Daddy's Cup 2015, Iligan. The City of Ultimate!
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.
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| Baboy Sulop. Photo credits: Sophie Sacapano |
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| Doi's Burger |
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| Ronan. Nok. Doi. and Boy Lechon. Photo credits: Sophie Sacapano |
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| 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.
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| 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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