Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Day 6... Streaking uli... LOSING!! NNNOOOOOOO!!

Sunday. May 25, 2008.
Day 6. Summer League.
Alabang Country Club
Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… Ultimate… Warriors… ULTIMATE… WARRIORS!!!
Armed with a new cheer, the Ultimate Warriors braved the fields of Alabang pumped up and ready to go. And with last week’s losses all but forgotten, the Warriors were back to their happy-go-lucky, “quota”-cheering ways. All smiles. No pressure. What a perfectly nice day to play some disc.

Players: (Sino naman kaya nalimutan ko ngayon?!?)
Dondi
Sarah
Greg (1st game only)
Nana
Czarmel
Lawrence
Roy
Junjun
Alvin
Bobby (may balat sa pwet!)
Gladys
Tisha
Cel
Ivy
Jane
Ena
Ubai

Fans: (Yeba!)
Yelle
Mavs
Apple
Kring

As you can see above, the Warriors were missing a lot of its key players. Jaguar Paw was up in the mountains, Enteng Kabisote was nowhere in sight and Mike was in faraway Boston . Lei was in CDO, Jomen was singing “Happy Birthday Lola” and the Doctor was out. Mina was explaining how she got her "chinese get-up marks" to her family and Garry was pounding on his tita's roof, mourning the loss of their chickens. With just a little over two lines, the Warriors were a bit shorthanded as they try to sneak in another pool B win…

Results:

Game 11
Ultimate Warriors – 8
Monster – 13

Before the start of the game, Michell told the Warriors that this is a must-win game for the team. If the Warriors beat Monster, they had a chance for a higher seed and would then be assured of a lower seed opponent in next week’s finals. The Warriors were faced again with a familiar foe: the pressure to win. But they brushed it off and decided not to give in to the pressure. They wanted to play their game and have fun on the field and a winning result would just be a bonus. (Fact: There would be no bonus today. Haha.) There was no wind and it would have been the perfect condition for Jaguar Paw’s long hucks. But the Warriors would have to make do with their players who are present on the field. The Warriors went to their short running game and would be able to bring the disc down just to fall short of a goal. And even though the movement and the flow of the offense were quite good, the Warriors could not finish consistently early on. Monster would rely on their hucks and the Warriors slow feet (take a bow Dondi and Greg) as they piled on the points to build a five point lead at the half. Monster also showed the Warriors different looks on defense as they switched between Man and Cup throughout the game. The Warriors also struggled a bit with the Cup but they were eventually able to break the defense and score some goals. The team made a run after the short halftime break to cut down Monster’s lead. They broke their quota of five points and everyone was pumped up after each goal as the team remained competitive with Monster for the remainder of the game. (Fact: Spectators taught the Warriors won the game because of the way they were cheering!) With a need for handlers, a number of players stepped up with Sarah helping out in breaking the Cup and assists on goals by Roy and Lawrence. And of course, Greg’s long bullet pass to Cel to the endzone (Greg to Dondi: forehand yun ha!). And everyone else shared in the handling duties as the Warriors mostly played a short to mid game with the occasional long play here and there. The Warriors were able to give Monster a little scare but the early deficit was just too hard to overcome. The Warriors went down for their third consecutive loss, 13-8. But most of the team (if not all) was already extremely happy with the results. (“8 points! Lagpas sa quota!”)

