SUGBO Ultimate 2019
Sugbo Ultimate is the one tournament that I can’t say no
this time around. It has been a year that they’ve been asking me to come and
cover the tournament, and I was glad that the weekend of September 21-22 was
free from any important agenda. So I hopped on to the plane heading to Cebu and
after a couple of hours on the road from the main city together with Team
Supremos of Palawan we arrived at Naga City, the Venue of the Sugbo Ultimate
2019.
12 teams graced the tournament and half of them came from
different parts of Visayas and Mindanao. The games started as early as 7am as
most tournaments do, and they played 5 intense games under the heat of the sun
on Saturday. With free lunch and free accommodation, I think it’s all worth it.
I covered the Sinulog Open tournament last year in Naga City
and from what I’ve noticed; there were more rocks and tall grass on the playing
fields than the last time that I was there. But did the rocks and grass prevent
the players from going all out on Day 2? NO, they didn’t! In fact, I’ve seen a number
of players still went for the layout bid and other acrobatic antics that they
always do. Sometimes, when the game is on the line, you will do everything you
can to save the disc first, and deal with your cuts and bruises second to win
games. That’s how passionate we Filipinos are with regards to Ultimate, I
guess.
At this moment the Naga city sports venue is on
rehabilitation. And by next year, they might have a new rubberized track to
enjoy. I just hope that they will also make plans to rehabilitate the playing
fields as well. This also goes to other areas of the country that are having a
hard time looking for better fields to train and hold tournaments. We have the
talents and skills to do great things in Ultimate. And we need better facilities
and venues to sharpen the blades of our Ultimate Athletes. I just hope that
someday people would realize that there are more sports other than Basketball
that we Filipinos need to focus on and spend money on. And Ultimate is one of
them. We are one of the best Ultimate countries in the world. People should
realize that.
Okay, enough of that and let’s get back to the tournament.
The Pool A Finals between Palawan’s Team Supremos and
Dumaguete’s Team Kwakernz was a one-sided affair in the early stages of the
game. The young guns of Kwakernz dominated the game with their speed and
ridiculous passes giving the seasoned players of Supremos a hard time to catch
on. The undefeated Supremos threw a lot of long hucks in the game but team
Kwakernz manages to stop them from scoring in the end zone. These kids are too quick on their feet.
As the sun sets and the sky goes dark, it seems like
Supremos found their footing and went on to complete a 3 point rally, taking
away the momentum from the raging young Kwakernz, giving everyone that was left
on the field an exciting and intense finish. But it was just too late for
Supremos to tie the game as team Kwakernz sealed the victory as the time ran
out. Team Kwakernz is the 2019 Sugbo Ultimate Pool A Champions.
It was quite a nice short visit in Naga City. Shooting teams
and players that I don’t see that much on big tournaments, but with the same
fire and passion like the popular ones. Seeing new players enjoying and learning
the game was really nice to witness. It only shows that we are growing and that
the sport is getting bigger and better every year. And I think covering these kinds
of tournaments is as important as covering big events like Manila Spirits. We
have seen a lot of raw talents from these small tourneys around the country. Soon
we will all be surprised that a new star will rise from a small town dominating
the international arena. I know he or she is out there waiting for his or her
turn to shine.
I was really glad that I finally got a chance to visit Sugbo
Ultimate Tournament.
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