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Manila Spirits International Tournament

November 15-16, 2003
Manila Polo Club, Makati City, Philippines

The first and probably only club-based competition on turf in Manila. We’ve got several teams from the Philippines willing to take on international jocks on the lush green grass of the Manila Polo Club field. Not to mention the all-night parties with San Miguel beer, Cayo's Revenge (find out for yourself what it is), good food, and great company to make your trip simply unforgettable.

The name Manila Spirits is in honor of (you guessed it) Spirit of the Game. But it is also named after November holidays in the Philippines: All Saints Day and All Souls Day (Saints and Souls would be too long for the jersey). Spirits seemed like a word that related to both.

Action Previews

contributed by Bart Edes

While every game will entertain spectators with thrilling long passes, dives, and catches, some matches will be particularly worth watching as sparks fly when intense rivals take to the field...

Freakshow v. Junk: Only a handful of years ago, Hong Kong was the team to beat in Southeast Asia. But that was before the rise of (Ang Mo) Freakshow, Singapore's "A" squad, which since 2001 has won virtually every tournament it has entered, and remains the favorite at Manila Spirits.  Memories run long among the Ultimate communities of both cities, and there are scores to be settled. Junk would like to replicate the first-place finish it achieved the last time it competed at an Ultimate tournament in the Philippines (at the Boracay Beach Ultimate in March 2003). But the crew from Hong Kong did not have to get by Freakshow on that occasion as the Singaporeans gave the beach competition a miss. So watch the intensity level soar when these two teams meet for the first time ever in the archipelago.

Junk v. Shanghai: Shanghai is out for blood and sees their chance against the Hong Kongers, who some believe may be saving their energies for the tournament-related festivities. Having lost not once, but twice, to Junk during its annual Burn Tournament earlier this year, Shanghai desperately wants to include Hong Kong's scalp among the prizes on its way to a first-ever international tournament championship.  Watch the Mainland squad put the heat on right from the start.

Philippine Team v. Disc Devils: The tension has been palpable leading up to this long-awaited showdown between the host country's two strongest teams on turf. The Devils are eager to knock the select squad off its perch and are confident they have the means to do so in their fastbreaks and long hucks.  This young band of brothers is so tight that their top players declined invitations to join the Philippine Team. Expect a fast and furious match with turnovers leading to split-second turnarounds. Wherever they finish in the competition standings, both of these teams are determined to leave the Polo Club with national bragging rights.