Cebu Ultimate Club Championships 2018: Shorts by Day, Barong Tagalog By Night
It was supposed to be a wedding weekend in Cebu City. A time when I was not supposed to be hauling up a bag full of camera gear, no check-in baggage on the plane and all that I needed to worry about was my rented Barong Tagalog.
A couple of weeks before my flight to the Queen city of the South, I got a message from Nadine of Fasa Fuego, one of the organizers of CUCC 2018 asking if I could photograph at least one day of the tournament (Sunday).
I was there already so why not do it, right? Right.
So I jumped on to the plane Friday afternoon, now with additional baggage allowance, a hand-carry bag full of camera gear and a rented Barong Tagalog. When I arrived in Cebu with Ultimate players, Neco, Sheila, and Sophie who were also attending the wedding of the year of our dear friend and brother, Doi Mariano of KKK (Who are the KKK's you asked? Better ask the players who have been in the Ultimate Scene for quite some time). A car pulled up in front of us, took my bags (and my rented Barong Tagalog) and shoved me in the back of the car. We were caught in a standstill, and after two hours, we survived the Cebu traffic and finally saw some familiar faces in the CUCC captains meeting. But that wasn't the highlight of the evening, though. Karen Cabrera received a video call from Ricoh of Sunken Pleasure (and also a member of the KKK) demanding our presence at 1 o'clock in the morning. As a courtesy (and definitely was a pretty bad move... in a good way I suppose.), Karen and I left the hotel at around 1:30am, and there I was. Having a laugh with good friends, listening to their classic ultimate stories and moments through the years as members of the KKK. It was definitely a perfect welcome party in Cebu and definitely a late early morning sleep for me. We went back to the hotel at around four in the morning, and I only have a few more hours left to get myself ready for day 1 of CUCC 2018. Like I said, it was a pretty bad move..... In a very good way.
Well, seriously. It was a really bad morning as the sun was successfully beating the heck out of my hungover self. I was trying the best I can to fight off the heat and the hangover, taking tons of water and 2 liters of Pocari Sweat. But the weather and my condition were not in good form to continue Day 1.
So after 300 frames of photos, I decided to call it a day at around ten in the morning. Went back to the hotel to cool off, and I passed out. Finally regained half of my energy at around 1 in the afternoon. Just right in time to get myself ready for the big wedding.
It was indeed a beautiful wedding. The reception was perfect and of course, boxes of alcohol came rushing in after the program. Tequila, gin, wine, beer, you name it, they have it. And of course, the party has just begun as we all went to a different club for the after party. It was a wild night. But then again, what happened in the club, stays at the club. That’s all there is.
Moving On.
As expected, The morning of Day 2 was as bad as the morning of Day 1. It was scorching hot, and I smell like Tequila. But the teams were ready to take on the fields. So, I chugged 4 Liters of Pocari Sweat like a boss, Pulled out my camera and went on to shoot Day 2.
The teams came out charging at Cebu Sports Complex, battling every point under the unforgiving sun. Cebu and other parts of this region have a lot to offer in the Ultimate community. And having this privilege to finally be playing again at Cebu Sports Complex after five long years of having a hard time looking for a playing field in the city was definitely a big achievement for them. Especially to SK President, Hon. Jessica Resch who was a vital part of making this happen.
As the sun decided to tone the heat down a bit, The stage for the final showdown was all set, as Team Bisaya went head to head with host team Fasa Fuego in the Pool A Finals. It was a dogfight. The game was so intense that I forgot about my hangover and burnt skin. The matchup between Jeff Leonard of Fasa and Jordan Mirafilez of Bisaya is always a treat for photographers, and that weekend in Cebu was a class A showdown from these two athletic individuals.
With Fasa's one-two punch, brother's Bruno and Oyok leading the host team, together with the two Jeff's and Black Daddy, Jak-Jak Villanueva, Fasa Fuego fought valiantly hard to level up the battlefield against A Bisaya team that was built to beat everyone that comes their way. With Isoy, Jordan, Chubby, Kboy, Jojo, Dongi, CM, Chelsea, Mimi, Pitbull, Len, Dale, Gaga, Neam, just to name a few, this deep benched Visayas Team can compete wherever they go and will give a lot of teams in the country a run for their money. Fasa Fuego almost brought the house down and scored a W in their "Welcome Back To Abellana" weekend, but team Bisaya was just too tough to crack.
Team Bisaya is the 2018 Cebu Ultimate Club Championships Champions.
It was without a doubt, a very interesting weekend in Cebu. It was still All About Ultimate even during Doi and Tin's wedding. Being surrounded by some of the people who have been in the community for quite a while, hearing all the good times that they had, making you wish you were there during those times as well. And when I woke up the next day, I was surrounded by the new breeds of Ultimate players creating their own stories in the community.
It was a wonderful weekend of Ultimate on both sides of the spectrum.
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Doi and Tin Mariano!
Congratulations Fasa Fuego for giving us a successful CUCC 2018!
Thank you for giving me a weekend full of hangovers, burnt skin, amazing Ultimate weekend and most of all... Friendship!
Thank you, Cebu, for such a wonderful hospitality... Sunod Napud!
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