Lambay Ultimate Frisbee Tournament 2018. A weekend in Tubigon.
I didn’t expect anything grand on my last tournament of the month (After a weekend break from “Saltimate” in Maasin, my month of May started with Nationals in Bacolod, then a football match in Iloilo, to “Daba Daba” in Davao, and “Boracay Open” in Zambales). It´s my first visit in Tubigon, Bohol and the only thing that I wanted to do was to go out there, shoot the tournament and go home. Yup, nothing fancy at all.
But boy, I was wrong. And so glad I was.
The moment I arrived in Tubigon port from Cebu city, I was welcomed by the tournament organizer, Emil Fucanan, whom originally was planning to give me a garland as a welcome gift. I was so glad he didn't. (I mean it was a nice gesture. Thank you, but please, don't do that. Hehehe) Together with Emil, who organized the tournament single-handedly was a couple of good folks in a van from Drossgold Pension where I am going to stay. They immediately helped me with my bags and offered me a ride in their shuttle. After a few minutes, a group of kids from Cebu came rushing into the van trying to escape the summer afternoon sun. Me, together with a bunch of Team Sadakrab were dropped off at our respective places to stay for a quick rest before the Captains Meeting. The day ended with a short but sweet captains meeting at Sea Drake Restaurant where the captains were given a feast sponsored by the said restaurant.
It was actually a pretty good start.
Again, Day 1 is always a slow start for most tournaments. And most of the time, you can immediately see which teams will go for the long haul... With 16 teams coming from Bohol, Cebu, a few players from Dipolog, Dumaguete and other parts of Visayas. The games were actually fun. After two straight weekends of an intense shooting of Ultimate, the intensity of “Lambay Ultimate” games was just right. Emil managed to get the whole classrooms around the playing fields of Tubigon Elementary School to house the visiting teams for free for three nights. And that right there was a pretty good deal, indeed.
This would never be an “All About U” blog post if we are not going to talk about the weather. For the fourth straight weekend, I got knocked out by the great ball of fire, as the sun continued to blaze it´s glory wherever there´s an Ultimate tournament. Finally, the heat really took its toll on me and guess what? It's the first day. I know that I was in trouble because I felt a little light headed around noon. But a bottle of soda, a litter of water and a few minutes of rest under the command center tent did the trick. And don't forget the very delicious seafood lasagna and tuna sandwich from Bee Farm for lunch, definitely the bomb!
The Shooting continues.
After trying to photograph every team on the first day, It´s all about the knock out games on Day 2. “Innernational (Ringer) Team”- A-Team went on full battle mode as team Mohawks of Tagbilaran city showed everyone why they are the best team in Bohol. But what really impressed me the most about “Bohol Ultimate” was their young talents. Yes, we always talk about the talented kids in Tayasan, Bais, and Dumaguete in Negros, but Bohol has their own group of young kids that can actually compete. I really had a great time watching Team Mercenaries and Gladiators play during the Lambay Weekend. They improved a lot since the last time I saw some of them in Maasin. Both boys and girls were so athletic and so much fun to watch. With the help of their ate´s and kuya´s I´m sure these kids will go the distance in Ultimate.
The Pool A finals between Mohawks and A-team was intense. Intense to the point where after a few lead changes from both teams, some of them forgot the reason why we loved the game in the first place. I don't want to elaborate what happened because seriously, it´s not worth our time. But in my own opinion, there will always be a good and better way to settle things on the field. Especially when a majority of the participants in the tournament are much younger than most of us. Set an example and let the Spirit of The Game always guide you.
After everything was said and done, the game went on universe point with team Mohawks celebrating in the end and called themselves Champions of the first ever “Lambay Ultimate Frisbee Tournament”.
The little town of Tubigon is quiet, simple yet a lot of good things to offer. Their hospitality was off the charts. The food was amazing. And if you get a chance to visit, don´t forget to ask if where can you get some Takla and Lambay -absolutely delicious. Get to know the history of Tubigon through the stories of the old folks around town, and just enjoy the simple things Tubigon has to offer.
The “Lambay Ultimate Frisbee Tournament” still has a little room for improvement. But with Emil leading the organizing committee and with the help of the Bohol Ultimate community especially with the never-ending guidance from Beryl, Jordan and the rest, I have no doubt that the future of “Lambay Ultimate Frisbee Tournament” will do just fine.
I´m pretty sure they will surprise me again when I get a chance to visit them in the future. But this year, I really had a great time.
This blog post was “broken through” by Agile Gear.
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