The PFDA Nationals 2015 (How did I do it?)
The Comeback Or The Back To Back….
by Don Laczi
Manila’s Sunken Pleasure won Nationals in 2012 and 2013, while Qualfon Extreme Dumaguete took home the bacon last year.
In the early part of last weekend’s Nationals finals, I told Miguel Bautista, “It’s either the Comeback or the Back to Back.” Whoever wins this years Nationals deserves the trophy. I was in Boracay a few days before the tournament, planning out my own game play on how to shoot Nationals (and of course enjoying the company of my great friends, The Boracay Dragons). It came to my mind during one beautiful evening just right before the sun sets, “I have a feeling that it’s going to be SP and Extreme in the finals. But then again, Sid Vicious is always there to take that opportunity away from them. The Mighty Mulatto of Davao is always dangerous. And you can always count on the legendary Dragons to put them all in silence.” I said to myself.
So how did I shoot Nationals 2015? Here’s how it goes…
Day 1. The moment that we've all been waiting for has arrived. The first pulls of the tournament are on their way. The sun is heating up the beautiful Bantug Ranch like a boss. The cheers on the sidelines are the sweetest thing that you will ever hear on a hot Saturday morning. And personally, It felt great to finally feel my cameras dangling on my side after a few weeks of rest. The 2015 PFDA Nationals has begun. Sixteen amazing teams from all over the country are battling it out for the number one spot.
I used the same game plan when I shoot big tournaments like these. Stay in the middle of two end zones (Three end zones in Bantug). Try to observe the games in front of you (And back) before raising your camera. Anticipate the action. (Eyes Like A Shutter. Mind Like A Lens). Listen to the crowd on the sidelines. They will lead you to where the action is most of the times (Spider sense). Shoot fast. And most importantly. HYDRATE. Drink the water. Love the water. Water is your friend during tournaments. The list goes on and on…
Day 1 is full of amazing plays from each teams. Massive highlight reels all over the place. At one point I was shooting a sky grab on one field and all of a sudden I hear the crowd shouting “UP!” (Spider Sense) on the other field. I turned around and captured the guy chasing the disc for a sick layout. And then heard the sidelines on the other field cheering on for a teammate who just made another lay out grab. “Man, that was awesome! Would have been a great photo!” I said. You can’t capture them all. But it sure is fun to see these athletes doing what they do best. WIN.
My Day 1 ended in Panaad stadium where there’s only one field. Thank you PFDA for doing this! I can finally focus on one single game. I set myself up on one corner of the end zone, where the lighting is perfect and that I can see the other three corners of the field. Sat on the grass to catch that sweet low angle, and photographed the Sid Vicious — Boracay Dragons crossover game with ease and comfort. Shooting that game was fun. The athleticism and game ethics of both teams are great, and those tall trees in the background makes the place and the pictures look awesome. Always look for a good background.
Day 2 of the tournament is pretty much the same as the electric Day 1. Captured a lot of great plays and missed a lot of highlights as well (Like I said before. You can’t catch them all). Quarter-final games are set for the top eight teams of this years Nationals. I am not surprised to see teams like SP, Extreme, Dragons, Sid Vicious, and Mulatto in the top eight list. But seeing Panay Intensity of Iloilo city on the number eight spot was definitely a big surprise for most teams who are there in the tournament. Reaching number eight from number fourteen, winning their last bracket game versus CGY to get a chance to beat UP-DUO in their crossover game to reach quarters of Day 2. If you ask me, I am not trying to be biased here since I am from Iloilo. But I see these kids train, six days a week. Staying healthy the whole time. And trying to be good examples to the Ultimate community of Iloilo city. They may be inexperienced today, but I’m sure they will bounce back in the coming years. So yes. I am personally not surprised to see them in the eighth spot. I am so proud of these kids. (Well they didn’t know that…. until now). Rising team of the tournament, for me? Panay Intensity.
Enter the large buckets of rain. After the quarter-finals are over the ranking games continues. And so are the dark clouds moving in, covering the four fields in Bantug. Good news? It felt a little cooler now that the sun was blocked by them thick clouds. The bad news? I forgot to bring my camera raincover! I am getting worried in all honesty. Thanks to Mai-mai Dublin for saving the day. She gave me her black garbage bag to wrap my camera, put a whole on it so I can see through the lens, and the shooting continues under the heavy rain! Two things I learned during that moment. one, DON’T FORGET YOUR CAMERA RAINCOVER! and two, be friendly to people. You never know when you will need a black garbage bag to save your gear from getting wet again. Thank you Mai!
