This year's Manila Spirits will have a High School theme, thus it's called Manila Spirits High, Ultimate Class of 2011. If you haven't seen the website yet, it's here. Check out the different teams participating this year's event on the 'Frenemies' Post It link. Be sure to click the list to see each team's roster.
The team roster has been finalized. We got a pretty good team going in, far better than the team we had last year's Manila Spirits when we finished 3rd in our pool and 19th out of 40 overall (climbing 7 spots from our initial seeding). This year, the competition is going to be much much tougher as there are limited spots and the strong teams were prioritized. We were quite lucky just to get in. It would be interesting to see how we're seeded this year.
Training has been going well, despite a few cancellations due to weather disturbances. But the team will be ready next week. The chemistry is there, and the flow is there. We'll be working on our defense as we wind down our preparations. It's going to be a good tournament, regardless of results. We earned our spot, and from here on out, it's all about earning the respect of the disc community. Unbelievable. Wow. We thought our chances for qualifying for Manila Spirits was almost next to impossible. Only 2 teams out of 12 (very good teams) can qualify this year. At the end of a long, grueling day, we made it. Here's how it happened.
We only had 4 girls for most of the day, but thanks to Connie Erispe, Michelle Alcantara, Marla Montamayor and Marica Lao, they played like possessed and carried us on their backs. Manna Leano who was sick, and Len San Andres who was out of town, made the huge effort to make it in the afternoon. This is the definition of Ultimate. It was incredibly inspiring. We started the day against Monster, a veteran team that has been an institution in Philippine Ultimate. They were led by Team Spirit Apparel's Frederick 'F' Francisco (our awesome jersey supplier), and they had a great mix of young athletic guys and grizzled veterans. We went toe-to-toe against them most of the first half. It was 6-6 before they pulled away late in the game as they turned the pressure on defense which led to our costly turnovers. Game ended 10-6 to Monster's favor. Up next was a must-win game against Weekend Karma. It was win or go home for us. We started really strong, leading 6-0, using our suffocating zone defense. But we relaxed and our intensity waned a bit as the game progressed. They caught up a little and the game was now only 7-5 to our favor. We hit the panic button and fielded our strongest players, who successfully used a devastating 1-2 combo to seal the deal. Game ended 9-6, and we're through to the knock-out stages. Surprise, surprise, we were up against Monster once more for a rematch. This time around, we found our offense. Benny Lim unloaded a barrage of high backhand hucks to Keanu Dy, and Anton Campos did his damage finishing easy scores. Our defense was as solid as ever, forcing Monster into unlikely turnovers. And still the game was pretty close, our lead never going beyond 2-3 points. It was beautiful to watch though, as we arguably played our best game ever, and it was against one of the most respected teams in the country. Final score was 9-6. Bueno was through to the Final Four! During our break, the weather turned pretty sour. The wind and the rain picked up, but some of us knew this was a good break for us. We always play well in ugly conditions, which says a lot about our grit and determination. We have a saying on the team, 'Bueno Don't Tap Out'. So when we found out our next opponent was Circus Weng Weng, another formidable Pool A team, we felt good with our chances. Momentum was on our side. Circus was ravaged by injuries during the day. They only had 2 girls left. As a sign of good Spirit, we granted their request to play 5:2 all the way, even though we had a huge advantage with our girls if we played 4:3. The game was quite ugly, and the weather even uglier. It was cold and wet, but the fire in us was strong. This was one of the most intense games we've ever played. It went back and forth all the way, with no team leading more than a single point. There were lots of turnovers because of the wind. It got a little testy with a few calls, but it was all within the competitive Spirit of the Game. The game could have gone either way, as both teams showed no signs of letting up. We were down 8-7 when soft cap was announced, and we scored on a very long point. So it was 8 all, and it was Universal Point! The last point of the game was one of the longest points ever. Everybody watching on the sidelines was cheering with every throw, groaning with every drop. It was insane. At this point, it was a coin flip. But fortunately, we survived, thanks to Agu Veloso throwing a short break pass to Anton Campos who barely stepped in the end zone for the hard-fought win. Damn. And so Super Bueno is off to Manila Spirits. Against all odds, we made it through. It's been a crazy year for us, with some ups and downs, but it's awesome to end the year on a big up. Our team has finally found a winning formula, and hopefully we can sustain it for years to come. It's great to be a Super Bueno. It would be an understatement to say that the entire team is excited for this year's Malakas at Maganda League. We've prepared long and hard, and most of the team still remember what we nearly accomplished last year. This year, we hope to do a lot of damage, especially with some new additions to the roster. We got a mixture of grizzled veterans and athletic runners to bolster our young lineup. This is without a doubt, the strongest lineup Super Bueno has fielded so far. Oretachiwa Bueno!
