Lien, Speaks! Mulatto wins Zone Cup 2015

8:41 PM All About U 0 Comments

Lien Verdeprado of Team Mulatto


The 2nd Zone Cup, organised in Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam, is known as the best gatherings of ultimate talent from Asia and beyond. After watching team Mulatto’s performance in semifinals of Manila Spirits 2014, the owner of Zone Clothing – Nguyen Vu – was so keen on inviting Mulatto to visit Vietnam as “I was impressed of your playing style with strong team understanding and connection among team players, I want to see it in this tournament not only teams with star players but also teamwork like this”. 

As a provincial team, Mulatto can try to afford joining one overseas tournament every year as it is more costly and time-consuming to go outside Philippines. We always select carefully for what will be the tournament for the year and looking for opportunity to visit different countries and expose to different ultimate environment. For this Zone Cup, we did fundraising though the activity of selling Mulatto stocks including “We travel for Ultimate” jerseys and got lots of support from ultimate friends.



Even though Zone Cup only celebrates their 2nd year, it attracts top teams from different Asian countries like Singapore, China, Japan, and Hong Kong with the $3,000 cash prize as well as one of the best fields in Asia. Many participants expressed that “Before the tournament happens, we cannot tell who will be in the championship game. Most teams are sending their best line-ups for this tourney”. Many teams including us registered for this tourney not because of cash prize but for having opportunity to experience one of the highest level of competition in South East Asia, and we’re happy it really delivered.

We started our hard training starting middle of April for our hosting Dabadaba beginning of May, Nationals end of May and Zone Cup end of June. With our loss in championship game in Dabadaba and quarterfinal in Nationals, we had to sit down and review about what we had not done correctly and how to make best use of our team strengths. We had to test different strategies and line-up to find out what worked best for us. Three weeks before the tournament, we trained every night during weekdays and whole day during weekends alternately between conditioning (jogging, circuit and cross-training) and playing (drills, scrimmage, tune-up games). Initially we did not aim to go far in the tourney but we wanted to make use of this only opportunity every year to help us moving to a higher level of ultimate and show them about Philippines ultimate.



We registered in the tournament and came to the training and preparation for Zone Cup as Mulatto Davao, representing Davao and Mindanao ultimate, but we came into the tournament as Mulatto Pilipinas. The whole Philippines including friends from Luzon and Visayas were watching and cheering for us because we were the only representative team from Philippines. In the team, there are representatives from Boracay Dragons, Extreme, and SSG. Our jerseys were designed with symbols of our country and we wore that with pride. Before the quarterfinals, Joie was giving a very touching message “guys, we are playing for our country, friends from all over Philippines are praying for us, regardless how far we can go in the tournament, we have to make our country proud”. That was our mission to fulfill and the championship has showed the best outcome of teamwork and hardwork.




We faced a lot of challenges against strong teams, no battle was easy and no team went undefeated or winless. Among the top 4 teams, three are well-known and long established club teams. We were happy to play rematch game against Whisby Nation in the championships, the team that defeated us earlier in roundrobin game. They have the great teamwork, great spirit and high rank recently in most international competitions. Team chemistry, trust among team members and support from sidelines (and of courses from friends around Philippines) are the key for us to win the battles and we are proud to represent the country. It was our great memory and we hope to see more teams from Philippines in the coming Zone Cup to bring pride to our country.




Thank you, Lien for sharing your amazing journey of becoming one of the elite teams, not just here in the Philippines, but in Asia. Again, congratulations to Team Mulatto Pilipinas for winning the Second Zone Cup!

Until then... More images to share. More stories to tell... It's All About U!

Photos by: Ms. Daisy Jane Cimafranca of Team Mulatto






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Abby Speaks. Team Lumad hits Iligan!

10:30 PM All About U 0 Comments


Abby of Team Lumad


Abby of Team Lumad talks about their journey and experiences in the recently concluded Daddy's Cup in Iligan City. Traveling from one place to another for hours is tough, but it's all worth it the moment you step on the field with your teammates, playing the sport that you love. 