Oh! And bring a pair of flip-flops! Wet socks….. Yeah. Don’t like it!
Still dripping wet, I went to Panaad Stadium together with Team Fasa Fuego of Cebu city for the semi-final games. The two semis games were intense. Lot’s of action and lots passion from these top four teams. But the stage is set for the finals after Sunken Pleasure defeated Sid Vicious and Extreme Dumaguete won their semi-final game against Fasa Fuego.
The finals of this year’s Nationals was played under the bright grandstand lights of Panaad stadium. It does look beautiful and you can totally feel the excitement of the crowd the moment the lights were on. They added a couple more lights on the opposite side of the grandstand to level up the brightness of the field. It sure is bright to the human eye, but it was still dark for the camera to capture a fast paced sport like Ultimate Frisbee. Solution? Higher ISO, higher aperture so you can still shoot on a fast shutter speed. Find the right location where the light is and worry on the grainy pictures later. I tried to stay on my sweet spot in the early part of the game (corner of the end zone), but it was just too dark for the camera sensor to find that light, so I decided to change my spot. I am back on the sidelines together with the players and some of the photographers and videographers. And the game between SP and Extreme became more intense. More action. Lot’s of passion.
David “Daddy” Liboon says, “This is the best Nationals Finals I have ever seen!”
Karen Cabrera says, “Hindi na palalampasin ni Kristian yung mga moment na yun. Sa kanya yun.”
Dada said after the game, “I was not on the play during the final last point. I came in as substitute for Bao when his leg cramped up. I had full trust on the team, that whatever happen, could happen. I was ready to live with it whatever the outcome is.
Felix Angue said, “Sabi ni Jamel sa amin, para kay Xtian daw talaga yun. Personally, nagpanic lang ako kasi nagin-cut si Xtian non around the same time Jamel threw the huck. But in hindsight, it was an advantage for Xtian because he was able to get the right windup for that sky.”
A huck from Jamel to a massive Sky grab from Kristian to Cherry Sy in the end zone to seal the third Nationals championship trophy for Sunken Pleasure on universe point. The crowd goes wild. SP players ran in to the middle of the field to celebrate with the rest of the team. Tears flowing through Kristian’s eyes while being lifted by his teammates on their shoulders. It was totally one of the best finals game that I have ever witnessed in my one year of shooting this amazing sport. The Comebacks wins Gold.
“One of the best performances I have ever seen them show as individuals and as a team.” Dada said. “They showed the heart of a champion no matter what the outcome is, they poured it all on the field. I know that there will always be a winner and a loser. But for me, we are all winners in that game. Extreme showed that the Spirit is real”
Felix said, “What can I say about SP and Extreme’s performance? It was exactly what the Nationals championships are about: Two teams laying it all on the line. It represented the quality of Ultimate here in our country, with multiple breaks being converted by both teams, and in the end, the game was decided by ONE point/play. It was definitely a treat for the spectators, and as somebody playing, it was the level of competition we were looking forward to experience at Nationals.”
Felix added. “One of the things my teammate mentioned during our post-game huddle was that, before the start of the last point, he realized that we had played an epic game. One for the books, which is what he was looking for. So in the end, it really didn’t matter whether we won of lost. It was the kind of game that helps build your maturity as a player, and that was worth than a single point could give.”
The Spirit of the Game is pretty much high during the whole weekend. But, the finals between SP and Extreme is most probably the blueprint for all the players here in our country to see and follow. The game was intense. Lot’s of contacts at times, but both teams showed great Spirit, passion and respect to each other that the game became an exact example of how Ultimate should be played in our country. A lot of sports fans all over the world naming Soccer/Football as the beautiful game. But after witnessing the games last weekend in Bacolod city. Athletes playing their hearts out. Teams playing as one strong unit. Helping an injured opponent. Celebrating an opponents point. End game huddles. Respect to each other. The Spirit of the Game is beautiful.
This is the “Beautiful Game”
As for me, editing these photos for the past couple of days, brings back a lot of great memories from last weekend. From great action shots to a much more greater sideline images of players cheering on. Shooting under the heat of the sun to capturing moments under the pouring rain. Being away from home for a week and living with the Dragons in Boracay to prepare myself for Nationals, and coming back home last Tuesday with a clear mind and a smile on my face. It was all worth it. Thank you all so much for this wonderful experience. The Nationals 2015 is definitely one for the history books.
It was perfect.
Until then… More images to share… More stories to tell… It’s All About U!
Tuloy Lang Ang Party!
For more Nationals 2015 photos:
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Beautifully said, Don... beautifully said.. :D
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