NLEX SCTEX Clark Summer League 2017
After a massive heavy down pour Friday afternoon, The CDC Parade grounds was blessed with bright skies and lots of smiles from the Sixteen teams warming up on the beautiful Saturday morning. This is the third and last stop of my Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao trip in the month of May, And I tought this was a perfect, smooth and easy way to end the May Ultimate schedule.... I was wrong.
The NLEX SCTEX Clark Summer League was mostly composed of very competitive collegiate teams around Metro Manila, with the likes of UP DIliman, La Salle, College of St. Benilde, and Ateneo De Manila University. With the addition of some of the well known club teams around the country, like Ultimate Warriors, Sunken Pleasure White, and Tandang Sora Pleasure, Ultimate Liga PIlipinas Inc.'s Summer League was packed with exciting and promising young ultimate players that will give us great plays and hi-IQ ultimate in the near future.
The collegiate teams came out strong right from the get-go, with some of Manila's brightest young stars like Gabbey Rodil, Mat Crespo, Isabel Weber, Mica Bautista, Jam Macaraeg, and Gio Carino to name a few, giving everyone a hard time on the defensive end, and Veteran players like Felix Angue and Jane Varquez battling it out with authority on the field. I was actually having a good time photographing the tournament. But there was one kid that really caught my attention and inspired me after that ULPI Summer League weekend. This young man right here:
EJ Tan has an inborn disability on both of his arms. He played a lot of soccer when he was a kid and wakeboarding on his spare time, but decided to learn and play ultimate about 5 months ago. He fell in love with the sport and his disability didnt stop him from grabbing skies and dishing out smooth passes to his DC Ultimate teammates. You can feel his passion towards the sport and you can actually see the joy on his face when he is on the field doing amazing things with his very supportive teammates. It was a joy to witness with your own eyes.
Day 2 was a different story. It seems like everyone was possessed. Maybe because of the drinks during socials the night before at the Villages, but whatever it was, the teams went on to the field ready for battle with their eyes fixed on the prize. It's game on for these Luzon teams, no doubt about that.
The quarterfinal games were exciting, but both pool A semifinal matches were more intense than I expected. UP Diliman came out strong, giving CSB a really tough time in the early stages of the semis, but Benilde worked patiently to cut the lead down. Unfortunately, it was too late for them to take the lead and advance to the big dance. Lasalle on the other hand, had a really huge chance on making it to the championship round, but after the universe point was scored, Ultimate Warriors took the W and the chance to face UP Diliman in the finals. The best part of the semis was, it feels like you are watching a UAAP Ultimate tournament. It was quite a lot of fun, really.
In a very cloudy late afternoon, both Ultimate Warriors and UP Diliman step on to the field for the final match of the tournament. The intensity was there. The crowd cheered on. The game was full of action as expected. But just like in the NBA, defense win championships. Both Warriors and UP displayed some massive defensive plays all throughout the game especially from their seasoned players. There was one point in the game that Alvin Pura of UP smashed the disc away for a defensive stoppage and Warriors captain, Felix Angue came back with a defensive grab on the other end zone. That sequence was a lot of fun to capture.
After an exciting see saw battle and a little bit of rain shower, Ultimate Warriors won the NLEX SCTEX Clark Summer League Championship. The team showed everyone that if you put teamwork, hard work and trust on your teammates first, you can be unstoppable like a freight train in the end. But I just cant end this write up without giving UP Diliman some props, most especially to the Gabbey and Migol tandem. They are such an amazing threat on the field. Trust me when I say this. These two will undoubtedly dominate the mixed offensive line in the coming years. There was a few moments in the game that I watched them play with my camera down and got mad at myself for not capturing that moment. But hey, I got it saved right here inside my memory. So don't worry.... I got the shot! (wink! wink!)
The NLEX SCTEX Clark Summer League 2017 was without a doubt a huge success for Ultimate Liga PIlipinas Inc., The tournaments are getting bigger and the interests of teams are rising. I have no doubt in my mind that we will be occupying the whole CDC Parade Grounds full of Ultimate Fields and lots of white plastic discs flying all over Clark, Pampanga in the coming years.
And I hope that I am still here to witness that.
Until then... More Images to share. More Stories to tell... It's All About U!
See you all in Royan, France for the 2017 Worlds Championships of Beach Ultimate!
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