Seven On The Line: Boon Rockstar Cup 2017. It's not all about the Open Teams
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| #ForTheWomen by Boon Technical Clothing Mickle. Gibson. Matsuno. Guerrero. Libo-on and a dozen more stars from around the world are headlining this weekend. This is the First Boon Rockstar Cup, presented to you by none other than, Boon Technical Clothing. Where Boon Boss men, Aldwin Ibanez and John "Jolas" Larracas, ridiculously assembled a team that will be remembered for a very long time. A super team that will deliver us some ooohhh's and aaahhh's highlight reels this coming March 4-5, 2017 at The Villages at Clark Pampanga. But other than The Rockstars and the rest of the OPEN teams participating, Let's get to know more about the other headliners of the tournament... The Rockstars of Women's Ultimate. Eight teams from Korea, Singapore and the Philippines, composed of our very own Binibinis all throughout the country will battle it out on the fields of the Villages this coming weekend. We have seen a lot of pre-Hype features and posts around social media for the Open teams, and now that we are just a few days away, why don't we let the women take center stage and hear them speak! Ladies and gentlemen, here are the captains of the first Boon Rockstar Women's Ultimate Teams. The ladies are on the hot seat today to answer the Seven questions. Read On! 1. Who are the Boon Rockstar Women's Ultimate Teams? 
Nina Buenaflor Javier (VICIOUS GIRLS - Philippines)
- Vicious Girls is the all-women’s team of Sid Vicious, a Mixed Team from Manila, Philippines. The team is composed of, well of course, mostly female Ultimate players from Sid Vicious, plus some awesome girls from other Manila teams. We have super varying personalities (shy, quiet ones to the loud, weird ones ) but for sure, all are super passionate about Ultimate. Age range: 17-35 Sorry, i just had to
Annie Ahn and Saeromi Hong (ASSIBANG - Korea)
- Assibang! 'Assi' traditionally meaning 'lady' in Korean and 'bang' meaning room. Mind you that 'Assibang' sounds similar to a swear word in Korean, so we get a lot of stares yelling out our team name in public!
Assibang is a group of passionate women living in Korea with various experience levels and nationalities: beginners and experienced; Koreans and Canadians, to name a few. We are the only women's team in Korea and we're coming in with a BANG! |
Gabbey Rodil (SUNKEN PLEASURE GIRLS - Philippines)
- SP Girls are passionate women dedicated in the sport who always aim to rise in every given chance. We are one family who lift up and believe in each other; determined to reach our full potential, both as individuals and as a team. We make sure to not only train and play hard, but to also enjoy playing the sport we all love, together.
Map Pangilinan (RACK PACK - International)
- We are Rack Pack, a pick-up team composed of 16 strong ladies from various club teams in Manila, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
Fiona Pang (BLACK WIDOWS - International)
- 4 countries, 9 cities, 16 players coming together. We are trying to create a web for Women's Ultimate in Asia and get other female players hungry to play at their peak potential. Female Black Widows are known for their venomous bite and, on some occasions, eating their mates. We are always hungry. We are ready to compete. We are the Black Widows.
Jansie Santos (ROSA LUNA - Philippines)
- Rosa Luna is the product of the long-standing friendship between the ultimate communities of Pampanga and Subic, and a couple of others made along the way. Named after Nana Rosa, a courageous Filipina WWII heroine who fueled a movement among the exploited women during the Japanese occupation, the team aspires to become an inspiration to girls and women - collectively through Ultimate - in Central Luzon.
Tracie Tan (FREAKSHOW - Singapore)
- Freakshow is an Ultimate Frisbee club with a long history in Singapore. Established in 1999, we are a mixed team. 2 years ago, we won the bid to represent Singapore at the World Ultimate Guts Championships 2016. We managed to upseed during the tournament from 18 to 13. We will continue to improve. We believe in raising the standard and exposure of our players, by giving them more opportunities to play at a higher level, and as gendered teams, such as in this tournament. Fun fact: there's a brief rundown of our club history in our Road to Worlds 5 episode series on YouTube, that was also featured on Skyd magazine (see here: https://ww
Mitzi Canafranca (LOLAS - Philippines)
- “Lolas” is a team composed of generally “Masters aged” women from Luzon and Visayas (although mostly are from Metro Manila’s Breakfast Club team).
2. When did you ladies start training?
Nina:
This lineup started training together last February 7. Though being mostly composed of Sid Vicious girls, majority of the girls have been training together as a team since the second half of January.
Annie & Saeromi:
We built a team based on original Assibang members and started training for this tournament in January. Since all the members are scattered across the country, it's hard to get the whole team together often but it's been long enough to build our team chemistry.
Gabbey:
We started training for Boon Rockstar Cup early January but we've joined several all women's leagues and we've been holding practices before every tournament.