Here's Abby:

"Last July 11-12 2015. For the first time, the team traveled together for almost Five hours from Malaybalay to the city of Iligan.We started our journey at two in the morning. It was also the teams first experience to immediately go out there and play with not enough rest, something to eat and a place to fix ourselves and change considering we lacked time to find a convenient venue to do it. We all know that it's very uncomfortable to go into battle if you weren't able to prepare all the necessary things that you need to do. But, we did our very best to perform well at the prestigious Daddy's Cup. 



Even though, we promised not to travel with that time schedule again, and amidst all the constraints we've encountered, it didn't hindered us to achieve our goal and play ultimate Frisbee. Should I say, 'For the love of Ultimate!' It was all about meeting old and new friends and know other team's tactics and strategies.



To catch up with a well deserved rest, we opted not to stay longer during the first day socials, so that we could gain enough energy for the next day. Like any other teams, we also encountered trials and adversities, but our passion, trust and confidence among our teammates locked us to SECOND PLACE finish, which made us very happy. The trophy is something to bring home to our other teammates who weren't able to compete due to their busy schedule. As much as we wanted to join the party during the second day socials, we still have lots of things to catch up at our own respective places at home, unfortunately. 



Nevertheless, everything is all worth it. Again, for the love of our sport, we will conquer everything no matter what it takes in order to represent our beloved team, "LUMAD". We are extending our big thanks to all who became part of our glorious journey. Cheers!" - Abby

Thank you so much, Abby, for taking the time to share your story. Here in PUI, we know that there are a lot more Ultimate stories out there that needs to be shared. If you are interested to share it to the world and inspire people in our amazing Ultimate community, let us know!

Until then... More images to share. More stories to tell. It's All About U!






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Daddy's Cup 2015, Iligan. The City of Ultimate!

6:55 AM All About U 0 Comments





 A lot of folks from the Philippine Ultimate community telling me stories about Iligan as the one city in the country to go to if you talk about Ultimate Frisbee. According to them, there are almost fifty-plus ultimate teams around Iligan. That is a lot for a small and very simple city in Mindanao. So, when I was invited by Mr. Doi Mariano to cover the First ever Daddy's Cup, I answered him with a big YES with no hesitation. And of course, when Doi asked for your presence, you don't have to say no, especially if you like food and all that good stuff!

I took a 30 minute plane ride from Iloilo to Cebu city to meet up with the one and only and the main star of the tournament, David "Daddy" Liboon. Together, we took a five star cabin, over night boat trip heading to Iligan city. We were greeted by Kaloy at the pier, gave us a ride to our hotels, checked in and went to see Mr. Mariano. There's a tradition in Doi's house when you are a first timer in Iligan. The moment you stepped foot on the Mariano family's beautiful home, you will be given an empty glass, go straight to his backyard and have a glass of locally brewed draft beer. We went to Timoga Spring pool water park for lunch and a quick refreshing swim. Iligan Lechon is definitely one of the best Lechons I ever had.





As best known for their dozens of waterfalls around the area, side trips in Iligan is definitely worth it. The popular ones are the Timoga sping pool, Tinago falls and of course, the beautiful Maria Cristina Falls. Food trips are also great in the city of waterfalls. Lechon, Liempo, Kilawin, Chicken skin at Ams, Chef Doi's Crispy Pork Belly and Doi's Burger at Mariano's are phenomenal. But my favorites are Baboy Sulop (Wild boar) and Halang-Halang at Iligan public market! Just writing this now makes me crave for another bowl of Halang-Halang.


Baboy Sulop. Photo credits: Sophie Sacapano

Doi's Burger


Ronan. Nok. Doi. and Boy Lechon. Photo credits: Sophie Sacapano
Halang-Halang. Photo credits: Sophie Sacapano



After three days of getting to know more about Iligan city, it's time to do what I am supposed to be doing. Shoot Ultimate.