M&M Final Roster
The first game started with a two point, 3-1 lead in favor of the Love Handlers. Immediately, Super Bueno started to fight back, breaking the defense of their opponents pass after pass until the lead grew to a staggering 10-3, fueled by Bueno's scintillating 9-0 run. Although distraught, the Love Handlers fought back and the two teams started to exchange points. A few defensive breakdowns due to miscommunication on the field started to raise eyebrows and tension through the Bueno ranks, however the game shifted in favor of Super Bueno after two of their players simultaneous caught the disc and converted it into a score, sending warm feelings of joy (or more of kilig) through the players on the Bueno bench. Feeling the love in the air (albeit not from the love handlers), Bueno decided to put its foot down and finished the game, point cap 15 – 9.
Fresh off an amazing comeback win from 5-9 to 12-9 versus the Corinthian Gardeners, defending NY League champs DUO was gunning for another win against Bueno, whom they shut out last league. Equally matched with high morale from a well played game against the Love Handlers, Super Bueno, came into the game also hungry for the win, dreading the thought of getting relegated to Pool C (and of course for bragging rights against an elite team like DUO). A quick point that opened the game for Bueno (scored by Barbara Benesa) was immediately answered back by quick passes and a score from DUO. This went on most of the way, and everybody on the field knew this game was going the distance. Akin to a Pool A game, crisp passes, tight defense and relentless hunger for the disc was present all throughout the arduous match. The Bueno handlers and their quick handler weaves through the Duo defense was indeed a pretty sight. The game went back and forth most of the way, neither team leading more than a couple of points. In the crossfire between Bueno and DUO that led to a sudden death 11-11 at hard cap, a small audience was wowed by Bueno’s unheralded players; even Team Philippine’s own Christian Guerrero (ranked 3rd best Ultimate player in Asia) commented “nice read” after a long lofty pass was caught by rising star Isaiah 'Keo' Ramos. At sudden death, a team had a to live in the moment. Everything that conspired during the game prior to the deadlock did not matter in this must-score situation. The odds were against Bueno, but in the 12 seconds after Bueno pulled the disc on defense, BUENO DECIDED TO FLIP THE SWITCH. Anton Campos, made the picture perfect layout defense (full extension, precise timing and pin point hand eye coordination) and stopped DUO’s attempt of a second pass. Back in Bueno’s possession, the disc moved via a quick one-two pass between Miggy V to Benny Lim. As Benny Lim made a backhand floater to the back of the endzone to Keo Ramos, the Bueno bench clenched their derrières and watched in agony as the disc floated to an unknown fate. The torment in Bueno’s eyes as the disc spun and found its way into the long arms of Keo Ramos, immediately dissipated. In a split second after the amazing catch that left Keo sprawled stomach first on the grass, the Bueno bench ran in celebration towards the end zone. Bueno did it, against all odds. Bueno defeated DUO, 12-11, Universal Point. On March 18, 2011 several Super Bueno players set off for Candelaria Zambales to participate in the Zambales Black Sands Challenge. It was an event that consisted different sports like Wall Climbing, an Aquathlon, and Ultimate Frisbee. This is the first beach tournament the team has joined which means the team has no experience whatsoever playing competitive beach ultimate that’s why the mood was set to take it easy and try to have fun.
Soon as the first game started the mood was changed; the team wanted to win. We lost the first game against Subic Bay Spacecakes 11-8, then we lost our second game against Sunken Pleasure (SP) 11-7, the team finally won the third game reaching the point cap of 11 giving the team a total of 26 points, this placed us fourth in our pool and also meant that we made it to the semi’s. Bueno would once again face Sunken Pleasure; this time the team was more intense since we gave them a difficult game the first time. The team came close and even closing the opponents lead by one point, but experience and skill was with them and they won 11-8, they also won the tournament defeating Spacecakes in the finals. The team didn’t only go to Zambales for the tournament but also to bond, have fun, and get to know the team members. This was a chance for the older members of the team to get to know the new ones since most of the people who went have just started playing with Bueno before NYL started. The team also had players from another team as well; Wax, Roy, and Raf, who were big help in the games and in the fun as well. All in all the team learned a lot about beach ultimate but more than that the team learned more about each other. -Anton The return of Mike and Benny, along with their new Senior Correspondent and the Bueno Banat Brigade! Call 88-BANAT to report your latest chismis! "Isumbong mo, babanatan ko!" - Big Brother
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