2018 PFDA Single Gender Nationals: Back To Back and One, on a blustery weekend.
I never chugged that much water in a tournament before. I filled-up my camelback for so many times last weekend, that I became a regular visitor in the Water and Ice Stations at Sta. Maria Football Field, the home of the 2018 PFDA Single Gender Nationals in Bacolod city.
It was a scorching two-day ultimate tournament, but what really leveled the playing fields was not the heat of the sun, but the microwave oven like wind that gave every single team a hard time to play their game. “It was WCBU Dubai all over again,” I said to myself. I experienced this kind of wind during the semifinal game of Boracay Dragons-Philippines versus the USA in Dubai. Where it is hard to raise your camera up while trying not to get blown away by the wind. As the player in the women's division said to her teammates last weekend, “If you're telling me that the wind is the reason why we lost, then there shouldn’t be a winning team as well because they are also getting beat up by the wind. Everyone was having a hard time making plays. It only happens that the other team played better. So we need to embrace the wind and find our way to beat it.” The wind was the loyal ally and the worst enemy at the same time for all the teams. But still, everyone fought hard in every play as expected from all the teams that participated in the Nationals.
It was an adjusting period for most of the teams on Day 1. Trying to tighten up the loose bolts, making everyone more comfortable in their roles. But in a span of a few hours of sleep and some dessert (Don't deny it, I’m sure most of you went to Calea, Felicia's or C's for some quick sugar rush fix.... I know I did.... A couple of times... Okay three times.), the teams in both Men's and Women's division came out firing in Day 2. The games were more intense. More exciting. Lots of fun. The real battle has finally arrived. Even the wind was not a factor anymore as most of the teams played really well.
There were a lot of great games during the 2018 Nationals, but Team Negro of Dumaguete brought the house down as they went on to defeat one of the strongest teams in the Philippines today in the quarterfinal round eliminating the Bandits for the chance to play in the semis. After having a tough weekend, home team EBA gave their all in their last game of the tournament and gave Bacolodnons a last-minute victory dance as they went on to defeat a well-stacked Women's Team in Sunken Pleasure Girls.
With only eight players from Iligan, The Amazons were very skeptical on their 2018 Nationals campaign. Help came from ten of their friends from all over Visayas and Mindanao making sure that these eight Amazons will bring home what is theirs in the first place. They fought hard on Day 2 as they faced off against SP Girls in the quarterfinal and went into full battle mode against the Lady Bandits under the harsh windy environment in the semis. With great determination, teamwork, and full of Amazon heart, the Iligans together with their loyal friends made the impossible, possible beating the Lady Bandits and dominated a strong Vicious Girls in the women's division final making history as the first back to back Champions and still the number one Women's team in the country.
It was a Thrilla in Manila (or shall we say Bacolod?) grudge match as Manila's best Sunken Pleasure Good Boys and Vicious faced each other in the Men's Finals. With three insane layout D's from Wencie, Arts, and Mikko in the early stages of the game. That out of this world full extension layout pancake bid by Popoy. That perfect pull from Fel. The air battle between Juni and Marv. That huge Callahan from Gherson. The quick paced, non-stop adrenaline action from both teams all throughout the game was so much fun to watch and witnessed in person. Though Vicious had an early explosive lead, The SP boys worked patiently together to tie up the game and never looked back, winning the Philippine Nationals Men's Division Trophy for the first time.
It was definitely a great weekend in Bacolod City with great games and tons of smiley faces. The wind was the talk of the town, and it wasn’t the organizers' fault if the wind wanted to show up and mess up the games. I guess, we just need (Yeah, including us shooters of the game) to be battle ready all the time, no matter what weather it is going to be.
Congratulations, PFDA for another successful Single Gender Nationals.
On to the next!
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