Boracay Open 2017: Instant Classic In The Making
Crazy parties. Fantastic plays. Layouts after Sky battles after two point bombs. Lots and lots of Panda Flags. Yup! I'm talking about the biggest Beach Ultimate tournament in Asia (or in the world, maybe?), I'm talking about the 2017 Boracay Open International Beach Ultimate Tournament. With 36 teams in 4 separate divisions, this years edition of the tournament was the biggest Boracay Open I have ever attended. It was the first Boracay Open that we had rain on Day 1. And it was also the first time for so many years that we have witnessed a heart pounding Pool A finals. That's why this years Boracay Open was without a doubt an instant classic.
After we were blessed by the ultimate gods of rain, The Sun King decided to dry out the powdery sand of white beach and forced everyone to hydrate every minute just to keep them cool and comfortable. It was definitely a scorchy 3 day tournament.
The sun was firing and so are the games. From pool D division all the way up to Pool A, the games were intense, exciting and hot (Just like the sun). There are some really good spirited games, and there are some steamy discussions on the pitch as well (Just like the sun) but of course, every heated argument was peacefully resolved by a handshake and high fives. I apologize for giving emphasis on the sun, because in all honesty, the sun gave me a heck of a hard time last weekend. But then again, who am I to complain? Like they said, I'm just a photographer. So that's what I did. I just kept on shooting.
When you plan out a trip to participate in Boracay Open, you already know whats going to happen after the sun is finally down, and the moon takes her turn to illuminate the island. The participating teams practiced fantastic SOTG all weekend long, but they also had some Spirits in their glass and a few bottles of cold beer on the other hand with blood pumping tunes being played by the controllers in a dark sandy dance floor with colorful lights, fog machines and fire dancers. The Coachella themed Saturday night party was a winner. Kudos to all who wore Coachella themed outfits and congratulations to all the folks who remembered what happened that night and tell the tale the next day. I used to have this "Whatever happens in the parties, stays at the parties" policy. But I always make exceptions for Boracay Open. We have a few photos and videos of the crazy night extravaganzas. But we are not going to tell you when it's going to be released. You just have to wait and see.
Like I said, the games were intense with lots of fantastic highlights from all divisions. From quarters to semis all the way to the finals, we never had a chance to get a breather, because you can't miss a single play. We sure did miss a lot of great moments, though. But I have to face the truth ... You can't catch them all.
We are almost halfway in the Ultimate season and most of the finals that I have witnessed in the past few months were intense close games. This year's Boracay Open is definitely no exception. The two powerhouse crew of Boracay went head to head after a dominating result during the quarters and the semis. With their speed and strength from both ends of the field, the Boracay Pirates had a very early impressive 6 point lead to start the game. But with Boracay Dragons' resiliency in the second half of the finals, they patiently managed to cut the lead down and brought the game to universe point, winner take all match up. In the end, the Pirates won.
It was definitely a Boracay Open to remember. It was so much fun. Way too hot. And lots of amazing memories to cherish. Congratulations to all the organizers, to all the sponsors, most especially to E.R.I.C. for the outstanding love and support. And to all the marshals for making this year's tournament a one heck of a show.
I guess that's all I got to say. See you all next year!
Until then... I'll just keep on shooting for more images to share and more stories to tell....
It's All About U!
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