Game 12
Ultimate Warriors – 9
Circus Weng Weng – 12

After a one hour break, the Warriors would lace ‘em up again and take on a team it met twice in the previous Malakas at Maganda league. Both times, the Warriors and Circus teams pushed each other to the limit. Both times, the Warriors succumbed to defeat. But Circus was on the second game of a back to back set and the Warriors were looking to take advantage of this to finally get over the hump. With the aid of some orange juice (uy, orange juice lang daw!), the Warriors were ready to take on this challenge. They would play the same short game formula they used in the Monster game and would surprise Circus with their quickness and accuracy as they would score from endzone to endzone without dropping the disc. Circus also showed them a Cup defense which the Warriors easily broke and were converted into quick points. But the Circus team had more experience. They used their highly organized offense and took advantage of some Warriors mistakes to build a four point lead. Despite the deficit, the Warriors remained in high spirits. And instead of feeling down and walking to the other end of the field after a Circus point, some Warriors decided to put on a show. The people on the sidelines were treated to a tumbling, cartwheeling and splitting exhibition. (Fact: Si Lawrence napressure, nagtumbling din!) After the “show”, the Warriors proved that they had a little more fight in them. With the “orange juice” taking effect, they made one final push. A good defensive stop in the Circus’ endzone followed by an efficient short game was converted into a goal. The “orange juice” effect was mostly reflected in Czarmel’s game as he turned into a monster on defense. He was all over the field, running and sky-ing for some great defensive plays that prevented Circus from extending their lead. However, the Warriors were slowly running out of time. Down by just two points, the five minute time mark was called on the field. Showing a bit of desperation and exhaustion from their latest run, the Warriors blew a number of scoring chances. In the end, Circus would score the final point to take the 3-point win and deal the Warriors their fourth loss in as many games.

Pool B Record: 2-4

Overall record after 10 games: 8-4

Although the Warriors lost both games, they were able to show some improvement and a lot of potential for the future. We were competitive in both games. We’re just a bit inconsistent, a bit inexperienced, and a bit impatient at times. But in both games, we were right there. If not for some careless mistakes, we would have been in position to at least challenge for a win. Nevertheless, everyone still had fun in the field. And that’s the most important thing. (I’m all for fun, but can we please win at least one more game? Please? Haha. Pressure!!!)

In the end, we can attribute all our four losses to one thing: Bobby’s presence. (Ross, abswelto ka na) Thank you Bobby, for sharing your “gift” with us. Peace. =)

Finals next Saturday! That just means one thing: Inuman na!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Day 5: We're streaking... Losing Streak Nga Lang...



... But's it's okay... wika nga ni Mundz, "Cool Runnings..." Hehehehe!!


~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Saturday. May 18, 2008.

Day 5. Summer League.

Alabang Country Club

The Ultimate Warriors arrived in ACC early Saturday morning ready to take on and crush two more teams on its way to glory. They boasted of an unblemished record and were determined to add two more Ws to their perfect 8-0 card. They were undefeated. They were streaking. And nobody dared to stand in their way. They were confident. They were invincible. Until...

...Bobby and Ross showed up to watch the games.

The Ultimate Warriors fate was now sealed. With the arrival of the two “lucky charms”, their chances of keeping their perfect record were reduced from slim to none.

Players: (Apologies in advance kung may nalimutan ako)

Dondi
Sarah
Reymund
Garry
Dino
Mike
Doc
Greg
Nana
Czarmel
Lawrence
Roy
Junjun
Gladys
Mina
Leah
Tisha
Cel
Ivy
Jane
Ena
Jomen – DNP; injured (fat ankle)


Fans: (Yeba!)
Bobby (may balat sa pwet)
Ross (may balat sa pwet)
Yelle
Mavs
Apple


Results:

Game 9: “1 vs 100”
Ultimate Warriors – 7
Breakfast Club – 8

The early game proved to be a challenging task as the Ultimate Warriors failed to arrive early enough to have ample time for proper warm ups, throws and drills. The good news was that BC also found this task daunting as they were only able to suit up 4 players at the start of the game. But the Warriors showed the lack of preparation as they struggled to score the first point even though they had three more players on the field. BC just needed one good handler and proper spacing and cutting as they tied the game at 1 point apiece. (They just had 4 players! Naman! Argh.) The howling winds did not help the Warriors as each soft pass was blown out of control, high up in the air, often resulting in a turnover. They showed flashes of brilliance in their short game as they were able to run the length of the field from the pull to the endzone without dropping the disc. At times, they were able to take advantage of the undermanned BC team. But not even double or triple teams were able to stop their opponent. And soon, one by one, the rest of the BC team arrived reducing the Warriors advantage of three players to two and then to one. But the Warriors remained competitive, making sure the players on the field were fresh to outrun the tired BC team. They took a 7-5 halftime lead. They started the second half on offense, hopeful and confident. With little time left, they needed just one more point to grab a 3 point lead and have a little bit of breathing room. One more point to drain the remaining hope of the exhausted BC squad. One more point and they were closer to achieving their 9th straight victory. But the Ultimate Warriors would not score a point the rest of the way. The wind was too strong and there were too many bad decisions, dropped discs, forced passes and silly mistakes which resulted in too many costly turnovers. BC scored the next three points en route to a universal point victory. They were the better team today, even though it was, as JR said “1 vs 100”. The Warriors succumbed to their first defeat of the Summer League. For some (I think MC2 girls?), this was their first defeat ever. For the others, they were reminded of the sting of losing from previous leagues which seemed ages ago. But this loss was different. Everyone was a little bit more sad and disappointed. Maybe even depressed. Maybe because after winning all those games the Warriors did not know how to deal with a loss. Or that there was just too much pressure on winning. For the first time, the Warriors failed to have fun on the field. And because of that, the Warriors lost more than just a game, they lost their identity. (Hayop! Haha.) But at least the Warriors can always look back and say “Malas talaga si Bobby at Ross... may mga balat sa puwet!!"


