Spotlight on the Outliers

11:57 PM All About U 0 Comments

More than a month ago, JMJ Sports Training Services hosted the first Masters and U-24 combo tournament of the country. This was a trailblazing move by the leading Tournament Managing company in the community. I could say that this is a visionary move for the Team led by Ping and Guila Bautista; JM Miranda and Mon Pe Benito; Cess Trinidad; and Jo Civil.

The tournament's first day was stormy as the tailwinds of a typhoon were sweeping across Luzon. Nevertheless, the Nine teams –4 for U024 and 5 for the Masters' division, that joined, sweat it out in the wet fields of Alabang Country Club Polo Fields.

Players in the Masters' Division were donning smiles and showing off their smarts. This a great indication that they were here more for the fun and reunion than the competition. On the other hand, the U-24 games were intense and opposite the weather, were hot. The young ins are‘ flexing’ their unpolished physical prowess showing great potential but un-aged exposure to the game.

On the second day, a switch was flipped as the Younger Masters of Tanders Pilipinas and A Team physically dominated the Masters' Division despite a great effort from PUMA, FOTS, and BC and friends. The Tanders and beach legends of PUMA’s semis game was particularly close until the end part. PUMA’s fast ‘give and go’s weren’t enough against the Stamina and cunning antics of Tanders.

The Young Masters of Tanders –composed of mainly of OGs of DUO, core ALPHA and a Shake n’ Bake trio from Iloilo, and the A Team –core Warriors, big names of Binibinis and some Titos, pitted it out in the moody weathered finals. Fel Angue and Angelique Cortez led the way, as A Team was jolted on top of the Masters' Division.

On the younger end of the outliers’ chart, on the other hand, the steady play of Pancake Y was too much for the seemingly distracted Kid Vicious in the finals. Pancake Y won the first U-24 crown of the Philippines as Kid Vicious settles for second, while Dou and Kidstone of Lipa settled for rankings.

This Combo Tournament is quite fun. Seeing the contrast of play between the far ends of the age brackets makes you see the decline of the Physical capabilities but the growth of the mind. The youngins played with so much vigor but lack on discipline and patience, while the lack of physical prowess on the upper end of the age chart did not limit the game of wits and experience –although they did play below their age all weekend long, I wonder how much the masseuse and the massage therapists earn the week after, between the so-called ‘Masters of the Ultiverse’.