The WCBU 2017 Experience: All you got to do is Ask.
"If they say no, at least we tried."
Those are the words me and my team said when we were still on the dream stage of this big trip. We tried to ask around locally, but after a few months of not hearing anything, American Company, Five Ultimate answered our call. Five Ultimate became a blessing to AAU when they agreed to shoulder almost half of the expenses of this ambitious plan. "You can now breathe a little, Don. We are half way there." my team said. That's when Chlods decided to open up an Indiegogo campaign to gather more funds to shoulder the remaining expenses, and that's when the Philippine Ultimate Community created magic. The community did something that hasn't happened before. They sent a photographer to France.
With the Indiegogo campaign, Beryl, Jansie and the rest of the country's Pull For Don Hat Tournaments and Karen's Date For A Cause (Thank you, Jessica and Alvin for volunteering), the response was overwhelming. Up until now, as I am writing this I still cant believe what had happened. I still don't know if I deserve all of these. But I am now back from Royan and it looks like the dream became a huge reality.
Let me try to make this report as short as I can for there were a ton of unforgettable moments that happened during this experience. We can talk more about the trip when we see each other in person, but here's how it goes:
Long walks. Hot sand. Great food; and of course, Fantastic beach Ultimate all week long. Besides having a blast photographing the best teams and beach ultimate players in the world, these are the things that I remembered the most during the World Championships of Beach Ultimate in Royan, France. Walking almost every hour of the day, while chugging bottles of warm water, wearing my Havaianas slip ons, carrying a heavy backpack full of gear with two cameras on my side, locked and loaded. Trekking under the heat of the sun, your every step on that fine sand feels like you are being cooked in an oven, and while you are walking, you are enjoying a 12 inch long baguette with four different cheeses in it, greeting the locals with a nod and a smile even though they were looking at you in a strange possible way because of all the things you are carrying. That was a regular day for me for seven days in Royan. Was I complaining? Not really. The only thing that I was complaning about was my blister with a size of a coin hurting like hell everytime I was putting my weight on it. And talk about weight, I am not the lightest person in the entire universe. But it wasnt just me who's experiencing these wonderful moments. The players, the volunteers and even the authorities who are keeping us safe in our stay in Royan are experiencing it too. So there's nothing else to do but to suck it up, have a gelato, and enjoy the rest of the week.
Now.... The Opening Parade.
There's always something about opening parades that make you feel proud of being a FIlipino. Seeing our flag being waved together with the other countries colors was the best thing you will ever see. Especially with all the conflicts that are happening in our country today, It was emotional to see that there were a few men and women who are in Royan at that moment with their heads up high, representing our country with pride, showing the rest of the world. And let me tell you this in all honesty. Though, we may be far away from home during that time, Our thoughts and prayers are always with Marawi.
When it was our time to be called in to enter the Arena, the crowd grew wild for the Philippines as our men and women waved their hands and flag to acknowledge the Beach Ultimate support. I just cant hide the smile on my face when I saw the Philippine teams entered the arena, reminiscing all the hardships and challenges all throughout the process just to get to Royan. It all came back to me, Seeing the first timers eyes grew big, screaming their hearts out being grateful to be there representing the country. The thought that most of these kids 3-4 months ago were just playing ultimate in their respective provinces, and now here they are competing at the biggest beach arena in the world. There's nothing else you can do but to feel happy and proud for each and every one of them.
Besides covering the games of Team Philippines, one of the things that I need to do for Five Ultimate was to photograph countries like Australia, Belgium and of course Team USA. Though it was a challenge trying to do my schedule of shoots and took a lot of time walking from one field to another and less time to enjoy a good meal, I sure did manage to find a way to shoot their games as best as I can. It was such a privilege to shoot their games. Thanks to Five Ultimate for this amazing opportunity.
Team USA again showed the world how dominant they are on the beach. They won every single Gold Medal game in Royan... Except for one. A team that consists of good looking women whom they all looked like supermodels if you asked me, broke the USA landslide victory. Finally, Russia won the gold in the World Championships of Beach Ultimate Women's Division. The whole arena exploded as the crowd goes wild celebrating the unforgettable Universe point win by the Russians. I myself was stunned on the other side of the endzone seeing team Russia celebrating the victory while the Americans were standing in the middle of the arena in disbelief. It was truly a sweet victory. Hats off to Russia.
As we all know, we sent three teams in Royan to represent our country. The Women Masters Team, Lolas; though with only 10 players in the roster, they manage to get the respect of their opponents by playing fair and with good spirit all week long. They didn't win a game in this tournament, but they sure did win the hearts of every country that they face in Royan.
The powerhouse Mixed Team almost had it when they fought hard against Canada in the semis. But unfortunately, luck wasn't on the Pirates side that early morning. Even though, they missed the opportunity to play in the gold medal game and failed to grab the Bronze medal from Team Germany, The Pirates recorded one of the greatest games the Beach Ultimate fans around the world has ever witnessed in a WCBU Tournament. The game against Team USA was without a doubt one of the greatest comebacks of a team against the US and definitely one of the moments that people in Royan will ever remember for a very long time.
With a 12-0 win loss record, the Philippine Men's Team performed a phenomenal job in their first 12 games. Giving every single team they faced a hard time in both ends of the field. But after an unforgettable win against GB on day 2, the Brits came back to snatch the most important game from the boys. Great Britain moved on while the Dragons failed to bring home a medal. It was a heartbreaking loss. But they never backed down from a brawl. The Dragons battled until the end.
Both Men's and Mixed Teams finished fourth overall in the World.
"Dasal lang kayo diyan. Kami na bahala dito" These are the words that Xtian Guerrero responded when he knew about the people's support back home. I always tried my best to share to them what you all were saying and commenting in our social media pages, and the team truly appreciates all the support and prayers from each and everyone of you.
From the coaches up to the last person in the line up, Team Pilipinas did everything they can. They all battled hard for six straight days with blisters, bumps and bruises all over their bodies. They fought hard against the heat during the day and the cold weather at night. They sacrificed their studies and jobs, not seeing their loved ones for months. They sacrificed a lot, all for the love of Ultimate and all for the love for our country. You couldn't be more proud seeing them on the big stage.
I had the opportunity to cover WCBU in Dubai last 2015. But this time in Royan, the experience was way more different than the last. This time, it was more memorable. Because every time I am wearing my gear. Every time I put up my camera on my face, Every time I press that shutter. I am doing it not just for me. But for Five Ultimate. For the hundreds of people who made this trip possible. For Team Pilipinas. And most especially to the people who did not believe that this dream will ever happen. This one's for you too, and I just wanted to let you know that I proved you wrong.
To Five Ultimate and the Philippine Ultimate Community who helped out, thank you for making this Dream a reality. I will never forget this.
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| After Seven days of shooting, my gears survived. That includes my pair of slippers. |
Until then... More images to share. More stories to tell... It's All About U!
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