175g of Happiness
There were a couple of places in my ultimate calendar this year that are new to me, and Dipolog city is one of them. AAU photographer Nico Primaleon
went to Dipolog last year and told me a lot of good things about the place and
the tournament, 175G of Happiness. Dipolog city is like Dumaguete with less
traffic. Good food. Very hospitable bunch of individuals. 3 Jollibee fast food
branches, but no movie theatres. They need to travel to Dapitan city in order
for them to watch the End Game. And of course, the famous Dakak beach resort is
just a few minutes away from Dipolog. But hey… Let’s talk about the tournament,
shall we?
There were supposed to be 16 teams for the weekend. But because of the
Lenten season, a couple of teams decided to back out. Though there were only 14
teams remain, they still managed to make the tournament fun. From all the
tournaments that I've been to this year, they were the only ones that have
A-boards with SOTG banners on the sidelines. It was quite nice to see a
tournament that really promotes the Spirit Of The Game, letting the
participants know that SOTG is more important than anything else in Ultimate.
I've seen a lot of very young teams during the 175G weekend. Players
aging 12-15 years old rocking the fields while their ates and kuyas cheering
them on when they successfully scored a goal or passed the disc accurately.
These kids weren’t there to just fill up the team rosters. They were there to
play (with a good amount of playing time) to help out their team.
There were a lot of great
stories in all parts of Philippine Ultimate, but the stories that were shared to
me in Dipolog was some of the moments worth remembering. Just like these two
siblings from Team Discplays that in order for them to play, their parents need
to sell Hotdogs and drinks during the weekend so they can pay for their
registration. There were another two siblings who helped their older brother to save up some money so
they can play together. And the story of Butz, who can’t see on his left eye,
he can’t hear nor speak but loves to play the game. A couple of years ago, he
was struggling to find a team to play. Fortunately, host team Disc Sanction
gave him a home, for the reason that the team believed that Ultimate is for
everyone, and every person has the right to enjoy the game that we all love.
Capturing amazing plays and highlights are great, but hearing and
witnessing heartwarming stories are the things that make my long trips all
worth it.
After a fun and chill Day 1,
Day 2 went on to a different path as most of the games became a bit more
intense. And dangerous.
I get it, everyone wanted to win. Some players will do
everything they can to get that disc. To take the lead. To grab that advantage.
But sometimes, we really need to control ourselves for the safety of your
teammates, opponents and of course, ourselves especially when the tournament is
a Mixed format. It wasn’t the organizer's fault or the team's fault that those
instances happened. It’s just that maybe as players and future ambassadors of
Philippine Ultimate, we need to understand and see what is right from wrong. I’m sure most
of you will think, who gave me the right to say all these things. Yes, I don’t
play the game. I don’t even know how to throw the disc. I am just a
photographer. I don’t know know what it feels like when the game is on the
line. Maybe I don’t. But I’ve seen a lot of style of play in all corners of the
country and even internationally that I can compare one game from the other. I
guess, what I am trying to say is, we just need to be aware of our surroundings
for the safety of others and ourselves.
Okay, moving on.
The pool A finals between
Dapitan United and host team Disc Sanction started with a bang. As the playing
field was covered by a curtain of dust, and the heart-pounding rock music rocking
the speakers of Dipolog Sports complex, the environment became dramatic and
exciting. Disc Sanction drew first blood as the host team controlled the early
part of the game scoring three straight points giving them a very comfortable
lead, but the men and women from Dapitan managed to work together as one
big unit to cut the lead down. There were a couple lead changes during the
finals until both teams were tied at 8 points apiece. From then on, the
ultimate gods favored Dapitan United as they scored point after point and
forced Disc Sanction scoreless for quite some time. Host team managed to score
a goal, but Dapitan United was already celebrating their first ever 175G win.
Dapitan United is the 2019 175G of Happiness Champions.
Dipolog is a charming little
town. Great people. Great food. Simple Filipino lifestyle. It was one of those
relaxing Ultimate weekends that I would cherish this year. The games and the
style of plays can be changed for the better. And I believe that it will improve
in the coming years. But the community of Dipolog Ultimate is one of the nicest
and hospitable communities that I've ever been to, and I’m sure that would never
change. Thank you for having me for the weekend.
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