take care of visa processing. It was a Saturday at Nuvali, and in the middle of a game, one of my Manila teammates told me, "Someone broke into X's car and took all the passports." Seeing that I wasn't really reacting, she added, "I'm not kidding."

I just shrugged and kept playing, strangely calm. The first thought that had occurred to me was, "If we don't have our passports, we weren't meant to go for some reason." So it was all good. I was at peace with that. I was just bummed that all my three passports--with my still-valid US visa and all my other old visas--were gone.

After the game, I headed to the clubhouse, where I was greeted with, "Anak ka ng swerte!" ("You're a child of good fortune!") My passport was one of just five (out of about 30) that were left behind! I started piecing together what had happened: Thief smashed a window and took X's bag and the paper bag lying beside it. This paper bag had our payments for the visa fees, plus the passports. Passports of those who had additional requirements were set aside and, thus, remained untouched.

And then reality set in. While I was relieved that my passport was safe, I felt really bad for everyone else. What about our grand plans of conquering Shanghai? What about all the fun we were supposed to have as a team? What about everything we'd paid for, all the plans we'd made?

We were thinking of all possible options and connections. We had some semblance of a plan in place (it partly involved DZMM...), but everybody was feeling utterly dejected. A teammate was texting me that night, and I could feel just how low her spirits were. I said a prayer to St. Anthony--whom I grew up thinking was the "saint of lost things"--before going to bed.

The next day, I was on my way home from a lunch event when I received a text message to go online. I logged on and found my entire team in a YM conference. Someone had contacted X's dad saying that they found a bunch of passports at McDonald's Tagaytay! The team was waiting to hear from two people who had volunteered to drive down south to check if the tip was for real.

We waited. And waited. We'd get occasional updates ("Rotonda na"), as one guy was connected to YM through his phone. Until finally...

All the passports were there! The cash was gone, but everything else was in order, albeit slightly crumpled. You could practically hear the collective sigh of relief over YM. And then there were the fearless forecasts: "Champion na 'to!" After all the crap the team had to go through, we were destined to win!

So did we? Will blog again soon.:)

Keep Calm and Carry On

Perhaps one of the hardest things about playing disc is keeping your cool.

See, ultimate has this thing called "Spirit of the Game," which differentiates it from other sports. There are no officials; players are expected to know the rules and adhere to them, all in the name of sportsmanship and fair play.

Thing is, some rules may seem ambiguous (i.e., kind of open to interpretation), and some players may not know the rules by heart. So naturally, there are points of contention on the field. Our captain often tells us, "Huwag tayong magagalit pag may tawag. May karapatan silang tumawag (Let's not get mad when someone makes a call. They have a right to make a call)." Similarly, he reminds us to likewise stay calm when we feel like we have been the victim of a violation.

And therein lies one of the biggest challenges. More than the memorization of rules and the proper execution of plays, it's the keeping-one's-temper-in-check that, I think, requires remarkable skill. How do you stop yourself from flaring up when you feel like the person in front of you is attacking you with words (and, sometimes, hand gestures)? How do you manage to speak in a steady, even tone when another player is aggressively, almost violently, stating his case? How do you keep from getting pikon when the other person just won't listen?

Honestly, I'm still learning. Lately, I find that I'm better able to rein in my quick temper and sometimes quicker tongue. (Maybe it comes with age.) But I've got a long way to go. Maybe I should do more yoga.

How do you control your temper when faced with hostility?

Same Old, Same Old (Almost)

Last week's trip #1 took me back to the isla for Boracay Open 2011. Right after my fun run and all my interviews, I did a quick change and boarded a plane! I had no intention of going, since I was missing the Saturday games and Saturday night party (usually the most fun). But two words: Seat sale! So about a week before the trip, I booked me a flight.

It was a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am trip: I flew in Sunday around noon, and flew out first thing Tuesday morning. As in previous years, this trip featured a finals match which included the Boracay Dragons (nine-time champions, if I'm not mistaken)...

Photo from Ian

...a team photo...

...clowning around with my teammates...

Superstar X left his precious jersey to dry near my team. Naturally, we had to take turns wearing it and taking pictures of ourselves in it while he remained completely oblivious.

...my obligatory jumping pic...

This one inspired by Step Up 3

...Sunday-night partying (although, for the first time, I didn't stay out til sunrise!)...

...breakfast at one of my absolute favorite spots, Real Coffee...

Yummy three-egg Jack's Omelette

Yup, pretty much the same stuff as in previous years. The only difference? I didn't have to spend a couple of nights away from this guy...

For the first time, my husband came along! Yay! Thank you, seat sale!

