Cabalen Ultimate Open 2017: Where Rain Never Stops
For four straight years, we see each other every October. You gave me one of the nicest lighting conditions and the most beautiful overcast skies during these weekends in Pampanga. And because of that some of my photos turned out iconic. But because of you, for four straight years, you kept me on my toes every time I feel that cold wind touching my skin. I learned my lesson and for the past three years, I have garbage bags in my camera bag, ready to keep my gears dry. And two years ago, you finally broke my heart as you short-circuited the LCD screen of my two-year-old camera. I thought this year would be the year that I will be flying back home, writing this blog telling everyone how sunny it was during the 2017 Cabalen Ultimate Open in the beautiful and dry fields of the Villages in Clark, Pampanga.... Turned out I went home with a heavy check-in bag full of wet pair of undies.
Yes, RAIN, you did it again. You never fail to pay us a visit every Cabalen. So let’s talk about that wet and wild weekend in Pampanga.
What I like about Cabalen Ultimate Open (CUO) is seeing their yearly progress. I have been covering this tournament since its humble beginning 4 years ago on a small park in one of the subdivisions around the city with only 8 teams. And then it became 24 teams the following year. Last year was the biggest, and because of the bird flu issue, a lot of teams backed out this year. But the organizers still managed to have 24 teams (or was it 26?) last weekend of September 30-October 1st. And of course, the Rain was still in attendance.
The night before the storm was calm and easy for most of us probinsyano folks. We were the ones who usually check in first at The Villages together with Jansie, Russ, and the rest of the organisers and a few marshals; but the exciting part is always the early mornings of day 1, when you wake up at 6 o’ clock in the morning and you see all these Parked cars that weren't there a few hours ago, players checking in and lacing up their cleats, hugging and kissing one another as if they haven’t seen each other for years. Carrying their bags with discs and Nalgenes on their hands, marching on to their designated field assignments talking about their sleepless road trip from Manila to Clark, while some are knocking on villas for coffee and something to fill up their empty stomachs. It was indeed a typical Cabalen morning. And it always makes you smile every single time you witness all these commotions in the early hours of Day 1.
After the long chit chats and hugs and smiles, and the moment the first few pulls of the tournament begin to fly, the fields of The Villages in Clark, Pampanga become a battleground for these 24 teams. Or was it 26???
As expected the games are exciting, and it is always nice to see some familiar faces and a new bunch of people to shoot. The overcast sky really helped, keeping my camera exposure in check, and the weather was surprisingly cooperating in the first set of games. I was seriously hoping and praying every minute that I was out on the field that the rain will spare us this year, but the opposite of dryness really doesn’t want to miss the fun even if you completed all the mysteries of the holy rosary and offered dozens of eggs for sunny skies and dry grass.
The rain came in with a smile.
Not a single soul has a pair of dry socks at the end of Day 1. And not a single player had a bad day either. Seems like everyone expected the rain to drop anyway, so the teams are all ready to get wet and still manage to have a fun day 1. After a nice shower, some dry clothes to wear and a few bites of my fish fillet sandwich, Nico and I went to the Socials. Another Cabalen tradition was to invite local rock bands to entertain the guests. These three young kids tried to entertain the community with success, but the moment the DJ turned up the volume (or was it somebody’s Spotify account?), the hall exploded and the players rocked the house down.
Sometimes, all that you really need are cases of beers and bottles of spirits to keep everyone busy in the early stages of the night, a sound system with tunes for the people to dance on, a bunch of TSP (and SP) players to lead the dance showdown and you have a party! And yes, don’t forget the rain.
I still have high hopes for a sunny and dry day 2. I talked to Jesus. I said, “Jesus, just give me one day of no rain and sunny skies and I will not shoot Cabalen 2018.” Jesus didn’t listen. In fact, the rain came in stronger and brought her close friend with her for a few minutes, the wind. At one point we even tried to hold on to our tents because the wind came in too strong. I guess I will be coming back to shoot Cabalen next year if ever the CUO organizers want me to.
The games are more exciting in day 2 with a few upsets here in there. The most noticeable upset was when Panay Intensity (PI) of Iloilo city defeated the defending Champions, Tandang Sora Pleasure on a very dominating quarterfinal win. With Qhuenjune Villanueva spearheading the charge, PI continued their Cinderella story trying to record another upset win against Sunken Pleasure Kids in the semis, but the Kids are just way too tough to beat. On the other side of the playing field, FrisBEERepublic of Davao almost had their sweet payback against Sid Vicious who gave them a beating in Day 1 on a very intense semifinal battle, but Vicious came in victorious to seal the deal on universe point.
And then we have a classic Manila tournament finals. Sunken Pleasure (Kids) going up against Sid Vicious for the 2017 Cabalen Ultimate Open Championship. It was all about the Kids the moment the game started. The SP Kids came out firing with Gabbey Rodil, Jam Macaraeg, and the two Paolo’s (Peralta and Bautista) leading the pack of young guns. Will Steadman and the Vicious tried to bounce back, making their own run, but there’s only one name that put a huge mark on the playing field during the Pool A finals... Paolo Bautista.
After a successful weekend of Ultimate, another Cabalen tradition is the Kapampangan dinner buffet. It’s the moment that most of us are waiting for during the weekend. Popoy Pascua was excited, he didn’t eat his lunch in preparation for the REAL battle in Clark, Pampanga. Even some of the winners didn’t care about their medals and trophies because they all know that Sisig was much more important than anything. The Kapampangan Dinner Buffet never fails.
The past three Cabalens was a struggle for me and the other media people covering the event. But it seems like everyone this year came out prepared. I guess you just have to keep in mind that it will never be the same Cabalen without a single drop of rain. The rain will always be there. The number of teams will just get bigger. And I believe that Cabalen will get better and better every year.
Congratulations to all the winners. Kudos to Jansie, Russ, Ken and Ced for a job well done. And to all the marshals and all the people involved who worked hard and braved the rain all throughout the weekend.
Until Next Time Mga Cabalen!
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