Boracay Open 2018 Goes to Zambales, and it was Special... Boracay Special!
When the Boracay Closure was announced by President Duterte, Karen was still hopeful to get an exemption. Hopeful that even for just one weekend, we can still enjoy the beautiful Boracay Sunset, and its powdery cool white sands while having a glass of our favorite cocktails (Can you imagine or feel that, right now?). But as we all know, the administration today is as tough as nails that asking for a three-day exemption was a No-no.
Fortunately for all of us Beach Ultimate Fans, Karen and the rest of the Boracay Open organizers didn't throw in the towel, instead they hoisted the black flag with a sweet accent of Red and Gold ( With a Dragon emblem, of course!), and said, "We are not giving up. Boracay Open 2018 is a Go!"
After almost a month of beach ocular visits around the country, sleepless nights, a few bags of ground coffee beans and thousands of pesos for airfare and hotel rooms, Boracay Open 2018 was going to the beautiful Crystal Beach Resort in Zambales.
With 26 teams in total and only 4 teams coming from the Philippines, it was still a big accomplishment for the tournament. Most teams came from the United States, others hailed from Australia, China, New Zealand, Singapore, the UAE, and other parts of the globe! It was definitely a world wide-beach fest.
For the past 4 Boracay Open Tournaments that I´ve been to, Day 1 was always the time to test out the waters. Everyone seemed pretty relaxed, trying to get to know their teammates, or maybe all stressed out trying to survive the hellish Zambales heat for the next three days. Either way, Day 2 was a different ballgame as most of the games are a must win after having a few shots of Boracay Specials, specially made by the Boracay Dragons Manila boys, the night before. The headliners, Boracay Dragons, and Boracay Pirates had an easy two days in Zambales, except for the Pirates who had an early afternoon welcome battle against Damnit Mearle of the USA. That game was quite a lot of fun.
There were a lot of exciting knock-out games in the lower pools as the teams were finally being sorted out in Day 3. But the Pool A Championship game between the Dragons and the Pirates was the matchup that everyone had been waiting to see. Everyone waited patiently as the two legendary teams were warming up for the final battle in Zambales. The crowd was searching for the perfect place to settle themselves around pitch 3 with their plastic cups of, you guessed it, Boracay Special!
The time had come. The tossing of the disc had been made. The crowd were now drunk and ready. Both teams were set. The first pull of the championship game was off! It was time to boogie!
With no hesitation, the two Boracay teams gave the crowd of the volcanic hot Crystal Beach sands a showdown that they will remember for quite a long time. It was a heavyweight boxing title match, that both teams never gave up an inch, until a huge two-point bomb from the Pirates, giving them a two-point lead that changed the course of the game. Moments later, the Dragons retaliated with their own bomb that tied the game. The crowd went wild and right there and then, we knew that the game between these two giants was going to be another classic.
The ultimate grudge match continued as both teams exchanged punches for quite a while, and without any warning, another bomb was released by the Pirates for the score. The Dragons tried to bounce back like they always do, now trailing by a few points, but the Lady Pirate star, Chelsea Reyes got away from the tight D of April Adalim in the end zone to seal the victory giving the Pirates it´s second straight Boracay Open Championship trophy.
The games were exciting and the parties were loads of fun (Boracay Special!!), but the real story of the weekend was how Karen did it. I mean, seriously. Looking for the perfect beach to play on is no joke. Transporting 300 plus players from all over the world, scheduling 20 vans making sure every single one of us arrived safely from Manila or Clark to Zambales was no joke. Hotel reservations. Making sure that every guest has food to eat and drinks to enjoy (Boracay Special!!!), the late night phone calls of guests, the late changes of schedule. In general making sure that everyone had a wonderful time while trying to spend quality time with her own personal life (Taking care of her son, RYU).
As I was writing this, I couldn't help myself but smile and be proud of what my friends accomplished that one weekend in Zambales. They made the impossible, possible. No island closure or even a liquor ban could stop them from giving us the best beach ultimate experience in the Philippines.
It was how the organizers beat the odds. When most people thought that it was never gonna happen, Karen, Buboy, and Jude responded with a very successful Boracay Open 2018 in Crystal Beach, Zambales. Sometimes, you really don't need to say anything. All you got to do is do it. So they did, and everyone went home happy.
Wherever you put it, with the three of them in charge, Boracay Open is still the best beach ultimate tournament in the Philippines and In Asia, and definitely one of the best beach ultimate tournaments in the world that you don't want to miss.
Thank you, Karen Cabrera. Thank you, Buboy Famorcan. Thank you, Jude Lee.
President Duterte, next year, we are coming back home.
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This Blog post is "Broken Through" by:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ariaultimate
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariaulti
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ariaultimate
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