Map:
We havent really trained that much as a team but we've been playing single gender since late last year and have been practicing with our own teams since then (if that even counts haha)
Fiona:
We are just going to get together on the day of the tournament and play our hearts out!
Jansie:
Our first time to train together was at the WCGU fundraising clinic, but the Chicks and the MinGirls have always consistently trained with their own club teams. As much as we would love to have more trainings together, being in different cities poses some great challenges time-wise and cost-wise.
Tracie:
We've been training since the first week of Jan, and ramping up the frequency of ladies- focused training leading up towards Boon Rockstar Cup. This is in addition to our usual Club training.
Mitzi:
Unfortunately, we are not all from one city so we could not really practice all together. But for the BC (Breakfast Club) girls, we started training about 2 weeks ago.
3. Being part of Boon Rockstar Cup, what does this mean for the future of Women’s Ultimate?
Nina:
Having more single gender tourneys, particularly all women’s tourneys, is a sign that more focus is now being given to the development of Women’s Ultimate. So I guess, having more and more tourneys like Boon Rockstar Cup that cater to single gender formats, the future of Womens’s Ultimate in the Philippines and in Asia is looking brighter. Venues like these where women can learn and play in an environment that can cater more to their needs, a venue that allows them to learn at their own pace, will surely help propel the development of Women’s Ultimate to the next level.
Annie & Saeromi:
We saw the Rockstar Cup banner at Manila Spirits 2016 and thought it was great! So far Dream Cup in Japan has been the only gender divided tournament we've been to in Asia. To have more opportunities open up for women's ultimate is awesome! We hope this motivates more players around Asia to play women's.
Gabbey:
Boon Rockstar Cup is a great opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of women's ultimate, especially in our country. It's a great way to showcase what Philippine women's teams have right now and prove its great potential in the international stage. This is the perfect time for the women to give and show what they've got to the world. Hopefully, this encourages women to continue playing, training, and developing their teams.
Map:
We're very thankful to Boon and the rest of the organizing team for making this happen #ForTheWomen. It's a big opportunity for us to be sharing spotlight with the biggest Open players out there. It's really #WomenForTheWin!
Fiona:
Boon Rockstar Cup will be one of the biggest Gender focused tournament in Asia. With such support from Boon and All About U, we'll definitely get even more and better women for future tournaments.
Jansie:
I believe Boon Rockstar Cup will greatly contribute to the future of women’s ultimate – both its dynamics as a single gender tournament, the #forthewomen exclusive clinic for the ladies, and the exposure shone on women’s ultimate. Rosa Luna, as part of the event, will surely learn and improve tremendously over the weekend, and I believe that the growth of one women’s team will contribute to the future of women’s ultimate as a whole.
Tracie:
The women’s Ultimate scene in Asia is a burgeoning and developing one. I am confident that the women participants in Boon will gain exposure about how a women's tournament feels and looks like. The tournament will also allow opportunities for knowledge sharing about how the women’s scene is developing in different countries. Hopefully this then kickstarts more development of women's programmes in the various countries that have participated in Boon Rockstar Cup.
Mitzi:
Being part of the Boon Rockstar is very exciting for the future of Women’s Ultimate as it creates awareness for women and the sport, here and outside of the Philippines.
4. What do we expect from Vicious, Assibang, Sunken Pleasure, Rack Pack, Black Widows, Rosa Luna, Freakshow and Lolas?
Nina:
Like in any other tourney, especially all women’s tourneys, we will give our everything knowing that events like this present an opportunity to learn more and improve our game. So expect us, Vicious Girls, to give everyone some good competition.
Annie & Saeromi:
You can expect to see how much Korea's ultimate is growing. You may already know, but the Korean ultimate community is small. But the players in it are more passionate than anyone else. From DreamCup 2016 to RockstarCup 2017, we're ready to show our development! This year, we have young players that just started playing; you'll see that they are the future of Korea's ultimate.
Gabbey:
Expect us to be all out, all heart in every game. We may have new faces in our team but we'll make sure to focus on what we have individually and make it the team's strengths as well.
Map:
Expect that we'll do our best to RACK up the Ws.
Expect intense but good spirited games from the PACK
Expect intense but good spirited games from the PACK
Fiona:
The gathering of women's ultimate in Asia. A mix of their respective local styles players would bring for this tournament. Expect the unexpected!
Jansie:
You can expect Rosa Luna to maximize all the fantastic learning opportunities that Boon Rockstar Cup offers – the games with all these amazing elite women’s teams, the #forthewin exclusive clinic, and watching the games in both open and women’s divisions.
Tracie:
Never Enough. That's our team motto, be it in ultimate, or in life.
