THIS weekend, flying discs will be soaring in Tagum City as the best frisbee players in the Philippines head south for the third Philippine Ultimate Frisbee Championships.
Philippine Ultimate Association (PUA) head Peng Manlapaz said this is the first time the nationals will be held outside Metro Manila to accommodate the teams from Mindanao. The first two editions of the annual event were held in Ayala Alabang.
“We decided to push nationals away from Manila this year. It’s our vision that the nationals be rotated all over the country since it involves teams from all over. We want it to be a national event like the Palarong Pambansa,” he explained.
In an interview with Spin.ph, Manlapaz explained that more than a third of the Ultimate teams are Manila-based but there are a lot of talented teams in Mindanao and not all of them can fly to Manila.
“The PUA board had a meeting in Iligan City which has 40 teams and we saw with our own eyes the talent there. It’s also easier for Manila teams to fly to Mindanao. The Mindanao teams can go to Tagum at a cheap price and watch the nationals for free. Logistically, it’s easier for them,” Manlapaz said.
Three open grass fields will be set up at the E-Park in Tagum City, the event's co-presentor, that will host 18 teams during the three-day event. The All-Star Game is set for May 30 while the competition proper is scheduled for May 31- June 1. More than 400 players will be playing this weekend.
The UP Diliman-based Sunken Pleasure, the two-time champions, is expected to be challenged by last year’s runner-up Sid Vicious, a team made popular by actor and Ultimate enthusiast Derek Ramsey. Also expected to reach the top tiers are Dumaguete Extreme, Boracay Dragons and the Davao Mulatto.
Holding the nationals in Mindanao, Manpalaz said, is a dream come true for the players there since they get to see most of their favorite players and teams only on Youtube.
Another reason for the Tagum event is for international teams to realize the country has a lot of tournaments outside Metro Manila. Unknown to most, the Philippines has the biggest Ultimate community this side of Asia.
“We want to show other teams from Singapore and Japan that the Philippines is a safe place to travel to. We want to tell everyone that it’s not just Manila you can go to. They can go to beaches afterwards or climb a mountain. We call it ‘Ultimate Tourism,’” he said.
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