Team Uranus does HK Pan Asia Championships with a Big Bang!
Uranus is one of the rising teams in Cebu, Philippines, and has been playing regularly for three years, competing in the local-provincial scene. Brian Paulino, one of the senior players of the team, (currently based in Hong Kong for work) spearheaded this Uranus-HK Pan Asia mission. Brian thought it would be a good experience for Uranus to compete in an international tournament to witness the different plays and strategies that teams from around the region would display.
We were all so hyped up when Uranus got a bid in the tournament, but we knew that it wouldn’t be a stroll in the park. Scarcity of fields for regular trainings, financial limitations and work commitments were just some of the challenges we faced, yet these did not impinge on Brian's faith in the team. He had so much belief in everyone that he wanted us to compete in Pool A and didn't want to settle for anything less. We even had a few last minute back-outs that may have had impacted our team's structure due to passports not being released on time. Many of our players had to apply for a passport just to take part in this tournament, and it was the first time for some of us to take a plane out of the country.
The day finally came. It marked Uranus' debut in the international scene of Ultimate. Not knowing what to expect from our opponents, Uranus just played their "piso-piso" style fearlessly. We came into this tournament as underdogs with nothing to lose. Getting to play in HK Pan Asia 2016 was already an achievement unlocked.
In the first game of day one, we lost to LGW of Korea, who boasted the likes of Brant, Whale, Maddie, and the ex-senior captain of Arizona Sunburn, Brice Dixon. They were tall, fast, strong, and were disciplined in their cuts, taking the game 13-9 with their solid structure.
The second game in our group stage was against eventual winners, Junta, which was led by Philippines' Ultimate Frisbee icon, Jason "JLO" Lopez. At the start, Uranus and Junta were trading points evenly. The game was tied at 8-8 and hard cap was called, game to 9, Uranus to receive. Uranus worked it down the field patiently and were looking to score until one of the players assumed a score and spiked the disc. Turnover was called because it was the wrong line on the field. Junta eventually scored to win the game 9-8.
By the third game of the day, Uranus, feeling fatigued due to the shortage of players, took on GZ Storm of Guangzhou, China. Led by "Kwong", GZ Storm had some really young talented players. Uranus stayed focused and took the game 13-8 for our first win of the tournament.
We ended day one with high hopes for the second day. Next up, a traditional Hong Kong Dim Sum dinner!
The first game of day two saw Uranus take on Shanghai HuWa in the quarter finals. They were favorites to win the game with familiar names like Dax Haas, Katherine Tse, Sam Mannix Schmoker and Amy Smith. Uranus started the game slowly, giving away two breaks. Shanghai took the first half, 5-8. Soft cap was called during the point when the score was 7-11 in favor of HuWa, game to 12. Uranus scored to make it 8-11 and slowly clawed their way back to victory, taking the game 12-11 on universal point. Uranus was through to the semi-finals!
The semi-finals were up next, and Uranus took on Beijing Big Brother, piloted by Nitai Deitel. Beijing Big Brother also picked up two key Singaporean players, Nick See and Rachel Boey of Shiok. Both teams showcased their talents with clean offenses and tight defenses. Uranus won the game on universal point, 11-10.
Who would have thought that these unknown kids in blue jerseys would slowly make their way to the finals? We were happy enough just to get a chance to compete in Hong Kong Pan Asia 2016, but getting to the finals was a dream come true! At that moment, we already felt like we were champions, hearing the crowd chanting our team name "URANUS", getting well wishes from our friends all over the Philippines, hearing players from other teams express their confidence in us whenever we crossed paths – be it on the field, at the convenience store or even in the toilet – felt like nothing before. Coming from Cebu, a humble province in the Philippines, that was already the farthest we had gone.
Uranus eventually lost the finals 15-10 to Junta, but one valuable thing that our team took back was how important it is to have good knowledge of the rules of Ultimate Frisbee. More than just strategies and tactics, what makes it even more fun to play is being highly competitive, but not at the expense of mutual respect among players, in accordance to the rules of the game.
It was definitely a weekend to remember for Uranus: going into our first overseas tournament out of the country as unknowns and making a name for ourselves. This tournament opened a door to many more to come. For most of us, the journey has just begun. SUKOL BISAYA ULTIMATE! #heartstrong
A huge shout out to Brian Paulino for organizing and putting the team together; to our guest players: Seth Roberts, Seth Paulo, Carmen Chan, Eliza Buckley, Hendrix Guerrero and Jonathan Joel; to John Carlo for covering the finals via Facebook live; to Brian's housemates and friends: Mik-Mik, Jacob, Wee, Bhagdok and Nino for such gracious hospitality. Thank you to all our supporters from back home in Philippines, especially to All About U, and to players from different teams who cheered for us on the sidelines during the span of the tournament, and of course the organizers of Hong Kong Pan Asia 2016 for the great experience. We will be back bigger and better!
Thank you and Congratulations, Team Uranus!
Until then. More images to share... More Stories to tell... It's All About U!
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