Game 10: “Balik sa Quota”
Ultimate Warriors – 5
K3 – 12

After losing the first game, the Warriors realized that there was too much focus on winning every game. They were never that kind of team. Don't get me wrong, the Warriors want to win. They are hungry to win. But having fun is second to none. And with that mantra in mind, the Warriors took on the field for their second game in high spirits. The memory of the BC loss was brushed off and seemed to be a distant memory. It was the first time the Warriors played K3 in a game. They were unfamiliar faces, except for some who were in different teams the Warriors faced previously in past leagues. Thus, the Warriors did not know the game of K3. They did not know who to match up with. They did not know what to expect. They were able to be competitive with K3 at the start of the game, making good defensive plays and forcing K3 turnovers. K3 showed that they were the more experienced team and by halftime, they were comfortably ahead of the Warriors and running away with the game. But aside from the score, there were no other signs of an impending Warriors defeat. The Warriors on the sideline were on their feet, cheering and screaming as if it was a closely-fought championship game. The Warriors were back. Back to having fun. Back to enjoying the game. Back to the “Quota” cheer (isa na lang, quota na!). But this does not mean that the Warriors stopped fighting on the field. This was evident in the last (and longest!) point of the game. Both teams have been battling for the final point for more than five minutes but neither wanted to give way even though it will not affect the result of the game. Even with another loss assured, the Warriors fought mightily for the final point. Despite the heavy breathing and the extremely tired bodies, the Warriors were able to find the last of their energy for one final D and one final march to reach the endzone. After what seemed like forever, the Warriors achieved their goal and scored the final point of the match. Final score: 12-5. “Quota tayo”.


Pool B Record: 2-2
Overall record after 10 games: 8-2


After the hard fought matches, the Warriors watched the SP01 vs Sexual Chocolate match. You wouldn't see in their faces that they just lost two games earlier in the day.

But the most fun moment on that they was the warriors played a 10-on-10, barefooted, no-rules pick-up game after. And some semi-crazy (with a tinge of "point-of-clarity") lay-out drills too. Due to what happened to Mina because of Doc's Chinese Get-Up, it was inevitable for most Warriors to exclaim the triggerhappy doctor "pa-burger ka naman jan." Doc handed Php1500 for that "pa-cheeseburger treat" and the Warriors packed their bags and left to get their burger. But instead, the troop went to Congo Grille, where the “fun” would continue.


Here are some of the thoughts and good whatevs from the peeps (to be added soon, must retrieve some stuff from the email thread):

Dondi: "I think it would be safe to say that the Warriors had as much fun today (if not more fun) as the other League days despite losing both matches. I think as a team, we are still continuing to grow. There's a lot of things we have to learn, a lot of aspects in our game that we have to improve. Inch by inch we'll get there. Sabi nga ni Alvin Patrimonio at ng Purefoods, 'Slowly but surely'. Rome wasn't build in a day. Ayus! We are still behind in skills, but we are learning. We may not be faster, stronger and generally better than the other teams, but we keep on fighting. We may continue to lose some games, but we should never, ever forget to have fun. I'm proud of you losers! =)"

Mike: "Tama ka Dondz. Kahit talo tayo noong Day 5, yun yung pinakamasayang Summer League day kasi… (quoting Gladiola) 'We celebrated Friendship!' Hahaha. Go Warriors!"

Ivy: "bsta ako, win or lose!its the team i choose!!!ahehehehe..parang cheer un ng ateneo a..hahah..bsta enjoy, kht talo oks lang!!!"

