TARSIER 6: WETTER AND WILDER
I had a lot of great expectations for Tarsier 6. I did not get the chance to cover it last year due to tournament schedule conflicts, but AAU Photographer Nico Primaleon did a fantastic job in covering Tarsier 5. I've always wanted to visit Bohol ever since I was a kid. Never had the chance to go on trips around the country back then since I don't have the means to do it, but Ultimate gave me the opportunity to see the beauty of our country and the hospitality of every people in different regions. I guess I am one of the lucky ones to witness the Majestic mountains of Bukidnon, the beautiful weather in Sagada, the Gentle people in Dumaguete, the powdery white sands of Boracay, Surf spots in Baler, La Union and Mati, the historic Vigan, the San Juanico Bridge connecting Samar and Leyte, the cheapest Durian Fruit in Davao, the sweetest pineapple I've ever tasted from Ormoc City, The Quatro Islas my personal heaven on earth, don't forget the sisig in Pampanga, and yes the most delicious Palapa, and some of the gigantic waterfalls in Iligan. And now, I finally saw the Tarsiers in their quiet habitat. The Chocolate hills that will first burn your fats out climbing the observation deck before seeing the tasty looking hills and of course the Man Made Forest that makes you feel like you've been teleported to a different planet. Bohol has some of the most amazing sceneries in the country. Beautiful historical churches and the most delicious peanut kisses and kalamay you'll ever taste. Big thanks to my Brother and Sister from another mother, Edong and Ga Larrazabal for giving me a ride all the way from Ormoc city to see all these Bohol spots. Yes, I already had my Bohol side trip fixed, a day before the tournament.
From a five minute ride from Sunset Villa where we stayed for the three-day tournament, there stands the CPG sports complex. CPG stands for Carlos P. Garcia, the Former president of the Republic of the Philippines who was born and raised in Bohol. I have to say, the sports complex sure did see some better days. But the building is still in good condition to accommodate the twenty-four energetic teams that participated this year. The teams were a mix of seasoned veterans and first-timers. I've seen a lot of very familiar teams that weekend (Welcome back Roaches!), but I was pretty excited to see the newer teams and players battling it out against Kyrah, April, Bruno, Popoy, Bullet, Jordan, just to name a few of the many amazing athletes who played under the heat of the sun and under the heaviest rainfall that gave us a field of mud pools.
You can immediately feel the excitement in the air the moment the first pulls were thrown. The first two games went into full battle mode as the cheers and battle cries on the sidelines echoed around CPG. With a cup of freshly brewed coffee, a plate of Danggitsilog and a couple of sweet Moron from Leyte for breakfast, I was also excited to bust my camera gears out to start my first Tarsier experience. The best part of every Day 1 in a tournament is the smiles and the morning greetings of players on the sidelines. Together with the smell of grass, the heat of the sun burning your skin to charge you up and the weight of your camera giving your body a heads up that its going to be another long day of Ultimate, the smiles, and greetings of the players gives you the sense of comfort that you are again with the company of our ever-growing family.
The weather was perfect on Day 1, but rain clouds came to cover up the whole CPG in the afternoon of Day 2, its arrival was perfectly timed during the pool A Quarterfinal games of FASA vs BLU and SSG vs ULMIGAS. Still, the teams continued to battle it out like the rain was the eighth player on their defensive lines. They struggled on the field and us folks from the media struggled to find some plastic bags to cover our gears as well. I managed to find shelter under the big Tarsier tarp in the middle of the two pitches together with friends from One CDO, and worked my way to reach the stands near pitch 2 and stayed there until the rain died down. It was still a good day of shooting with a pair of wet socks, shoes, and shorts.
With another set of Danggitsilog and brewed coffee for breakfast and a little kick of hangover from Saturday night, I was ready to tackle the final day of the tournament. I was expecting a lot of action from the power teams, but the teams that really impressed me the most during the weekend was the high school teams, Mercenaries and Gladiators of Bohol and Team Tenacious from Gingoog who traveled for ten long hours; Tarsier 6 was their first ever tournament outside Gingoog. I had the chance to chat with some of the Tenacious players and I really wish them good luck and hope to see them again soon. Talk about passion towards the sport, these high school players from Bohol have tons of it. I encountered a lot of great ultimate stories before, but the story of Mercenaries will definitely stick with me for a very long time. The whole Mercenaries team saved up their extra allowance for their sinking fund for 3-4 months until they have enough money for their downpayment. Beryl (Tarsier Organizer) showed me a bag full of coins during the tournament fresh from the hands of these high schoolers, and until now, they are still saving up their extra school allowance to pay for their remaining balance. It was quite amazing to see that there are still people in our community willing to save up every centavo from their pockets in order for them to play the sport they love without the help of anyone but themselves. It was awe-inspiring, really.
Day 3 weather was as promising as the morning weather of Day 2, but the sheet of rain clouds again covered the already muddy fields of Carlos P. Garcia during the Pool A semifinals. The games of SSG-Mohawks and Fasa Fuego-UTI became a water polo grudge match under the afternoon rainfall. Again, I found shelter in the stands near Pitch 2 where Fasa Fuego and UTI went for a swim, grabbing and hammering the disc from one watery end zone to the other. Unfortunately, I slipped and fell walking down the stairs, but managed to keep my camera from serious damage. On the bright side, I captured the back of Kyrah's layout bid in the final moments of their game when the rain calmed down, so I guess everything turned out just fine.
The Finals between Fasa Fuego of Cebu and South Side Guerillas of Davao was expected to be a battle to the end, but the mud pools on Pitch 1 made the game slower than I expected giving both teams a hard time to move. It was wild in every sense of the word that even Philippine Ultiverse photographer, Dodong Dela Cruz thought about Spam when he saw SSG's white uniform smothered with brown mud. Fasa Fuego went for the kill in the early stage of the game and never looked back. Fasa became the Tasier 6 Pool A Champs.
And here I thought my Bohol side trip was over. The awarding/socials night was held at Bohol Divers Beach Resort in Panglao. Panglao vibe was pretty much similar to Boracay with fewer people walking down the beach. After the awarding, the community went wild and danced the night away. The next day was very relaxing walking by the beach with friends during sunset, enjoying a scoop of Bee Farm Malunggay Ice cream. It was indeed a great way to end a successful three-day tournament in Bohol.
The best part of traveling and shooting Ultimate was seeing a lot of players that have the talent and skill to be great. But sometimes these individuals need a lot of guidance and support in order for them to reach their full potential. And Bohol Ultimate was one of the cities that has the talent and the skill to be great. The only problem is the venue. The facility. If only they have the appropriate and a less injury-prone facility (Playing field) to play on, I'm sure these young players will surprise us in the coming years. With two additional high school teams participating, the Bohol Ultimate Community is growing, and it would be nice to see a better playing field for these players, not just for Ultimate but for other sports like Soccer, and other sporting field events in Bohol. In my own honest opinion, Fiesta Carnivals need to have their own spot in the city, Not in the middle of the field of CPG sports complex.
My first trip to Bohol was definitely worth remembering. Congratulations Beryl and to the rest of the Tarsier 6 organizers. To all the Marshals who braved the heat and the rain. To everyone who became a big part of the event. Congratulations, and hope to see you all again soon!
For more Tarsier 6 Photos:
0 comments: