HK Ultimate- Bangkok Tournament

Tournament Result

MANILA TOURNAMENT -

22 January 2002, Hong Kong

The Manila Open Ultimate hat tournament, the Vice's first international offering, offered taut games, hot play, and rooftop rock 'n' roll to a small but raucous international crowd, dominated by Hong Kong's contingent of six current players (Julie, Sue, Marcus, Stu, and Steve & Lise), one former player (Shanghai's Noëmie) and one honorary player (Beijing's Fi)--and fleshed out by solo players from Shanghai, Singapore, San Francisco, and Virginia. It was truly an open tournment: Players ranged from 12 to 43 years old, with Hong Kong again bringing the oldest overall crew, with four over 40.

The excellently drawn teams (great job, Bart!) made the tourney's final outcome anybody's guess. And "the eighth player"--a powerful diagonal crosswind that sent all but the most careful hucks sailing out of bounds and inspired crushing zone defense on upwind points--made every game close. None of the regulation games were won by more than three points, most eking out wins by either one or two points in front of an audience of intent players from the resting teams. (Small-tourney benefit: we played one game at a time, so we all could watch some--and we like watching!)

First-round play was followed on Saturday by an exhibition match between French speakers (both proper and quebeçois) and Tout le Reste du Monde that introduced new language to the game ("le disque est dedans!") and then by a barefoot, beer-holding, no-spillage-allowed women's game highlighted by Fi Cheng's roll for a goal. Chinese acrobatics met international ultimate, as her beer remained upright throughout her scoring somersault.

Partiers-in-crime Fi (Typhoon Fever) and Noëmie Desrochers (Plastic Mangoes) shared the Hot and Spicy Party Animal award with Vincent Mudry (Manila, Plastic Mangoes). The hard-fought contest ended at 7 a.m. Sunday in a debated tie between four players from Manila (the very buff Mel, ex-Soi Dawg Verninni, chain-smoking-between-points Katie from Oz--that's Kytie to you--and Vincent) and four from Greater China: Marcus Valle, of course, with a sober Andrew Work and the sequinned-and-boa'd Noëmie and Fi. The party started as an illicit occupation of a condo roofdeck, with Filipino food and an awesome live band, then moved to the pool before raging through Manila's nightclub scene, clearing dance floors to applause from other clubbers, and closing down bar after bar after gay bar. Greater China earned style points for most people naked in the pool, most people semi-naked on stage(s), and most sexually ambiguous acts on the dance floor… They also earned thanks from Vincent for saving him from a case of mistaken amorous identity. Be it duly noted that a voiceless Fi Cheng was first on the line on Sunday. Be it also noted that Marcus's camera conveniently expired just as the party got really interesting.

Kudos are due to champions Salakot (mostly Manila, with HK's Steve and California's Charlotte). Captained by Male MVP Steve Lingo, Salakot came back after losing every game on Saturday to win the finals in a tight match against Typhoon Fever, with a crowd-pleasing down-to-the-wire finish: Behind by one point at the soft cap, Salakot nailed the next three points to win by two. Salakot also walked off with the Spirit of the Game award, as well as Best Cheer (your reporter's fave: "Mango No. 5").

Manila's Bart Edes had led his Plastic Mangoes--ably handled by Bart, Shanghai's big Bill Abraham (Male MVP runner-up), HK's Stuart Smyth and Lise Lingo, and party animal Noemie--to an apparently enviable 3-0 record on Saturday. But the Mangoes went cautiously into the semifinals, certain that Salakot had more talent than their triple-loss record would indicate. Salakot exercised their overall height to great advantage, playing the shallowest zone some of us have ever seen--a veritable wall of green--to advance to the finals with Typhoon Fever.

Female MVP Sue Tonin (HK) anchored a strong Typhoon Fever team captained by Dominic Diongson (Manila), who won their semifinal game against Julie Gaw's Major Huck-ups with impressive showings from the sleepless trio of party stalwarts Andrew, Fi, and Verninni the dancing queen. The last game of the tourney was an exhibition match between Manila and the world. Sue and the seriously good Bill from Virginia helped run up the score along with the unstoppable Stu, who ran the legs off almost everyone.

Special thanks go to Tim Sullivan, Bart Edes, and Dominic Diongson for organizing a great tourney and to HK's Julie Gaw for starting ultimate in Manila exactly three years ago--with three people at the first practice!

A note about the attached newspaper photos from Makati's daily "Today," snapped during the final exhibition game: that's Noëmie practicing her pliés against Manila's Lydie and Sue flicking around Manila's Sandee. Chicks rule!

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