Boracay Open 2019: A Homecoming Worth Remembering
Boracay Open is the tournament that I always look forward to attending every year. It has always been my anniversary tournament (I celebrate my Ultimate photo anniversary twice. One in February and every Boracay Open). Boracay Open is my very first Major ultimate tournament back in 2014, months after I moved back from the states. I celebrated my birthday on the island shooting the tournament and after 5 years, Boracay Open has and always will have a very special place in my heart.
The Boracay closure last year was a challenge for the organizers and participants. From the airport, we all traveled for hours just to get ourselves to Zambales and it's hot volcanic grey sands. But the intense games and wild parties never stopped as the organizers and host team Boracay Dragons who became instant bartenders gave the players some fun and drinks that made them forget what the heck happened the night before when they woke up in the morning. We turned Zambales into the island that we all loved for one weekend.
This year, we are finally back in the powdery white sands right in front of the new look of Casa Pilar where 26 teams from all over the world witnessed the development of the island after six months of rehabilitation. And it looks like everyone was really impressed with what they have seen. Except for the unfinished roads and sidewalks, eventually, it's gonna get better from here on out.
Participating teams were all business moments after the first pull. It was so exciting to finally see the tournament back on the island seeing familiar teams like Dimepiece, Real Ballers, Appendix, DMD, TDD, BOOM!, the ever-energetic Pandas, pinoy mainstays CGY Ninjas, Caution and Pancake are all back to improve their rankings. Younger teams Boracay NexGen and Pirates Jrs are now playing in Pool A. And of course Boracay's pride and two of the top Beach teams in the world, The Boracay Dragons and the two-time defending champions, Boracay Pirates. They are back to put on a show like they always do every single year.
There may have been some new foreign, local teams and players that participated during the weekend but Team Batang Mandaya (BatMan) of Mati City and NFDA Lupad Dumaguete really took the tournament by storm as both teams showed nothing but fantastic Beach Ultimate in their first ever Boracay Open experience. Batang Mandaya who put their name in the Beach Ultimate Map during last year's PFDA Beach Nationals in Mati, Davao, made its presence known with National players Vincent Balucanag, Bryle Quimintan and AJ Baliong leading the pack of run and gun players showing everyone how beach ultimate is played in their own turf back in Mindanao.
During the registration night, I talked to one of the members of the NFDA Lupad Dumaguete, he said that they were surprised to be the 4th ranked team in the rankings. Well, I guess the organizers know what they were doing because prior to the Pool A finals, NFDA Lupad Dumaguete finished the tournament undefeated. They worked together using their speed, field awareness, intelligence, patience, heart, and trust. No stars in their line-up (except for Alberta according to them) but role players that work together flawlessly. They worked hard for it, and everything paid off. After they beat the defending champions on Day 2, a lot of people were asking, "Where did these kids come from?” I got two words for ya...
"Dumaguete, Bai!”
Hat's off and big thanks to Mr. James Yap, the Saturday night party at Club Summerplace VIP lounge was massive! Everyone danced the night away with loads of booze from The Bar Premium Gin, in everyone's system. It was definitely a welcome home Boracay party at its finest. Seeing most of the participants dressed up good for the occasion, with others wearing something to scare the innocents off. It was definitely a night that most of us will cherish for a long time, but forget the things that happen at 2:30 in the morning. Everyone was wasted. But hey, it's the Boracay Open. You have to be wasted at some point!
As expected, the top 4 teams of the tournament went on to advance in the pool A Semifinals. The matchup between BatMan and NFDA was exciting for the reason that these two teams joined the tournament for the very first time, and both have the chance to rub elbows with either the Dragons or the Pirates in the finals. As the NFDA continued its winning streak and managed to defeat Mati city's pride, The Pirates showed why they were the back to back champions as they managed to beat the Dragons in the other semifinal game.
After the Boracay NexGen did not make the cut in Pool A, and after an exciting semifinal game against Boracay Pirates Jrs, the homegrown young squad went on to dominate the pool B finals against Real Ballers from Beijing. NexGen's Pool B championship win makes it their highest achievement in their Boracay Open Campaign.
The team from Dumzville shocked the world as Lupad Dumaguete opened the Pool A championship game with a big bang. They all played like a bunch of possessed Tasmanian devils swirling all over the sand of station 3, scoring point after point giving the defending champs a hard time to retaliate. But after trailing by 5 (10-5), the experienced Pirates, led by Bolantoy, Wilbor, Maimai, and Junthir slowly but surely manage to cut the lead down with some fast paced short passes and two-point bombs giving the NFDA a tough time to answer back. It was a tug of war in the end. NFDA tried two 2 point bomb attempts but failed to convert the bombs and only manage to score a point to cut the lead down to one, 15-16 giving the Pirates the chance to seal the deal. A sweet pass from female MVP Maimai Dublin while Jazper Favor of Lupad Dumaguete went for the layout bid for the last time seeing the pink plastic disc pass by him that went straight into the hands of Junthir Flores for the win. Boracay Pirates is the Boracay Open 3-peat Champions.
It was an impressive run for the Pirates, they were just too tough to handle all weekend long. But the other story of the weekend was how this new team from a small city in Negros Oriental, with no Beach in sight. Traveled for almost 16 hours by land and water with a ton of challenges on the road, making it to the island for the first time. They managed to dominate the tournament and almost won the elusive trophy that was only won by the Dragons, Pirates, and Bangarang in the past 5 years? It was quite amazing. But no matter what happened in the end, one thing is for sure. They heard what the people were chanting when they received the 1st runner-up trophy. The players were chanting “Du-ma-gue-te”. And that right there was a sign of respect and acceptance.
Welcome to the Beach Ultimate World, Dumaguete!
It was such a beautiful weekend in Boracay with familiar faces and new found friends from all over. There may be a lot of new things to follow now and some stuff that we used to enjoy doing are now prohibited but the whole experience was still absolutely solid. The Boracay Open organizers would like to thank every single one of you for participating in the cleanup drive every afternoon, and by following the new rules and regulations that will make our beloved island beautiful as ever.
The Island truly appreciates you. Boracay Open 2019 was definitely a homecoming worth remembering.
See you all next year!
-Don Laczi
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