They are fast. Very athletic. And seriously, they have the skillset of a great Ultimate player. I expect high intensity Ultimate games even before I left Iloilo city, and my expectations were totally met in an instant. Players like Bolantoy, Binoi, Botchok, and April who were all discovered by the Dragons in Iligan and some veteran players like Tope and Basti, who came back after a few years of hiatus. These are just a few names we know who started their journey as an Ultimate Frisbee player here in this side of the country, and now they are taking names wherever they go to compete. But there are still a lot of great talents here in Iligan, most especially the women's. I am very impressed with all the young women athletes who participated in Daddy's Cup. Though they were out numbered (most of the teams only have 4 or 5 players in their roster), but they are playing aggressively and not afraid of catching and throwing a disc in an intense game. Layout's. Sky's. Not a problem. They are going for it. One team that caught my attention during the weekend was the very young team from Ateneo. The Ateneo Blue Ultimate (ABU). They only have three women in their roster. Competing under the heat of the sun (Yes, there's no rain in Iligan last weekend.) with no substitute, and still had the energy during socials. These girls are killing it. Though, the team as a whole didn't perform well during Daddy's Cup, but I have high respects for these kids. I just hope that they will continue to play and learn more about the game. 





The three Ateneo girls


"There are a lot of great talents here in Iligan, no doubt about it." Doi said. "But, the only problem that we are facing right now is, funding." There are some players in Iligan according to Doi, that they have to work as a pedicab driver in order for them to play in a tournament. Some needs to work in a wet market for days and nights just to save up for their registration fees. Some players in other parts of the country have a couple or more pair of cleats. While in Iligan, they are saving up their money for a pair in an Ukay-ukay, so they will finally not going to play barefooted during tournaments. "This is one of the reasons why me and the rest of BAT-C productions made this tournament possible. It's all for these young players here in Iligan. And hopefully soon we can attract teams from other parts of the country" Doi added. If only these young players has the ways and means to travel and show the rest of us what they are made of, I have no doubt in my mind that these kids will do amazing things in tournaments around the country, and even in the international arena. Barefooted or not, These players are here to play in the highest level. Iligan truly is a City of Ultimate Frisbee.


In the end, the Iligan powerhouse teams, Red Horses (RH) and Ultimate Green Archers (UGA) goes head to head in the first Daddy's Cup finals, where RH bagged the championship trophy. Team Lumad of Bukidnon took home the second runner up hardware. Team Bangan - Made in China placed third. Congratulations to all the winners and big kudos to Daddy, Mr. Doi Mariano and BAT-C productions for a successful Daddy's Cup this year.

My first visit to Iligan is one of those trips that I will remember for a very long time. I just hope that I will get a chance to go back there and witness some great Ultimate Frisbee.... And of course to get another bowl (or two) of Halang-Halang! It would be great to see you guys there as well in the coming years. Give Iligan another try. Put Daddy's Cup on your Ultimate calendars next year, and the year after next. I'm sure the Iligan boys and girls will definitely welcome you with open arms.

Until then. More images to share. More stories to tell... It's All About U!

Tuloy Lang Ang Party!

- Don Laczi


So what's next for Philippine Ultimate Images? How about we travel back to Dumaguete City for two consecutive weekends in August? The SHINDIG'S are almost here..... Let's Go!!!




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"X", A Spider. An Exclusive talk with Kristian Guerrero

2:37 AM All About U 0 Comments


"Basta pakilagay na lang na ako yung taong ayaw talaga ng publicity haha! Nagpainterview ako para sa ultimate at dahil ikaw yon." Kristian said when I asked him for an interview after being acquired by San Jose Spiders of the prestigious Ultimate Frisbee league in the US, The American Ultimate Disc League or AUDL.

