Home : Tournaments : Asian Beach Ultimate : Boracay March 2003

The 1st Asian Beach Ultimate Tournament, March 22-23, 2003

Beach Ultimate Explodes in Asia
by Bart Edes

Folks, from beginning to end there was nothing subtle about it. Over one hundred players representing 10 teams came to party and compete on the powdery beaches of Boracay this past weekend and left an impression that will not soon fade from the otherwise clouded minds of survivors. It sure didn't take long to realize that this event in paradise was NOT going to be like other Ultimate tournaments. 

Start with a Friday night welcome gig by (and in!) the surf, with beer flowing, stars twinkling, music throbbing, disco lights flashing, and old and new friends chatting and getting to know each other. Some *really* getting to know each other.

The next morning, the competition began. So, you think you know how to play disc? Try running in sand. Try cutting in sand. Try getting the disc off to a teammate who can't cut within the six (not ten) seconds you have to throw it. Try doing this with gusts of wind cutting across the court under the noon-time blazing sun, glinting off the heavenly white sands of what many believe to be the region's best beach. Music and live commentary all through the matches. Hundreds of tourists and local residents stopping by the sidelines to take in the action. Experienced players struggling to keep up with super-fit youth who have just picked up the game and are running them ragged. It was simply unreal at times.

Want some more thrill? Try the two-point bomb. Planting your pivot foot on your own endzone line, connect  in one pass with your receiver in the their  zone. The Bangkok and Beyond (B.A.B.E.) squad did it twice against Hong Kong, pushing the city-state's All Stars to the limit during the quarterfinals. Dominic and Scott done good for their fellow Soi Dawgs who didn't make the trip. Together with pick-ups like veteran Jeff Staples (who came from Hawaii for the tourney), "B.A.B.E." put on a great and spirited show throughout. Jeff wasn't the only one who made a big trip to make Boracay. Others traveled from as far as Budapest and Micronesia.

This is the tournament where Ultimate on the fringe of Southeast Asia really took off. One seasoned HK player, drenched with sweat, caked in sand, and stumbling off the court following a stunning come-from-behind semifinal victory over the Scalded Dogs (Korea A), said that his team had just encountered the toughest defense of the tournament -- one they barely escaped to squeak into the finals. The Dogs showed they meant business from the moment they arrived, thashing a mixed bag of Europeans, Europa-Europa, 11-1 in the tournment opener.   

Elsewhere on the fringe, Boracay's international football team ("the Breeze") of expat bartenders, shopkeepers, divers, and resort employees surprised more than a few with their plastic-tossing abilities, earning a spot in the quarterfinals. Clearly, some of the skills acquired in beach football and beach volleyball are transferable to disc-on-sand. Also competing were fellow islanders, The Dragons, a 100% Pinoy squad comprising of super-fit dragon-boat paddlers, who gave Hong Kong an "oarful" time in the final (more below). Boboy, the Dragon leader, was awarded a well-deserved spot on the "mythical team" voted by all players. The three others on this 4 x 4 (3 man, 1 woman) popularly elected all-star list included two from the Young Askals (Manila B), Wendell and Jason, as well as Annika Walters of Hong Kong. Jason and Annika won tourney MVP honors. In addition to her outstanding on-court performance during the day, Annika capably represented her team on the bar (yes, ON the bar) in a tasteful and groovy set of moves during the female dance-off Saturday night.

As for that Saturday night party... if the old adage about a picture being "worth a thousand words" holds true, ask someone if you can see their digital snaps. Heck, think about it -- mix the Vice and Seoul together with tequila and frosty San Migs after a day of sun, surf and disc, and you *really* have got a recipe for some scary decadence. 

 Raised eyebrows were plentiful that night even among the well-traveled <<bon vivants>> of the Asian disc circuit when Ralph and his curvacious partner Sam -- both part of the Party-winning Vice gang at HK in November -- set the tone for the body shot contest. The ladies' dance-off deserves more print (or photos) than I can begin to offer here, so I leave it to others. And the inaugural performance of "Ulti-Mate" dispelled once and for all the rumor that the game started out in the 1960s in the USA. The Young Askals' mini-play (written by disc player, script writer, and actor Ebong Joson) has hopefully been captured on video to better inform the world about the true origins of our beloved sport. Hands-down winners of the team performance prize, even topping the captivating fire-juggling act put on by the Dragons.  

On Sunday morning, the Dragons, All-Stars, Scalded Dogs and Young Askals won spots in the semis. Watching the all-Philippine semifinal pairing between the Dragons and Young Askals was like viewing a tennis match, with wind-blown turnovers and diving D's leading to fast-paced, back and forth action that left even the spectators exhausted. At the end it was the Dragons, armed with just 12 days (yes, 12 days) of Ultimate experience, out-hustling their new big city rivals. Meanwhile, on the other court, the Scalded Dogs -- who hadn't scored in the first 15 minutes of their quarterfinal against Flying Adobo (Manila A) -- had recalled how to bite, and were chomping on the heavily favored All Stars for most of their match, going up (if memory serves) by as many as 4. But HK, led by, among others, Robert, Joel, Sue and (of course) Annika, would not lie down, scratching back to tie and then win by a single score.

Following the 9th place consolation match between a ragtag group of Americans and Canadians (Showtime) and Europa Europa, narrowly won by the latter, the Dragons were pinching themselves in disbelief that they had made it to the final of their first Ulimate competiton. Capitalizing on the speed, endurance, and lightning-quick reflexes that had carried them so far, they kept the game close for awhile and thrilled the large crowd with their never-say-die determination and athletic prowess, at times racing right through HK's Zone D. Yet physical conditioning and familiarity with the beach, when reinforced by just a backhand throw, were not enough to carry the Ultimate novices past one of the region's best teams. Final score: All Stars 13, Dragons 8. Commenting after the game on the unexpected finals match-up, an impressed Sue Tonin opined something to the effect of "give those guys a flick, and watch out Asia..."

And as if two full nights of scheduled partying were not enough, a third one ollowed Sunday's exciting conclusion to two days of historic beach Ultimate. The talk of the night (for those who still had their voices and mouth-to-brain connections functioning) was a little cocktail called Cayo's
Revenge. I stayed with the vodka, and was glad that I did when I saw
the number of victims claimed by the poisonous concoction. The stragglers did not make it back to their hotels till 6 am Monday morning.

So, will there be a second Boracay tournament? Gimme a break. Those who were there have already penned it into their calendars for 2004. The Boracay beach boyz and gurhls are eager for rematches, and will be sharpening their skills in the interim. If you missed the first one, don't miss the second. Details forthcoming in the months ahead. We'll give you lots of advance notice for the longest, hottest, raunchiest party masquerading as an Ultimate tournament in Asia.