Mitzi:
We play our best to make it fun yet competitive for all the teams that we will play against, and of course not forgetting the Spirit the Game
5. What kind of competition do you expect in this coming Boon Rockstar Weekend?
Nina (Vicious Girls):
Looking at the lineup of teams participating, we girls are super excited because we know we’ll be going against a variety of teams, some even composed of players we’ll be meeting for the first time. This means new experiences, new challenges, new faces, and new friends – all kinds of new! So what kind of competition are we expecting? We expect competition to be interesting.. challenging. Anything new will be challenging
Annie & Saeromi (Assibang!):
We know there will be plenty of athletes competing! It's a good motivation and we're excited to play, grow together, and most importantly, have FUN.
Gabbey (Sunken Pleasure Girls):
Boon Rockstar Cup will definitely be a competitive yet fun-filled weekend. I can see that all teams really took the time to prepare for this and I am sure there will be great plays in both the Women's and Open division. Every game in this tournament will surely be high-intensity yet spirited which we are all looking forward to and excited for.
Map (Rack Pack):
I wont be surprised if we'll have to play universal point all the time. It's Boon Rockstar Cup, so expect that the ultimate stars will go all out.
Fiona (Black Widows):
One of the highest level of women ultimate in Asia. Expecting strong competition from the Philippines and Singapore
Jansie (Rosa Luna):
Given the lineup of teams in the women’s division, we expect tough competition. These are the ladies that represent their cities, the ladies that represent our country in international tournaments! The idea of being able to play with them gets us really excited for the weekend.
Tracie (Freakshow):
Nothing but the best of Asia. According to the timely releases of the women's teams participating, we are excited by the notable teams and players in the region who are attending. Most of my teammates have not been exposed to this type of competition before. Moreover, it's a women's competition (rare in this part of the world). They all can't wait to play and learn from the competition.
Mitzi (Lolas):
We are expecting high level of competition at the Boon Rockstar Cup as the top Womens teams in the Philippines are participating, and there are also teams from Singapore, Korea and an International team.
6. What does the Women's Ultimate scene in your area/country look like?
Nina (Philippines):
In the Philippines, I can say that Women’s ultimate is still in its infancy stage. Since the start of Ultimate in the Philippines in the early 2000s, it’s always been about Mixed. It was only in 2015 that the Philippines had an all-women’s team to represent the country in an international Ultimate competition, and it was only last year where the Philippines sent an all-women’s team to the World Ultimate & Guts Championships. Although there have been some women’s tourneys in some parts of the country once in a while, it is only this year wherein the Philippine Flying Disc Association (PFDA) Board, the governing body of Philippine Ultimate, decided to give at least equal focus to single gender Ultimate, by making the first half of the year focused on single gender. In fact, we will be having our first ever Single Gender Nationals this May. For us in Manila, we are all out in campaigning, supporting and pushing for the development of Women’s Ultimate. We are super happy finally change has come.
Annie & Saeromi (Korea):
Because the ultimate community is small, you can say that women's ultimate is even smaller. But during preparation for this tournament we learned that we have such BIG passion. We invited non-Assibang players to some of our practices - had it not been those women's support we would not have had to have an amazing time.
Gabbey (Philippines):
There is still a growing number of women's ultimate teams here in the Philippines since we're used to playing mixed. There are many mixed teams out there but I think the issue in forming an all women's team would be the number of girls they have in the team. In Manila, there are also women's teams trained as early as high school wherein competition increases every year. Hopefully, after Boon Rockstar Cup, more girls are encouraged to play in an all women's team.
Map (Philippines):
Women's ultimate is really progressing in Manila and i'm sure same goes for the provinces. Before we only had a yearly Malakas at Maganda tournament to look forward to but now, almost every month there is a single gender tourney happening all over the country. And it's good because it pushes us to slowly shift to more structured club setup where we can focus on specific needs to improve our game.
Fiona (Singapore):
It is still young. Singapore currently does not have a women's club yet. But we are all preparing within our mixed clubs for our local Gender tournament in April.
Jansie (Philippines):
Here in North-Central Luzon, I don’t think there is one that we can categorically call “Women’s Ultimate” as the dynamics of Ultimate here have always been mixed gender. We did form a women’s team, Pamp’ed Up Chicks, in 2014 but we were able to play only one league, Malakas & Maganda. It’s challenging to sustain a women’s team because besides the fact that players come and go, the limited number of single gender tournaments puts the focus on training as a mixed team. I am optimistic that Boon Rockstar Cup will be the start of finally creating a women’s ultimate scene here in the region.
Tracie (Singapore):
We are very excited by the developments in the Women’s scene in Singapore. We recently had a group of ladies forming the first ever women's club team in Singapore. We look forward to having more gender-based tournaments together with our existing mixed tournaments.
Mitzi (Philippines):
The Women's Ultimate scene is just starting to get big in the Philippines, with more Women's tournaments happening this year.