Boracay Open 2014 was the first time that I saw Kristian Guerrero (Xtian or X for his teammates and friends) play. Watch out for Dragons player #3, he will give you a lot of amazing highlights for your portfolio. A friend of mine said before the tournament started. And then the 2014 Nationals came. Again, X put on an amazing show. But, during last years Manila Spirits is where X really caught my attention. The guy is special. I then did my research, asking a few friends from the ultimate community if who Xtian Guerrero really is. But during the WCBU 2015 training of Boracay Dragons-Philippine team where I personally met and known Xtian as a friend. During Worlds in Dubai he showed his passion for the sport of Ultimate Frisbee, carrying the team to win Bronze for our country (He is also the MVP and most assist in WCBU 2007 in Brazil) His passion, hard work and dedication is so contagious that even I, a non-player did the best I can to cover the journey of Dragons-Philippines as best as I could.

X is a big time player here in our country on the field, but he is also one of the biggest characters in Ultimate after parties. You will see him holding the mic on one hand, pumping up the crowd with a bottle of Pale Pilsen on the other. He is a star in Philippine Ultimate.

Now, a new door opened up for X. A big opportunity for him to show what he is capable of doing on and off the field. AUDL. A professional league that every Ultimate player around the globe is dreaming to be a part of. And for the first time in history, a homegrown Filipino athlete finally made it to the big leagues.

I asked this very humble filipino ultimate athlete a few quick questions before he went back to work in URJ Crane Lake Camp in Massachusetts. And this is what we talked about.



Who gave you the word that you will officially be playing with the San Jose Spiders in AUDL?



- A friend of mine from the US who works for Boon Philippines asked the owner of San Jose Spiders if I could play for them. The owner didn't have any idea who I was, of course.  Then my good friend Jolas Larracas said, "He's one of the top players in the Philippines and he played in a lot of big tournaments already. He also plays for Boracay Dragons." I think that's what got Andrew's attention. That's how it all started. Andrew e-mailed me asking about my interest in playing for the Spiders. I was like, "Is this for real!?" Nagpakipot pa ako konti pero syempre hindi ko sinabi hahaha :D So it was kind of official already back then. But, I was in the US for work. I needed to ask permission first from my boss for me to be able to play with the Spiders. It was a long process because I have loads of stuff to do here and I can't just go out and play. But, eventually after a long talk with my boss, he finally allowed me to go to the west coast. After that, I relayed everything to Jolas, who then relayed word to Andrew, then that's it! Andrew signed me up with the Spiders for this season. And of course, without my good friend from Boon Technical Clothing (Aldwin Ibanez) and Jolas Larracas, hindi mangyayari lahat to.


Is this a dream come true for Xtian?



 - Mixed emotions, to be honest. I was looking forward to playing for a club team in the US and not in the PRO league. I've been talking a lot with the captains of Doublewide and they were really good to me. I missed the actual tryouts because my passport got stuck in the US embassy for 3 weeks. They even asked me to play with them in one of the tournaments. But they said,  "This is not an assurance that you're gonna make it to the team. But, we can consider this as your tryout." I said, "Yeah, of course!" I told them that I will work really hard to earn that spot. So that means that AUDL was never really in the picture. I got really delayed coming to the US for work that's why I couldn't make any demands from my boss. So, the dream of playing for that club team, a dream I had for the past couple of years got washed away. Then, the opportunity to play for the most prestigious Ultimate tournament in the world came. So, tatanggi pa ba ako?! hahaha :D Pero to be honest, yung puso ko nasa club team pa din. :) Big dreams will follow, and I'm pretty sure about it. :)



You are the first homegrown Filipino athlete to play in this prestigious Ultimate Frisbee league in the US; 

What does this mean to you?



- It means a lot to me, of course. But, it means a lot more to the Philippine Ultimate community. Laki lang ng pressure sa akin for sure because I need to set the standard (for Filipino athletes). So, I'm not really thinking of doing this to be the "first Filipino" who's able to play in this league. It's more of representing my country - to be able to show to the world what Philippine Ultimate is all about.


