Trident Manila Invasion 2019: The Invasion Is Complete!
Trident Active Lifestyle is off to a great start this 2019 as they successfully invaded Manila last weekend during the first ever Trident Manila Invasion (TMI) at the Greenfields City in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. With 20 teams combined (11 for Men´s Division and 9 for Women´s) it was an absolutely great start for the Cebu based active lifestyle apparel with the help of Ced Palomares and company. I arrived late Friday evening in Manila, had a four-hour sleep before I received a text message from Ced saying that they were on their way to get me for a drive to Laguna at 0430am. As much as I really wanted a couple more hours of snooze, I was actually excited to start my Ultimate season. So sleep was definitely not an option in that cold Saturday morning. After a cup of coffee and two episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, it was all business for the participating teams.
I covered the Trident Ultimate Battle Grounds (UBG) in Dumaguete for three straight years. In UBG, teams battled hard up to the last point. TMI was pretty much just like the tournament in Dumzville but with a different flavor. The gameplay is faster in UBG, disc movement is more systematic in TMI, but two things are in common between these sister tournaments, TMI has the same intensity as UBG. UBG has the same down the wire battles in almost every game of the tournament. With the addition of TMI in the calendar, Trident weekends are such a treat for all ultimate teams and players in the country.
As a single gender tournament, TMI attracts some of the top club teams in the country in both Men’s and Women´s Divisions. Teams like Vicious, Sunken Pleasure, Cinderella a.k.a Tandang Sora Pleasure, the most well-traveled team from Tuguegarao, Team TUGS (traveled for about 8 to 10 hours, I believe?), and Team Pancake. Don´t forget teams like Blood and Bad Blood to name a few, showcasing what the Luzon Ultimate community has to offer in the early part of the single-gender season. And here’s the big catch: Whoever wins the Trident Manila Invasion shall get free registration for the Trident Ultimate Battle Grounds in Dumaguete this coming March to have the chance to battle it out against the top teams in the Visayas, and maybe a couple of teams from Mindanao. Besides the PFDA Single Gender Nationals that’s going to happen in Malaybalay, Bukidnon this coming May, UBG will definitely cause some Explosions in Dumzville next month.
After a quiet, relaxing and cool Saturday evening, The teams are much more focused on their respective goals. Day 2 began with an intense battle between Team Pancake and Sunken Pleasure 2 (SP02). After that, we were off to the quarterfinal matches and then the semis for both divisions. Semifinals are my favorites, to be honest. The "do or die" mentality of each teams are high enough that it makes me more focused and alert, keeping my eyes wide open for potential photo highlights. I always love that feeling.
Waiting patiently on the sidelines with finger on the trigger, you can feel the weight of the camera. It’s getting heavier by the hour. Both feet are hurting. You know that it´s time to take a break, but you don't want to because there might be something that’s going to happen any minute now. And then there it is. That split second moment that will never ever happen again. And when you check the preview screen at the back of your camera, you realize that you just captured the photo of the tournament. And that right there and then you say to yourself, ¨Yeap. Time to sit down and relax. We got the shot¨
Semifinals, man. The best part of the tournament.
The spotlights were fixed on Fields 2 and 3 for the first Trident Manila Invasion finals as the longtime rivals Vicious and Sunken Pleasure 1 (SP01) are set to battle it out for the men´s division, while Sunken Pleasure Girls (SPG) are locked in to showcase their dominance against a strong Alpha Female line up in the Women´s division finals. TMI was my first tournament of the year, and I can totally feel the stiffness and pain in my lower back at this moment. (Old Age. Not fun), but all four teams really showed why they are the best teams in Manila and all throughout Luzon. So, complaining about an aching back can wait for a couple more hours.
It was a battle all throughout the weekend for the Men in Blue of Vicious (Sid Vicious. I always love their
team name.) And through the years they have been waiting for the right time. The right moment. That moment came in the Invasion weekend when after a tight tug-o-war lead changes and ties, they finally broke loose in the later part of the game to seal the championship win against SPO1.
The women´s division was no different as both SPG and Alpha Female really went for it. Battling every inch that was given. Every possession was important. An error can cause you the lead. Layout after layouts. Sky grabs everywhere, it was intense.
Map Pangilinan, Angelique Cortez, and Ces Trinidad, did everything to go for the W, but Lala Cruz, Bea Bellosillo, Gabbey Rodil and Jam Macaraeg denied the Alpha Females from winning the trophy in the end. Sunken Pleasure Girls is your TMI 2019 Women´s Division Champions.
TMI 2019 was without a doubt a perfect tournament to start the single-gender season this year. Trident Active Lifestyle with the help from Ced Palomares and his crew did something special here and hopefully, the rest of the community will continue to support this awesome tournament in February. Kudos to the organizers and to all the folks who helped out to make TMI 2019 a huge success!
My question is this... are you all ready for next month’s Battle in Dumaguete. Are the UBG Defending champs in both Men´s and Women´s division ready to defend their titles?
The Gates of The Battle Grounds are soon to be Opened... And the Luzon teams are waiting.
Are You Ready?
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