7. What message can you give to all the aspiring young women who are beginning to learn more about the sport?
Nina:
To all the girls out there, young and old, from all walks of life, who want to get into or are already into the sport, go go go lang! It’s an awesome sport with an awesome community! Especially to the Filipinas, now is the best time to get into Ultimate, now when women are finally being provided with the support they need to be able to really play and enjoy, and continually develop in the sport. I assure you, we, especially the girls, will be here to welcome you and assist you so that you experience the same joy and satisfaction we passionate women Ultimate players are feeling now.
ANNIE & SAEROMI:
Ultimate Frisbee is a life-changer! The sport itself is great, but half of the charm is in the people and community. Being part of such a positive atmosphere inspires you to be a better person all around. Keep getting out there working out, attend tournaments, meet people, get better, and just play Frisbee!
Gabbey:
Experience is one of the best teachers to learn more about the sport, so just keep playing. Also, Ultimate isn't all about the skills, it's a mental game as well. Have a strong mindset and learn to always believe in yourself. Never stop learning.
Map:
Commit time for training on and off the field. If you want to be better, show up during practice to work on your throws, improve your cuts, and understand team plays. Also, it pays to do a little conditioning. You'll never know when you'll need that extra push for a universal point win!
Save Up. There are a lot exciting tournaments to experience outside manila and outside the country. Try to target at least one per year.
Enjoy. May it be by winning your games or simply hanging out with your coolest ultimate friends. Ultimate should be fun.
Save Up. There are a lot exciting tournaments to experience outside manila and outside the country. Try to target at least one per year.
Enjoy. May it be by winning your games or simply hanging out with your coolest ultimate friends. Ultimate should be fun.
Fiona:
#playlikeagirl Do the best you can and it'll all be fun.
Jansie:
Grab every opportunity to learn the sport, to play, and to grow.
Tracie:
Ultimate is a challenging sport. Physically, it challenges you more than you can imagine. Mentally, it challenges you to focus. Emotionally, it challenges you to rise above and think rationally with the Spirit Of The Game. Rise up to the challenge of the sport, you'll surprise yourself with what you can achieve.
Mitzi:
My message to all aspiring women who are trying to learn the sport is that you keep at it; play as much as you can; join tournaments as much as you can. That is how we will all continue to learn and build the community all together.
And when they were asked about their Ultimate Dream for Women's Ultimate?
Nina:
My dream for Women’s Ultimate is for it to spread and flourish in more countries, more communities, and to more girls because my hope is for ultimate to be a tool to empower girls/women to be the best that they can be, ultimately, to be happy May it be a venue, a safe, non-threatening venue where one can get to know themselves better, find out their strengths and weaknesses in the various aspects of their lives, be it physical, mental or emotional. Basically, I hope Ultimate reaches more women and bring them fulfillment, satisfaction and happiness, because that’s what is has brought me.
Annie & Saeromi:
Recently, Assibang and non-Assibang women gathered around to participate in the Korean version of the global initiative "28 Days of Food, Frisbee & Feminism". The brand lululemon Korea showed support to women empowering each other through sport, by providing yoga, and healthy food at their Hub where we discussed Frisbee and feminism. It was an amazing time; we were able to see just how much these people love and care for ultimate. We shared great ideas about how women can enjoy Frisbee even more. It would be our Ultimate dream to realize those ideas with these passionate members of the community. If you're curious what the ideas are, keep an eye out for women's ultimate in Korea!
Fiona:
To have a World Women's Ultimate Championship.
Jansie:
One of my dreams for women’s ultimate is for people – both players and spectators – to be excited about it as much as they are excited about men’s ultimate; for people to see that women’s ultimate can be as dynamic, interesting, and intense as men’s ultimate. I believe this can be achieved by frequent training, more and better opportunities to play, and bigger exposure – all of which are what I think Boon Rockstar Cup is giving us this weekend.
Tracie:
The big dream is to have all countries in the world have a healthy women's programme. It is certainly well developed in countries like USA, Japan and Australia. Hopefully all countries will have access to these developed programmes to learn from them, and then be able to create their own to achieve their own success. On a smaller scale (i.e. within Singapore), Freakshow hopes that the women's scene will be one that holds true to the Spirit of the Game, increases the profile of women athletes and the sport, and comes together as a community that supports each other.
Mitzi:
My ultimate dream for Women’s Ultimate in the Philippines is to have the same exposure as what the Mens Ultimate have. I hope to see more tournaments that will give opportunities for the Womens team to play more often.
The captains have spoken. Now, it's time to see them in action. See you all at the Villages in Clark Pampanga this weekend for the first Boon Rockstar Cup!
TIME TO BATTLE!
Until then... More stories to tell. More images to share... It's All About U!
Catch the Boon Rockstar Cup photo highlights at:
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