Where are you right now? And what keeps you busy, 

aside from chasing plastics in the US?


- I am currently working in URJ Crane Lake Camp in Massachusetts. I'll be here 'til the first week of September then I will go straight to Hong Kong to work for a company called Asia Pacific Adventure. I'm a well respected outdoor instructor at the moment. But, when I'm not doing it, I'm a rugged rock climber/lasenggo, rugby boy, baby sitter at pwede din tubero :D You can easily see me at the climbing gym whenever I'm not chasing plastics. :)


What are the best aspects of your game 

that can contribute to the Spiders?


- I'm a team player. That's all I can say.


Can you tell us a brief story 

about your Ultimate career in the Philippines.


- I started playing in my University with my mountaineering org-mates. Sunken Pleasure's very own Danny Dematera saw me one day walking in my college and invited me to play with them in the finals in one of the local leagues (in the Philippines). I was like, "what? are you serious?" Then I laughed. I said, "I never tossed a disc before and you're inviting me to play?" Then he gave me a good laugh as well and said, "Just run. I will throw the disc and you'll just have to run and catch it." haha :) But I ended up not playing. The following month, it was the anniversary of the UP Mountaineers. They invited me to go to the field and they taught me how to throw a disc. After that, I joined them the following league, which I really enjoyed.

One thing that made me stay and continue playing the sport is the the Spirit of the Game. It's a self-officiating game. You're talking about honesty and integrity which for me is really cool. :) So I kept on playing for my local club team Sunken Pleasure until I got a chance to play for the National team. Then after that I got an invite to play for the mighty Boracay Dragons. Then now San jose Spiders :D galing noh? haha.. parang pelikula lang.


Now, you will be playing alongside Beau Kittredge 

in San Jose Spiders. How crazy is that? 

- I'm a big fan of Seattle Sockeye because when I started playing Ultimate, they would almost always finish 1st. If not, they're always on the podium. Then big names like Ben Wiggins and some Sockeye players went to the Philippines to play for Manila Spirits. Ben was like a mentor to us. But, names like Beau? It's a privilege, definitely. Who would have thought that I'll be playing with him on the same team? haha :D He's definitely one of toughest player when you talk about Ultimate. He jumped over a guy. He can sky. He can throw. He can RUN. He can do crazy layouts and I think above all, he is one of the best spirited guy in the sport right now. So I'm so honored to play in the same team with him. I'm just hoping that we'll be able to build that chemistry right away. Parang pag tinatapon ni Heyman yung disc kay Gabbey… ooops, baliktad pala :) Mas magaling nga pala magthrow si Gabbey kaysa kay Heyman hahaha :D peace pards. Ay actually tama! Pag tinatapon ni Heyman yung disc sa ground hahahaha :D




Words for our countrymen. 
This is a very exciting and proud moment 
for Philippine Ultimate.



- I think I just got lucky to participate in this prestigious event because it just so happened that I was already in the US. And, the opportunity was just right in front of me. I pushed myself so hard to make it to this level. So, what I can say to my fellow Frisbee players in the Philippines is that, "Pag may oportunidad, sunggaban niyo na. You may not be the best player in the country, but if you set your mind to it then everything will fall into place." Nakaka-inspire ba? parang tanga lang noh? hahaha.. 

Peace out.




It only shows that hard work, patience, staying humble and being passionate about the things that you love can bring you great things in this world. X is the example of that. We hope that this wonderful thing that happened to Xtian's life will inspire you to do great things on the field and off the field at the same time.

So, watch out world! X will give you a pretty damn good show this AUDL season! You can count it!

Thank you Xtian for this exclusive PUI interview! 
And best of luck on your amazing Ultimate Career!

- Don Laczi

Until then. More images to share, More stories to tell... It's #AllAboutU!


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