My, See How We've Grown

Pretty amazing that, at the recently concluded New Year League, there were over 30 teams!

Video posted by Ian

I've been playing competitive disc for over three years now, and it amazes me how things have changed since I began. Our team itself has had its share of changes...

Warriors then... (I think this was our first league)


...and now

It's weird that only six people (including myself) remain from that first photo. People have moved away, gotten married, had kids, moved onto other things. We've experienced everything from being in Pool C and being happy just scoring a single point, to becoming Pool B champions. I've said goodbye to people, welcomed new--not necessarily young (hullo to those above 30!:D)--teammates, tasted the sweetest of victories and the most bitter of defeats. I have played and partied with the Warriors, both in and out of Manila. And while during the odd league or provincial tourney, I may play for the Roaches or the Lolas, I keep going back to the Warriors, again and again. It's my family; it's home. It's where I was born as a disc player, and it's where I'll retire.

But not just yet. As long as my knees, my clumsy ankle, and freckled skin allow, I'll be out on that field. If my body permits, I'll be playing until I'm a true Lola!

To Go or Not to Go...

To Cagayan de Oro? Friends have been bugging asking me to come along for a weekend of disc (and possibly rafting), but I think I have an event in Cebu that same weekend. And then there's Boracay Open coming up. Hmmm. I do hope this year shapes up like last in terms of travel (Bacolod, Boracay, Cebu, Dumaguete, Singapore, Bali, New York--twice--with Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong in between!). I've really been itching to get on a plane and go somewhere. A friend joked that the reason I got sick was because I haven't traveled in a while. I've never been to CDO so I'm really tempted to go.

But that Janet concert is just as tempting! And I've gotta think about proper allocation of funds. Sigh.

And just so this post is not a complete waste, a recipe--something I whipped up last night. I tried to replicate Conti's baked salmon, with moderate success. Needed a bit more garlic, but my bechamel sauce turned out OK for a first-timer! Measurements not entirely accurate because, as I mentioned before, I just kind of throw things into a pot.

Poseur Conti's Baked Salmon

Ingredients
Bechamel sauce:
2 tbsp butter
1/8 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Salt
Ground nutmeg

4 cloves garlic, crushed
Salmon
Quick-melt cheese

1. Make bechamel sauce: Melt butter over low heat. Add flour, mix until well blended.
2. When roux is a light golden color, slowly add milk, stirring continuously. Simmer lightly until sauce thickens.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Remove from heat. Mix in garlic.
5. Place salmon in a baking dish. Spread bechamel on top, covering fish entirely.
6. Sprinkle grated cheese on top.
7. Bake in pre-heated 350F oven, 20 minutes.
8. Remove from oven. Serve with mixed vegetables.

Apollo 10.10.10

This pretty much sums up what happened over the weekend...

My team decided to join Apollo 10, a two-day tournament sponsored by the University of the Philippines Diliman Ultimate Organization (UP DUO). The format? Ten players in the lineup, with only seven playing at a time--NO SUBS, aka savage! Essentially, it's 45 minutes of hell under the sun.

Normally, you're allowed to sub in between points, and our team is used to subbing every two points so that we always have fresh legs on the field. So you can imagine how much fun I had that first game. By the 30th minute, I was on my knees, crawling and screaming for the love of all things good for water.

But I would do it again in a heartbeat!

My Apollo 10 top 10:

1. We divided into three teams--two in the open division, and one in the newbies division (meaning, eight out of the ten players haven't played in any PUA tournament). Our Warriors B team (aka Barracks), with a record of 2-1 on Day 1, moved up to Pool A!
2. Our newbies team pretty much massacred all the teams they met and made it all the way to the finals!
3. My team (Warriors A, aka Marines), had a 1-2 record on Day 1--this, after playing against the No-Mercy Shark team (made up of some of the best male college players in the country) and Spuck U (another team with young lungs, young legs, and girls that moved like boys. Fast ones!).
4. Went into Day 2 thinking we had a chance at making it to the Pool B finals...that is until our game started and there were only four of us (I was the only girl) playing against seven!
5. ...BUT we scored the first point despite being down three players! (Guess who scored? Tee-hee.) Our players started to trickle in as the game progressed. By half time, we were complete. And we won! Personal highlight: I scored around three points.:) And I said that whatever else happened that day, I was happy enough that we won with four people on the line at the start of the game. To quote Fel, "Nakapag-1 versus 100 na rin tayo!"
   
6. We won the semis too! Personal highlight: I scored a few more points. Yay!
7. We fully expected to meet our friend Spy's team in the finals. But, surprise surprise, they lost to high school team Xavier! So much for our well-laid plans. Spy's quotable quote, after sitting out of the semis to supposedly rest for the finals: "Mas mabuti pa palang pagod sa finals kesa hindi umabot!"
   