Glad (chatbox mode): "basta masaya nga tayo! lalo na yung 10-on-10 at yung ating congo grille fest. hahahaha! go warriors!! give me a woot-woot!! hhahaha!!"

Glad (serious mode... nosebleed thoughts): Of course we want to win and we've been having the burning desire to excel in this game but we have to keep in mind that winning is just the tip of the iceberg. As we go underwater or deeper, it's the established friendship and memories that have been significant when we started playing ultimate. *then kikay mode* SO OMIGOSH LET'S CELEBRATE FRIENDSHIP!!

Bobby (sa car on the way home to Makati): We have come a long way and I think we should be proud of what we've gone through. We started to have fun in ultimate and that must be continued. The fun must not stop.

Lei: "aha i dont remember much from sat. hahaha. joke. yey!!! go warriors!!!! i love this team!!!"

Tish: "beach tayoooo!!!"


Play the game. Continue to learn. Always have fun.


We're still streaking guys! Losing streak nga lang. =) Hold your heads up high.


*Despite what happened, what are your thoughts about this??

Summer League Day 5






*pics from Red Blood Cel :)

Monday, May 12, 2008

Summer League Day 4: Oh Like We're So Effin Streaking!!!

Photo Courtesy of Doc

Sunday, May 12, 2008

Day 4. Summer League. Round 2. Pool B.

Alabang Country Club

Bonnie and Clyde arrived in Alabang Country Club at around 1:30 PM and thought they were early for their 2:20 PM game. But to their surprise, most of the Ultimate Warriors were already there (including Reymund, with a hangover!), bags on the grass, red jerseys on their backs and ready to boot up their cleats. While the Warriors were warming up with their throws, at least three people asked Clyde “Wala ba tayong drills? Kahit Go To lang?” Wow. He was in shock. This is coming from a team who usually arrives with less than 10minutes before the game with no more time to warm up. From a team who frowns upon drills during practices and pick-ups (“Game na tayo! Sayang ilaw!”). But this Sunday was different from Sundays past. This was no ordinary day. On this day, the Warriors were early. On this day, the Warriors warmed up their throws, jogged and stretched as a group. On this day, the Warriors had time for drills before the game. On this day, the Warriors were in Pool B.

Pool B Players: (oh how you just lurrvvvee the sound of PPOOL B!!)
Dondi
Sarah
Reymund
Alvin
Garry
Dino
Mike
Doc
Greg
Nana
Czarmel
Lawrence
Ian
Roy
Junjun
Mina
Leah
Tisha
Gladys
Cel
Jane
Ena

Pool B Results:
Game 7
Ultimate Warriors – 9
Huck U – 8
The Warriors caught a big break since Huck U only had 9 players with 2 girls. The decision between the teams was that the offense (during the pull) will call the ratio of players on the field. If Huck U was on offense, the ratio will be 5 boys and 2 girls. If the Warriors were on offense, the ratio will be 4 boys and 3 girls with Huck U fielding only six players (4 boys and 2 girls). Another advantage was that Huck U just came from a grueling match with Circus that extended more than 10 minutes beyond regulation time and ended with a loss via a universal point. They had only 10 minutes of rest and their exhaustion showed during the first few minutes of the game as the Warriors jumped to an early 2-point, Pool B lead. However, these “ninja kids” found their second wind and caught up with the Warriors who were struggling to bring down the disc. The Warriors couldn't capitalize even with an extra girl on the field. And even when the Huck U players were outnumbered, they were able to force turnovers and leave the helpless defense of the Warriors to score quick points. The Warriors lost their lead and were down 2 points with Huck U threatening to pull away. Enter the Houndz. With Czarmel, Ian and Lawrence on the field at the same time, the Warriors were able to match up with the speed of the “ninja kids” (Houndz vs Ninja Kidz! Puede!). The Pool B Houndz used their quickness to make one defensive play after another. And each defensive play was converted to quick goals as the Warriors filled the score sheet with three straight points and took the lead for good. After the three quick points, it was back and forth between the two teams as both made turnovers and had a hard time finishing offensive plays, clearly showing the effects of exhaustion as they continued to battle under the heat of the blazing sun. There was a heated Pool B moment when Clyde made an assist to Gladys (which would've been her first point during a league game) but a travel was called by Huck U. He contested the call and a heated argument ensued ending with a big “Whatever!” from the Huck U handler. Wow, real mature. Clyde was so pissed but he decided to take the high road and just brushed it off. He tapped the disc in, waited for the Huck U handler to set up his defense (para wala na masabi), made a short pass to Ian who made another quick pass to Gladys for her first goal. Boom. Score. (Whatever! Haha). And finally, with the Warriors up 9-7, everyone was relieved to hear the sweetest two words ever from Michelle: “Last point”. Huck U scored the final game of the match and the Ultimate Warriors were able to escape with a one point Pool B victory.
Photo Courtesy of Doc