8. Before our big finals game, we watched our newbies' finals game. They lost, but they put in a valiant effort--they were playing four girls and three guys versus the other team's standard four guy-three girl ratio. And I gotta say we had the louder cheering squad.:)
9. We lost in the finals versus the kiddies. Sigh. We just couldn't figure out how to shut down their O, and it was too late when we figured out how to work our own O. I did score five out of our six or seven points. It was kind of nice and also rather embarrassing when the Xavier sidelines applauded me and gave me verbal pats on the back as I exited the field.
   
10. Several of the Warriors got awards! Fel was our pool's MVP, JM and Edith (who played splendidly!) were in the Pool A Mythical 7, our turbo-charged Lem was Newbies MVP, newcomer Cams was part of the Newbies Mythical 7, and Czar was best defensive player across all pools! Unbelievable! I'm so proud of the way our teams performed!
    

All in all, a pretty great tournament! Even my aching joints agree.

Roaches! Roaches! Roaches!

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.

Hurray for Dumags!

Will have a more detailed post about my weekend trip to Dumaguete soon. For now, let me leave you with a little something, c/o our supporters during our finals game...

Thank you, Philippine Ultimate Ahasssan, for supporting your fellow players from Manila! You guys rock!:) (Photos taken by Fel's mom. Thanks, Tita!)

Boracay Open 2010 Top 10

No Jonah's or Real Coffee this year, no Sarah and Dondi and Gladys and Gregory and Jomen. But Boracay Open 2010 was still pretty kick-ass...

1. Because of awesome photos like these, taken by Fel:

(Top) Flying Czar, (above), my jumping pic v. 2010

2. Because I got to play for Dragon Katol.

My adoptive team

I really didn't intend to play (heck, I really didn't intend to go to Boracay Open this year at all!), but when PUA president Onyok and First Lady Gisela asked me if I wanted to play for Roaches, (which volted in with Cebu team D12 to form Katol) I jumped at the chance. This is one of the teams I look up to because they are somehow able to balance being competitive and having fun. Playing for them taught me a few things, and the movement of the disc and the players kind of amazed me. And it felt pretty nice that I was kind of able to contribute!

3. Because I felt the Ultimate Warriors' support even though I didn't play for them.

My Manila team with a Mindanao team

They watched our games and would erupt in chants of "Angluben! Angluben!" whenever I would score!

4. Because I got to see Himmy again!

With fellow "dwarf" Mappy and giant Himmy. Nice one, Doc!

5. Because throughout the course of my three-day stay, I enjoyed great conversations with some awesome people.

With gorgeous Ritz

Case in point, Ritaritz and I were about to go to bed Saturday night (er, Sunday morning) but ended up staying up an extra hour just talking. I am going to miss this girl, aka Boracay Open 2010 Off-the-Field Scoring Machine. (Sorry, Jomen, you've been dethroned as Aklan Regional Champ!)

6. Because we got to play around with a fire dancer!

I gotta say, the Waryoritas are hot!

7. Because a photo of Czar's toenails made me laugh so hard I cried.

8. Because I got a brand new battle scar. OK, so maybe that wasn't a big highlight. But it sure was memorable. During one game, I was running towards the endzone when a guy from the other team rammed into me. He was running at full speed too, so we both fell and skidded across the sand, with his full weight on me. I don't know if there was a rock there or something. I had the wind knocked out of me but played on, only to find a mixture of sand and blood on my arm after I was subbed. After brushing all the sand away, I found that a patch of skin was gone! Like, eyew. Map and I joked that, had I not been wearing a shirt, I would've tweeted "Lost my nip in Bora." Double eyew.

I would've posted a pic without the gauze, but it's not for the fainthearted.

Manila (the player, not the city) was "nice" enough to give me some nail polish-like substance that turns into some sort of protective plastic, so I was able to play on. Hurt like hell though. And it hurt even more when I dipped my tocino in saltwater to dry it out!

9. Because my team played the funnest game of the tourney versus... my other team! With an everyone-on-your-knees point, an all-girl point, a ninja point, a piggyback point, and Mike and Doc's winner faux two-point bomb, how could it not be fun? (Not so much for our marshal though. Haha.)

Piggyback point

On a related note: I was part of the winning team of beach patintero (Dumaguete redux), which entitled me to free Zagu. Even though I contributed absolutely nothing to the team. Haha.

10. Because I saw a few things that maybe I shouldn't have seen...

Don't ask!

But which nonetheless made the trip one for the books!