Game 8 Ultimate Warriors – 13 Xavier B – 4 The Warriors were still very much exhausted from their Pool B “thriller” of a game vs Huck U. They were given only a few minutes of rest before the next game vs Xavier B. It was a good thing that the Warriors beat this team already during the first round and they were a bit confident that they will be able to repeat over Xavier B. From the start, the Warriors showed that they were the dominant team. It was never even close (Yabang na naman! Haha). The Warriors Pool B defense was merciless (big Ds by Clyde , Enteng, Jane and Mike among others). And we were able to score a bunch of points off of the Xavier B turnovers. There was a scary moment when Kickass Caracas was elbowed in the head by a Xavier player and spent a few moments lying on the grass. But he was able to shake it off (“Buti na lang malayo sa utak!”) and he went back into the field again after a few minutes on the sideline. Although Xavier were able to steal a couple of long hucks to the endzone vs the Warriors formidable defense ( Lawrence kamot ulo and Dondi asar talo kay Greg), it was a relatively easy Pool B game for the Warriors as they cruised to another Pool B win. It was a good time for everyone to gain playing experience as everyone received ample playing time and given opportunities to showcase their skills. Mike took some of the load of the handling responsibilities for some time and scored his first goal in the process. Everyone wanted in on the fun with Doc and Garry refusing to give way as they each scored half a point on a closely contested goal (contested by each other. “Akin yan!”). Even the girls were active in the offense as Tisha and Leah both made Pool B assists. Enteng and Lawrence were even practicing their fakes and their semi-lunging/ semi-leaping overhand-backhand Pool B throw (di ko alam tawag dun, basta yung mga pilantik pa sa dulo ng release. haha.). Nana also had a “Derek moment” as he went into the game barefoot, and even scored a goal. The Warriors were very much in control of the game and were having so much fun that Mundz decided to “fake a stack”. Clyde made the first mistake – he believed Reymund. He picked up the disc near the sideline and passed it to the middle to Mundz for the “stack” play. Mundz called out “First Cutter!” and Tisha made the second mistake - she actually made a cut to the open side. Jaguar Paw promptly ignored her cut (and the stack which HE called in the first place) and made his usual play: a forehand huck to the White Dragon in the endzone. (Mundz: “Temptation si Greg eh!” Sabagay, first time na mabilis tumakbo si Greg so pagbigyan na natin para hindi masayang yung pagod nya. Hehe.) At least Greg made the catch for a quick goal and little bit of Pool B bragging after.
Photo Courtesy of Doc
Pool B record: 2-0 Overall record after 8 games:

A perfect 8-0!

We still have an unblemished record!

Keep on streaking!

Inuman na!

AREN'T YOU PROUD TO BE AN ULTIMATE WARRIOR??

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Czar's MMS to Tisha:*



Conversation at North Park as the phone is passed around...

Tish: Totoo ba 'to?
Mike: Mukhang totoo...
Tish: Oo nga, may shading eh.
Dondi: Pwede nang may shading sa henna ngayon, ginawa na sa akin dati.
Leah: Pero colored eh. Totoo yata.
Tish: Hindi naman siya siguro ganun ka-adik para magpa-tattoo ng tunay.
Cel: Patingin!
Mina: Totoo ba 'to?

After five minutes of debating, Tisha scrolls down...

"Subject: henna tattoo ko..."

Ahehe.

Mag-scroll kasi eh!


*Actually, hindi ito 'yung actual pic...kinunan ko na lang sa game kanina. Hehe. Go Warriors! -tish the dish
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